I have a Dell Inspiron 6400 which just constantly takes craps on me. I can push more life out of it but it turns off if slightly unplugged from the charger, the charger cord is ripping. The computer often just slows down majorly. I am a college student and these reboots and what not can be frustrating and time consuming. I am considering a MacBook Pro 13" 2.8ghz dual core i7 with a 8gb RAM and 750 GB hard drive. I need a computer to last for at least 5-8 more years. Is that a good selection or no? I say 13" because its cheaper and just the right size. Most important question is should I wait for the new MacBook Pro coming out later this summer?
According to Macrumors's buyer's guide: http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#MacBook_Pro, the macbook pro was refreshed only 132 days ago. They do have a rumor up there saying new macbook pros are going to be coming out this April that are thinner. If it's that important for you, I would wait. If you can wait until summer, there's bound to be another Macbook pro refresh.
Alright, thanks. I guess I am going to try my best to suck the life out of this computer until another macbook pro comes out. But man dell is the worst computer brand ever. The battery goes out fast even after replacement and they just are made cheaply I feel like.
I think you should wait for sure. New Macbook Pro models will probably come out with the Intel Ivy Bridge release of the new CPUs, so it's worth waiting. Anyways, there have been lots of rumors of a major redesign of the macbook pro line, and this may be coming out this april/may.
A more interesting prospect than a processor architecture bump is what Apple is going to do with their line of laptops when the iPad 3 comes out. Compared to a Retina Display iPad, the MacBooks (and, hell, the iMac too) are going to look low resolution and ancient. Rumors are getting pretty strong- http://www.macrumors.com/2012/02/06/apple-adds-high-dpi-versions-of-pointers-in-os-x-10-7-3/ That's going to be the most substantial upgrade imaginable if they also double the resolution of all their laptops.
It's amazing that the iPad 3 will have more resolution than my 2008 15inch Macbook Pro. My MBP is still going strong after ~3.9 years now but I'm definitely going to upgrade if they come out with a slim design+retina display.
Thanks for the replies, yeah waiting does seem better after some of these facts was pointed out. Sad part is this darn cursed dell keeps falling apart everyday like a lemon car. Retina and ivy bridge sounds pretty good. Just how much better is the ivy bridge though?
What about the MacBook Air? Is that due for an update any time soon, or just the Macbook Pro? EDIT: never mind - I see the listing on that site now. It looks like the MacBook Air is even more due for an update, so I'll definitely wait.
