<p>Im going to college this fall and was wondering when the best time to buy a Macbook Pro between now and August would be. Ive heard of some special deals in the summer when they give you a free ipod, should i wait till then or but one at the end of may?</p>
<p>You’ve pretty much said what I was going to.</p>
<p>In the summer, they have the MacBook for Students sale where you get a voucher for an iPod Touch. Usually it’s the cheapest iPod available at the time, and in recent years it’s been an iPod Touch model, so most likely you’re going to get an 8GB iPod Touch 3rd Generation with your MacBook if you order during the summer.</p>
<p>Another alternative is to wait until the next Apple convention, as I’ve been hearing rumors of an i3-based MacBook to be released.</p>
<p>Yes, wait for couple of month. There will be new i-series intel cpu coming out with macbook.</p>
<p>Summer. For some reason Apple is waiting FOREVER to update the MBP line, and you get a free iPod if you buy in the summer.</p>
<p>@pyroza: I don’t think the i3 MBs will be released during the summer.</p>
<p>Not saying that I know everything, but if I were in charge of Apple’s operation, and if the i3 MBs were to be released this Fall, I’d do one last summer “Buy one, Get an iPod” promotion to finish selling off all the Core 2 MBs to clear inventory and prepare for the newer models.</p>
<p>Why not? The i3/i5 is here and the MBP cycle ended around now. I would not be surprise to see a new generation of MBP between now and summer, all they have to do is to replace the motherboard with the new platform and sell it as the new MBP line. The only reason in my opinion they haven’t announce it yet is because of the ipad hype. And they can still have promotions of the current line MBP during the summer for the more economic minded crowds.</p>
<p>Follow the mac rumor sites and guess when they’ll update, which is almost certainly this spring. It will then be safe to buy. But then make sure they’re running their back to school promotion because you’ll get a printer and likely an ipod for free.</p>
<p>appleinsider ftw.</p>
<p>Apple has already made a bad move by keeping these ones around for nearly a year without a refresh. The tech is just plain outdated for the price you pay, and there are dozens of offerings from Sony, HP, Asus, etc. that are much cheaper with much better specs.</p>
<p>Also check the college you are going to and see if they have any deals if you buy the apple product through the college as a student going there. I know that some colleges have this offer not only with Macbooks but also other electronics companies.</p>
<p>buy an alienware, they have mobile i7s also… but right before school begins is probably the best idea, i’d also check with your university to see if they offer any deals</p>
<p>^ even though they have i7s on laptops their customer service blows cause its under Dell. If you want crappy CS then be my guest.</p>
<p>The MacBook Pros were just updated this week. Only the 15" and 17" models have the newer i5 or i7 processors. The 13" MB or MB Pro still have Core 2 Duos, but have upgraded video processors and an internal 10-hour battery. The 15" i5 models are kind of pricey, starting at $1700 with the academic discount.</p>
<p>I would still wait as long as possible for the inevitable summertime school offers, and to see if there is any upgrade to the original MacBook.</p>