Expected arrival times for Apple products (opens in new tab)

(arrival.io)

178 pointsanti-pattern13y ago118 comments

118 comments

99 comments · 36 top-level

simonsarris13y ago· 12 in thread

This is a great idea, and is especially pertinent to Mac fans who care about the hardware they are using.

Since Apple does not discount old hardware (even with 2-3 year old video cards, they charge the same amount as a brand new updated mac the very next week[1]), people buying a Macbook pro at the wrong end of the timeline can get totally shafted on equipment, especially from a price-per-performance view.

That feels a little dishonest to me, but most people don't seem to mind, and its not as if the hardware they are selling is ever bad, it will just be twice as good next week, and sold for the exact same price.

So it seems that it is one again one of the worst times to buy a Macbook pro.

[1] I wrote two articles in 2010, one in Feb and one in April, which detailed the times as the worst and best to buy an MBP, comparing prices and hardware. Only really interesting for posterity: http://simonsarris.com/blog/19-mac-envy http://simonsarris.com/blog/22-mac-envy-2

runjake13y ago

They've discounted several different models, iMacs, Macbook Airs, and just recently, their line of Retina Macbook Pros. Heck, even their very competitive iPhones (once that I can recall) and iPads. So you'd be incorrect.

nwh13y ago

If you want truly awful bang-for-buck, try the Mac Pro, it's hilariously overpriced for such an old machine. The CPU had to be swapped out because Intel stopped making the original ones.

tolmasky13y ago

On gazelle my Mac Pro (which is basically identical to the top of the line one you can buy now), gets you about ~$550. In other words, no one should be buying this thing new.

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revelation13y ago

They just discounted the rMBP (and updated the processors mildly). I don't understand what they could possibly update it with further, given that Haswell will not be released for many more months.

twoodfin13y ago

Exactly. The sample size here is way too small to make good predictions for most products. Even if you thought you could rely on the yearly cadence for i* devices, bam, Apple releases a fairly substantial iPad upgrade 6 months after the first Retina model.

williadc13y ago

Haswell will launch much sooner than you expect.

aorshan13y ago

You could also buy a refurbished mac. They tend to be about $300 cheaper than the retail version and tend not to have any problems. I just bought one and so far its been perfect.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

imsky13y ago

The outdated hardware often makes the savings not worth it.

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timc313y ago

It's not always possible in some countries

332713y ago

this is not a new idea. www.macrumors.com has had this for ages...

bdcravens13y ago

I tell everyone, if you want to know if a new MBP is about to come out, ask me if I've bought one in the last couple of weeks. Both MBP's I've bought were followed soon thereafter by a model refresh :|

geuis13y ago

I see you have the same power as L. Laporte.

JimEngland13y ago· 7 in thread

Only 106 days until a new Thunderbolt Display! I really hope that it turns into an "Apple TV" announcement.

Samuel_Michon13y ago

A successor to Apple's current desktop display is more likely at least 7 months out. Look at the historical data: ignoring the outlier, Apple releases a new screen every 25 months - we're 18 months in. The last update was timed so because Apple switched from Mini DisplayPort to Thunderbolt.

http://arrival.io/apple-thunderbolt-display

As for Apple releasing a TV screen, I don't see it happening for at least a couple of years, if ever. There are too many things that need to be in place for Apple to be able to really change how people watch TV. For it to really shake things up, we need fast broadband everywhere, more (live) content in iTunes, a better input method (hand gestures? voice? touch?) to control the screen, and a more reliable wireless technology than (the current) WiFi.

potatolicious13y ago

Not to mention the state of the art hasn't moved very much - that 27" IPS LCD panel is still the very same that's being used by Dell, HP, et al.

There's been a lot of development on both smaller and larger screen sizes, but the 27" form factor seems to be at a relative standstill.

I don't expect to see an update unless there is a major change to either the panel tech or the interface tech. I really do hope that Apple reopens the >= 30-inch space though.

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GHFigs13y ago

My pet theory[1] is that they'll jump to 4k/QFHD (3840x(2160,2400)) by using the same panels for a desktop Retina Display and as a stand-alone Apple TV. I think this would "shake things up" without having to sell in iPhone/iPad volumes.

A desktop Retina Display would be a great pairing with a Mac Pro replacement, which one might expect when Intel's Haswell starts shipping, which happens to be around 106 days from now. And they could retain the existing Thunderbolt Display as a lower-end model. (It also helps that Apple's current models all support outputting that resolution.)

A 4k Apple TV would allow them to differentiate from most of the TV market and soak up a fat margin in an area where only one of their major competitors (Samsung) as any position. And it wouldn't cannibalize the $99 Apple TV box in the process. There's still the chicken-and-egg problem of getting 4k content, but Apple, with iTunes and as a pipeline for Netflix, et al., seems to have a good position to get it.

[1] As a person so hip he doesn't own a TV or a Mac, yet finds the speculation irresistible.

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bdcravens13y ago

I was a bit hopeful when supplies became constrained in the non-Apple Store channels: http://www.macrumors.com/2013/01/14/apple-thunderbolt-displa...

Shortly after that, Best Buy discounted them a bit ($50), suggesting to me they wanted to empty the shelves for new models (as they surely aren't automatic sales like iPads).

However, at this point I'm not convinced it'll be too soon, as whatever momentum the "signs" pointed to seems to have worn off.