I was wondering if anyone had heard if Apple will be upgrading the Macbook lineup? My daughter's 4 year old black Macbook is getting quite squirrelly, and I think a replacement is due. This means a 13.3" Macbook Pro, but if there is going to be a general upgrade, there may be some significant sale prices on the previous generation, or the upgrades may be worth going latest and greatest.

I have it in my head that Apple usually (?) announces laptop upgrades in October/November. So, anyone heard any rumours, or am I out to lunch?

Thanks for your thoughts.

The MacBook was discontinued in 2010. The MacBook Pros were updated in June, while the 13" MacBook Pros are due, potentially, for an upgrade (Retina?) later this year.

Thanks mk. I knew the MacBook was discontinued (unfortunately) and that we were looking at a MacBook Pro, but I didn't realize that they had just been updated in June. Thanks for noting that.

Well, this means that I have no reason to wait, I guess!

You could look at a Macbook Air. The current models may be all you need.

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The newest model (introduced in June '12) is available from the refurb store for 1039. I got one about 1 month ago.

Refurbished MacBook Pro 13" - Apple Certified Refurbished Notebook Computers - Apple Store (Canada)

Yeah, Z, I saw that, and I'm leaning that way. The 'Book is for my daughter, and she needs the full-on package, with the optical drive and the larger HD. I like the Air, and would consider one for myself, but this is for her, so a MacBook Pro it will be! I can't complain, though. She has used her MacBook daily for more than four years, and it still looks good, although it is starting to act flaky. For a grad student, this isn't good. I guess, a-shopping I will go!

Hmmm... ???

Not to knock that a newer Mac model is often desirable, if one is really needed, and Apple really wants and needs such revenue right?, but is a newer Mac really needed when I read such comments I read as the "old black Macbook is getting quite squirrelly"??

And then is the new Mac going to be used as a new virgin Mac or is any Migration Assistant or even some cloning type stuff going to be used which can lead to some "squirrelly" type stuff and the user with a new Mac ends up right back to some squirrelly OS operations?

Just a thought but I've seen the squirrelly situation with a new Mac and its OS X just too many times for some users thanks with those who figured that a newer Mac would fix ALL their Mac problems.

I'm sure a new Mac won't solve all her problems, but the fact remains that she is a very heavy user of her machine, and she has tried other solutions. These things do wear out over time, and, in fairness to my daughter, this is a needed tool for her. I should point out that she doesn't want to replace her beloved MacBook, but reliability is critical for her, and she is getting worried. Since I can't be there to fix everything for her, replacement may be the most efficient solution. There isn't a solution, just the best one for the circumstances.

Interesting comment.

What do people think wears out over time in a Mac?

Anything electronic - no, not if the device is used within its design limits.

The battery has a finite life, anything mechanical, like the keyboard or even the hinge.
The weakest item in my experience has been the external power supply -those for some reason only seem to last about three years.

But otherwise - all the Macbooks we have were either replaced because they couldn't run on an OS required for newer applications or they were simply too slow for certain applications.
Two sort of died - one the display cracked because it was dropped, the other one had a run-in with a candle.
None we ever had actually "wore out" like a pair of shoes for instance.

And btw - these MacBooks are used almost 24/7, well from 6 am to midnight practically continuously every day.