it is very subjective actually.. if u still can do PS without the new mac at the moment.. i think better wait.. i waited mine since Dec 09 until Apr 10.. then straight place order once it is launched.. getting a newly refreshed mac feels so good no need to worry about anything..

not really once a year, i think around once in 8-10 months or so. but yeah i think u should wait for a refresh if it's not too urgent.

the current one launched i think april 2010. the refresh was estimated to be in around jan-march but probably the issue with cougar point pushed it back a little

u can order custom models from any apple reseller, but they still will have to order it. so better just cut off the middleman and order urself online

edit: well probably the cougar point issue wont affect MBPs but who knows? if it doesn't then things should be good http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/02...sign_issue.html

^ yes they'll still be called i3, i5 n i7 like normal. sandy bridge is just the codename.

well as long as apple launch it, u should be able to order one right away lah. normally no delays like iphones etc. dun worry too much about 'bad reviews from epicentre/machines', any shop sure got ppl complain one haha. even online store also got ppl complain. just buy from wherever u feel convenient

about the dvd drive being removed, my gut says no because what are they going to replace the dvd drive with? another hdd will hurt battery life. SSD will jack the price up.

about AMD, well we still dont know which GPU they will be using, so let's not judge yet. using AMD/ATI GPU is nothing new for macs, the imac n mac pro is currently using it. the 1st gen MBP n previous powerbooks had AMD/ATI GPU

modified graphic cards? link?

If you can wait, I think probably better idea to wait but who knows how long it will be before the new MBP is released. Mar seems unlikely. April? Maybe even as late as June given the Cougar Point problems. Certainly the update is imminent, even the local Apple dealers aren't stocking any more MBPs.

However, having said that, I did order a CTO MBP with 2.8Ghz & HR screen on 5/2. In fact it just shipped yesterday 10/2 and according to the tracking info, it's now sitting in Pu Dong Intl, Shanghai waiting for its ride to Subang. But my situation is a bit different. I've actually had a MBP 2.66 since last year. I sold it off to a friend who needed one urgently when he couldn't find any shops with the MBP in stock. This was a week before CNY which gave me some time to decide whether to wait for the new MBP. Initially I was prepared to wait until March or even April but ultimately decided not to as my work depends too much on it.

My reasons:
1. Cougar Point problems may delay launch of MBP. I can't wait. No choice for me here.
2. Dual Core i7 only available 20/2. MBP release 1/2 mths after that?
3. Sandy Bridge i7 2.7Ghz is only slightly faster or slower than Arrandale 2.8Ghz (but might be cheaper)
4. TDP is the same, I think, so no battery savings.
5. Skip Sandy Bridge and wait for quad-core Ivy Bridge.
6. No Light Peak yet

Of course, I'm going to kick myself if they come out with a new MBP with a spanking new design next Wednesday.

Does anyone know about the return policies when buying from the MY online Apple Store?

Update:
Seems according to this: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Proces...ist.2436.0.html

The 640M Arrandale i7 2.8Ghz is slightly faster than the 2620M Sandy Bridge i7 2.7Ghz. Of course not taking into account SB's support for 1333 Ram. Experts, please comment.

I think only Apple knows about the new MBP design, if any. I personally think the design will stay the same until next year.

In the US, you can if you're not satisfied with the product, here dunno. Clicking on the Returns link in the MY Apple Store Help section results in a 404.

SSD = huge performance increase because the HD is the greatest bottleneck in any computer. You can buy your own, I'm using a Corsair 240GB.

You might need to get external HD if you do a lot of video. 240GB is quite a lot. When I got my SSD, I decided 240GB was the least that I can work confortably with so I waited till the price drop and got it. My previous MacBook was 500gb which just really means that I have 260GB more rubbish on it. :-)

its a good price?? waa!!    like that im getting one NOW!! sweeeeeeet!!! 

the trader's name is ronaldjoe. 

u can find my trader at the ''Memory & Drives'' section, just search for his lowyat nickname, ''ronaldjoe"".
he didnt keep ready stock of the 240GB SSD, only 120GB he has ready stock. so he ordered it for me. i'll update in this thread when i receive the SSD so we can share the performance boost review 
nabielz, the OCZ Vertex 2 240GB SSD i ordered is rm1380, do you think the price i paid is reasonable?
oh sumthing i was thinking about yesterday... if i'm not mistaken, in one of the videos about the Macbook Air posted on Apple website, they were talking about how flash based storage could be present in all future mac computers.

do you all think it's possible next generation MBP's will come standard with SSD storage? or even hybrid storage? (hybrid=conventional harddisk + SSD)