Which Macbook Pro should I purchase? I'm thinking the non-Retina 13" with 2.9GHZ and 128GB SSD...

I am looking to purchase a new laptop in the near future but I am not sure which configurations--specifically relating to speed and memory--I should choose. As of now I am thinking about this:
13" non Retina Macbook Pro
2.9GHz Dual-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM — 2x4GB
128GB Solid State Drive
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Backlit Keyboard (English) & User's Guide
the total cost for this package is $1,599 which is just about my total budget-- it don't want to go over $1,800.
At this point, I have sort of ruled out the Retina display because I'm not really sure if it is worth it. Instead, I would like to buy a Macbook Pro that is very fast, durable, and spacious (in terms of memory).
In the past, I have opted for the standard specs but I have learned the hard way that configurations matter.
I plan to use this laptop for my last two years of college in hopes that it will last me at least 3 years after that (My current Macbook is in its 5th year but has seen two different hard drives....). I have a large music collection (100 gigs or so) stored on a variety of different drives as well as some movies that I would love to (for the first time since I downloaded Napster) have on the same device without losing computing power or processing speed. Also I am a beginner/intermediate programmer who likes to spend very extended time periods jumping between programs and just messing around on the Internet (but honestly, who doesn't? haha).
One thing I'm not entirely sure about is the eminent release of Mountain Lion OS X. Should I be waiting for this to be the standard on all laptops or does it not matter all the much?
If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears...

Hey Mitch,
i've had the same decission, the same budget and the Mac was for the same purposes (a little bit of coding and the rest just for normal work at university). So what do you think i ordered yesterday? Exactly the same configuration you posted above! Why? The Retina Macbook Pro was too expensive, the other 15'' models haven't got SSDs and when you choose the buy to order option with SSD you can just go and buy the Retina Macbook. So there's only the 13'' MacBook Pro left (if you want a Macbook Pro - i wanted one because the configuration of an MB Air with the 1,8GHz Prozessor and 8GB of Ram is more expansive than the Macbook pro Configuration you posted above, plus u have less of processor power. And i don't mind carrying around 800g more, for mobile working i have an iPad). Then i had to go with the i7 MBP because on the long runs you will definetly need his power. And in a few years you would regret if you chose less power.... and SSD is a must have just like 8GB of ram.
And when you think about the future you always have the possibilty to upgrade your Mac to 16gb of ram or to an 512 gb ssd (when they are cheaper :P) cause the "thick" macbooks have those parts not directly on the mainboard so that they can be changed by yourself in just a few minutes. And if your missing a dedicated graphic card the future will bring thunderbold graphic cards.
For OSX Mountain Lion you don't have to wait. If you buy your mac now the upgrade is free so it is does not matter that much. You can always wait for better times but waiting for ever shouldn't be the goal.
I hope i could help you,
greetings from Europe

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