When should I get my powerbook...?

deunandeunan
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I'm actually a PC user that's saved up enough for a 15" Powerbook, and luckily the 1.5Ghz ones just came out this past week.



As the school year is ending, I'm wondering if I should order one right away or get one before next semester begins? By that time, 3-4 months will have passed, and I'm wondering what you guys think will happen to the PowerBook---maybe another upgrade? Does the upgrade in Ghz make that much of a difference? I'm so used to dealing with PC's & PC-specs---I really don't know too much about macs.



Get Powerbook now or in 3 months? Should I get one after Tiger is released this summer? aiyaa... what to do! Help.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    ipodandimacipodandimac Posts: 3,273member
    if you need it now, get it now. the most there will be at the end of summer is maybe a bundle deal where you can get a cheap ipod with your pbook purchase.
  • Reply 2 of 15
    oldmacfanoldmacfan Posts: 501member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by deunan

    I'm actually a PC user that's saved up enough for a 15" Powerbook, and luckily the 1.5Ghz ones just came out this past week.



    As the school year is ending, I'm wondering if I should order one right away or get one before next semester begins? By that time, 3-4 months will have passed, and I'm wondering what you guys think will happen to the PowerBook---maybe another upgrade? Does the upgrade in Ghz make that much of a difference? I'm so used to dealing with PC's & PC-specs---I really don't know too much about macs.



    Get Powerbook now or in 3 months? Should I get one after Tiger is released this summer? aiyaa... what to do! Help.



    If you have the money now, buy it now. Tiger (if that is what it will be called) will not be out in summer. If Apple where to release a new OS it wouldn't come out this Summer, Panther is not a year old yet.
  • Reply 3 of 15
    deunandeunan Posts: 106member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by oldmacfan

    If you have the money now, buy it now. Tiger (if that is what it will be called) will not be out in summer. If Apple where to release a new OS it wouldn't come out this Summer, Panther is not a year old yet.



    aiyaa... i heard it was coming out in June...? Or perhaps I heard wrong... How often does mac release a new OS anyway?
  • Reply 4 of 15
    mcqmcq Posts: 1,543member
    Get it now... highly unlikely that either a PB refresh or OS release would come out in 3-4 months. Apple's typically been releasing updates to OS X once per year, in the late fall.
  • Reply 5 of 15
    oldmacfanoldmacfan Posts: 501member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by deunan

    aiyaa... i heard it was coming out in June...? Or perhaps I heard wrong... How often does mac release a new OS anyway?



    It is hard to say, but I believe that it would have to be at least a year + from the time Panther was released. Which was 10/2003.
  • Reply 6 of 15
    lucaluca Posts: 3,833member
    One advantage is if you wait a couple months, you'll be able to get a refurbished one for significantly cheaper than a new one. On the other hand, you can't BTO a refurbished one, so you might want to buy a new one if you want the 128 MB VRAM upgrade or a 5400 RPM hard drive. Still, refurbs are a great deal - usually a few hundred bucks in savings for a like-new machine with the same warranty as a brand new one.



    I wouldn't expect updated PowerBooks until LATE this year - like October or November. Perhaps later if they're getting a G5. Think of it this way. Buy a new one now or a refurbished one in a couple months, or wait until October or November to order one... if they aren't released in October, you'll hold off buying anyway since you've already waited so long. Then when they finally are updated (if you haven't broken down and bought one anyway yet), you could end up waiting another two months to get it. So you'll either have one now, to use over the summer and everything, or you may have to wait nearly a year before you actually have one. I'd say don't wait for another revision even though you won't need it for a couple months.
  • Reply 7 of 15
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    Get it later.



    If your current machine works for you, why spend to buy a piece of depreciating tech now, only to use it later?



    Never buy computers today for use tomorrow.



    You never know what use you may have for the cash later on. I'll agree with the buy it when you need it sentiment, but do not buy it before you need it.
  • Reply 8 of 15
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    Welcome to AppleInsider.



    First bit of advice: Stay away from the Future Hardware forum if you are looking for real advice about purchasing a Mac. Much of FH is either fantasy land about souped-up Macs or bickering over why Apple isn't/hasn't done X.



    General Discussion is where you want to go for purchasing advice, as it says on our front page. I'm moving your thread there now.
  • Reply 9 of 15
    deunandeunan Posts: 106member
    Matsu:

    haha, i'm hoping to get a powerbook because i ... currently am a non-mac user, ... hoping to get down w/ the whole "switch" deal... ;P The hardware in powerbooks exceeds those of most typical PCs out there today, and even those PC laptops w/ the same hardware end up costing 200-300 more. Plus I can't get over expose, ... that & konfabulator....! @_@



    Brad:

    aiyaaa, i'll keep that in mind, whoopsies. my mistake. >.<



    Luca:

    from what you're saying, I think i oughta just buy one now, especially because i'm looking for the 5400RPM & 128mb (1Gb ram too, aiya)



    everybody:



    aiyaaa, thank you so much! xD your feedback is so nice~





    thanks,

    deunan
  • Reply 10 of 15
    rolorolo Posts: 686member
    It's usually best to get a new Mac soon after it comes out. It'll be another 6 months before it's refreshed and longer than that before a major revision of the OS (Tiger?). If you wait to buy a PB until just before going back to school, you won't have the time you need to get used to it and it'll just be a couple of months before a minor refresh.



    An update to the G4 would usually add about 250 MHz which isn't a big deal. the bigger deal would be the move to the G5 PB but most don't expect to see that until at least a year from now or so.



    Good luck and enjoy!
  • Reply 11 of 15
    ahobbitahobbit Posts: 19member
    If you want to wait the only date that might make sense is WWDC, last week of June. So that's 2 months from today.



    There's no point in waiting until September since as you said, you'd like to get used to your new Mac before the new semester starts. That's a good point.



    New PBs at WWDC are probably not happening, but there are some rumors which claim that we might see at least a roadmap for G5 PowerBooks at WWDC: introduced but not shipping before September (as they did with the PowerMacs last year).



    Chances are it won't happen and in light of the recent remarks by Apple's marketing guy saying that there won't be G5 PowerBooks in a while, it's doubtful. But on the other hand, what is he supposed to say? Dont' buy 'em now we have new ones in the works for WWDC?



    Good luck in any case!
  • Reply 12 of 15
    kenaustuskenaustus Posts: 924member
    I placed my order about 30 minutes ago - a 1.5 15" PB, bumping up the video memory, hard drive, memory to 1 stick, super drive and Apple Care. I know I could have waited for a G5 PB, but I wanted to upgrade my old 667 PB and am happy with the current model - unfortunately I don't see a G5 PB for some time.



    If you have the funds now AND can get the educational discount now, I would say go for it now. You will have time to get into the workings of OS X, play with iLife - especially loading your entire CD collection - and then getting Office for Mac and learning that. You'll probably find that you want to play with other things. A bit from Griffin will allow you to move your old record collection (if you have any) to iTunes and digital photography will shortly be on the horizon - especially when you convince your parents that you will email them pics on a regular basis if they get you a digital camera.



    Take some time to get to know your Mac and have some fun with it before heading to college!
  • Reply 13 of 15
    a_greera_greer Posts: 4,594member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by deunan

    aiyaa... i heard it was coming out in June...? Or perhaps I heard wrong... How often does mac release a new OS anyway?



    before they release it, they release a developer edition, that could be at WWDC, but the earlyest the update will come is september. but with panther, i doubt the release will be much before december, if a new release is even seeded at wwdc.
  • Reply 14 of 15
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    yeah, right after a hardware update is a good time to buy a new one.



    you know they aren't going to be changing the hardware any time soon. the new machines are pretty nice, and odds are that whatever bugs were in the first Ai revision, will hopefully be worked out now.
  • Reply 15 of 15
    deunandeunan Posts: 106member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by kenaustus

    I placed my order about 30 minutes ago - a 1.5 15" PB, bumping up the video memory, hard drive, memory to 1 stick, super drive and Apple Care. I know I could have waited for a G5 PB, but I wanted to upgrade my old 667 PB and am happy with the current model - unfortunately I don't see a G5 PB for some time.



    If you have the funds now AND can get the educational discount now, I would say go for it now. You will have time to get into the workings of OS X, play with iLife - especially loading your entire CD collection - and then getting Office for Mac and learning that. You'll probably find that you want to play with other things. A bit from Griffin will allow you to move your old record collection (if you have any) to iTunes and digital photography will shortly be on the horizon - especially when you convince your parents that you will email them pics on a regular basis if they get you a digital camera.



    Take some time to get to know your Mac and have some fun with it before heading to college!



    Haha, yeah. I thought I'd need something to fill up my time during the summer---I ordered my PowerBook just yesterday:::



    128Mb video

    2 x 512Mb ram

    5400RPM

    SuperDrive...!



    So hyped up about it... Ahhh~ Thanks everybody for your advice...!!! I'll probably be posting on these forums more often when I actually get it (next week, hopefully)



    thanks again,

    deunan
Sign In or Register to comment.