ldburroughs said:
I think it is funny how Mac users are so obsessed with not buying for fear of an upcoming update. PC users don't experience this same anxiety. They sort of expect that theirs will be updated with a few months at most. Ever since I bought a Mac I've read person after person who says ... they're due for an update soon or wait for Tiger, it'll be out next month. The truth is, no one here really knows. If we hold back because of that we will never end up buying the computer.
That's ridiculous. People aren't just waiting forever because they enjoy waiting or whatever it is you're arguing. Your hyperbole just makes your argument look silly--people with money to burn, patiently waiting for Apple to update their product lines, are quite definitely not going to "never end up buying the computer." When there's only one vendor in the market place, smart consumers know to get the most for their money. That means paying attention to update cycles. If you were really into a particular high-end brand of car, no one would say it was funny if you waited a month or two in order to get a 2006 model over a 2005.
I don't understand why you want people to throw their money away on outdated, obsolete material. Sure, after awhile, any computer is obsolete. But since Macs aren't updates as frequently as PCs due to non-existent competition, a Mac takes longer to go obsoletehowever, the other side of that equation is that once they do, the update tends to be a quantum leap.
Telling someone it's a great idea to get an eMac right now--*even as Apple is taking them off their store shelves*--isn't giving someone good buying advice.
The other obsession I've noticed is the powerbook users against the ibook users. Everytime some ibook users posts a question about an update the powerbook users come out woodwork saying ... it'll be too close the powerbook, they won't let that happen. At best, I'd say they're being protective of their investment. At worst, they have their fingers crossed and hope it doesn't happen so they can continue to justify their purchase.
Are you for real? If so, you're totally misinterpreting those discussions. They aren't piss-contents over whose computer is better, it's about looking at the calendar! Maybe you're new to Macs or something, but anyone who's been paying attention to Apple since Steve Jobs tooks back the reins knows that the company is really big into product differentiation. They are very afraid of cannibalizing the sales of one line with another, and EXTREMELY protective of their product margins. These pressures merely increase as Apple's buzz and stock price swell. Apple's problem is that the iBook is a sturdier portable machine which they make less money off of. That means they try to attract people to the PowerBooks, on which they make off with mad $$$. That is why the PowerBooks got the modest update they did. It cost Apple nearly nothing but did paint some clear lines between portable brands. Bumping up the iBooks this quickly would break that boundary, which means less profits for Apple. They would do this because...?
Please tell me how any of this is me trying to justify a purchase. Note that I don't have one of the new PowerBooks.
Once you buy it, you too will be concerned with when they will upgrade it and whether they will introduce something in another line that is better than yours.
That's exactly how NOT to go about it. Pay attention to all of that stuff BEFORE you buy. Perform your due diligence and do your research. But once you purchase, enjoy what you have and stop concerning yourself with updates. What's the point of that, so you can masochistically drool at features you'll never see?
