buying mac soon, but need help!!

[blw679]

Hi Everyone,
I have pretty much been waiting to purchase a MacBook since June, but have been delayed on a few occasions because of Leopard being pushed back. I know it is "supposed" to be out within a month but I was reading an article today about if they were going to meet their deadline of October, they still had quite a bit of work to do within the next 3 weeks. I started school back up recently and definitely need a computer soon but am worried that Leopard might get delayed again. Should I just buy a Macbook and then later on purchase Leopard? Or would Tiger easily work fine for me until the next operating system after Leopard? If I do this would Tiger be able to get fully deleted so it wouldnt eat up space?
Also, any tips when purchasing the MacBook?
I greatly appreciate your help. Sorry so many questions, but by my past readings of the forum, you all seem to know what you are talking about.

P.S. I haven't owned a Mac before so be easy on me with the lingo, I'm still learning

 

[thebassoonist]

Waiting...

Hey! I am needing a new laptop for school/work, too. No joke, I have been waiting for Leopard for far too long (over a year, now). But, I'm hoping (praying) that it will come out in October, otherwise, I'll just get a MBP with Tiger. I think it will come out on time. Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but watching the seeds and things, I feel like it is close. So, my advice? Wait along with me, but keep in mind, ha ha, that I have been waiting too long.

 

[brnbenefield1]

Macbook

Hi,

Tiger and macbook are just fine for what you what to do. Now for the type
you should buy any of the white models. WHY ? While b/c the black one is the same as the white model but the price out of control.

have a nice day
b

 

[devilot]

Should I just buy a Macbook and then later on purchase Leopard? Or would Tiger easily work fine for me until the next operating system after Leopard? If I do this would Tiger be able to get fully deleted so it wouldnt eat up space?

If you qualify for Apple's educational discount, and assuming Leopard would be priced as Tiger is now; then it would "only" cost you approximately $69USD to purchase it after the fact.

Tiger is a great OS and would definitely suit most folks' needs for quite some time.

What sorts of things do you need/ plan to do with your new to-be Mac?

And if you did choose to upgrade to Leopard at a later time, it's a relatively easy and smooth process and Tiger would NOT take up any unnecessary space.

 

[Quiara]

I went ahead and bought my MacBook 2 weeks ago. For one thing, I'm not entirely sold on being a Leopard Beta tester, y'know? I like to wait till 10.5.2 or so first. Anyway, I also needed mine for school. Plus, having used Tiger before, I knew that i liked the OS and could do what needed done with it.

You might check with your school, too. I know that I get great software discounts because my University has user agreements with certain software manufacturers - i.e., I get Office 2004 (mac) free as well as a copy of WinXP (to run under BootCamp) and Office 2007 for Windows and Norton for Mac and Windows and a bunch of other stuff. It's worth it to make a call to IT.

Short answer: if you need it now, get it now. Leopard may be out soon, but it will be a first release and sometimes those break things. ^_^ Also, the new computers sold immediately after the Leopard release will still come with Tiger pre-loaded and a Leopard install disc as Apple won't reel them all back in and stop selling long enough to update ever machine in the system.

 

[Island Dog]

If you can wait a month then I would do it. It's also rumored the MacBooks might be updated.

 

[blw679]

purchasing mac...

First of all, thanks to all those who responded, you all have valid points. But what I don't quite understand is that if I were to purchase Leopard as soon as it came out, it would have plenty of flaws? So ultimately I should wait to purchase Leopard until it comes out with somewhat of a revamped version?
Am I understanding this correctly?

 

[Quiara]

First of all, thanks to all those who responded, you all have valid points. But what I don't quite understand is that if I were to purchase Leopard as soon as it came out, it would have plenty of flaws? So ultimately I should wait to purchase Leopard until it comes out with somewhat of a revamped version?
Am I understanding this correctly?

I wouldn't say "plenty of flaws," really. I just happen to like to let any small bugs get worked out and "found" by others. ^_^

It's going to be solid because they've been seeding it to developers forever now, but there are going to be quirks - but there will be even in 10.5.x, too, so there's no guarantee. It's software; it does that.

I simply stated that my preference is to wait. I don't have a lack of faith in Apple's product; I just think I'd rather see it have some real play before I put it on my baby (MacBook). ^_^