Buying MacPro: Now? Late Summer? Oct?

[appledog]

I am a freelance graphic designer.
I was ready to buy a new Mac in Summer 05, then the Intel announcement.
I was ready to buy last Summer when the Mac Pro came out, but no Adobe until Spring 07, along with the new Mac OS.
Spring brings CS3, but the OS is delayed until Oct.

I am torn between buying now and waiting. The MacPro would certainly help me work more efficiently, but after 2 years, I could wait a couple more months for the latest (or a better deal).

Aside from the fact that I'll have to shell out $200-250 in Oct for the new OS & iLife if I buy now, I'm afraid Apple will drop prices or bump speeds later this summer. Same with Apple Monitor I'd buy with the Mac Pro.

The last time I bought a Mac (and an iPod), new models were introduced within a month! Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[72930]

Will you use it to the full? A lot of people are waiting for Stoakley Seaburg which will apparently bring great performance enhancements.

Unfortunately (unless you want the 8core) the Mac Pro has remained the same for almost a year, and some parts are outdated. The quad core chip is soon to drop in price, so it is entirely possible that we will see an entirely 8core line-up in the near future. The base RAM and HD specs should increase as well, especially as it comes with less than the pro laptop, which is ridiculous.

 

[Counter]

I am a freelance graphic designer.
I was ready to buy a new Mac in Summer 05, then the Intel announcement.
I was ready to buy last Summer when the Mac Pro came out, but no Adobe until Spring 07, along with the new Mac OS.
Spring brings CS3, but the OS is delayed until Oct.

My situation exactly from Summer 05. Except switch 'graphic designer' for 'web developer'.

I think I'm buying tomorrow.

Sure Stoakley Seaburg will arrive. How much are you going to benefit from it's performance boost? It's not like you can't work without the little extras that will always come with time. When Intel do the price drops I'm convinced this will not be passed on as a discount. Even if new models are introduced a month after you buy...how much is this going to really effect you? We know it's not going to be anything dramatic and the Mac Pro now is a seriously good investment long term. And a smokin machine.

Yes, I'm selling myself on buying now aswel as you. But I think it's tomorrow afternoon for my purchase.

 

[ACbc]

ah....i'm in the same bought. I bought a MacPro about a week ago. 2.66 quad core. I really wanted to wait...but waiting till Oct didn't make any sense to me. I've waited long enough for the outside chance there would be some update at WWDC. What can i say...apple has us by the balls. sometimes you just have to buy. I think i'll only be disappointed if an all 8 core lineup is announced within the next month. any other minor bump, or an major update oct or later won't faze me......at least i'm preparing myself to not be fazed.

 

[yadmonkey]

If you're getting the job done now, then I say wait. The line is due for an update. But if you really need a new machine to get working, then there's no time like the present.

In other words, wait if you can.

 

[erickkoch]

I was tired of waiting and bought my Mac Pro last month. Even if the new ones come out around Oct. I still would not have bought one because I would have waited for the first ones to have all the bugs ironed out. In the end a new Mac Pro would have to wait until 1 QT 2008 before I'd get the new one, too long for me to wait.

In another year or two the quad-core chips will be cheaper and I'll just swap them out and have an octo. Yes, I know it won't give the same performance as the new octo with the new motherboards but for what I use it for it'll be fine.

 

[skubish]

I am a freelance graphic designer.
I was ready to buy a new Mac in Summer 05, then the Intel announcement.
I was ready to buy last Summer when the Mac Pro came out, but no Adobe until Spring 07, along with the new Mac OS.
Spring brings CS3, but the OS is delayed until Oct.

I am torn between buying now and waiting. The MacPro would certainly help me work more efficiently, but after 2 years, I could wait a couple more months for the latest (or a better deal).

Aside from the fact that I'll have to shell out $200-250 in Oct for the new OS & iLife if I buy now, I'm afraid Apple will drop prices or bump speeds later this summer. Same with Apple Monitor I'd buy with the Mac Pro.

The last time I bought a Mac (and an iPod), new models were introduced within a month! Any advice would be appreciated.

If you have waited 2 years you obviously are not in need of a new computer. Wait until there is no question in your mind you need a new computer.

 

[appledog]

I'll clarify:
I can do everything I NEED to now for work (although my G4 increasingly has me watching the spinning wheel...)

The new Mac would allow me to do more of what I WANT to do.

 

[yadmonkey]

I'll clarify:
I can do everything I NEED to now for work (although my G4 increasingly has me watching the spinning wheel...)

The new Mac would allow me to do more of what I WANT to do.

I'm in a similar boat. My tech lust likes to tell me I need a Mac Pro, but sometimes I remember that my G4 is still doing a heck of a job, especially for its age. It's a nice boat because it means you can wait for the revised Mac Pro and then get the most out of that purchase.

 

[krunk]

I'm holding out myself. I haven't been putting it off as long as you have, but I just can't bring myself to buy hardware at a premium price that's so outdated. . . I know I'd feel like I paid too much for too little and it'd add a sour taint to what should leave nothing but warm fuzzies for something so expensive (and, for me, used so much).

But graphic design it's still an amazing machine and such a huge upgrade from a G4 your jaw will drop. I have a dual Powermac g5 (2.3ghz). That makes my decision to wait a relatively easy one.


Oh, as far as the Apple Cinema's. . . I'd go with another retailer on monitors. The apple monitors are a bad buy. I bought two of them and they both developed the infamous "smudge" visual defect. Just search the apple forums for "smudge" or google for "cinema screen smudge" and you'll see what I'm talking about.

The odds of having this appear in two monitors bought over 4 months apart is astronomical unless Apple has some serious problems with defective hardware. I can tolerate it since my work is not visually intensive. For a graphic designer, it'd be a deal breaker. Buy a monitor from company with a proven history of putting out monitors worthy of graphical design EIZO.

(P.S. Do a google search for 'defective apple cinema' and compare results to "defective eizo monitor" and you'll see what I'm talking aobut. Plus you get a 5 year warranty with an EIZO)

 

[ob81]

I am pretty much in a similar situation. I will mainly be into photography and running Aperture on a Mac pro. Can I work without the Mac Pro right now? Yes. I am waiting. Simple.