So, when they come out with the new OS, will there be a way to "update" your current version? If this is even possible, do you have to pay for the "update"? I've been longing to buy a macbook for it seems like forever and Christmas seems like a good of an excuse as any, but I'm scared something bigger, or i guess smaller in this case, and better will come out the next day and i'll be stuck with the old thing. Do you think there's any reason to wait for MWSF to buy?
Going from 10.4 to 10.5 is more than an Update. It will cost you money to go from 10.4.x to 10.5.
If you have 10.4 on your system when you begin the installation process you're presented with two options:
1. Upgrade (just installs the new components over the old ones - like a patch)
2. Archive and Install (makes a little quarantined area for your old system, installs the new OS fresh and then migrates your apps, docs, music, settings etc over leaving the old system files in a folder you can use until satisfied everything works - then you delete the Previous System folder)'
3. Erase and Install - a fresh, clean slate.
Once you have 10.5 on your system you will get free updates within the version number, so there will be 10.5.1 released a couple of weeks later - that's free if you've got 10.5, as will 10.5.2, 10.5.3 etc.
The MacBooks most likely won't be updated until around the Leopard release in late March - there's just nothing in the hardware pipeline to update to. March will bring a new chipset combining the current Merom processors with a number of updates to bring increased functionality to the Core 2 Duo range.
I'd wait till after MWSF because then you'll get iLife '07 pre-installed on your new Mac. Unlike Leopard, iLife '07 will be released at MWSF and to get it for free will definitely be worth the couple of weeks wait.