After many years of Windows usage I am for the first time looking seriously at Macs. The current thread on when the updated iMac will appear interests me, partly because I might well be keen to buy one, but also partly because of the speculative fervour that appears to grip [some of] the Mac community.
Perhaps this interest is increased when there is effectively a single hardware supplier but I'm not as aware of this degree of focus in the PC world. Of course, the fact that I'm not aware of it doesn't mean that it doesn't occur but I suspect it's a niche activity.
I well understand the disappointment of people who buy a product only to see it updated almost immediately. However, this is not a feature peculiar to Apple or, indeed, to computing more generally. Many years ago when I bought my first PC from Dell, my childish excitement and pleasure was rapidly deflated when, a matter of days after it had been delivered, I received a letter from Dell in which they were pleased to announce their new product line. The PC I had purchased just days before was now demoted and significantly reduced in price. For the same money, I could have got something far better. Or so it appeared.
In reality, that PC continued to serve my needs for several years. When finally it really did become too underpowered to meet my requirements, I had extracted as much value from it as I could reasonably expect. I admit that I do not routinely run prodigiously power-hungry applications, but neither I guess do the majority of users. (Much of the infatuation with high-end computers has more to do with perception than reality. I for one shall not be buying a Mac Pro in order to speed up my word processing!)
It's a feature of much modern technology that product lifecycles are reducing. Something bought today is regarded as obsolete tomorrow. The large screen Sony LCD television I bought a few months ago is already being overtaken, and my Nokia N95 mobile, once the darling of technology gurus, is now relegated to the dead zone. Thank goodness I didn't buy into HD DVD!
My view of product development is that, in a dynamic industry, new products are always around the corner. Today's flagship is tomorrow's mediocrity. And that's life! The main thing is that, regardless of industry fashions, in the real world of normal usage, products remain sensibly usable for several years. Despite the rapid march of technology, I have never got less than four years service from a computer. If technology is genuinely at the cutting edge, and associated with high risk of rapid, real obsolescence, then it's to be avoided by most people. Early adoption is a high risk strategy; witness the HD format war.)
For most "normal" computer users, whose genuine need for high end performance is limited, chasing the market is both an expensive and an unnecessary luxury, and disappointment will always be lurking in the shadows.
And so, if I do buy a Mac, the choice I make will not be based upon either impending update or an absurdly exaggerated view of my technical requirement. Both are essential irrational.
