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Should I wait to get a PB?

O

obrien234

macrumors regular
Original poster
Hi,

I'm thinking about getting a powerbook for university next fall, but i don't know if i should buy it early. I'm afraid that they will be updated around september again. I really don't need it at the moment, although it would make some things nicer. What do you suggest?

Mike
 
obrien234 said:
Hi,

I'm thinking about getting a powerbook for university next fall, but i don't know if i should buy it early. I'm afraid that they will be updated around september again. I really don't need it at the moment, although it would make some things nicer. What do you suggest?

Mike
Click to expand...
Just buy it now dude. They're awesome machines. 😉
 
I would third that except wait till the end of NAB. They may announce something that you might kick yourself because you couldn't wait an extra week.
 
cosmoed said:
I would third that except wait till the end of NAB. They may announce something that you might quick yourself because you couldn't wait an extra week.
Click to expand...

I agree. Otherwise, just go for it. T he machines are awsome as they are.
 
but it now. look at the buyer's guide on this site. the PBs have been updated recently so i doubt anything will happen at NAB. i wouldn't expect anything new until around sept which might be cutting it to close to starting school. and if something major does come out then, like the G5 PB then you can sell yours for a good price and pay just a little for the latest and greatest. do remeber that apple's have a wonderful re-sale value. or just live with it and be happy, whatever you buy now will be a great machine for a few years.
 
Whoa...slow down people!!!

obrien234, WAIT till Fall. You don't need it now, right? Something might come up. The machines will come pre-loaded with OS X 10.4 Tiger for sure by then. Now it has OSX 10.3 Panther (which is really good).

There are also KNOWN problems with the scrolling pads for the 15" PB rev D. as reported on March 11, 2005 by apple insider:

http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=948

I would DEFINITELY WAIT till fall to make sure this problem is fixed.

Don't get me wrong folks, I love my PB 15" rev C. Like what everyone stated, PBs are awesome machines. Since he doesn't really need it now, it's not bad to wait.

Like what the kung fu master said to his disciple, "Patient, young grasshopper!"
 
Just buy it when you want it. You can keep on waiting for the latest and greatest, but ask yourself this: do the current line-up meet my needs in performance/cheap-wise? If so, take the plunge. If not, hang on to your cash. Its as simple as that.

I took the plunge this morning and ordered a brand new top of the range powerbook 15' 😀 Can't wait to get it!!!!
 
well

I'm going to give you a little bit different advice than the others. I was in the same situation as you two years ago when trying to decide when to buy a powerbook before college. I was trying to decide between waiting for the new aluminum 15 inch powerbook or buying the 15 inch titanium. Basically there were alot of rumors of an aluminum 15 inch powerbook but no solid evidence. (sorta like the whole G5 powerbook). Anyway I choose to just get the 15 inch titanium in June and spent the whole summer learning how to use it. The aluminum powerbook didn't even come out till after school started so i was glad I didn't wait.

Anyway the reason I got the powerbook in June was that apple had a special going to college sale where you got 200 dollars off an ipod and a free nice printer. Anyway it was a really good that I couldn't pass up. They also ran the same deal last year but it didn't come with the printer. Anyway it seems that the chances they have the deal again this year are pretty good. I think I bought my computer right at the beginning of June so you shouldn't have to wait that long if they do have the deal. So I'd suggest waiting till at least June to see if there going to run the deal and then buy.

Even if they upgrade the Powerbook, according to ThinkSecret the G5's aren't coming till next year so the upgrade would probably be pretty minimal. Also if you already own an iPod you can always get a new one and sell your old one on ebay. Or if you don't want an iPod for some reason just buy one anyway with the discount and sell it on ebay for a healthy profit.
 
DylanJ,

Good point. Got my PB last year with the 20g iPod and the $200 off (Back to School Special). Great deal.


So WAIT...
 
one more thing

there's one more thing i need to ask... I'm wavering on majoring in sound engineering or chemical engineering. The thing is that a lot of engineering programs are only windows compatible. How would Virtual PC run on a new PB. Would it be worthwhile to actually run the programs through virtual pc? I really don't have the cash to go and shell out more on a windows machine just so i can run some of the engineering programs.
 
I know I am waiting for a PB. I placed an order for the new 17" however cancelled for Tiger and also the lack of a decent HW upgrade.


Didn't like that there was no DL DVD burner, better GPU, LCD HD (option), etc...

Will hold off till something worthwhile to be is released. 🙂

And money was not an issue, it just seemed lackluster when compared to what followed it. 🙁
 
I would wait. I'm currently in the same sort of possition.

I'm going to College in the fall. Last year I bought a new iBook G4 when they had the special going on with the iPod. I ended up getting a pretty sweet setup that came out to like $750 after selling the extra's I didn't need... So, definately wait if you can for the student promotions, it makes it so much cheaper.

My iBook surely "will get the job done". But I have a little buyer remorse and wish I didn't spend the extra money at the time to go for the Powerbook 12". I just feel it is well worth the extra, you're getting a superior machine. The reason I got an iBook was that I planned on getting a desktop down the road to go with it, but realize that I don't need a desktop if I have a portable.

The next update could have some cool features, who knows? It's easy to say now that the machines that are out now are all you'll ever need, but just think about going off to univ. with a brand spanking new model powerbook and iPod, and it will be brand new when you go off to college.

I think that's exciting.
 
1. Wait for Tiger
2. Wait until after the WWDC.
3. Give yourself at least 2 months to get used to it
4. You're probably gonna need MS Office.
5. If something newer does come out, don't lament too much; you still got a kickass machine!
6. Look on the MacRumors Buyer's Guide! - The PB's are now right in the middle between cycles. So a few months won't kill you!
7. But if you gotta have it now (i know that feeling!) don't hesitate! Buy as much RAM= as you can, upgrade the graphics card, and you've gat a machine that'll last well past college!
8. Have Fun, welcome to the world of mobile Mac computing!
 
I have a friend who did a degree in sound engineering, and that was heavily Mac-based!?
If you need windows badly, get a windows Laptop, because VPC is very slow!
(Do a search on these boards (or google) to find threads about speeding it up - there are lots of ways)
 
maya said:
I know I am waiting for a PB. I placed an order for the new 17" however cancelled for Tiger and also the lack of a decent HW upgrade.(
Click to expand...

It can be hard to part with the $$$$s. But if they were giving them away, everyone would have one. I can't find any deficiencies in my 17" AlPB even though it'll be a year old in a few months.

To answer the question: Buy now or later?

Pros:
Price can only go down
Features can only improve

Cons:
You're waiting months for the best machine of your life.

Like others have said, there's no reason to put off purchase if you need the machine, it you don't need it now, there are slight advantages to buying later.
 
Im in the same boat with the whole buying a powerbook thing right before college next September. About this time last year I started looking at macs for the superior machines that they are and have been obsessed ever since. Ive configured so many macs on the apple.com store over the past year that its not even funny. I think they are beautiful machines and Ive been dying to get one. Inow actually havethe ability to get one but I too run into problems.

A. Ive been DYING to get one for over a year so I pretty much want one right this second.
B. Tiger doesnt start getting pre-loaded on them until may?(right?)
C. and their might a small speed bump or something at WWDC.
D. I WANT ONE RIGHT NOW!!!!!!

lol

When will tiger be pre-loaded on these puppys? I dont think I can wait any longer... maybee I can wait till they are pre-loaded if its early may, but I drive by my apple store location everyday, and nothing is stopping me from turning the steering wheel and goin in and buying one... so let me know. thanks!
 
obrien234 said:
there's one more thing i need to ask... I'm wavering on majoring in sound engineering or chemical engineering. The thing is that a lot of engineering programs are only windows compatible. How would Virtual PC run on a new PB. Would it be worthwhile to actually run the programs through virtual pc? I really don't have the cash to go and shell out more on a windows machine just so i can run some of the engineering programs.
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat dude. I need to buy a PowerBook for college this fall, and I really would like to see an upgrade before I shell out 1800 bucks. Don't get me wrong, the current machines are kickass, but if they upgrade to 7448 or MPC8641D processors, they would be screamin! Anyway, I would wait. There is a big event (WWDC) between now and when you need it, so it's quite likely they may announce upgrades then. I REALLY want one now too...but I want an even cooler one more 😀 .

Oh, if you do sound engineering, you NEED a Mac. My dad teaches at a school for audio engineering, and they use almost exclusively Macs. Idk about chemical engineering, but programs like ProTools and whatnot, definately Mac programs.
 
Here at SVSU, we're a PC-based. I'm a Mechanical Engineering major, and I run things like MathCAD (possibly something you'd use), AutoCAD, and Mechanical Desktop. I don't think they'd run very well on VirtualPC.

Also, I think you should wait, at least until WWDC. There's enough time between now and then for SOMETHING new to come out.

And maybe you should email a professor or counselor at your college to find out exactly what you're going to run, and if they're providing it for you (or at least cheaply).
Seriously, they don't mind if you ask questions, and it'd be better than spending $2000 on a computer you can't use for your homework.
 
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