slightly different take on the "buy now or wait?" question

[aliiien]

yes, it's another one of THOSE posts, and i have read through quite a few, but my situation is a little different, so i'm asking for a bit of input..

i have a 3 1/2 year old powerbook g4 (15" 1.5ghz, 2gb ram) that's seen plenty of wear & tear (ie falling down stairs multiple times) and it's gotten to the point where the display flickers almost daily - probably a loose video cable, but i'm in the market for a new one given the wear & tear, so i'm not looking to repair that necessarily.

new macbooks vs current gen: i'm going to college in ireland, and with the exchange rate, if i waited, it would end up costing me more; alternatively it could be ordered from home [oregon] and shipped over but that would still cost an extra hundred+ on shipping.

i don't know how reliable my powerbook will remain and i'm not positive how necessary that reliability is - i will have access to a computer, however, i also live on my powerbook; internet, schoolwork, communications, movies, music, it's my swiss-army knife.

with those points in mind, what would ye fellow maclovers do? thanks

 

[stone315]

You want to have a reliable notebook with you. You don't want to get shafted by the exchange rate or shipping. I love the current Macbook. Buy now.

 

[yien]

having just graduated from college i would say buy now. its a pain in the ass trying to solve computer problems. also the current model will probably have less problems than the new ones when they come out

 

[Tensakun]

Buy the sucka

I'd buy now. The current models are solid and you've got more important things to get on with--new country, immigration matters, housing, whatever--than shipping and setting up a computer, with the remote but real possibility that you'll have to deal with servicing in Ireland.

This way, you can get your machine all set up, load your software, get used to it, etc. and then hit the ground running in Eire. (I've also had my dad ship Mac laptops from Oregon [go Ducks] to Japan--usually get hit with unexpected, sometimes sizable J'ese customs charges; now just buy from AppleJapan.)

 

[pinktank]

buy a used macbook

 

[james948]

My thoughts are that you'll regret not waiting when you see the gorgeous new macbooks apple are going to be bringing out.

It depends what sort of person you are but the very fact that you're on macrumors forums means you care enough to be peeved if you didn't have the innovations Apple are clearly bringing out with the next gen macbooks.

You can do without a computer for 4 weeks of class. Have your parents buy it and ship it over.

That's my advice.
Although, I should point out that it would be waaaay cheaper to get the ipod deal, sell the ipod and not have to ship it.

Hope this helps.

 

[bertpalmer]

Buy a refurb.

 

[Tallest Skil]

i'm going to college in ireland, and with the exchange rate, if i waited, it would end up costing me more; alternatively it could be ordered from home [oregon] and shipped over but that would still cost an extra hundred+ on shipping.

Ho! Wai... Whoa, whoa, whoa...

Ireland for the whole time or just the first semester?

 

[PlaceofDis]

if you need a machine now, then buy now. and it sounds as if you need something sooner rather than later. sure, wait until you can't wait anymore, thats fine. but if you need something now, get it. technology always advances and everything is 'outdated' so don't worry about whats coming up if what is out already will work for you.

 

[winninganthem]

Buy a new Macbook sooner rather than later, it'll be the perfect Swiss army knife that you're looking for

 

[NSNick]

Have someone visit you and bring it with them.

 

[KoolStar]

Ireland, what a great place, I can't wait to go back. I would go for the current gen.

 

[aliiien]

Ho! Wai... Whoa, whoa, whoa...

Ireland for the whole time or just the first semester?

haha, whole four years

anyway, i am responding on a brand new (reliable and pretty too) macbook. figured reliability was #1, timing was #2, and the option of buying the current model fit both better than waiting. thanks everyone - ye all really did help