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To buy or not to buy????

F

fjs08

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jun 25, 2003
1,252
0
Hi,
I have a friend who wants to get into computers. He knows that I love my Mac. We were talking last week and I told him about our local Apple store and advised him to go and play with a few models to see what he liked.

But now what do I tell him? He called me yesterday and asked if he should still buy since the chips will change in a year. Any thoughts and/or advise??

Thanks.

Frank
 
PPC will continue to be supported by Apple, among others, for years to come so his computer won't be outdated faster than anything before it.

On that not, it depends which Mac he wants as to whether he should buy now. iBooks, minis and PowerBooks are up for renewal soon IMO. :)
 
Just buy a lowend Mac. Most people don't need more than a Mini or an eMac and they aren't slow.
 
Well, I'm not so sure. Both Apple and third party developers have a history of releasing applications that require the latest versions of the OS, as is not seen on other platforms.

Also, developers can choose not to tick the PPC box in Xcode.
 
cube said:
Also, developers can choose not to tick the PPC box in Xcode.
Click to expand...


Like many of the posters round here, I'm not fully up with developing software and how it's done, but is there any reason as to why they would uncheck PPC when compiling?
 
theyre selling software to make money....Jobs is selling computers to make money...by releasing these intel processors, hes going to get a ton of people knowcking down his door for an intel machine when they come out. I say we boycott the intel machines!!!! (jk) But really, the people who make software are trying to sell to the majority of their customers. So, we should keep our standpoint and not have to buy a whole new computer just because Mr. Stevy all of the sudden wants to change things up to make more money!
 
lasuther said:
Now is the perfect time to buy. When you friend is ready to replace his Mac, the Intel Macs will probably be starting their Rev B.
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more!! If there was ever a time to wait for the Rev B is would be with the Macintels. So I think purchasing a Mac now makes perfect sense. They're working beautifully so no ugly surprises. The last thing you want it to buy a Macintel and then have to work through the bugs. It might not happen..... but it might!
 
My friend was going to buy a PowerBook. He wants to do something soon too. It is a bit of a dilemma, I guess.

Frank
 
fjs08 said:
My friend was going to buy a PowerBook. He wants to do something soon too. It is a bit of a dilemma, I guess.

Frank
Click to expand...

I wouldn't really say its much of dilemma truly. PowerBooks were updated JUST 4 MONTHS AGO, I don't think they are going anywhere soon. We just saw processor bump, BT2.0EDR, scrolling trackpad, stability/acceleration detector for HDD, etc etc. I think they are a wonderful buy and will remain so up until the day that the PowerBook receives an Intel processor.

If he buys now, its more than likely two years before PowerBooks will see Intel chips, and even then do you really want Rev.A Intel chip PowerBook? :eek:

I am not against the switch, but it is a work in progress. If he just needs a computer for basic tasks, and wants to experiment with Mac, have him get a Mini, its what they were made for! He can spend less money, still get a sweet little computer, and have the best of nearly all the worlds we just mentioned.
 
mad jew said:
but is there any reason as to why they would uncheck PPC when compiling?
Click to expand...

More than one.
1.) If you're a developer who owns an Intel Mac but no PPC Mac, you'd have to ship the PPC binary completely untested. No good idea I can tell you, think about endianess (if Steve Jobs tries to tell us that it is sufficient to test the Intel-binary then this simply shows that he doesn't know anything about programming and testing).
2.) Intel-only binaries are smaller.
3.) PPC code will be slower, since I'm pretty sure that Apple won't continue to improve the PPC compiler. In addition, no new PPC machines will be produced, so the Intel version will run hell of a lot faster.
4.) You don't have to support what you don't provide. Why support a PPC version that is only used by 5-10% of the users? (in a few years, PPC Macs will be the minority).
5.) It's faster to compile only once (Intel + PPC would mean two separate compiler runs).
 
fjs08 said:
My friend was going to buy a PowerBook. He wants to do something soon too. It is a bit of a dilemma, I guess.

Frank
Click to expand...

I like these histories of the friend of a friend who knows someone who has a friend but at the end the friend is the poster! Get the Mac! :D
 
AmigoMac said:
I like these histories of the friend of a friend who knows someone who has a friend but at the end the friend is the poster! Get the Mac! :D
Click to expand...

Haha, I debated doing something like that when I first started because somehow I felt that I wouldn't be blamed for yet another 'should i buy now?' post. In the end, as memory serves me, I just posted it myself and started another thread...sorry :p

So I was thinking my PB was older, but in reality I purchased just after the Rev bump, so really it is just now starting it's fourth month of life. Give me the option of having my $1500 and change back or the PB today, I would still happily take my PB. I love this thing, best computer related purchase I have made evar.

If you are hesitant in purchasing thats understandable, but I would urge you to go to an Apple store and play around, fall in love, and buy one! This was/is my first Mac and even after the switch to Intel I'm nothing but excited for the day when I want/need to get another Mac. Great platform, great hardware, great experience.
 
>>I like these histories of the friend of a friend who knows someone who has a friend but at the end the friend is the poster! Get the Mac!<<

Sorry to burst your bubble, but I have a 2 yr old Titanium Powerbook that I'm in love with. I'm not in the market for another Powerbook.

Frank
 
weg said:
4.) You don't have to support what you don't provide. Why support a PPC version that is only used by 5-10% of the users? (in a few years, PPC Macs will be the minority).
Click to expand...
I'd have to disagree. There will still be a huge PPC user base in a couple of years when Intel Mac PCs start to appear. People aren't going to run out and buy Intel Macs and stop using their PPC Macs once they're available. I think a lot of people will either wait to see how they perform relative to their current setup or will run them both side by side.

If developers stop producing software for PPC Macs in a few years, then they'd be losing out on a lot of sales since many will still be using their PPC Macs. I mean, my friend's still using his 400MHz G4 PowerMac (Sawtooth) for all his design work at home and probably has no plans to upgrade any time soon.
 
BUY ALREADY!

Software companies, unlike many people here, realize that the majority of Mac users are not MacRumors addicts who check message boards 3 times a day watching for updates! ;) Example: the two graphic designers I work with didn't even know about Tiger until I told them Monday! The software companies of the world realize how many users are "in the dark" with regards to updates, and I don't think they will be so foolish as to stop selling software to these people within the next 3-4 years.

As for me, a portion of the $4,000 I was prepared to spend on a PowerMac/ACD setup was instead used to buy a PowerBook. It will easily get me through to the time when the Rev. B Intel PowerMacs are released. And at the point when I buy one of the new desktops, the PB's portability will be a nice compliment for the new system. Even then, with the 2-3 years of age, it will still be perfect for travel - as email, web surfing, watching DVD's on planes, and light design work are not really intensive activites.

For those wanting to buy now, I suggest not going with a pricey high-end machine/display setup unless you need it. Go with a cheaper Mac Mini or portable, as either would be a nice supplement to a new desktop down the road - the Mini as a media center, or a portable for...well...portability! And their lower prices will ease the sting a bit on the day the Intel Macs are rolled out!

I am currently looking forward to using a Mac for the first time in over a year (since I left my company-owned PB behind at my last job!) and actually owning my very first! And even more pumped that, as of Monday when my new beauty arrives, this 6 year old clunker Dell is heading for the closet!
 
ky2auburn said:
For those wanting to buy now, I suggest not going with a pricey high-end machine/display setup unless you need it. Go with a cheaper Mac Mini or portable, as either would be a nice supplement to a new desktop down the road - the Mini as a media center, or a portable for...well...portability! And their lower prices will ease the sting a bit on the day the Intel Macs are rolled out!
Click to expand...

Many people do not have the option buying something to tide us over until the intels come out.

Some buy computers for the long haul. So why do you recommend against buying a pricey high end machine?
 
weg said:
More than one.
1.) If you're a developer who owns an Intel Mac but no PPC Mac, you'd have to ship the PPC binary completely untested. No good idea I can tell you, think about endianess (if Steve Jobs tries to tell us that it is sufficient to test the Intel-binary then this simply shows that he doesn't know anything about programming and testing).
2.) Intel-only binaries are smaller.
3.) PPC code will be slower, since I'm pretty sure that Apple won't continue to improve the PPC compiler. In addition, no new PPC machines will be produced, so the Intel version will run hell of a lot faster.
4.) You don't have to support what you don't provide. Why support a PPC version that is only used by 5-10% of the users? (in a few years, PPC Macs will be the minority).
5.) It's faster to compile only once (Intel + PPC would mean two separate compiler runs).
Click to expand...

none of this will be anywhere near starting to happen for 2 or 3 years. This seems like bad advice to someone who needs a computer now.
 
asqy said:
Many people do not have the option buying something to tide us over until the intels come out.
Click to expand...

That's why I said "unless you need it!" ;) If you need a long-haul, high-end machine, go for it. I chose to ease by on a portable, and then add a high-end unit later. It all depends on your needs.

asqy said:
Some buy computers for the long haul. So why do you recommend against buying a pricey high end machine?
Click to expand...

Personally, I made the decision to not buy the pricey machine I originally planned to buy because I would prefer to have a $2500 portable computer go out of date first rather than a $4000 desktop/display setup. The PowerBook, while not the most powerful Mac, will be sufficient for me for the near future. And if you had considered eventually owning both a desktop and a portable, you are more likely to do your hardcore work on the desktop anyway. Thus it is more palatable for the portable to be a slower and more out-of-date machine, since I am not expecting it to be my long-term workhorse anyway.

I am taking a bit of a hit now on performance so I can treat myself in 2-3 years!

I'm not sure if anyone else will follow my logic or not! :eek:
 
you see I'm in the market for a notebook that will tide me over until I finish university...another 2.5 years.

I'm quite impressed with osx. I was eyeing a 12 inch ibook. In Australia with the educational discount they come out a few hundred dollars cheaper than the the d610 dell or 700m dell.

1400 discount or stock ibook + 512 stick for 126 AUD + Office edu 250AUD = between 1750 and 1800 AUD.

Now a reasonable spec 700m is 2000 AUD in Australia. The size is nice but the keyboard is too small.

And a reasonable spec d610 is 2000 AUD (they have the 1024 ram upgrade goin on the d610 at the moment)

So the ibook ends up less overall. But the whole issue of buying an already lagging ibook worries me. Even thought I know that it won't replace my 3.5 year old desktop (p4 1.9).

A dell d610 with 1024 Ram might last me longer.

Bleh
 
asqy said:
you see I'm in the market for a notebook that will tide me over until I finish university...another 2.5 years.....
Click to expand...

the reality is that anything you buy from Apple today will get you through the next 2.5 years just fine

I have a 4.5 year old iBook and I figure it's got another year or two of usefulness left in it
 
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