Steff.me

It’s difficult to know when to buy anything and unfortunately this is even more true in the computer world. Will an update come out soon? Should I have waited just a couple of months more? Unfortunately, the answer is always yes.

As soon as you buy a computer it’s out of date and there’s nothing much you can do about it. The only thing you can do is minimise your loss by buying a computer when you know that an update won’t be coming out for some time. Being a Mac user, I knew that I couldn’t buy a new machine at Christmas because MacWorld is in January. Also, just six months later there is the WWDC and another update will come out. So when do you buy?

I honestly don’t care about the PC, so here is where I stop talking about any build-your-own or PC World (*shudder*) bought computer. If you’re using a Mac and want some form idea whether you should buy something or if it will be updated soon there’s always MacRumors Buyer’s Guide. Based on rumours and and release dates, this site shows whether you should buy a Mac (or Apple accessory) or whether you should just wait.

You can’t just go by that though. Obviously the release dates and count-up since the last release can’t be disputed against and are a pretty good indicator of when the next release will be. Another factor is necessity. Do you need it?

Two cases for me, my iMac and MacBook. I bought them both since January this year. I bought the iMac 24″ in January, after waiting for MacWorld. The 24″ model had only come out the September before and my thoughts were that any bugs and problems they had with them would be removed by the time I bought mine some months later. I waited until MacWorld to see if any updates were coming (there was some early talk of a black iMac) and as there weren’t any I decided to buy. I needed this machine so that I could dual-boot and run Windows, which is a necessity at my University to be able to do any work. They seem to have a thing for it. Also, any web programming can then be tested locally and personally.

The MacBook. I need a notebook for lectures. I have to have one. All my work –lecture notes, lecture slides, coursework, assessments and so forth– are stored on my notebook. I used my PowerBook G4 constantly until it… went wrong (RIP Vicki). Anyway, I needed a notebook so much that I had to order one as soon as the other failed. I’ve been asked whether I should have waited until updates came and I honestly believe that I couldn’t. The only thing an upgrade to a MacBook can offer me is an updated processor speed and hard-drive space. Been as I was going for a bog-standard model, I really couldn’t care. If this was my main machine or only Mac then I would opt for a MacBook Pro anyway.

On that note, an update to the MacBook has been released today:

• Core 2 Duo up to 2.16Ghz
• 1GB of RAM by default
• SuperDrive
• Up to 200Gb hard drive

So when do you buy a new computer? I’d still advise waiting until MacWorld and WWDC but Apple seem to release things whenever they want to now, so I’d recommend checking the MacRumors Guide to make sure there isn’t a scheduled update before purchasing anything. Also, read any rumour sites for some “inside” information or analyst thoughts. For example this article on the MacBook and Ultra-portable notebook hit the nail on the head with “yawner” about the new MacBook updates. Last point: If you need it, buy it. If you don’t, wait.