Advice Please - buy Powerbook now or wait

Hey all, I'm a potential switcher and would really appreciate any advice you could give me.

I've decided to buy a new Powerbook and was just about to make the order, when I heard today's announcement that Apple is switching over to Intel chips. Should I still buy the G4 Powerbook now or wait until 2007 to get a Powerbook with an x86 chip.

I know because we're talking 1.5-2+ years, the answer to this question may seem obvious - just buy the Powerbook now. But I was also planning on buying a lot of software to go with my new Mac, namely, Photoshop, Office, and the Final Cut Studio Suite. So perhaps I do get the Powerbook and software now, and two or three years from now, I buy a new Powerbook with Intel inside. Does it make sense to get the Powerbook and all this software now, when the software may not be compatible with the Intel-based Macs, and I'd end up having to buy new software or upgrades to make the software function on the new laptop? Perhaps I'm misinformed about this incompatibility even.

Thanks in advance.

The new Intel-Macs (iMacs? Oh Goodness...) will supposedly be able to run all existing Mac OS X software.

It will probably not be as fast as native Intel-Mac software, but it should run.

I'm not sure if it makes sense or not. This is still very new to everyone.

Maybe you could call the software companies and ask about discounted upgrades to the Intel-Mac versions?

just get one now mate dont bother waiting you'll miss out on too much by waiting

I say get one now and enjoy the Mac, anything can happen in a couple of years.. Sometimes a couple is 3 or 4 hehe.

yea i say just get one now man.

If the new macs can run old software, chances are theyll probably have a PPC chip in them somewhere along with the intel.

Furthermore, you'll probably be looking for a software update in the 1.5 - 2 year range so you can make your hardware switch then.

MadSkillzMan said:

yea i say just get one now man.

If the new macs can run old software, chances are theyll probably have a PPC chip in them somewhere along with the intel.

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now that would be an interesting dual processor setup...p4 @ 3.6 and a g4 at 2.7?

Yep, the powerbooks are awesome! I love mine. Just go out and get one....remember, enjoy it and don't fret.

I agree - just do it friend. They are always going to release new things. They are always going to drop prices. They are always going to offer deals. I spent about 5 months trying to justify switching from my WinBox (since I do work for myself I did have to look seriously at how it would affect my livelyhood, not just the "fun" factor) and to be honest I woke up one day and said 'today is the day I buy my iMac'. Besides that I updgrade if not replace my machines every 2-3 years...so there is always something to look forward to.

Closer your eyes, open your calendar and pick a date. The fact you are even considering it tells me you are already more than 50% there!

Good luck

I say wait...give it a few months of slow PPC hardware sales and you'll see some massive discounts on PPC hardware I'd imagine in due time.

Order The Powerbook!

the new intel-macs will be able to support all of the software you buy now due to rosseta. Watch the keynote to watch this actually work on a mac with a x86 chip.

Thanks for the great response and good advice, everyone!

I think I'll make my decision by this weekend. I've thought about this for weeks, and find myself biased towards getting the PB. I just want a change and am tired of Windows/PCs. My last 3 computers have been Dells, and they seem to wear-out pretty quick. The software issue is my main concern, but I can't see Apple/developers leaving current users in the dark.

Thanks again all, I'll keep you posted.

mcsenerd said:

I say wait...give it a few months of slow PPC hardware sales and you'll see some massive discounts on PPC hardware I'd imagine in due time.

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Welllll Maybe --- if you watched the keynote you know that mac sales have been nearly triple that of regular PCs ..... Now some here would posulate that ooooooohh they just announced going to x86 - oh my !!!!!

But frankly if you're on this forum you're either a techie - a macky - or both -------- for the average Joe / Jane .... they don't fawn over this sort of stuff too much - get real - you might see sales flatten for a short while - but I for one hope they keep on going.

Bottom line - at WWDC - Apple laid out a very WELL thought out plan to ensure a future for existing PPC and future x86 systems - and easy tools for software folks to create dual binaries

Buy your mac and enjoy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree, buy it.. Im seriously thinking of getting a couple while they are still PPC, all the new software will still run on PPC and the old of course will, so I think it would be a great buy

you mentioned photoshop...... jobs showed photoshop CS2 running on the intel machine and it was fast..

Hey everyone,

Sorry for the delayed update. But I bought my first Mac about a month ago! 15" Powerbook G4 1.67, 1 Gig RAM. It's been a busy month, so I haven't played with it as much as I've wanted to. But so far, it's been a great experience. It's much more fun to use than my PCs of old. I started playing around with Garageband 2 not long after buying it; what a cool piece of software! I'm in the process of getting a midi keyboard now to hook up to the PB.
Thanks again all. I'm sure I'll be posting as questions arise.

PS. Interesting new discussion now with IBM anouncing it's dual core PowerPC chips. (Sorry, don't want to start another thread here.)