Buy now or wait

I'm planning to switch to Mac and can't decide when to buy. I can get a refresh Imac 20" (C2D 2.16) for $1249 + $100 Applecare. I read on macrumor that there will be an Imac update soon. Are they changing the entire design case or just internal components. Also Leopard is coming soon too. Should I wait?

'Tis the eternal question. Leopard is due out "Spring," so that's sometime between now and mid-June.

http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#iMac - which lists the historical trends of upgrades in each Mac line indicates that updates are due soon. Rumors about an update in the iMacs agree with this, but they're just rumors. Until you hear something from Apple, nothing is certain. I believe I read one rumor that indicated a possible design change to the iMac, but until Apple says it...take it with a grain of salt.

Do you NEED a computer right now? Can you stand to wait a month or two or three to see what happens? You could be enjoying the new machine now and upgrade to Leopard later and have a great machine. Or you could start out with Leopard, maybe get a minor upgrade or two here and there, but wait months for it to come to the marketplace.

If you can stand to wait a little bit, hold off and read up about Macs, OS X and when the time comes to buy, you'll be much more knowledgeable about things. If you really prefer to go ahead and buy now or need a computer sooner than later, buy it now and don't look back. You'll be quite pleased with your machine, I'm sure.

There are alot of rumors, but there may be one reason to wait. NAB is april 15, and apple is planning a special event. There is no way to know what if anything new will come out, but it is something to keep an eye on.

Decide what you want and review the past......

Intel Macs came out in Jan 2006. I bought one. I almost bought a G-5 a month earlier. Glad i didn't because now i can take advantage of boot camp, windows, etc., on the Intel Mac. Had i waited even longer., I could have gotten a 24" iMac to take 'better' advantage of 'Spaces' when it hits Leopard - but that isn't that important to me. I also missed out on 802.11n but Apple may yet allow a replacement airport card when the standard is approved.

Bottom line - Waiting from G-5 for the Intel was BIG. but everything after is not that important to me - would have been nice - but I'm happy.

With what I'm reading - I would probably wait for Leopard just to save $129. Who knows - maybe the new iMac model will hit at the same time. If they do, that's the time to get one - three months later, though, a better one will be released - with a little more speed or a better chip from Intel - but it won't make yours obsolete- just a bump in the road. You cant wait forever, but if something BIG is in the mill like Leopard with possible new models - I'd wait a little.

I waited for a month, and just couldn't wait anymore. I got my macbook on Friday, and so far I have no regrets, OS wise. I was waiting around for 10.5, not hardware updates so I can't really comment there. I will get Leopard when I am ready, now I'm having fun learning the new operating system, new to macs. I bought a refurbished so the money saved can pay for leopard. :black:

Someone should really make a sticky to answer this recurring question.

I just LOVE this question. "Smell The Glove" nailed the ultimate answer. Wait if you can - buy now if you can't wait.

As you can see on the other website, the average cycle of updates is 5 or 6 months. Sometimes shorter, sometimes longer. It's nice to jump in immediately after a product is updated but you also have the risk that there may be bugs. If you buy near the end of a product cycle you may see newer, better products shortly. Each person has to decide what they NEED and whether or not they'll have regrets for not waiting for the "next" great product.

Either way, you can't go wrong -- just don't look back.

This is a repeating question, so much so that I have saved off my last answer to it lest it come up again. So, in yet another encore appearance, my thoughts on this... and they are a little different than some of the others you will read:

Leopard has been planned for release in the first half of 2007. There are only three months of that half left, so the maximum wait *should* be about three months, and possibly less. That is not that long to wait. Admitedly, there are no guarantees that Leopard will be released in that time frame, but it is a good bet. I wouldn't be surprised to see it released any day now. I am rather surprised that it is not out already actually.

Secondly, it is not just the $130 that an upgrade from Tiger to Leopard would cost, but also the time and effort it takes to install the new OS. This is not huge, but depending on your level of comfort with doing this sort of thing, having it come pre loaded could be quite a benefit.

Finally, and this is just a guess on my behalf, I am suspecting that iLife 07 will come along for the ride on new Macs sporting Leopard. This is just a guess, but a reasoned one. If this is the case, waiting for Leopard before buying the new Mac makes quite a bit of sense, since I have heard that, for example, when you buy Tiger, you don't get iLife 06 included - you have to buy it separately. Thus, waiting for Leopard before buying may save you not just the $130 for the OS upgrade, but also the $xx.xx (not sure what the price will be) for the iLife upgrade.

For myself, I am waiting to buy a new MacBook Pro until Leopard comes out, for all these reasons. I realize that this means that I may have to wait for a few months, but I see it as worth it.

In the end, this is a VERY personal call. How badly do you want a new Mac? Getting the Mac now, with Tiger, is not a bad move. We are all of us, by definition, currently using Macs with Tiger on them, and we are all generally very happy with them. There are some perhaps tangible benefits to waiting for Leopard, but these must be weighed against the benefit of having your shiny new Mac right now! As I said, a very personal weighing of priorities is in order I think.

everyone asks - including myself

when they come to buy a new machine should they wait a bit for maybe some newer stuff inside or should they buy now.

I think you should buy and just be happy with what you get. Obviously if an update is a week away then wait but if your waiting for June then i would just get on with buying cos you could end up waiting for a very long time.

You should embrace the American ideal and buy it now. Worry about the rest later. Waiting is for losers.

For the total experience, you should pay for it with a credit card even if the cash is available. It is best to choose the card with the highest interest rate. Personally, I would shoot for one with at least 20 percent interest. Additional late fees aren't necessary, but they are a pleasant bonus.

At the very most, you should make only the minimum payment. Feel free to skip payments. Your credit score will head into a downward spiral very quickly. That's alright! Your credit score really has no bearing on "real life".

By the time it is payed off, the computer will have cost you up to four times the original purchase price. On top of that, it will be completely obsolete because the Intel Core 2 Quintipio will be released leaving you in the dust.

In such a case, feel free to visit apple.com and buy a new computer. This will ensure that the whole process starts over again.

One more thing... DON'T BUY APPLECARE! It's a waste of money because notebook computers simply do not break under any circumstances!

Thank you and good night. :robot:

All joking aside (and thanks Cherokee for a good chuckle!) I am planning to buy an MBP in the near future (as soon as Leopard is released) and I am actually thinking about buying Applecare with it. It is my perception that the laptops have more general hardware issues than the desktops. Your thoughts on this?

mac57 said:

All joking aside (and thanks Cherokee for a good chuckle!) I am planning to buy an MBP in the near future (as soon as Leopard is released) and I am actually thinking about buying Applecare with it. It is my perception that the laptops have more general hardware issues than the desktops. Your thoughts on this?

Click to expand...

Applecare is a must for notebook computers IMO. If you don't have the cash at time of purchase, you can always wait and buy it within the first year. That's my plan anyway.

If you need it JET - buy it. Otherwise if you can - wait!

Thanks for all the response. I care less about Leopard. I'm waiting to see if they redesign the case. $130 OSX upgrade is not much and reloading operating system is not a problem to me (do it once a year with XP anyway). If Apple comes out with a new case and sustain the $1499 price (for 20")..I'm getting a new ones. If they decide to increase the price more than $200 for the new ones, then I'm getting the old ones-refurb. The new imacs will probably be C2D but at a fast speed only...2.16/2.33 C2D is good enough for my use. It would be nice if Apple design it around the current Apple displays with the aluminum cover.