When to buy??

[MikeMike]

Hey all,

School has started, and the time has come to buy myself a new computer.
My heart is set on the 13inch MBP, basic configuration since this will not be
my primary computer. I have never had good luck with timing though.
When I got my ipod, the new one came out. When I got my g5, the intel came out. etc.

Does anybody here have a hypothesis on apple's future release dates?
They are overdue for an Ebook (how cool would a 7 inch mb air be?)
I feel like they would have come out with something before the school year
but I guess not.

Thanks in advance,
Michael

[kikashi]

If you need it now and will use it now, buy it now. If not, wait.

Technology progresses and there will always be a newer, better, faster, cheaper model made available not long after you bought yours. So don't waste time speculating about new releases or bewail the improvement when it comes: that way madness lies.

Jeremy

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi!

I'm pretty much in the same position. I need to get a MacPro before end of march 2010.

I presume that Apple has an update cycle like releasing new models twice a year. Nice if you can order just after a new release.

Our friend Lloyd Chambers at http://www.diglloyd.com has a lot of info on Macs

Best regards
Erik

Hey all,

School has started, and the time has come to buy myself a new computer.
My heart is set on the 13inch MBP, basic configuration since this will not be
my primary computer. I have never had good luck with timing though.
When I got my ipod, the new one came out. When I got my g5, the intel came out. etc.

Does anybody here have a hypothesis on apple's future release dates?
They are overdue for an Ebook (how cool would a 7 inch mb air be?)
I feel like they would have come out with something before the school year
but I guess not.

Thanks in advance,
Michael

[k bennett]

Try this page for info:

http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/

The MBP is in the middle of the cycle, for what that's worth.

[Gellman]

If you find a model that you like now, can use now, and can afford now, buy it now. There is no guarantee that the next model will be better. It is not safe to assume that Apple's development efforts are based on the needs of photographers. As we have seen, anti-glare screens come and go (and come again). So do eSATA ports. Additionally, some are predicting that the cost of memory will rise significantly in the next year, so newer models may cost more while becoming less functional for serious photographers.

I'm not predicting that will happen, but who knows? A good rule of thumb is: Those who know don't talk, and those who talk don't know.

Apart from hardware advances, it always seems to take a while for software functionality to catch up with new hardware capabilities. Thus it is likely that some major advances in hardware will have no real world benefit for quite some time. For example, although hardware has had multi-core processing for some time, Photoshop still doesn't utilize it like it could. It's like driving on the Autobahn in a car that is limited to traveling at 60 MPH.

I also agree that diglloyd.com is one of the best sources for useful information about the technical benefits (and glitches) of Macs for photographers.

John

[MikeMike]

I agree with all of you, and thank you for the replies.
Ncjohnboy, I dont think i've ever seen an apple product get more expensive!
from my expirience they always get cheaper and better (glossy screens not included),
though as always everything is open to debate.

I don't "need" the computer more than I want it, as i'm sure all of you here could relate with on some level,
so waiting a month is not going to be that big of a deal. I'm going to be using this computer minute editing
when not at home, for taking notes in class, and for when i'm on the surfing/email on the couch. I have a dedicated computer
for photography. All this to say that it doesnt really matter for me if a new better mac comes out, and the existing ones
are complete overkill for my needs, though when one is spending $1500+ is it always a nice feeling to know you've
done well. Not to mention the cool factor of their latest generation upgrades are through the roof : )

I'm going to check out all of the websites, and again, thank you

Michael