To buy or not to buy -- that is the question! (PB)

[Kyle.esq]

Hello guys,

I am, currently, a junior in High School. I am planning to buy a sexy 15'' model for college. :cool:

I am debating on the issue whether I should purchase it this summer, after the 2nd Quarter, or should I just wait until the summer of my graduation year -- prior to college.

I love apple products and I can not wait until I get my hands on them!

I am well aware of one disadvantage in purchasing a PB earlier.

- It will be outdated by the time I get into college

But, bearing this in mind, isn't possible to simply upgrade it?

What do you think? Should I wait or succumb to temptation?

[Brad]

The only thing you can easily change is the RAM, the wireless card, and the battery.

You can replace the hard drive and optical drive, but you have to pay someone that's certified to do it or void your warranty by doing it yourself. The CPU? Can't change. The GPU? Can't change.

I'm not advising against the PowerBook; I just wanted to clear that up.

Since you still have plenty of time before college, I'd suggest waiting until Apple releases the fabled G5 or dual-core G4 PowerBook. It might not be available this summer. It might not be available this winter. Though, something much better should be available before you go to college.

On the other hand, you could buy a less-expensive iBook now, sell it just before you go to college, and then buy a new PowerBook. The iBooks are nothing to snuff at, especially now. They're pretty close to the 12" PowerBooks where specs are concerned and cost a few hundred less.

[Kyle.esq]

Yeah, then its settled. A few weeks prior to college, I will get a PB.

[skorsak]

I'm a sophomore and I can't wait any longer! I'm buying one in August once I return from my summer vacation in Europe.

I'll get a better Powerbook for a graduation present that I will use in college.

[psmith2.0]

Everyone seems to think that this most recent PowerBook rev has to be one of the final "PowerBook G4 as we know it" releases. But Apple has also taken forever between PowerBook revs, so it might be MWSF 06 before that next step up came...too long to go without, but close enough that I don't think I'd sink $2500 or so into a higher-end PowerBook unless I just really, really needed one and accepted that, within 9-12 month's time, it could be massively outdone by a totally new version.

Brad's idea of getting an iBook now and then selling it in a year or so (SURELY something resembling "the next big thing" will be in the PowerBooks by then...G5 or dual-core G4) might be something to consider.

If you look in the red tag section of Apple's online store, where the refurbs and all reside, you might find a nice refurb iBook w/ warranty for $100-200 less than a new one. The stock and selection seems to change weekly or so (perhaps more?), but that's always an option for getting into a Mac cheap and easy.

I've seen 12" iBook G4s there for $799. If you could land one of those, RAM is getting affordable again too. Pop in 1GB and enjoy!

[deckman]

I agree that an iBook is a better option at this point. Having just gone through the PB/iBook decision matrix myself, the iBook represents a better deal, especially if you are planning to replace it with a PB in a few years. I would hold off for the anticipated update to both the iBook and OS (perhaps tomorrow?).