Nitpick: There's actually really been only one redesign since the iMac G4, which was (drumroll) the iMac G5. The iMac G5 saw a pretty significant makeover in September, but it wasn't an entire redesign. And I love the iMac G4, too.
Have you considered the iMac G5? It costs the same as the 14" iMac, and it's much better (technically speaking). If you don't absolutely need portability, desktops are the way to go in the Mac world right now. The new iMac is great - I just got one - and you'd have your iSight and Photo Booth.
But that might change soon...like, January. Many think that Apple's portables will be the first to get Intel chips, which would be a huge leap forward. For that reason, I wouldn't advise getting a notebook before MWSF - it's entirely possible they will release a new one (an all-new one) two weeks after Christmas. Buying a just-updated iMac would be a much safer bet. It's much less likely that the iMac will get redesigned anytime soon, because it really doesn't need to be, whereas the iBook and Powerbook are hitting the ceiling of the G4 (and that's an understatement).
If you need portability, I would definitely wait until January. If you don't need portability, I would probably go with the iMac - although I'd wait the two weeks until MWSF just to see if the iBook got a redesign. (You'd get the 2006 version of iLife, too.)
and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong
|