[FreakyT]

I'm going to buy my first Mac (well, one that's not an LCII ) before I go to college, but I'm not sure whether I should just but it now or wait for Tiger to come out, and buy one then.

Does Apple usually preload their latest OS on new systems as soon as it comes out, or do they tend to wait until the bugs have been ironed out?

So...should I just order one now, or just wait until August?

[SKMDC]

Originally Posted by FreakyT I'm going to buy my first Mac (well, one that's not an LCII ) before I go to college, but I'm not sure whether I should just but it now or wait for Tiger to come out, and buy one then. Does Apple usually preload their latest OS on new systems as soon as it comes out, or do they tend to wait until the bugs have been ironed out? So...should I just order one now, or just wait until August?

tiger will be out fairly soon, in the next tree months or so.

[Noel]

I'll be getting a new PowerBook for college, but am waiting to buy for two reasons. Firstly, because I don't want to have to pay to upgrade to Tiger later when I can easily wait until its release. Secondly, I'm waiting till the last minute to get a new system because I'm hoping PowerBook G5's come out this year (and if they aren't out by August I may wait till MWSF '06 at the latest, and use my 800MHz iBook till I get the new system).

But yeah, I'd say definitely wait for Tiger to come out before getting your Mac, because there's no sense spending money upgrading when you don't need to, and you'll also ensure you have the newest system possible when you start college.

[SKMDC]

there's a certain time frame that apple retroactively gives you (or for a nominal fee) the new operating system if you buy a new system.
whether it's 30, 60, or 90 days I can't remember.

[thegelding]

two things:

first law of computers: if you need it, buy it...if you can wait, wait.
computers and software always improves and also often gets cheaper...but waiting is silly if you need something...
so, need=buy, not need=wait.

second: panther is great...many people won't even upgrade to tiger (i know many people on jaguar still)...so see first law...if you need and wait just for tiger that would be, mmmm hate to say stupid but, stupid.

will tiger be great also? sure. would you need tiger to run the computer you buy now? no. so, see first law (really the only computer law left since moore's law has gone down in flames)


g

[Franz Josef]

Life is too short to wait. Buy now and enjoy - it will be excellent. At some point in future, upgrade to Tiger and, at that point, that will be even better. But doing nothing, that sucks.

[Brad]

Apple immediately ships systems with the new OS as soon as it's available. The grace period to get the "free" upgrade if you buy your computer just before an OS is released is very short. Think one month or less.

Also, you might be interested in this reading this thread: Need help Actually buying/getting an APPLE (iBook vs. PowerBook, now vs. later, etc.). That guy is in your same situation, getting ready for college and looking for advice.

Originally Posted by me in that other thread The old fuddy duddy in me says that, yes, your parents are right. It's good to wait. You never know what might be released between now and the summer. I don't expect there will be a major PowerBook revision before late summer since it was just updated, but the fall might finally bring the G5s or dual-core G4s that the tech weenies have been wetting their britches over. However, I totally understand your excitement about getting your new PowerBook. If you're new to Macs (are you?), I believe it would actually serve you better to get the PowerBook sooner rather than later. That would give you ample time to learn the basics behind Mac OS X, set up and configure all the software you'll be needing, and just get used to the way your new system feels. Yes, that's a vague and subjective term, but Macs really do feel different from Windows PCs in how they operate and this can take a little bit of time to get used to. You'd be better off playing with it over the summer and becoming an expert before the fall semester starts than having to deal with new classes, culture shock, and learning how to use your new computer.