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What to Buy: Oct. 12 iMac or Oct. 19 PB


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What to Buy: Oct. 12 iMac or Oct. 19 PB
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JayMtl
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Montreal
 
2005-10-14, 21:05

I've seen some pretty good insight on these boards in the past few weeks...so I'm hoping a little bit of that will guide me for the question(s) I have. First, let me begin by saying that this thread partially belongs in the "speculation" section because, of course, an updated PB has not yet been released and no one has really "seen" the new iMac. But based on said speculation, I'd like to hear what y'all have to say.

I've already made an order for the new 20" iMac (couldn't help it!), but was originally in the market for a PB, only I wasn't so keen on its specs. However, with the announcement of a likely updated PB as early as next Wednesday, I'm rethinking my decision.

My main computer uses are word processing, image editing, internet, music and videos...all at the same time (I tend to be a memory hog ). Clearly, the new iMac caters to me but if the PB is updated, as speculated, in areas of memory, screen resolution, and graphics, then this could even things out.

Of course, the PB will still be portable, but I haven't ever owned a laptop so I can't say I MUST have one for its portability; I'm in research, so if I own a laptop I can picture bringing it to the lab/library/coffee shops...and then lounging on the sofa/bed/wherever at home. This sounds great, but I can (and currently do) live without this. Plus it's a little expensive for itself.

Besides, it really doesn't seem like the updates to the PB will be significant, and compared to the iMac it will likely stay inferior (spec-wise)...but the PB's specs will surely be fine for my needs and it's portable.

So maybe the real question is, will the Oct. 12 iMac or the Oct. 19 PB have the greatest lifespan (in light of the iminent Intel switch) and which seems like it would better suit me? And should I cancel my current iMac order and wait to be unimpressed by the updated PB's specs?

Thanks a million for contemplating this with me. Always appreciate the input.
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stonyc
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Join Date: Feb 2005
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2005-10-14, 21:22

If I'm not mistaken, it's still going to take awhile for the new iMacs to ship... unless you happen to be really lucky? If so, you don't really lose anything by cancelling your order and seeing what comes about over the next week or two.

Even if the updated PB's don't tempt you, and you end up re-ordering your iMac... you probably won't lose out that much time-wise in terms of it getting shipped to you.

I think it probably makes more sense just to cancel the order and see what happens. At least then you'll know that you'll have made the most informed decision possible from all of the options available.
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JayMtl
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Montreal
 
2005-10-14, 21:31

Quote:
Originally Posted by stonyc
If I'm not mistaken, it's still going to take awhile for the new iMacs to ship... unless you happen to be really lucky? If so, you don't really lose anything by cancelling your order and seeing what comes about over the next week or two.

Even if the updated PB's don't tempt you, and you end up re-ordering your iMac... you probably won't lose out that much time-wise in terms of it getting shipped to you.

I think it probably makes more sense just to cancel the order and see what happens. At least then you'll know that you'll have made the most informed decision possible from all of the options available.
That was my first thought, but I was in this situation last week and I told myself I would wait until this Wednesday to make a decision...and wouldn't you know it, again I'm in the same situation I was one week ago. Something in me is almost expecting the same predicament if I wait one more week until Oct. 19th...and that makes me impatient.
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stonyc
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2005-10-14, 22:20

Well, at some point you'll have to take your stand. But with the iMacs being just released there's going to be a higher demand/lower stock available which will mean ship times in the range of weeks, not days. I know someone who had ordered an iMac before the announced updates, got the free bump, and they still told her that it wouldn't ship until Oct. 29.

I gotta believe the ship time on your iMac is something similar... really what it comes down to is what have you got to lose by waiting? Only time... so if you aren't hurt by waiting, I would say wait. If you can't wait, that new iMac is one heck of a consolation prize.
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BarracksSi
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Washington, DC
 
2005-10-14, 22:32

Ask the updated-PB-specific question by this time next week...

I'll tell you this, though: once you live with a good laptop for a while, it's probably going to be really difficult to justify owning a desk-bound computer.
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Robo
Formerly Roboman, still
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
 
2005-10-15, 15:05

I'm in the same boat as you, Jay. I was trying to decide between a Powerbook and an iMac before the iMac got upgraded - I was leaning toward the Powerbook (I didn't think the iMac would get upgraded), but I didn't know what it's update would be like. Now, I'm leaning toward the iMac, but I'm not sure - I have a laptop now, and I might miss the mobility. I'm waiting until next wednesday to see how significant the Powerbook upgrade is. If it's minor, I'll get the iMac for sure. If it's average, I'll have to think some more, and if it's major (like the iMac's upgrade was), I'll probably go PB.

We'll just have to wait and see...
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PB PM
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Join Date: Oct 2005
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2005-10-15, 15:11

I've had thoughts since I saw the new iMac and its price also. Maybe grab an ibook 12" for my laptop needs (don't need to play any games or graphics work at school, just note taking Powerpoint etc) and get the iMac to upgrade from my aging AGP graphics G4 (although upgraded a lot with new 1.2Ghz CPU and 64MB VRAM Radeon 8500). Those two combind are about the same price as the current 15inch Powerbook I'm looking at, so its a very attractive possiblity, unless the Powerbooks get a good boost Wednesday.
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JayMtl
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Montreal
 
2005-10-15, 21:38

Well I've decided to monitor the order I've already placed for the 20" iMac, and if it goes anywhere past the "Processing Order" stage I'll quickly call to cancel it. So if the iMac order is still processing by Wednesday, I'll be able to make a decision to keep it going or cancel it and order an updated PB once they're revealed. So I guess I need the order to stay in processing for the next 4 days (order was placed on the 12th)...but that might be asking too much...then again, Apple won't likely have any iMacs ready to begin shipping until next Wednesday, anyway.

That being said, I still really like the iMac upgrades and unless Apple pulls out some similar upgrades for the PB, I think I'll stick with the iMac.
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