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General discussion

Worth waithing for Leopard to buy a new MacBook for college?

Jan 2, 2007 11:33AM PST

So recently I decided that I would be buying a new MacBook for college. But is it worth the wait for Leopard in the spring, or should I just buy it now and upgrade when the time comes? (lets just say the machine i'm on now is a little outdated) I hear it is really easy to upgrade the OS on a Mac without messing arpund with clean install and the stuff you sometimes had to mess with on the Windows OS. But have Mac OS upgrades been expensive in the past? Also, with the BootCamp that comes with it, is it for XP or for Vista?

Thank you very much in advance,
Chat

Discussion is locked

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upgrading from Panther to Tiger...
Jan 2, 2007 2:29PM PST

... was as simple as sticking in the disc and choosing "archive and install".

Apple, in the past, has charged $129.99 for the new OS... if you can get a school discount it is around 80 bucks. Apple doesn't play the OS / OS pro / OS super pro game that Microsoft does. They give you the full strength upgrade for one low price.

2 years ago, I bought an iBook with Panther installed... 40 days later the released Tiger. Because I had not purchased my new computer within 30 days of the new OS release, I did not qualify for free, or even discounted, upgrade. It was a frustrating experience.

Considering Apple may (no Guarantee) release there new OS in April... I would wait till they announce a release date and purchase within that 30 day free upgrade period. It would be likely that you would also get the new iLife 07 suite that will probably be released around the same time.

It's not that much longer to wait... and in the mean time, you can save more money for extra RAM, hard drive. etc. The upgrade in OS and iLife will be worth it.

grim

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Sound Advice
Jan 2, 2007 8:50PM PST

If you have the patience to wait for the announcement/release of Leopard (10.5), then I would do so.

Although, as Grim says, the actual upgrade procedures in OS X are very easy.

Enjoy your MacBook when you get it

P

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Thanks!
Jan 3, 2007 7:11AM PST

Thanks a bunch to both of you for your help! I was becoming a little impatient and wanted to buy one, but both of you raise good points. I think i will wait now.

Thanks again,
Chat

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A long time Macie, I've endured several $129 hits for new OS
Jan 5, 2007 5:08AM PST

Frustrating, but Mac OS installs are no big deal whatsoever. I'm eagerly awaiting 10.5. Pros poo poo it somewhat, but I like the increased user friendliness & move towards convergence. Recent Mac OSs have become much nicer after the frustration of losing the original Mac feel moving from 8.5. They are getting it more right all along. And, as always, much more elegant than clunky MS.

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Wait at least a week anyway...
Jan 5, 2007 5:14AM PST

Who knows what surprises will be announced at MacWorld.

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There will always be something newer tomorrow
Jan 5, 2007 5:21AM PST

I've upgraded from OS 10.2 to 10.3 (Panther) without a hiccup in the past, so I'm assuming that 10.5 will be just as flawless an upgrade.

As has already been mentioned, there are student discounts galore from Apple for new computers and software; unfortunately the student discount on iPods was discontinued in favor of everyone getting the price students got.

If your current machine isn't dying, I would recommend waiting until August to buy your new MacBook. I bought mine in October because my PC finally bit the dust, but I was waiting because I knew that the new Core 2 Duo powered MacBooks were coming soon. While I don't forsee any big changes like Core Duo to Core 2 Duo in the next couple of months, who knows what other changes to the machine there may be in the months before you go to college. They may have another bump in processor speeds, add a dedicated video card (the current major performance difference between the MacBook and MacBook Pro), or increase the baseline hard drive capacity / ram so that you get more bang for your buck. They may also upgrade the built-in Airport to the 802.11n standard instead of the current 802.11g.

Apples big meetings where they usually announce new products are in January (next week) and the beginning of August. Those are the most likely times that they will announce big changes to products.

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Wait until at least Tuesday evening!
Jan 5, 2007 5:43AM PST

My advice:
Watch the keynote speech at MacWorld, where Steve Jobs will be demo'ing the latest, newest, whiz-bangiest stuff they've got to pitch and see if a speedbump is about to happen for the laptop line & what the expected ship date is for the new OS. Are you looking at the MacBook Pro or the MacBook?

The keynote will be available online as streaming video from a variety of sources (including apple, and usually including CNet, ZDNet, and google video) come Tuesday.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

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Oh, and Quad-Core Intel chips are due out Monday
Jan 5, 2007 6:09AM PST

Intel has announced that they will officially release their quad-core chips Monday (2 desktop & 1 workstation version). The same day as the MacExpo starts. Coincidence? I think not, although I doubt that Apple will shoe-horn any of them into their laptops in the foreseeable future (for heat/power-consumption reasons).

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

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good to know!
Jan 6, 2007 1:14AM PST

I am looking at the MacBook, but with so many rumors of upgrades on the MacBook Pro I might have to go with that if any of them boil down to be true. I did not realise that MWSF was so close, I will absolutely wait and see what happens there!

It's awsome that upgrading OS' is so easy!

Thanks Again to everyone!

~Chat

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Definitely wait.
Jan 5, 2007 5:45AM PST

I was considering getting an iMac back in July, and near the end of August they flipped a switch and put Core 2 Duos in place of the Core Duos. By the time I bought my iMac in mid-September it cost me $100 less and ran (according to benchmark testers) 35% faster. Point being that Apple will sometimes just launch an upgraded model of one of their computers, so waiting can't possibly hurt.

Also, Boot Camp has two separate jobs: create a partition on which you can install Windows, and create a driver disc for the hardware components in an iMac. Apple says that only Windows XP SP2 will accept all of the drivers (and they're right [the reason you can't install a prior version of Windows XP is because anything before SP2 won't accept the drivers for Airport and the ethernet cable]). For best results you should use Windows XP, but Windows Vista (as of RC1) accepts enough of the drivers that you can do anything you'll need to.

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It's worth the wait!
Jan 5, 2007 7:53AM PST

When I needed to replace my iMac, I waited 6 months for the latest release. Then I went to the nearest release party at an Apple Store and was not only able to get the latest OSX for a reduced price, but they were handing out scratch off tickets for prizes. Most of the prizes were for 10% off hardware. Bottom line I got Tiger family pack for a reduced price and my new Mac Mini with 10% off. It's worth the wait!

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There comes a point in time when it ships with existing OS
Jan 5, 2007 8:06AM PST

but includes new OS for free after new OS intro. Wait & see what comes out of the public meeting soon.

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waiting for Leopard..how easy is it to upgrade the OS?
Jan 5, 2007 1:44PM PST

I installed Tiger while having a coffee in Starbucks...I added sugar, cinnamon, more sugar, a little cream..a bit more sugar and all the while my laptop was upgrading to Tiger with all the user files and preferences maintained..A few minutes later, I had another coffee while using the NEW OS TIGER, logged onto the internet from their WiFi and never skipped a beat. Perfect and simple as, well, drinking coffee. If you need a computer now, just buy it and be assured that an update is the least of your concerns with a Mac. Well, that sounds like there is a concern...there is not. I love them and trust them. Enough said.

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Oh No!
Jan 5, 2007 11:58PM PST

I don't have a Starbucks near me. Will I be able to update my machine when Leopard is released?


Happy


P

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lol mice joke.
Jan 6, 2007 1:56AM PST

by the way. this issue has been discussed before. it is absolutely worth waiting for leopard period.
good bye