[Autumn]

Pre-order on apple.com when it is announced or go to the release party and get one then?
I'm fairly new to mac and those of you have had experiences with 10.2 and 10.3, got any suggestion?

[Krypton]

The very first batch of pre-orders generally ship first, but this can be iffy.

[Anubis IV]

Order a computer that will arrive about a week before Tiger is due to ship...

That's how I got my copy of Jaguar a week before the listed shipping date. Of course, I didn't know I'd be getting a copy of Jaguar with the computer since I was just trying to buy a computer, so I had actually purchased a separate copy of Jaguar that arrived about a week later. Sold it to my parents...

[Millennium]

It's iffy, because Apple hasn't exactly been consistent about the styles of its releases in the past. Sometimes they'll announce a ship date, in which case the stores and preorders will all ship out on that date. In such a case, it will probably be faster to preorder.

However, sometimes they announce the actual release date instead. When this happens, the stores receive shipments a day or two before the release date, but may not sell any copies until the actual date. Preorders usually ship on the release date. In this case, it is sometimes faster to go to the release party, but it's not without risk: stores can sell out of copies, even if not especially on the first day.

If Apple consistently announced one type of date or the other when it comes to OS releases, we could predict more easily which would be faster. However, they haven't done that. 10.1, for example, went by a release date, while 10.3 went by a ship date.

When the announcement comes, we will know. In the meantime, hold your horses; an extra day one way or the other is not going to kill you.

[discotronic]

When Panther was released I went to the release party. The store had plenty of copies on hand. I didn't get it because I wanted to use my student discount but the store wasn't accepting it. I was told I could only do that at the online Apple Store. I remember people getting their copy in the mail on the day it was released. Nobody really knows what will happen this time.

[Chuckit]

Originally posted by discotronic:
When Panther was released I went to the release party. The store had plenty of copies on hand. I didn't get it because I wanted to use my student discount but the store wasn't accepting it. I was told I could only do that at the online Apple Store.

Apple Stores (the physical ones, that is) only do edu discounts on hardware, not software. Just For Y'all's I.

[Mediaman_12]

If one things for sure, it's not to order it from Amazon. They have a habit of delaying the shipping of stuff on pre-order, then sending you an email blaming the publishers for the delay.

[Apfhex]

When I pre-ordered Panther online (to get the edu discount), I remember receiving it on the release day, "the night of the Panther" or whatever they called it. So, it was the quickest way that time.

[videian28]

Originally posted by Chuckit:
Apple Stores (the physical ones, that is) only do edu discounts on hardware, not software. Just For Y'all's I.

ahh good to know, saves me a trip to the release party, I bought my dual 2.5 at the Apple store with my edu discount, was planning to do the same ...not anymore

[Ron Goodman]

You could hope for a screw-up from some third party retailer. I got my copy of 10.0 from Staples(I think) when they put it on the shelves three or four days prior to the official release date.

[Millennium]

Originally posted by Ron Goodman:
You could hope for a screw-up from some third party retailer. I got my copy of 10.0 from Staples(I think) when they put it on the shelves three or four days prior to the official release date.

That's definitely the fastest method, but you can't count on things working out that way. If Apple announces a ship date rather than a release date then it won't be possible anyway, since stores can't get stuff that hasn't shipped yet.

[IamBob]

You could hope for a screw-up from some third party retailer. I got my copy of 10.0 from Staples(I think) when they put it on the shelves three or four days prior to the official release date.

If you get it from Staples this time make sure to ask for "something ending in er". It might help to wear an Apple shirt or hat though or you could walk out with a USB wireless adapter on accident.

[Person Man]

Originally posted by IamBob:
If you get it from Staples this time make sure to ask for "something ending in er". It might help to wear an Apple shirt or hat though or you could walk out with a USB wireless adapter on accident.

You could just as easily walk out with Panther.

[Jellytussle]

Get an ADC Select membership and you could be downloading it right now!

[PurpleGiant]

Around here, I tend to find that simply ringing around different stores, until you find one with it in stock works the best. Once you find a place with it in stock, ask them to hold it for you, and go pick it up when you're ready.

Saves the (potentially) long wait of ordering from Apple, and just watching you shipping date slip each time it arrives.

[Jellytussle]

Of course, you could always wait a few weeks, and not be the one starting topics like "10.4.0 wiped all my FireWire drives!!!"

[velocitychannel]

I really hope that Tiger isn't released on DVD only. My poor iBook only has a CD drive

[Big Mac]

Originally posted by Jellytussle:
Of course, you could always wait a few weeks, and not be the one starting topics like "10.4.0 wiped all my FireWire drives!!!"

My thoughts exactly. Early adopters (among whom I am not) should not cry too loudly about any serious bugs found in .0 releases. They perform a valuable service by warning the rest of us to the potential for impending data loss, but they must understand the risks associated with early adoption.