[surferboy]

Should I wait for the Mac Pro? Obviously an impossible question to answer definitively, but I thought I'd get some insight here. I was recently stunned when my wife actually granted me permission to upgrade my computer. Right now, I am sporting a 17" 1ghz Powerbook, an 800 (or so)mhz iMac (lamp style), and an HP PC (sorry- truly need it for work ). I have my eye on either a new macbook pro, or a Mac Pro when the come out.

I consider myself a "prosumer" with aspirations to become more of a pro with time. Computing is not a way of life for me- but it's a fantastic hobby and has made other facets of my "real" life more productive. So, while the new iMacs are beautiful machines, I would rather ante up a little extra money and invest in a machine with more expandability and power that I might be able to use as I gain experience.

Obviously, the the issue of mobility cannot be overstated when considering a MacBook. That issue aside, I'd like to hear the various pros and cons of desktop versus laptop in terms of computing power (using iLife, authoring DVD's, using adobe apps, etc.).

Part of my motivation is that I will need to be able to run windows for work. So, I'd either plan on using parallels or bootcamp.

The other issue for me is timing. If I were confident that the Mac Pro's were coming out in August, I'd wait and see the price points and make a decision. Otherwise, I might buy a MacBook the first week in August - my state's tax-free weekend is one week before the WWDC!

So, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the merits of desktop of laptop, and the likelihood of the MacPro becoming available this August.....

[mrplow]

If you want a laptop I don't think you'd need wait (unless you're set on a Merom CPU). I do believe it would be very foolish to purchase a PowerMac now though over waiting for the new ones, as the macbook/pro are ridiculously fast! I can't fathom how those Mac Pros are gonna run... ok slight exaggeration. I do however suggest a Macbook over the pro. I have the pro, and it's great, but personally I would rather have saved $1000 and had the more portable machine than the better graphics card (but granted, I rarely do anything that levies the graphics card.. so to each his own). Personal suggestion, if you can swing it with the wifey, would be a new iMac and Macbook. (Which will most likely cost the same as the Mac Pro).

Oh, and the biggest reason I replied--- www.amazon.com , tax free + free shipping + $150 rebates = cheapest you'll get the machine, so don't fret about your tax free week.

[surferboy]

So, you are saying macbook over macbook pro? What makes it more portable? You say it has a better graphics card?

[Goldfinger]

Do you really NEED a portable computer ? I'd say wait for the new PowerMacs and replace your iMac with one (and that HP).

It sounds to me that you don't really need a new machine ASAP so you can wait. Or am I wrong ?

what mrplow meant to say is that for his needs a machine that weighs less would've been better and that the graphics card in the MacBook Pro is overkill for him.

[surferboy]

Portability is nice, but I still have my powerbook. Although a portable PC (via bootcamp) would be nice- I have been living without one for a long time.

So, I think you are right- keep my powerbook, and supplant my iMac and HP with a new MacPro. I do not need one right away- but I'll get antsy if it's not August....

Here's a tough question: if the iMacs MBPs and the Minis have all implemented the Intel transition thus far, what is taking so long for the towers? Is Apple planning something earth shattering (Blu-Ray), are they simply quality testing everything, are they testing software (Leopard and/or bootcamp)- or are they trying to clear current inventory?

Your thoughts?

[ChrisB]

I had a conversation with my Apple Enterprise rep last week, and when I have conversations with him, either A) says "I don't know" if something isn't coming soon or just can't talk about it, or B) doesn't say anything or does not say "no" or I don't know if something is coming soon in a month or two.

I'd say August is a good, realistic far fetched guess that the new towers are coming based on my coversation with my sales rep when we were talking about purchases the next the 6 months.

I'd say wait, unless you need something now. If you need something now and it has to be a tower, the PowerMac G5, dual or quad is no slouch at all, and is an excellent Mac that will last you a good 3-5 years.

Otherwise get an iMac; even the MacBook is a screaming deal with excellent performance.

[surferboy]

I'll wait until WWDC. From what I recall, in the past, when Steve announces something at WWDC- it's usually available immediately.

I would also say that the meeting getting pushed back two months had to be for some good reason...

Listen to me- I'm becoming a mac rumor monger....

[masugu]

I think waiting for WW ADC is a smart move. Not too far away .

IMHO, the new MacPros represent a much less risky propositon than any notebook. Heat may be an issue - but the MacPro will just have an ass-load of fans and tons of Power with Conroe / Core 2 DUO.

[greenamp]

Yes. Wait.

[Salty]

WWDC is timed with the release of new intel procs. On many levels we already know what new hardware is coming. I'd be genuinely surprised if we didn't see Mac pros then.

[kc311v2]

The case to be made against waiting for the Mac Pros is the current line of PMG5s have matured, and are already very reliable compared to a birth of a new infrastructure. In a new product line, you're going to encounter flaws most of the time.

The case to be made for waiting for the Mac Pros is the cost of the current infrastructure is likely to be more expensive than waiting for the upgrade in the new Intel infrastructure. I don't have any resources on this but it's entirely possible the new Mac Pro line maybe about $200-500 more expensive than the current line, or even the same price. When you compare the benchmarks for the Intel infrasturcture vs. the PPC infrastructure, depending on what you will do with your new machine, the cost of waiting + the cost of the upgrade, maybe a more worthy investment.

My .02 - Wait for WWDC. If you like what you see, go with the Mac Pro. If you don't like what you see, I'm sure you'll still be able to get a PMG5 (maybe even at a discount).

Hope that all made sense. Either way, I'm sure you'll be happy with what you get.
Good luck on your purchase.

[surferboy]

I'm waiting. I have no plans to get a PMG5- question for me is MBP now versus MacPro later.

[kc311v2]

Sorry, I meant MBP.