It has to be one of the most common questions I’m asked; “When is the right time to buy a Mac?”, “Is there something new coming out soon?”, “If I buy x will there be a new one next week?”. Regardless of the permeation it’s one of those eternal questions that no one bar Steve Jobs & his merry man can truly answer. I do understand why people ask me, I’ve worked with Macs for years now, hell I even sold them full time for a while but when it comes down to it I know nothing more than you do. With that in mind there are a great many resources available to you that will ensure you make an informed decision on your next Mac purchase and that’s what we’re going to look at today.

The salesman is not your friend
The Mac world has a reputation of everyone being great buddies and helping each other out regardless of which side of the sales counter you’re standing on. Truth be told you’re still dealing with a salesperson and these people live by making sales. In this world of ever shrinking profit margins in computers their main objective is to sell you what they have right there and then. Asking them about the likelihood of the current model being superseded is not a topic they will linger on long. My personal answer was always something along the lines of “I know as much as you, when something new comes out we find out when the world does.” This is a very true statement, but as a sales person they should also be aware of things like product life cycles and Apple’s stock levels but they’re never going to talk about them, well not if they’re going to earn commission that month.

Apple expos & shows
Gone are the good old days of Apple making their product announcements at one of their major Exhibitions/Conventions around the world. It used to be like clockwork, January - MacWorld San Francisco, June - World Wide Developers Conference, July - the now defunct MacWorld New York/Boston and September - Apple Expo Paris, each the perfect launching pad for Apple’s latest product be it software or hardware. Today we find Apple breaking the predictable mold somewhat; although most of these events still take place it’s more often than not they’re there to showcase previously announced items, and the actual announcement has happened weeks if not months before. It was common practice among Mac brethren to hold off buying anything Apple until after one of these events; sales crashing in the lead up. I’d imagine for that reason alone Apple has moved away from these shows being their announcement machines. I distinctly remember the quiet weeks leading up to a exhibition inside of the store I worked at; you’d spend two weeks twiddling your thumbs because everyone was too busy waiting. These days you’ll find Apple calling media events, sure they’re a little more extravagant than most, having U2’s Bono, John Mayer or some other celebrity, but the big thing is that they’re called randomly on no specific date each year and it’s because of this we can no longer rely on the big shows as reliable release/announcement dates to dictate purchasing patterns against.

The rumor mill
Apple is a strange brand in that there are so many dedicated users out there that relish in every tid-bit of information that may pertain to a new or updated product. There are literally thousands of websites out there dedicated to the Mac and a good majority of them focusing on the ever-growing Mac rumor mill. Rumor sites always need to be taken with a grain of salt. A lot of the information on them is journalistic interpretation, for want of a better description. “Market Analysts”, so called “leaked information”, disgruntled employees, and other erroneous sources provide the fuel for this fire. That’s not to say that they aren’t useful resources; it’s because of their fine-tooth approach that they often pick up on things the average consumer may miss, but be sure to not confuse solid evidence with wishful misgivings. Some of the best rumor sites with a more solid track record that I’d recommend viewing are:

• AppleInsider - http://www.appleinsider.com
• MacRumors - http://www.macrumors.com
• Think Secret - http://www.thinksecret.com

Product life-cycles
The life-cycle of a piece of Apple computing hardware is probably the best indication we have at the moment as to when a new model is to be released. The majority of products have a shelf-life between 10 - 15 months before being refreshed. This isn’t set in stone either I’m afraid but it’s a good point to start! How do you know how long a particular model has been around for? Well there’s a few great websites for this, the first “Apple History” (http://www.apple-history.com) contains a complete product history of every piece of Apple hardware released, it’s release configuration and it’s release date. The second, and one that I point any new Mac purchaser to, is “MacRumors: Buyer’s Guide” (http://buyersguide.macrumors.com). This site has been specifically crafted for what you should be looking at when purchasing a new Mac. It will tell you how long the current model has been in active sale, it’s recommendation on whether to purchase or wait and any rumour related news stories pertaining to that item that may affect your decision.

The Mac friend, or friend of a friend of a friend….
It never hurts to ask someone who has a little more experience with Macs than yourself. Chances are if they’ve been using Macs for a few years they’re going to know about everything I’ve written already and have a good understanding of the current news & rumors pertaining to Apple hardware. Another’s opinion is their own though and should always be used to compliment to your own research and buying position.

When it all comes down to it the right time to buy is when it’s the right time for you! If you need a new computer right away then waiting six months to see what might eventuate just isn’t an option. For those that can wait the key is research; ask a friend, check when the machine you want last had an update, perhaps wait until after MacWorld (if it’s close by) before laying out your hard earned cash. The only last piece of advice I can add is, you’re never going to win; just like any piece of technology its out of date the second it’s released, buying a new computer shouldn’t be a waiting game for life.