Advice needed on replacing ibook G3 with MacBook

Question

We want to give our daughter a MacBook for graduation. She has used an iBook G3 700 MHZ 640 RAM for 4 years.
Should we buy NOW or wait until August when she heads to college? What is coming down the pike that would be worth waiting for?
Recommendations on which model, and how much RAM vs. MHz?
many thanks-
Jennifer

Answer 1

Hi, Jennifer, and welcome to the Discussions.
No one here will know what Apple might release between now and August and speculation is discouraged in the Discussions. So I'm afraid we can't provide much insight. Unless she needs a system now, though, there would be no harm, and possibly some benefit, to waiting. If nothing else, if you wait until she's officially registered at her college, you can purchase at Apple's higher education pricing. The college may even have a computer reseller on campus. This may save you some money, though of course you should shop around; sometimes, particularly with low-cost computers, a dealer will bundle items with the system (RAM, printers, etc.) which lowers the effective cost. Apple also often has "back to school" incentives toward the second half of the summer - free or rebated printers are common offers. So again, unless she really needs a new system now, I'd suggest you wait until late summer or fall.
As to model, without knowing more about her needs - what she'll be studying, her interests, etc. - it's difficult to offer specific advice. But some general pointers:
- if it's a tradeoff of a component you can replace/upgrade vs one you can't, opt for the component that can't be upgraded/replaced in your initial purchase. For example, it's easy and inexpensive to add RAM later. It's impossible to upgrade the CPU to one with a higher clock speed.
- If budget allows, go for more RAM. I'd recommend at least 1GB. Going with Apple's RAM will cost more, but will reduce headaches should something go wrong (if it does and there is third-party RAM installed, Apple will usually ask that it be removed and the factory RAM replaced before proceeding).
- absolutely get AppleCare; the cost of most laptop compents out of warranty is pretty steep.
- get coverage to protect the laptop in case of accidental damage or theft (AppleCare does not cover either one). Such insurance usually isn't very expensive, particularly if you can get it as a rider to your homeowner's insurance.
Hope this helps.