Question: Safe to invest in a notebook now?

What's on the horizon

1. Intel Dual Core Yonah comes out in January
2. AMD Dual Core Taylor will follow a couple of months later.
3. Battle between Blue Ray and HD DVD will be decided this year.
4. Intel Dual Core Merom (64 bit) expected late in year.
5. 802.11n specs to be finalized probably late in year.
6. Vista to come out near end of year.
7. All sorts of graphics developments I am not on top of.

But none of this should deter you from getting something you really need--there will always be a list of imminent technology.

If you 'do not conduct research on the latest and greatest technologies available for notebooks' then the answer is either:

A) It will never be safe because them nasty old technicians are lurking just around the corner to one up whatever technologies you buy into...Like they have been doing every couple of weeks or months since forever.
B) It has always been and always will be safe, because you won't know the difference...You bought a notebook because you needed one, and the one you bought was able to do the job you bought it for.

And remember, you are buying a Notebook. If you think of it as an investment you'll be sadly disappointed to know its value goes down by a big percentage the moment you crack the seal on the box or a newer technology is announced. That technology won't even have to be practical or developed to affect the price of your Laptop. So don't be scared, millions of people buy electronics daily without looking back.

There is no way to future proof your laptop. Technolongy just moves too fast. There is two ways to minimise this effect though.

First is not to buy one till you need it. Yes it's a nice to have and a lot of your friend probably have one. but the big question is DO YOU NEED ONE NOW? if not, DON'T as something more powerful or cheaper is right on the horizon. Waiting till when you need it will let you get the latest and greatest when it' most useful to you.

Second one is to replace your laptop on a fairly frequent basis (yearly at least) and just figure it as a maintainance cost. By replacing your laptop every year or so, you can usually get a decent amount for your current laptop and then just add some money to buy a new one. For example, if you bought a $2000 laptop a year ago. You should be able ot get at least 50% back (especially if you get a 3 year warranty). Then you add another $1000 and you can probably have a fairly good laptop by todays standard. this way an investment of about $1000 a year will keep you current all the time.

yeah, my advice" buy when you need it, or buy it when you find something you really like.

It's not even that there's just one cycle in computer hardware. Gfx, cpus, mobo enhancement, etc etc each have their own cycles. They may coincide once in a blue moon.

Buy it when you feel like it, and don' worry about the newest technology--you'll never get one if you keep thinking, "Oh, in three months there's going to be x amount of better stuff."

M.

Yup, it's always safe to buy a laptop. Unless you're afraid of missing out on new technology.... then you're never going to buy. There's always new technology coming out. Lets see... Dothan, Sonoma, Yonah... Win 98, Win2k, WinXP, WinVista.... Panther, tiger, elephant, um.. orangatang.... Pick any one of these battles. Even when it first came out, who really jumped on board? When Win2k came out, how many really jumped onto it? Not a lot right away, because they say, let them work out the kinks first. Just like a new car model, they say to wait until the next year to buy... but what about the people waiting 2 years ago to buy? By the time they do buy, they're going to hear about the next upcoming model or body shape.
Hmm. where was I? oh yeah, as for laptops, just get one when you need one. If a new technology comes out- oh well. Would you dish out all your money for something "new" or something fast and reliable? It doesnt mean that your chip will be obsolete. Look at the P4 chips, They're still around. 1.6 M chips, you can still get them. Celeron is still making a big impact in budget systems. Excuse my rant and jumbled speech, I'm busy watching HSN (hillbilly shopping network). I find it as enjoyable entertainment. Fake diamonds and stuff like that, and old, wacko ladies calling in.