Mossberg’s fall computer buyer’s guide: Apple iMac the best consumer desktop computer on the market

20 years ago

“It’s time for my annual fall computer buyer’s guide, and this year my message is a little unusual. If you’re thinking of acquiring or giving a new Windows desktop or laptop computer this holiday season, don’t do it. I suggest that, if at all possible, you wait around 90 days and get that new Windows machine in February,” Walter S. Mossberg writes for The Wall Street journal.

“Of course, you can upgrade most new Windows XP computers you buy now to Windows Vista after January,” Mossberg writes. “The catch is that upgrading PCs to major new operating system releases can be a tricky business. Often, it works just fine, but in many cases there are significant problems. It’s always better to buy a new PC that has been matched at the factory with the latest operating system. Waiting just another 90 days could save you a lot of upgrading aggravation.”

Mossberg writes, “What if you want an Apple Macintosh instead? Should you wait? After all, Apple is also planning an all-new version of its operating system, to be called Leopard, in 2007. I don’t advise Mac shoppers to wait, for several reasons. First, Leopard isn’t due until spring of 2007, months after Vista. Second, Leopard won’t be as disruptive an upgrade as Vista because it is the fifth major revision of Apple’s operating system since 2001, not the first. Third, because Apple makes both the hardware and software, Mac operating system upgrades tend to be relatively easy.”

“The current Mac operating system, called Tiger, already contains most of the key features promised for Windows Vista. I still regard the Apple iMac as the best consumer desktop computer on the market,” Mossberg writes.

Full article here.