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Well, the short answer is no, I don’t. Let’s look at the long answer.

I knew that new laptops were likely at MacWorld. I thought they’d probably be iBooks, but such is life. I knew PowerBook replacements were coming soon, if not at MacWorld then sometime soon after. I needed the computer when I needed the computer, to replace my 12″ PowerBook which experienced a hard drive failure. While the 12″ PB was off at Apple for repairs, I got this one. The 12″ has since gone to a good home (I’m “switching” my parents).

Could I have waited? I probably could have, realistically speaking. Even without the 12″ PB at all, it’s not like I would have been without a computer, even without a laptop. (I have a Gateway that I use mainly to connect to work.) But there was no real guarantee that the PowerBook replacements would come out in January. As it is, they aren’t shipping the MacBook Pro until February sometime, and I’m more comfortable having my computer situation settled before the start of the new semester.

Related to being “settled” let’s face it: this is first generation hardware. I might love Apple to pieces, but Apple (and any computer company) typically faces their worst hardware snafus with the first generation of a product. Early Aluminum PBs overheated or warped. They lost feet. The first nanos had well-publicized faceplate scratching problems. Not every first generation product is going to have issues, but the incidence of them is higher among the first generation. It’s just the way it is.

The MacBook Pro not only has a new processor. It has a new chipset. It has a new graphics adapter. It has a whole new bootstrap system, Intel’s EFI. To paraphrase a Firefly quote, I smell a whole lotta “new” coming off this computer.

My PowerBook is really lovely. If you’ve never used an Apple PowerBook, I cannot recommend them enough. Compared to Dells or Gateways I’ve used, the keyboard is a joy. The screen is amazing. The trackpad is. . .well, I’ve rarely adapted to a computer device so quickly. The scrolling trackpad is the kind of convenience that you quickly learn to use, and becomes such an ingrained habit that you try to use it afterwards on every computer. My Gateway has a trackpad with a scrolling “area” off to one side. The two-finger method is much more intuitive and useful.

If one waits for every new thing coming down the pipeline, in order to get the “perfect” computer, one would always be waiting. I’ve been buying computers a pretty long time now (15+ years). I know how the cycle works. I know that you can always expect there to be “the next best thing ever” out within 60 days of purchasing your computer.

So, no, I don’t regret my purchase at all. It’s probably the best computer I’ve ever owned.

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