by , 4:10 PM EDT, September 22nd, 2008

Adam Engst has published a new eBook, Take Control of Buying a Mac. With the holiday season approaching and new Apple notebooks on the horizon, customers are wondering when is the right time to buy, how to move files, and what to do with that old Mac. Mr. Engst has the answers.

"Worksheets in the ebook help readers match their needs and budget to the right Mac model, and a chart of Apple's model launches over the last 5 years helps predict when new Macs will appear. Engst explains when readers can purchase to get the most bang for their buck, compares different venues for where to shop, gives advice and step-by-step instructions for transferring files from an old Mac to the shiny new one, and offers thoughts about how to get the most out of the Mac that's being replaced," TidBITS and O'Reilly jointly announced.

Questions answered include:

• Are there particular months when it makes more sense to buy a new Mac?
• Should I buy a brand new model, or one that has been out for a while?
• What are the pros and cons of the MacBook Air versus a MacBook?
• Do I really need a Mac Pro, or would an inexpensive iMac be a better choice?
• How much RAM should I get, and should I buy it from Apple or a reseller?
• How should I connect my old and new Macs so I can transfer files?
• What should I do about iTunes authorization when moving to a new Mac?
• Before I give it away, how should I prepare the hard drive on my old Mac?

Excerpt from Introduction

The ebook,Take Control of Buying a Mac, is priced at US$10.00.