One of the most frequently asked questions we get from readers is whether or not it's the right time to purchase a new Mac. With the frequency that Apple updates its products (at least once a year, roughly), it can be a tough decision. I recall buying a last generation MacBook Pro two months before the unibody design upgrade and seriously kicking myself for not waiting two more months. Then again, back then I didn't know about Mac Rumors' Buyer's Guide.

The Mac Rumors Buyer's Guide lets you know which Macs have been recently updated, as well as which Apple products are seriously out of date. For instance, the Mac Pro is one of the rigs you should steer clear of buying, if only because it has yet to updated with Thunderbolt capabilities and Intel's Sandy Bridge processor.

On the other hand, the MacBook Pros were updated this year to include the new processors and Thunderbolt, but they could still be due for an update sometime at the beginning of next year based on the average time that Apple usually announces refreshes. Whether or not you want to hold out that long is entirely up to you, but it's still a good meter to gauge whether or not you want to spend the money on a new system, or if you should just keep padding your savings account.

Hmm, that reminds us: aren't we waiting for Apple to, like, announce another iPhone or something? Last I checked, some of us at the office were due for an upgrade...