First of all the n900 is not a 'crap' phone.
One year is a lot in regards to technology and even that is not sure. It took almost 3 years for a hardware upgrade from n800 to n900. I hear that omap 3 is pretty advanced and the next generation is only an incremental update.
If i were you i would definitely buy the n900 especially since members in this forum have been waiting for ever for a hardware upgrade!