With the new wallet update for friday , is it ok to switch to the new wallet now, or should I wait untill Friday? I do know I need to copy old the wallet.dat, and put that into the new wallet directory once updated.
The new wallet will emulate the old wallet until the switch, so it is fine to switch now as the new one is fully backwards-compatible. It's best to do so before Friday so it can sync and you'll be ready for the switchover.
After Friday everyone should be using the new wallet.