2011 iMac?

[jack92]

Hi guys, I am thinking of getting the 27" iMac on my brithday (29th of December)... but will it be worth holding out for a 2011 new release? I'd be pretty pissed off if I just spent ~£1600 for it to be out of date in a month or two.. ( Obviously it will eventually will become out of date, but not straight away )

Any rough ideas on when the new releases will be out?

Thanks

Should I buy it from Apple with education discount or from somewhere else? Looking for cheapest option..



( Btw not looking for refurbs eithers )

 

[topgunn]

Is there something wrong with refurbs? You say you are looking for the cheapest option but then exclude the cheapest option.

 

[TheShinyMac]

The moment you take the mac out of the box it is already out of date.

 

[WardC]

Core i7 990x Extreme Edition 3.46GHz 6-core (12 threads) with a 512GB SSD...the next evolutionary step of the iMac.

 

[jack92]

Is there something wrong with refurbs? You say you are looking for the cheapest option but then exclude the cheapest option.

I don't know what it is, but I like things new. I know all the refurbs have more tests etc. etc. etc. but at the end of the day I'm after a new one. And I don't mean this rudely but you commented not helping, nor being on topic of what I was asking; was this some form of mockery? I don't know.

The moment you take the mac out of the box it is already out of date.

Haha I know, but if i'm paying that much money, I don't want a brand new one comming out a month later.

Core i7 990x Extreme Edition 3.46GHz 6-core (12 threads) with a 512GB SSD...the next evolutionary step of the iMac.

Is this actually available? I''m not very hardware suave haha.

 

[TMRaven]

2011 iMacs will most likely be using mainstream/performance sandybridge cpus, which are just an incremental upgrade. No reason to wait on them.

 

[jack92]

2011 iMacs will most likely be using mainstream/performance sandybridge cpus, which are just an incremental upgrade. No reason to wait on them.

I don't know exactly what that means, but I'll take your advice.

ALSO : Okay I realise this is the iMac section, but i've been reading around the internet and for £200 more I could have the 13" Macbook Pro and the 27" Display. I'll be doing alot of photoshopping and web design for Uni/Personal use next year and wondered which option would be best for me.. would the portability really be best for me seeing as the Uni will offer computers? Or is it more, take notes and do work at home? I like the idea of owning an iMac and being able to sit down and look at a desktop, though if the portability will be better for me then I will have to sacrifice the specs.

Or should I get a slightly less spec'ed iMac and buy a second hand cheap macbook from ebay just for notes etc? I don't really like second hand machines but I can't afford two new ones.

 

[wirelessness]

And I don't mean this rudely but you commented not helping, nor being on topic of what I was asking; was this some form of mockery? I don't know.

Are you serious? For a guy with 4 total posts who obviously has not done the simplest amount of homework regarding iMac hardware updates. The latest hardware was JUST released try checking the 'Buyers Guide' it's only at the top of the page. NO ONE knows when or what the next evolution will be exactly.

Your post clearly stated you were looking for the 'Cheapest' option so his reply, while a little abrupt was right on topic. Right now the iMac's in the Refurbished Store are the best deal. If you had done a little reading you would know that they are actually shipping mostly BRAND NEW left over stock and the only big difference is a slight bump in CPU Speed and Bus Speed along with an updated GPU.

Now, in your follow up posts you have stated you must have the newest stuff, which is fine but not exactly what you posted originally. The Education discount is pretty much the only game in town other than refurbs or 3rd party resellers. After you resell the iPod it's usually about the same price as going with a 3rd party like Mac Connections. However, the iPod Touch resale prices have dropped some since the introduction of the latest iPod.

 

[jack92]

2011 iMacs will most likely be using mainstream/performance sandybridge cpus, which are just an incremental upgrade. No reason to wait on them.

Are you serious? For a guy with 4 total posts who obviously has not done the simplest amount of homework regarding iMac hardware updates. The latest hardware was JUST released try checking the 'Buyers Guide' it's only at the top of the page. NO ONE knows when or what the next evolution will be exactly.

Your post clearly stated you were looking for the 'Cheapest' option so his reply, while a little abrupt was right on topic. Right now the iMac's in the Refurbished Store are the best deal. If you had done a little reading you would know that they are actually shipping mostly BRAND NEW left over stock and the only big difference is a slight bump in CPU Speed and Bus Speed along with an updated GPU.

Now, in your follow up posts you have stated you must have the newest stuff, which is fine but not exactly what you posted originally. The Education discount is pretty much the only game in town other than refurbs or 3rd party resellers. After you resell the iPod it's usually about the same price as going with a 3rd party like Mac Connections. However, the iPod Touch resale prices have dropped some since the introduction of the latest iPod.

I'm not after an argument, I've come here for advice but what was put seemed quite rude. I stated I didn't want a refurb, and that's what was put.. seems kind of annoying.

Also I did check the Buyers Guide and it said it was (roughly off the top of my head) 170 days off the average upgrade span. Some I was curious.

Yes, I know refurb = oldstock or returns or faulty stock repaired, but like I and you stated I want it new.

To be perfectly honest, I don't think the iPod is worth the hassle of trying to sell it (I'm not one for reselling just buying ) and it'd be useless for me as I have the 32GB Iphone 4.

However thank you all for the fast responces.

 

[Evo-L]

I'm not after an argument, I've come here for advice but what was put seemed quite rude. I stated I didn't want a refurb, and that's what was put.. seems kind of annoying.

Also I did check the Buyers Guide and it said it was (roughly off the top of my head) 170 days off the average upgrade span. Some I was curious.

Yes, I know refurb = oldstock or returns or faulty stock repaired, but like I and you stated I want it new.

To be perfectly honest, I don't think the iPod is worth the hassle of trying to sell it (I'm not one for reselling just buying ) and it'd be useless for me as I have the 32GB Iphone 4.

However thank you all for the fast responces.

So your not one for buying a refurb, you're also not one to buy a laptop and resell what they give you for free, but you are after the cheapest option? Am I missing something here? You're obviously not after the cheapest option.

Everyone has given you the cheapest, most logical option, yet you do not want to hear them. Im not sure why you're continuing with the thread my friend.

What we cannot tell you is the future, which is what you are after. Send Jobs an email and ask him.

 

[Cosmo M3]

So your not one for buying a refurb, you're also not one to buy a laptop and resell what they give you for free, but you are after the cheapest option? Am I missing something here? You're obviously not after the cheapest option.

Everyone has given you the cheapest, most logical option, yet you do not want to hear them. Im not sure why you're continuing with the thread my friend.

What we cannot tell you is the future, which is what you are after. Send Jobs an email and ask him.

Logic left the building from the first post. I stopped reading this thread after his second post

 

[jack92]

So your not one for buying a refurb, you're also not one to buy a laptop and resell what they give you for free, but you are after the cheapest option? Am I missing something here? You're obviously not after the cheapest option.

Everyone has given you the cheapest, most logical option, yet you do not want to hear them. Im not sure why you're continuing with the thread my friend.

What we cannot tell you is the future, which is what you are after. Send Jobs an email and ask him.

I have my reasons for not wanting a refurb as I have stated in many posts, you may not agree with my reasons but that's my prerogative. Also the ipod's arn't technically free, and sorry for not wanting to sell something? Perhaps publishing on ebay and posting out isn't my preference? Or maybe i've had bad experiences with buyers meaning that I couldn't be bothered with them?

Considering all you can apparantly get from this thread is that YOU think I should get a refurb, i'll explain a little more clearly what I was asking : Is there a place where you can buy a NEW mac from cheaper than Apple? I've seen some posts of places where VAT isn't charged (cheaper than Apple) however the only one's i've seen are for the US and not the UK.

Logic left the building from the first post. I stopped reading this thread after his second post

This is just plain rude and not a needed contribution to this thread, not topic at all. So perhaps you should leave the building with my logic?

 

[wirelessness]

However thank you all for the fast responces.

Your posts are contradicting yourself. I was just sticking up for another member who's post was not rude at all even if it was not what you wanted to hear.

You are clearly not after the cheapest option because that has been presented in the form of a Refurb. Furthermore, you are seemingly unwilling to take ownership of the FREE iPod worth approx. $150us. And furthermore, if you were interested in the cheapest option you would not be talking about waiting for the next generation iMac to make a purchase for surely that will be available at no discount.

Anyway, the next update will likely not be a revolution rather than a evolution. The refurb i7's are nearly as good as the current i7's at much less the cost and they are likely brand new leftover stock. For me the current i7 seemed like the best investment as it will last a bit longer and have a higher resale value in a few years. With the edu discount and the iPod sale it's the best deal you are going to find, which has already been stated.

 

[jack92]

Your posts are contradicting yourself. I was just sticking up for another member who's post was not rude at all even if it was not what you wanted to hear.

You are clearly not after the cheapest option because that has been presented in the form of a Refurb. Furthermore, you are seemingly unwilling to take ownership of the FREE iPod worth approx. $150us. And furthermore, if you were interested in the cheapest option you would not be talking about waiting for the next generation iMac to make a purchase for surely that will be available at no discount.

Anyway, the next update will likely not be a revolution rather than a evolution. The refurb i7's are nearly as good as the current i7's at much less the cost and they are likely brand new leftover stock. For me the current i7 seemed like the best investment as it will last a bit longer and have a higher resale value in a few years. With the edu discount and the iPod sale it's the best deal you are going to find, which has already been stated.

Thank-you, but I really don't see how this is so hard to understand... I want to see if I can get a NEW NON REFURB iMac. And like I clarified in my previous post, I meant say in other places which didn't charge tax ?

Also the iPod rebate isn't available anymore in the UK.

 

[wirelessness]

Also the iPod rebate isn't available anymore in the UK.

How the heck are we supposed to know you are in the UK? This is nonsensical.

Whether you want the refurb or not it's the best deal, that is why it was proposed. As was the education discount. That is usually the best deal as I already stated....but I had no idea we were doing a UK price comparison. I'm sure there are some resellers over there. Good luck!/

 

[TMRaven]

Thank-you, but I really don't see how this is so hard to understand... I want to see if I can get a NEW NON REFURB iMac. And like I clarified in my previous post, I meant say in other places which didn't charge tax ?

Also the iPod rebate isn't available anymore in the UK.

Basically everything about a refurbished product is brand new besides the box it comes in. Is not having the original box a huge deal-breaker for you?

 

[aliensporebomb]

Sigh

Core i7 990x Extreme Edition 3.46GHz 6-core (12 threads) with a 512GB SSD...the next evolutionary step of the iMac.

That's a thousand dollar CPU. Price of the iMacs would pop up into Mac Pro range and that might not be what Apple wants.

Not that I don't WANT this but.....

 

[WardC]

That's a thousand dollar CPU. Price of the iMacs would pop up into Mac Pro range and that might not be what Apple wants.

Not that I don't WANT this but.....

Yes, the 2.93GHz i7 that Apple uses now is significantly lower in price than the top of the line 980x 3.33GHz that's currently available. The 980x is a westmere, 6-cores, and supports 1333MHz memory while the 2.93GHz is Nehalem-based, costs less than half as much, is quad-core and only supports 1066MHz memory.

 

[Hellhammer]

It's still several months till December so it's hard to say. It has usually taken 7-10 months for Apple to update iMacs so the next update would be in March-April. Sandy Bridge will provide speed bump but unless you really need the extra power, then the current gen is just fine.

 

[TMRaven]

Yes, the 2.93GHz i7 that Apple uses now is significantly lower in price than the top of the line 980x 3.33GHz that's currently available. The 980x is a westmere, 6-cores, and supports 1333MHz memory while the 2.93GHz is Nehalem-based, costs less than half as much, is quad-core and only supports 1066MHz memory.

Nah lynnfield supports 1333mhz memory. You won't be seeing apple throwing in a 130tdp, 1000usd cpu in the next iMac because of sandybridge.

 

[BornAgainMac]

I bet Apple doesn't update the iMacs until August of next year. Yearly updates is starting to become the norm now. "Xxxx next Tuesday threads" for a given product use to be maybe 60 days before it would actually come out. Now those threads go unanswered for months and months from Apple.

 

[jack92]

How the heck are we supposed to know you are in the UK? This is nonsensical.

Whether you want the refurb or not it's the best deal, that is why it was proposed. As was the education discount. That is usually the best deal as I already stated....but I had no idea we were doing a UK price comparison. I'm sure there are some resellers over there. Good luck!/

I put a £ sign, didn't realise i'd need more sorry.

Basically everything about a refurbished product is brand new besides the box it comes in. Is not having the original box a huge deal-breaker for you?

Haha, sad but yes. It's somethin from my Dad; he's never bought a refurb or ever let me (or the family) and it's stuck. Call me stubern but hey, that's me =/

It's still several months till December so it's hard to say. It has usually taken 7-10 months for Apple to update iMacs so the next update would be in March-April. Sandy Bridge will provide speed bump but unless you really need the extra power, then the current gen is just fine.

Haha thanks, basically what I wanted to hear! I'll probably just but this gen in December then as I'll only be doing a bit of photoshop and parralleling with basic day to day activities. The Quad i5 will be more than enough for me

I bet Apple doesn't update the iMacs until August of next year. Yearly updates is starting to become the norm now. "Xxxx next Tuesday threads" for a given product use to be maybe 60 days before it would actually come out. Now those threads go unanswered for months and months from Apple.

Ah sucks, almost as if Apple love the suspense! Haha.



With this Sandy Bridges what's the big who har? Is it anything major or? I'm more software sided then hardware

Thanks

 

[Hellhammer]

With this Sandy Bridges what's the big who har? Is it anything major or? I'm more software sided then hardware

Intel releases new micro-architecture every second year and it always brings better performance. It's not revolutionary but better performance for less $. New chipsets also bring some new features such as SATA 6Gb/s.

 

[jack92]

Intel releases new micro-architecture every second year and it always brings better performance. It's not revolutionary but better performance for less $. New chipsets also bring some new features such as SATA 6Gb/s.

Ahh.. nice! Haha, don't think it'll really effect me though. For my uses the current quad withh more than suffice!

Quick question if SATA will be 6Gb/s then what is it now?

 

[Vylen]

Ahh.. nice! Haha, don't think it'll really effect me though. For my uses the current quad withh more than suffice!

Quick question if SATA will be 6Gb/s then what is it now?

3Gb/s