Going to buy New 24" or old 24".CONFUSED...Urgent Help!

[scofield]

Hi all,

I own a printing company and I'm going to buy a new mac in 2 days but I need urgent help pls. As I start reading the posts about new imac, my mind started to get mixed. Almost % 50 user do not like new glossy screen, % 50 loves glossy screen.Working about 10 years in printing industry with 4 color machines, I want urgent help who works with glossy and matte displays.I will use it in my house with a very little daylight. I loved the new imac and I was waiting for it to come here, NOw I do not want to change my mind and buy the old one. You know,when a new imac comes, the old one seems OLD OLD OLD !


17" imac G4 - Ipod Nano 2 - gb, - 20 " imac 2,16

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

Move forward buy a new 24". Dont look back thats my advice. I can remember when all screens were glossy CRT's and no one complained.

 

[RedDragon870503]

If you want your best bang for the buck get an old with the 2.33 Core 2 Duo and the 7600GT graphics. It will be deeply discounted as well as significantly faster at some graphics related tasks. That said, it is never bad to have the latest and greatest. Just know, those worthless frills come at a premium over used.

 

[sushi]

If you can, get an older model. They are cheaper and the display is better.

FWIW, tonight my wife and I tried to convince ourselves to get a new iMac 20 or 24 inch. We've been to a few stores already. Tonight, we went to a different store and they had old 24 and new 24 side by side. No comparison concerning the display. The old one is so much better display wise. This is not what we had hoped, because we like the new iMacs, just don't like the glossy displays.

Others will tell you different.

My suggestion is do a comparison for yourself and make a decision that suits your needs and user environment.

 

[MK2007]

Would you risk your business on something that 50% of users hate?

If not, then take the conservative approach and buy a white iMac before they are no longer available.

 

[scofield]

If you want your best bang for the buck get an old with the 2.33 Core 2 Duo and the 7600GT graphics. It will be deeply discounted as well as significantly faster at some graphics related tasks. That said, it is never bad to have the latest and greatest. Just know, those worthless frills come at a premium over used.

Old ones discounted about 400 Euro but u know human being always unsatisfied. I was waiting the new ones for over months. Now after waiting, I'll feel very confused when looking to a white imac

But still waiting opinions. I'll give % 50 chance to new and old ones, lets wait which one increases

 

[sushi]

If not, then take the conservative approach and buy a white iMac before they are no longer available.

Yep, just got a 17 inch iMac for our daughter. She preferred it over the new 20 inch iMac with the glossy screen.

The old 20 inch iMacs are sold out so we may purchase a 17 or 24. The 17's are really cheap now and present a great deal. Plus, we can always connect an external display in the future if we need more screen space.

 

[Pressure]

I would say go for the new one.

You should decide for yourself whether or not you like or dislike the display on the new 24" iMac, glossy or not.

The fact that the panel is of the H-IPS type in the new iMac only makes it a better.

 

[scofield]

If you can, get an older model. They are cheaper and the display is better.

FWIW, tonight my wife and I tried to convince ourselves to get a new iMac 20 or 24 inch. We've been to a few stores already. Tonight, we went to a different store and they had old 24 and new 24 side by side. No comparison concerning the display. The old one is so much better display wise. This is not what we had hoped, because we like the new iMacs, just don't like the glossy displays.

Others will tell you different.

My suggestion is do a comparison for yourself and make a decision that suits your needs and user environment.

20 inch models have TN panels which are cheap and less quality, I tried it and really dissapointed because there on the screen you can see gradient starting from top to bottom. No one is pleased with that.

 

[Father Jack]

I don't have one of the new iMac's, but we have two MacBooks here at home. The glossy screen gives a very contrasty and extremely sharp image, although whether the image is "true and accurate" or not seems to be debatable ...

For serious Photoshop and DTP work IMO the non-glossy gives a more accurate representation of the image ... This is why I use the Mac Pro and a calibrated 23" ACD.

 

[docprego]

20 inch models have TN panels which are cheap and less quality, I tried it and really dissapointed because there on the screen you can see gradient starting from top to bottom. No one is pleased with that.

IMO this is the problem with the new iMac, not the glossy screen. I had a 20" and absolutely hated the TN panel, the glossiness didn't bother me at all. But it is true, the TN panel is quite inferior to the 24" which I had lengthy experience working with. I am really surprised at Apple for putting in a lousy panel, did they figure they could make an extra $50 per machine by using a TN panel and hope most people wouldn't notice?

 

[HLdan]

See for yourself

To the OP: It's a bad idea to come to a public forum and ask for advice about the LCD screen in terms of the glossy. It's not because you will get mixed reviews but would you truly be satisfied if we all said go for the glossy because it works best for printing?
You have to go to a local retail store that sells Macs and hopefully they will have the old iMac and the new ones side by side for comparison. The only caviat is that you may not have a choice since it's not easy to get the old 24" and especially if you have specific specs requirements.

2 things I will recommend to you, first don't judge the glossy based on the store lighting scheme, it's not realistic for your uses since you will be a low light area.
Second, computers are progressively worse than cars when it comes to depreciation. I just bought the new iMac 24" and although it's got the fastest processor I know it's already outdated because Apple will soon replace this one in the coming months.
That being said it's best to buy the latest and greatest for future proofing.

 

[scofield]

To the OP: It's a bad idea to come to a public forum and ask for advice about the LCD screen in terms of the glossy. It's not because you will get mixed reviews but would you truly be satisfied if we all said go for the glossy because it works best for printing?
You have to go to a local retail store that sells Macs and hopefully they will have the old iMac and the new ones side by side for comparison. The only caviat is that you may not have a choice since it's not easy to get the old 24" and especially if you have specific specs requirements.

2 things I will recommend to you, first don't judge the glossy based on the store lighting scheme, it's not realistic for your uses since you will be a low light area.
Second, computers are progressively worse than cars when it comes to depreciation. I just bought the new iMac 24" and although it's got the fastest processor I know it's already outdated because Apple will soon replace this one in the coming months.
That being said it's best to buy the latest and greatest for future proofing.

I think this matte-glossy war will continue some time
Already went to two Apple Store and tried it still did not decide because my eyes were on the new imacs design. I think I must go again and look now like real customer to buy . Apple did it very well. Made a new design, created a good market for everyone. Glossy fans , matte fans. Everyone is happy...

 

[Tommy Tallarico]

Nothing stops you from hooking up a matte display as a second monitor. There's too much apprehension and discussion on the glossy screen.

 

[mchfandrews]

Would you risk your business on something that 50% of users hate?

If not, then take the conservative approach and buy a white iMac before they are no longer available.[/QUOTE

50% of users hate? I would love to see the results of this survey. Please provide a link.

 

[rainydays]

Almost % 50 user do not like new glossy screen, % 50 loves glossy screen.

Actually, most people who complain about the screen aren't users. Most of them has either not seen it in real life or has only seen it in the store. Based on the commenting here from actual users, I'd say that 5-10% don't like the glossy screen.

That said, it can be a problem in some environments.

 

[paetrick]

IMO this is the problem with the new iMac, not the glossy screen. I had a 20" and absolutely hated the TN panel, the glossiness didn't bother me at all. But it is true, the TN panel is quite inferior to the 24" which I had lengthy experience working with. I am really surprised at Apple for putting in a lousy panel, did they figure they could make an extra $50 per machine by using a TN panel and hope most people wouldn't notice?

Haha loool, 99% of every 17-22" stand-alone screen sold today has a TN panel, and normal consumers don't bitch about that(therefor it's very normal that apple allow the TN display on the 20" model) - it's a consumer computer, actually - first when the imac got an TN panel it was the first time i ever heard anyone complain about it, I got a Tn panel right now - all my friends got one hooked up to their 1500 dollars gaming pc's and I don't see anyone complain about it. (Apple don't really care about that little group that complain about the TN display).

 

[docprego]

Haha loool, 99% of every 17-22" stand-alone screen sold today has a TN panel, and normal consumers don't bitch about that(therefor it's very normal that apple allow the TN display on the 20" model) - it's a consumer computer, actually - first when the imac got an TN panel it was the first time i ever heard anyone complain about it, I got a Tn panel right now - all my friends got one hooked up to their 1500 dollars gaming pc's and I don't see anyone complain about it. (Apple don't really care about that little group that complain about the TN display).

It seems that the fact that it is a TN panel is only part of the problem. Many sites are saying that the panels are faulty.

 

[rainydays]

I got a Tn panel right now - all my friends got one hooked up to their 1500 dollars gaming pc's and I don't see anyone complain about it. (Apple don't really care about that little group that complain about the TN display).

Well it's all about different markets I would say. Gamers actually prefer TN panels since they have lower response rates, and casual computer users prefer TN panels because they are cheap.
However, the iMacs target is creative people like those who enjoy working with photo, graphics design and movies. These people don't prefer TN panels because they aren't very good for those tasks.

The only reason why the 20" has a TN panel is because they wanted to push the price down enough to get rid of the 17" model. The 17" model was in general the choice of casual users and schools, in general people who are happy with a TN panel. But that completely alienates the creative people who doesn't need or want the 24" model.
It would have been nice if they had offered an IPS panel on the 2.4GHz 20" model, but I guess it would be difficult to set the price right in relation to the 24" model. And a CTO option wouldn't work very well either.

Also, people aren't used to products being downgraded with a new model. That's also the reason why so many people complained about the new GPU being inferior to the old one, which turned out wasn't really the truth since it was a custom made chip. However, in case of the 20" iMac panel, it's true, and I really understand why a lot of people complain about it.