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imac 27'' i5 buying advice

A

aipoun

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 8, 2008
24
0
Hello guys and girls,

I would appreciate it if you could give me your advice on this:

Should I or should I NOT buy a 27'' i5 iMac now? Put otherwise, is it more reasonable to wait for Rev B? If so, how long usually before Rev B is out?


I am in the market for a new desktop computer and I would like to have it ASAP. Nevertheless, I can still wait if I must since I have a MB to work on for the time being. I have started to have doubts about buying now once I have found out about the problems pestering Rev A 27'' iMacs:
- cracked screens (only on i7s?
- flickering screens
- Flash issues

What is your opinion? And, what is your experience with your brand new i5?

Thank you very much!
 
If you mean next update by rev B, you might have to wait till mid-2010. I would buy one now, if it has issues, take it back and get a replacement or your money back
 
Hellhammer said:
If you mean next update by rev B, you might have to wait till mid-2010. I would buy one now, if it has issues, take it back and get a replacement or your money back
Click to expand...

Any time there's a new release, there could be problems. I got my iMac i5 about 10 days ago and it's been fine.
 
I, too, was excited about the i5 and the timing coincided perfectly as my old HP has been grinding and clanking and appears about to die. I was ready to make the purchase when I started seeing all of the problems you mentioned.

Since I need something almost immediately, already have a nice 22" LCD screen, keyboard, and mouse, and didn't really want to take a chance with the iMac, I placed an order for a new Mac mini. It was less than half the price of the i5 iMac and is probably more power than I'll need anyway. I'll use it for six months or so and see what Apple announces in late summer or early fall. If Apple has their summer iPod give-away, that may be the incentive that gets me to purchase a shiny new (and hopefully updated) 27" iMac in August.

I'm guessing that the new iMac problems are affecting a very small percentage of customers but I opted to hedge for a few months. I'll either sell the mini on ebay or keep it and hook it up to my TV. I'll make that decision in a few months.

Good luck with your decision.
 
Don't listen to the worry warts.

Go ahead and buy it. The vast majority have no issues at all. I almost held off from reading the posts here and elsewhere about buying. I went ahead and purchased and got what the majority got. A perfectly functioning iMac i5.
 
Mr. Biggles said:
Don't listen to the worry warts.

Go ahead and buy it. The vast majority have no issues at all. I almost held off from reading the posts here and elsewhere about buying. I went ahead and purchased and got what the majority got. A perfectly functioning iMac i5.
Click to expand...

oh, I was desperately waiting for this post, to be honest...
 
Hellhammer said:
If you mean next update by rev B, you might have to wait till mid-2010. I would buy one now, if it has issues, take it back and get a replacement or your money back
Click to expand...

the thing is I am buying online (student price) and I don't know how the taking-back part works under such circumstances... I am in Belgium, Europe. And as far as I have understood, if u order online u cannot take it back to an Apple Store...
 
Aipon...

Have had the i7 for over two weeks now. Its in great condition (knock on wood!)...and I guess I'm one of the lucky ones that did not get the cracked screen, hard drive or LCD issues. Been using it every day. The heat coming off the top is expected but no where near where people should worry about.

Very happy with the purchase. So if you need it now, buy now.

And as the above posters said, if you have any issues you can get it replaced. The only obstacle will be the timing of the replacement since the quads were released and they're still fulfilling backorders.
 
JonnyBravo said:
Aipon...

Have had the i7 for over two weeks now. Its in great condition (knock on wood!)...and I guess I'm one of the lucky ones that did not get the cracked screen, hard drive or LCD issues. Been using it every day. The heat coming off the top is expected but no where near where people should worry about.

Very happy with the purchase. So if you need it now, buy now.

And as the above posters said, if you have any issues you can get it replaced. The only obstacle will be the timing of the replacement since the quads were released and they're still fulfilling backorders.
Click to expand...

cheers!
 
aipoun, if you need it now, wait until tomorrow and see if Apple gives additional Black Friday rebate. If you wanna wait, wait until Apple releases the next iMac.
 
bobob said:
I thought Rev B of hardware usually came out in the first 2-3 months. Has an Apple Rev B ever taken 7 months to come out?
Click to expand...

Do you mean like an update with new hardware e.g. new GPUs like in March and October or silent update with e.g. new screen model which has less defects?

There won't be an updated iMac for at least 4 months IMO
 
The answer is the same for everyone... Buy now if you need or if you can't wait. Waiting will always be a good thing for computers... Rev B or next version is for sure gonna be better, but when?
 
Hellhammer said:
Do you mean like an update with new hardware e.g. new GPUs like in March and October or silent update with e.g. new screen model which has less defects?

There won't be an updated iMac for at least 4 months IMO
Click to expand...

Rev B has a very specific meaning to computer hardware consumers. The OP was very explicit in his repeated use of the term "Rev B", and did not refer to the next model "update".

To follow up on the OP's question - how long on average historically has it taken Apple to issue Rev B hardware on previous hardware?
 
aipoun said:
the thing is I am buying online (student price) and I don't know how the taking-back part works under such circumstances... I am in Belgium, Europe. And as far as I have understood, if u order online u cannot take it back to an Apple Store...
Click to expand...

No probs mate. If you want a replacement or refund, Apple will organise a courior to pick up the machine and take it away. But you u cannot take it to an apple store i u bought online.
 
if I were you I would buy one now otherwise you'd be waiting a while! if it has problems just get it replaced.
 
Thanks everyone for your replies! I will order one at the end of December to get it early in January. I will post back to give you guys my impressions once I have it. Cheers!
 
Hey guys,

I still have not bought it and I am glad I did not judging by the amount of issues that have surfaced since December:
- cracked screens
- DOAs
- flickering screens (now solved apparently)
- yellow tinge (still unsolved even after 2nd DISPLAY firmware update?)
- noisy HDD (?)
- noisy screens and
- DVD-scratching Superdrives...

But I feel I cannot postpone the acquisition much longer...

What do u think? Are the above issues still present on 2010 iMacs? Delivery time is still 3 weeks? Up from 1 week and then 2 weels. What does that mean?

Thanks!
 
My i5 27" iMac arrived early-mid January - and I am in love with it! Perfect, fabulous, eye-catching gobsmacking wonderful..... Fast, east to use, looks so good. Running non-stop for 3 weeks as I'm backing everything I have to an external site. (Mozy). Absolutely no problems at all. Envy of everyone who sees it. Forget the minority who complain. Go for it!
:):)
 
aipoun said:
Hey guys,

I still have not bought it and I am glad I did not judging by the amount of issues that have surfaced since December:
- cracked screens
- DOAs
- flickering screens (now solved apparently)
- yellow tinge (still unsolved even after 2nd DISPLAY firmware update?)
- noisy HDD (?)
- noisy screens and
- DVD-scratching Superdrives...

But I feel I cannot postpone the acquisition much longer...

What do u think? Are the above issues still present on 2010 iMacs? Delivery time is still 3 weeks? Up from 1 week and then 2 weels. What does that mean?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I say buy one now!! If you don't like it return it, it's that simple.
 
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