My dilemma... Buy 2020 iMac with £550 employer contribution or wait for ARM and pay full whack?

[JRE2020]

Due to Covid and the need to work from home, my employer will contribute £550 to a new computer if bought before the end of the year. Given this should I buy the 2020 27 iMac just released and get £550 off or wait until the new design / ARM version is released and potentially have to pay the full price myself if it's not released until 2021?
PS. I don't know a great deal about tech but have been holding off buying a new iMac until the long talked about redesign is available.
Thanks!

 

[Weaselboy]

I would take the money and buy now. If you are relying on this machine to make a living, I don't know that I would want to be one of the first guinea pigs to try out the new Arm Macs.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Seems like a no-brainer to me. Give your employer the thrill of paying for your device. Don’t rob them of such joy.

 

[Boil]

I would wait until closer to the end of the year, see what Apple silicon Macs might be released by then. If there are no suitable Apple silicon offerings by then, then buy the 2020 27" iMac...

 

[mtneer]

A computer is a tool. Unless you foresee that your workflow will be significantly improved by using a first gen ARM Mac, I would take the money now and then use it until the need arises. Its just a tool...

 

[ruslan120]

A computer is a tool. Unless you foresee that your workflow will be significantly improved by using a first gen ARM Mac, I would take the money now and then use it until the need arises. Its just a tool...

I completely agree. To make a counterpoint it’s a tool people use up to 6-16 hours a day, hence the discussion of minutiae. I think if people used hammers for as long each day we’d be browsing HammerRumors

 

[James_C]

Buy it now if you get £550 contribution, the 2020 iMac is a really great machine.

 

[Boil]

Due to Covid and the need to work from home, my employer will contribute £550 to a new computer if bought before the end of the year. Given this should I buy the 2020 27 iMac just released and get £550 off or wait until the new design / ARM version is released and potentially have to pay the full price myself if it's not released until 2021?
PS. I don't know a great deal about tech but have been holding off buying a new iMac until the long talked about redesign is available.

I would wait until closer to the end of the year, see what Apple silicon Macs might be released by then. If there are no suitable Apple silicon offerings by then, then buy the 2020 27" iMac...

It might also help a bit if we knew what you intend to use the iMac for, to see how much power you need in that 2020 iMac...?

 

[nick9191]

Too many unknowns to say for sure. What type of tasks do you use the computer for? Is there any software you use that might not be fully compatible with Apple Silicon Macs on day one?

The iMac that is rumoured to be the first to transition over will be the smaller iMac (rumours suggest a 24" form factor). If you're looking at the larger iMac then you'll almost certainly be waiting to next year on the basis that the new 27" Intel iMac has just been released.

However if we're comparing the new rumoured smaller iMac on Apple Silicon vs. the current larger 27" iMac on Intel, then it's difficult to say. The baseline 27" starts at £1799, whereas the current Intel 21.5" starts from just £1099. So assuming that the rumoured 24" iMac is a compelling purchase (at least more so than the current 21.5" iMac) and starts from the same price or less, then the employer contribution may not actually count for much.

In addition, rumours suggest that the 24" iMac may be released by the end of the year, or it may be in Q1 next year. If it is released this year, then you could still use the contribution towards a new Apple Silicon iMac.

Personally I would wait until October to see what happens. Apple likely won't release a new iMac in November or December based on previous releases, so you should know what to do by the end of October. However, as always, if you need the machine now and it's for business purposes then you should buy it now.

 

[JRE2020]

Thanks all for taking the time to respond, it’s much appreciated. Some more info on circumstances... As a family we have an old iMac that’s been due an upgrade for 2 years (at least) which isn’t used for anything too demanding or uses any professional software. I’ve been holding off as I know there have been rumours of a facelift for some time. I’ve been working from home since March and will be for the rest of the year. Work wise I access my company’s network via a virtual desktop (MS Office) but have been doing so via a small Lenovo laptop and missing the double screen set up at the office. I thought I could kill two birds with one stone by buying the 27 inch iMac to replace the family machine but also use it while WFH; utilising The large screen to see multiple docs (Although I’d be happy with a 24 inch screen if that’s what gets released first). Getting it now would mean benefiting from it sooner, but I’m loathed to shell out for a machine that will soon be replaced with a new design and chip that may last longer re: updates etc (Which is my main concern). If I didn’t have the £550 carrot I’d definitely wait, although I’ve also read opinions that the first gen ARM machines may not necessarily hit the mark from the off. I‘m thinking that holding out to the end of Oct seems sensible and see if there’s any news of a potential launch and making a decision then.

 

[JRE2020]

It might also help a bit if we knew what you intend to use the iMac for, to see how much power you need in that 2020 iMac...?

Fair point. I’ve added some further info in reply to one of the posts below. Thanks.

 

[Boil]

Fair point. I’ve added some further info in reply to one of the posts below. Thanks.

So it sounds like you just need a new iMac for general office (Office) work, & for family usage; internet/audio playback/video playback/lite gaming...?

I would think the 10th gen 6-core i5 model would do, but you will want to upgrade the RAM yourself (from OWC, get yourself a 32GB kit) & hang an external drive off of one of the USB ports...

Hey! If the iMac that needs replacing has Target Display Mode, you could have a second screen...!?!

 

[jazz1]

Due to Covid and the need to work from home, my employer will contribute £550 to a new computer if bought before the end of the year. Given this should I buy the 2020 27 iMac just released and get £550 off or wait until the new design / ARM version is released and potentially have to pay the full price myself if it's not released until 2021?
PS. I don't know a great deal about tech but have been holding off buying a new iMac until the long talked about redesign is available.
Thanks!

Take the money and run! Maybe even buy an Apple refurb. There is always something "better" coming. My 2015 iMac is still going strong. So I'm thinking a 2020 iMac should keep you humming along nicely! As others have said you could wait until the last minute just in case next generation can be ordered before the 2021. I kind of doubt it.

 

[Boil]

Take the money and run! Maybe even buy an Apple refurb. There is always something "better" coming. My 2015 iMac is still going strong. So I'm thinking a 2020 iMac should keep you humming along nicely! As others have said you could wait until the last minute just in case next generation can be ordered before the 2021. I kind of doubt it.

Just checked; all the refurbs are MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, & Mac Pro; no iMacs at all...!

 

[dogslobber]

This bezels on the 2020 iMac look out of date today so what'll they feel like in five years time?

 

[Kjs100]

Ming Kuo said in June that a 24" redesigned Arm iMac would be released in 4Q20 so it could be October or November. There were a couple of sources suggesting a release would be this year but the release date might slip into 2021 so it might not arrive until February/ March. There is leaker Komiya on twitter saying it would be next year although how reliable the guy is I don't know.

Would it be an option to buy the 27" Intel now and just sell it when the redesigned iMac is released?

China Times said a 23" iMac would launch in the second half of 2020 (maybe this new iMac is something like 23.8") and that it would be lower priced like the iPhone SE; but even if the base price stayed around £1299 I can't see how you'd be worse off selling a 27" Intel that you'd had £550 off. You'd likely have money from the sale to put to the new Arm iMac.

 

[ruslan120]

Could wait until the September keynote and see

 

[MisterMe]

If you have to make the decision now, then make the decision now. A decision now means an Intel-based Mac. However, your employer's offer does not expire until the end of the year. The year ends on December 31, not August 31. Even if your employer sets the cut-off date to something like November 30 or December 15, then you still have a lot of time.

Apple has stated that Apple Silicon Macs will come to market before the end of the year. I have no idea which model that will be, but I have guesses:

1. The first AS Mac will use an existing form factor to replace an existing model.
2. This new Mac will have better performance than the model that it replaces--possibly substantially better performance.

Forced to guess which model will lead the transition to AS, my guess is the iMac. You can expect to see some very interesting AS Macs released in Early 2021. You won't get a subsidy for any of those. However, you will get a subsidy if the 2020 AS Mac is to your liking and you buy it. If you pull the trigger now, then you will hate yourself if you like the 2020 AS Mac.

 

[sublunar]

I'd wait. You also have potential Black Friday discounts in the UK if you're eligible to receive them for a business purchase and can wait till late November.

For a work machine I'd stick with Intel this year too as other people have pointed out an Apple Silicon release now will be a Rev A machine with software to match.

 

[Boil]

While I am a fan of the Mac mini / 14" MacBook / 24" iMac trio as the first round of Apple silicon Macs, I could see the iMac as the first Apple silicon Mac available to the general public. This would be like Apple introducing the very first Macintosh, so an AIO here makes sense!

 

[Arran]

If you need it now, buy it now. Bird in the hand, and all.

What if your employer changes their mind before year end for whatever reason: Cashflow, CV-19 uncertainty, or (we can hope) a CV-19 breakthrough rendering WFH unnecessary?

 

[Seoras]

I'm an App developer and I've been thinking the same thing.
Leaning towards, wait and see, simply because you might have to hand back that $500 machine.
It 'aint yours. You are effectively renting it.
I'm hoping that the first commercial aMac out of Cupertino is a Mac Air type machine.
Something cheap and slick that I can test my iOS Apps on.
I'm not swapping my 2017 i7 4.2G iMac for a few more years. As long as it works as well as it does now I'm happy.

 

[bousozoku]

This bezels on the 2020 iMac look out of date today so what'll they feel like in five years time?

Is he going to use the machine or photograph it?

 

[Fean0r]

Bear in mind that any Mac that's had a recent update is likely to be at the back of the list to switch to ARM. So if the 27" iMac doesn't switch until late 2021 or 2022, which ARM Mac would you get assuming the first Macs to make the switch will be ones which haven't been updated for a while?

 

[dogslobber]

Is he going to use the machine or photograph it?

Worse. He’s gonna stare at it for years to come and see those thick, 1970s bezels.