Should I buy imac i9 now?

[Azrael9]

Apart from the lower chin the design is not actually that awful. Also, the specs are actually very nice.
2080 is a big surprise in this package.
If HP can do this then Apple can do it much better. So, can Apple release an iMac that will truly be "substantial" or are we looking at weak and small bumps that at this point don't interest anyone?
I kinda wish Apple would put the same attention they put into their iPhones into other Apple products.
iMac neglected for years, Mac Pro updated after so many years. TouchBar is a joke and macOS is not any better.
Can we get good update Apple or will you disappoint us again?

Freida, you're on the money, as usual.

The HP AiO isn't bad at all. If anything, it seems more modern to me than the current iMacs which seem dated. Yes. The chin on AiOs....draws pro or con. It's tolerable on this design.

If Apple can do this. Do they have the will? The desire to do so..? They did the Mac Pro. But doubled the price, added a further £1k to put it well out of the provice of the enthusiast or Mac gamer. 'Yeah.' Is my response. Great design. Almost like they were making a point. But they took that Mac Pro out of the base of users it had since 1997 and before (former PPC Mac Tower user here...) And they made us wait 6 years for it.

I've got to give HP some props. Why so? I've been looking (from afar) at their Omen line of gaming PC and wondering why Apple can't do such a line of eGaming machines etc. I quite like that 'Cube' chassis they have. Their value is pretty good. It's been a long time since HP were one of the 'beige' PC crowd. They've really pulled things around since they almost exited the PC business.

They have 'Mac' style Minis, laptops, Omen gaming line, towers, AiOs. Some of their line is very stylish indeed with decent specs, choice and price and some of their line has been out designing Apple products for some time with a style and imagination Apple products have left long behind...with their current sterile industrial look.

If HP ran Mac OS? I'd be there.

HP aren't rigid. If anything, there's a little 'too much' choice.

The 32 incher(!) AIO? The specs are most impressive. (All this you can't put a NV2080 and an 8 core in there are nonsense.) They even have ports on the side as well. Not only that, they make the design slim but not to the point of putting the user in a cul-de-sac functionality wise. If Apple offered that? I'd be onto it in a flash. HP seems to be putting the user, not politics, 1st.

I was quite impressed with the quality of the speakers and the 'docking station' keyboard idea for the pad and phone. And I'm sure they won't charge you £300 for it either.

And the lament of your last question? WWDC brings our closest beacon of hope. Bump or substantial is the question. And how long the wait?

Meantime, HP did a good job. And on many of their computers are including 16 gigs of ram as standard.

If people want a 32 inch 'iMac', then HP sell you one for £3000 with impressive specs.

But it runs? Windows.

'The price of freedom.'

Azrael.

PS. The touchbar looked like an archaic joke and backwards step compared to the Surface Studio AiO desktop which launched within the same time period. The day that M$ handed Apple it's notice on design.

 

[Freida]

Yeah, WWDC will be interesting. Its either gonna be a big surprise or a big flop. I worry it might be the latter though

 

[gilby101]

But that hasn't stopped HP, who are one of an increasing number of PC vendors, finding their design, value and performance mojo.

32 inch. AiO. 8 core. Nv 2080. 32 gigs of ram.

In summary: Similar form factor. Bigger screen. Lower resolution. Less powerful CPU (i7-9700 3GHz).
Doesn't look like a step up from the current iMac - just a bit different (and lower powered).

 

[dn325ci]

🍿

 

[Azrael9]

In summary: Similar form factor. Bigger screen. Lower resolution. Less powerful CPU (i7-9700 3GHz).
Doesn't look like a step up from the current iMac - just a bit different (and lower powered).

In summary.

The £3k model.

8 core.
32 gigs of ram.
2080 NV GPU. (Vs the Vega 48.)
32 inch (larger screen. 4k. That's ultra hi def.)
1 TB SSD.
Surround sound. (Sound from B+O...)
Keyboard (nice novel docking capability.)

I think that's a better summary. Yeah, the iMac has a 5k resolution.

Comparison spec and price for the 'iMac.'

https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/buy-m...e-processor-with-turbo-boost-up-to-4.6ghz-2tb
5K display. (Yes. It's decent.)

• 3.6GHz 8-core 9th-generation Intel Core i9 processor, Turbo Boost up to 5.0GHz
• 32GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory
• Radeon Pro Vega 48 with 8GB of HBM2 memory
• 1TB SSD storage
• Magic Mouse 2
• Magic Keyboard - British
• £3999.

The iMac is a £1k more.

Azrael.

 

[gilby101]

In summary.

Your initial post mentioning the HP seemed, to me, to be suggesting that the HP was a step up from the iMac and was a path that Apple might want to follow. I was highlighting that the HP has a lower powered CPU and lower resolution screen than the iMac. That is not a path that Apple would want to follow.

 

[Azrael9]

There aren't any absolutes but comparative value as they are two difference PC companies.

One that has it's 32 inch 'iMac' out right now. And one that is lagging from 2019 pending update of specs AND long overdue a design refresh. The HP looks like it's stolen a march. And yes, I am suggesting the HP is the better value...and, ironically, with the £1000 in loose change from NOT buying the comparative iMac you can actually buy?

An iMac.

On the HP? You get surround sound. A better GPU? 2 more cores. (We'd have to look at the bench) Both have hi-res screens. But I'd take a 32 inch 4k over a 27 inch 5k (and I'm a fan of higher the res...) but I'd rather Apple blow us away with a 32 inch 6k screen. The iMac has a 'higher' hi-res screen. Bu the HP comes with 32 gigs of ram. A 1TB SSD.

One of these looks better value to me. You have to pay Apple another £1000 to get 'similar' spec.

Only Apple knows what Apple will do. But we can presume upon their past wasteful update schedule.

Azrael.

 

[Azrael9]

Customise your 27‑inch iMac with Retina 5K display.

• 3.6GHz 8-core 9th-generation Intel Core i9 processor, Turbo Boost up to 5.0GHz
• 16GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory
• Radeon Pro 580X with 8GB of GDDR5 memory
• 512GB SSD storage
• Magic Mouse 2
• Magic Keyboard - British

£2,949.00

To put it another way. Here's how close I got to the HP AiO using Apple's configure.

You get a higher res screen. But the screen is smaller. That can be a good thing for higher res but not necessarily on a smaller screen. Some may prefer a bigger screen with an offset in resolution. It's give or take on this one. They're both high res' screens. With my partisan hat off, I'd score Apple here. But I do like that bigger 32 inch size of the HP and wish Apple would pull their finger out and release a 6k 32 incher. Regardless, a win to Apple.

8 Core. A tie? Without specific benches, 8 core as standard (which it IS on the HP AiO) sets a good value proposition. On Apple machines you have to pay for the 8 core on all machines above £2k. Poor value. I'd give the HP the nod here in value. 8 core. Great for multitasking. If Apple's 8 core is 'faster' then it swings back to apple. But not in value. I'd call this a 'tie.'
16 gigs of ram. Loss to Apple. More RAM. Especially for the creator or 3d rendering. YOu'll pay for the extra ram from Apple. And pay dearly for it. Win for HP.
512SSDs come as cheap as chips these days. But from Apple? You have to 'pay.' Meanwhile. HP give you the !TB SSD. Want one of those from Apple? You'll PAY! Win to HP.
Magic Keyboard. You have to pay for the extended keyboard now? (That happened way back when?) The HP keyboard has docking capability for your pad and phone. Win to HP.
GPU. A perennial Apple weakness. The low end 580x Radeon vs? Nvidia 2080. In the absence of specific benches...there can only be one winner in this punch up. WIN to HP (and Nvidia...) I would caveat that by saying this may the be mobile 2080 (but it didn't say that on the web site tech' spec I looked at.) But even so, the 580 would have a rough time of it. The 2080 is not a low end card.

HP AiO has plenty of aspiration built in. With Apple you'll pay extra to get 'those specs.'

Azrael.

 

[bpeeps]

iMac spec bump this year, ARM redesign in 2021 or 2022. Apple will be moving all of their Macs to ARM very soon, so I don't think we will be seeing an iMac redesign until ARM arrives.

 

[gilby101]

There aren't any absolutes but comparative value as they are two difference PC companies.

I was trying to avoid a detailed comparison of HP and Apple products. My comments were in the context of whether the HP was a step up from the current iMac and so had something (anything) that Apple would want to emulate. And I really don't think so.

A larger, low resolution screen is not a step up in my view. And, as you say, Apple already has a larger higher resolution screen already. If that were to be built into an all-in-one, it would be an iMac Pro replacement. I really think, Apple is dedicated to high quality (and high res) screens in their all-on-ones.

A lower lower powered CPU is not a step up. 6 core 3GHz 65W is less than 8 core 3.6GHz 95W (both 9-gen). There is no suitable Intel CPU available now to provide a speed bump without a significant cooling redesign.

A different GPU family. Yes, that is an ongoing question particularly in the hackintosh community. But there is no sign that Apple want to follow that path.

So, in conclusion, I don't see anyone else doing something that Apple will want to follow with the iMac. All, I can see, is a possible speed bump for this year (not now, but when and if there is a suitable Intel CPU). After that it will be ARM processors.

So, if you need an iMac now, get one now. There is no reason to delay a month or two.