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Should I buy now or wait for the iMac update?

vapourtrails

vapourtrails

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 18, 2016
210
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I am an education customer on summer break so I'm looking at the free Beats headphone deal and trying to weigh that offer against waiting for an upgrade. I'm currently borrowing a friends MacBook Pro for the next month. Do you think I should take advantage of the headphone deal and grab a current iMac or wait for an upgrade after the headphone deal is over. Any suggestions or thoughts about the release date. Thanks
 
If you don't do any intensive professional work I say go for it now as the current line is good for the casual user.

I wanted so bad a 5k Mac all this time but I don't have the necessary budget to pull the trigger. But even if I had I would probably wait for the updated new CPUs and GPUs since I do professional work and I want my iMac to have the best possible specs meaning less heat issues and better power consumption.
 
AlexGraphicD said:
If you don't do any intensive professional work I say go for it now as the current line is good for the casual user.

I wanted so bad a 5k Mac all this time but I don't have the necessary budget to pull the trigger. But even if I had I would probably wait for the updated new CPUs and GPUs since I do professional work and I want my iMac to have the best possible specs meaning less heat issues and better power consumption.
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[doublepost=1468867353][/doublepost]I do some Final Cut and Photoshop....Any idea of when the new ones will land?
 
At this point, you might as well wait. If the new update is not all that impressive, you can save a significant bit of cash buying the older model (either via sale or the refurb store).
 
I would go for it now but it's up to you. The specs are still good on the iMac. It wouldn't shock me if Apple doesn't update it come October because the MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, and Mac Mini haven't been updated in awhile either. Not to mention the Apple Watch as well. Would they really hold an event that big where everything gets updated at once? Then again, if the Mac Mini gets updated then you would probably see a Thunderbolt display announced as well. Obviously iPhone would get their own event.
 
Icaras said:
Only on Black Friday.

I'm waiting for the next refresh. It's only a mere three months away now.
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That's what I did, and it was well worth the wait. When I finally decided on the iMac, I only had wait a month, but it was a long wait :)
 
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It is a stingy company, cause there are blind loyal Apple customers who support this greedy practice. Sadly the majority of people don't think much of their consumerist habits and the power they have when they make a choice in what to buy and where to give their money.

If more people bought refurbished models, if more people didn't buy a new iPhone and iPad every year just to satisfy their ego and vanity, if more people didn't blindly defend apple's absurd design and pricing policies then yeah Apple might not be a stingy company.
 
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I wouldn't wait for 5k iMac refresh. The current model is Skylake already and it is pretty good.

I expect they'll add a couple of new features (target display capability, new interface standards) and beefier graphics and slightly faster everything. But unless you actually need some of these I don't expect it to be a major update.

I wouldn't buy the 4k iMac at this point.
 
mpe said:
I wouldn't wait for 5k iMac refresh. The current model is Skylake already and it is pretty good.

I expect they'll add a couple of new features (target display capability, new interface standards) and beefier graphics and slightly faster everything. But unless you actually need some of these I don't expect it to be a major update.

I wouldn't buy the 4k iMac at this point.
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But a lot of people say that the current gpu line is just a rebrand of the old one and it is rather undewhelming for a 5k iMac with noticeable lag...
That's the general impression I got anyways.
 
Probably best to wait at this point since it is going to be a quite a significant upgrade over last years model. Apple don't do sales but to save money you can upgrade the RAM at a later point (as long as the possible redesign doesn't remove that functionality).
 
Appleaker said:
Probably best to wait at this point since it is going to be a quite a significant upgrade over last years model. Apple don't do sales but to save money you can upgrade the RAM at a later point (as long as the possible redesign doesn't remove that functionality).
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What makes you think it's going to be a significant upgrade? Any chance they will do a quiet upgrade over summer or is it fall sometime?
 
You could consider buying the top line stock model for $350 less original at the refurbished store. That's what I bought new and wish I would of saved $350. Just didn't think about it at the time.
 
"However, tech observers are saying that Kaby Lake will only happen if Apple decides to release the new iMac in 2016. If the company will opt for a 2017 launching, the American tech giant may use the more powerful Cannonlake processor, which is the expected successor of the Kaby Lake.

Meanwhile, previous report suggested that not only will the new iMac carry a powerful processor; it will also have one of the best GPU in the market today, the AMD's Polaris."

Siurce: http://christiantimes.com/article/a...with-powerful-intel-chipset-amd-gpu/58916.htm

Ugh...even if Apple updates the iMac with Kaby Lake soon, in 2017 there's gonna be Cannonlake an even more superior processor than Kaby...Damn I can't wait until 2017.
 
AlexGraphicD said:
"However, tech observers are saying that Kaby Lake will

Ugh...even if Apple updates the iMac with Kaby Lake soon, in 2017 there's gonna be Cannonlake an even more superior processor than Kaby...Damn I can't wait until 2017.
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Then 2018, Then 2019, etc.

If you need one, Now is the time. It's a never ending cycle of updates and improvements. Maybe the thing to think about is if you can get current design at a discounted price. Eases the burden at the next update cycle.
 
IngerMan said:
Then 2018, Then 2019, etc.

If you need one, Now is the time. It's a never ending cycle of updates and improvements. Maybe the thing to think about is if you can get current design at a discounted price. Eases the burden at the next update cycle.
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Yes it's true. I did get bit once with an update coming a couple of weeks after I purchased so I'm just considering my options. I'm leaning towards buying now ask can get the Beats headphones thrown in for free. I doubt that deal will exist by the time the iMac is announced.
 
vapourtrails said:
What makes you think it's going to be a significant upgrade? Any chance they will do a quiet upgrade over summer or is it fall sometime?
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One reason is because we are due a redesign either this year or next year. Although that might not happen this year, what is likely to happen is the move to DDR4 RAM while the use of USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 ports along with the upgrade to the 400-series graphics is almost guaranteed.
400-series graphics will be the biggest upgrade in the last few refreshes since the current 300-series is just a rebrand of the 200-series so not really an upgrade. The 400-series is a whole new card using a new architecture which has proven to be a significant step and will reduce the graphical issues present due to having to drive the 5K display.
If there is no redesign, the central point of interest will be the improved graphics as there will be no CPU upgrade unless they wait until March. Smaller features such as Truetone may also be present.
If there is no redesign, it is possible that it will be a quiet update and looks to be this Fall but it's Apple so they could wait longer for the new Intel processors early next year.
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vapourtrails said:
Yes it's true. I did get bit once with an update coming a couple of weeks after I purchased so I'm just considering my options. I'm leaning towards buying now ask can get the Beats headphones thrown in for free. I doubt that deal will exist by the time the iMac is announced.
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The deal won't be present so I guess it's choosing between better specs or Beats headphones. I would personally choose the better specs although if the free headphones will be of more use and importance to you then I guess it might be best to take advantage of the deal.
 
I waited last time I upgraded. Apple released their new iMac, but then I purchased a brand new but newly superseded model which in reality wasn't so technically inferior to the new one and had the bonus of some great discounts at non Apple retailers trying to clear them.

MacRumors says - Don't Buy - https://buyersguide.macrumors.com//#iMac
 
I wish Apple did a redesign in 2016 and made the bezels around the screen thinner. In the 27" they don't bother me so much but on the 21" they look too thick in my eyes...
 
I'm in need of an iMac upgrade, but I'll be waiting till the new ones come out. Better to buy the latest and have it no be outdated sooner.
 
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