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The "I'm waiting for an iMac refresh" thread
- Thread starter Robert Grant
- Start date
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From what many have stated already, expecting any iMac refresh sooner than mid September will only lead to dissappointment. IMO if you want a Mac now, get it now, if you are comfortable with waiting it out, than prepare to wait at least the fall season.
Although any update in the next few weeks will be welcomed with a pleasant surprise.
after my experiences and settling for the 15" MBP i am now getting the appetite back again so i think i am getting the revision, "if!, when it comes"
I am not sure if I am patient enough to wait til early fall for a new imac
I am so frustrated with my current -shrug- dell PC.
I hope by end of summer they mean the end of august.
I would really love to have a new working desktop for the start of school year... T_T
I would say yes. And congrats on your 21.5" beauty.
In my particular experience, I'll wait until the 2011 refreshes. So many times I've bought these machines just before a major update. Next time, nope.
Waiting might be a rational option
Sashie, generally, at this time when you buy a technical product this product is obsolete even its successor has not been released. So you have to evaluate the costs of "not owning this product" against the "costs of obsolescence".
This evaluation is personally and there is no right or wrong. In my case, even I want to have an imac as soon as possible the evaluation results in "waiting" because I find the cost of obsolescence to be too high. There are several reasons for that finding:
- There are many indication that a new release is very likely
- There are indications that os x 10.7 is maturating and that the next products will technically anticipate this new os
- USB 3.0 is going to be a standard next year and therefore it is very useful if this is supported by the next imac (which seems to be more and more likely according to current rumors
- there is a new processor generation (the current imacs which were released in autumn 2009 are technically overtaken)
- it seems to be quite likely that apple will surprise with the one or the other feature which is currently not known.
Therefore I think waiting is the best option if there is no personal reason which compensates these costs of obsolescence!
Sashie, generally, at this time when you buy a technical product this product is obsolete even its successor has not been released. So you have to evaluate the costs of "not owning this product" against the "costs of obsolescence".
This evaluation is personally and there is no right or wrong. In my case, even I want to have an imac as soon as possible the evaluation results in "waiting" because I find the cost of obsolescence to be too high. There are several reasons for that finding:
- There are many indication that a new release is very likely
- There are indications that os x 10.7 is maturating and that the next products will technically anticipate this new os
- USB 3.0 is going to be a standard next year and therefore it is very useful if this is supported by the next imac (which seems to be more and more likely according to current rumors
- there is a new processor generation (the current imacs which were released in autumn 2009 are technically overtaken)
- it seems to be quite likely that apple will surprise with the one or the other feature which is currently not known.
Therefore I think waiting is the best option if there is no personal reason which compensates these costs of obsolescence!
When the refresh happens and if they add i3 or i5 to the low end 21.5's, how much difference in performance will the basic computer user see. This thing is already so fast I wonder if you would notice a vast improvement in everyday functions.
Define "everyday functions". It won't make Safari faster nor Mail, Adium, iWork etc. It will speed up things like video and audio encoding but that's pretty much it. See this article
No offense, guy, but you make a ton of claims (in very certain language) that seem completely unsubstantiated and counter to what the evidence points to.
Yes there are many indications that a new release, someday, is very likely. It could be September, or October, or even early 2011, but it's very likely.
I bet Mac OS X 10.7 is totally maturating, but I don't know of any indication whatsoever that there will be any hardware in anticipation to anything.
Yes, it has seemed more and more likely that USB 3.0 is coming every time I re-read the same single totally non-authoritative rumor that is just one totally non-authoritative rumor.
The Intel Core i3-550, which seems the most likely base proc is only marginally superior to the current base procs, and the current high-end procs are the "new[est] processor generation"
It seems quite likely that Apple will surprise us with new unknown features?
Yes there are many indications that a new release, someday, is very likely. It could be September, or October, or even early 2011, but it's very likely.
I bet Mac OS X 10.7 is totally maturating, but I don't know of any indication whatsoever that there will be any hardware in anticipation to anything.
Yes, it has seemed more and more likely that USB 3.0 is coming every time I re-read the same single totally non-authoritative rumor that is just one totally non-authoritative rumor.
The Intel Core i3-550, which seems the most likely base proc is only marginally superior to the current base procs, and the current high-end procs are the "new[est] processor generation"
It seems quite likely that Apple will surprise us with new unknown features?
Thank you for your reply and the article. So I guess it is possible, maybe even likely, that a basic user = email; surfing; reading; watching movies (no games) may only use 2 out of 4 cores?
The i3 is dual core but quad threaded (due Hyper-Threading, every core can handle two threads; up to 30% performance increase in apps that can use all those 4 threads). Any Core 2 Duo is fine for those tasks you listed, the difference between C2D and i3 is negligible. The i3 will be a nice upgrade for the people who need it, it'll speed up HandBrake a lot
I thought both the i3 AND the i5 lacked Hyper-Threading... and that, at least in the current generation of processors, that feature is i7 exclusive. The i3 doesn't have Turbo Boost either...
In Lynnfields that is true, only i7 has HT but in Clarkdale, both i3 and i5 have it but i3 lacks Turbo (that's the difference between i3 and i5). In fact, all Westmeres excluding Celeron and Pentium versions (even lower than i3) have HT as most chips are dual core.
Intel naming system rocks, huh?
You are absolutely right. These points I mentioned are personal speculations that are derived from diverse rumors. Nevertheless concerning these points I made relating rumors are intensifying. But of course, we talk about rumors.
However, if you want to answer the question "buy now" or "wait" you have to refer to rumors if you do not have access to a reliable source (and this seems to be very hard in this case).
So, for me, there are many indications that led me to the finding to wait. And this is currently my recommendation for all who do not have "an urgent pressure"!
Hey, and don't forget: this is a situation where not only the new imac is supposed to mature but also the hype for it. Be honest guys: Don't we all like these situations
Aaaaaaargh! *snaps*
I'm going to make a purchase today.
I can't wait any more. The next generation will have a marginal impact on my usage in all honesty. I create home video and I game. I've been pretending that USB3 and a GPU upgrade will be vital to me. The reality is that I've invested in a lot of equipment that won't work with USB3, and the GPU update will be marginal.
On a more personal note, I am looking at a refurb i5 and thinking that I can use the money saved to get an iPad and maybe an iPhone 4.
Wish me luck.
For those waiting, I wish you well. The decision to buy is remarkably freeing
I'm going to make a purchase today.
I can't wait any more.
The next generation will have a marginal impact on my usage in all honesty. I create home video and I game. I've been pretending that USB3 and a GPU upgrade will be vital to me. The reality is that I've invested in a lot of equipment that won't work with USB3, and the GPU update will be marginal.On a more personal note, I am looking at a refurb i5 and thinking that I can use the money saved to get an iPad and maybe an iPhone 4.
Wish me luck.
For those waiting, I wish you well. The decision to buy is remarkably freeing
Aaaaaaargh! *snaps*
I'm going to make a purchase today.
I can't wait any more.
On a more personal note, I am looking at a refurb i5 and thinking that I can use the money saved to get an iPad and maybe an iPhone 4.
Wish me luck.
For those waiting, I wish you well. The decision to buy is remarkably freeing
Good for you, at least you were able to objectively look at it. Let us know how it goes when you receive it. I've also been eying some refurbs.
That's great, thanks. I'm not in the states - but the details help. Hmmm, one more follow up question - how many slots in the new iMacs? I was working under the impression that there's two. But it's been a while sisnce I've done this.
The new iMacs have four slots so 4x2GB will work. Older iMacs only have two slots
Seems HIGHLY unlikely for Apple to do a HW update on the same day as the earnings conference call: see Apple investor relations page for confirmation.
The HW update (whatever it is ....... MP or imac) will more likely be on the following Tuesday or the one after that, or ................ .
You go glen coco!Aaaaaaargh! *snaps*
I'm going to make a purchase today.
I can't wait any more.
On a more personal note, I am looking at a refurb i5 and thinking that I can use the money saved to get an iPad and maybe an iPhone 4.
Wish me luck.
For those waiting, I wish you well. The decision to buy is remarkably freeing
Does anyone think the refresh will include a mini-displayport in on any models smaller than the 27"... That's literally the only reason I am considering that sheer monstrous beast of a screen... 27" led for PS3 whilst multitasking to rip DVDs using Handbrake in super time >> sounds awesome, but a 21 (or 24!) option would be more sensible.
Someone mentioned above, the significant speed increase an iCore would have over C2D when using handbrake... what sort of percentage increases are we talking about here?
Someone mentioned above, the significant speed increase an iCore would have over C2D when using handbrake... what sort of percentage increases are we talking about here?