Part of my reasoning for going for a refreshed iMac over a Mac Pro is that while it's powerful enough to hold me over for the next 3-4 years (probably longer), its cost is also "low" enough that if I end up needing to sell it and replace it with an AS Mac in 2 years, I'm not losing too much. It's also the sort of machine that works well as a hand-me-down to family members/friends, so that's another way it could retain worth and usefulness if it ends up getting displaced by its newer AS-based cousin.
That's much much harder if not impossible to justify with a Mac Pro. If I end up buying one of those, I'm going to have to stick with it for at least 5 years for it to be worth it, maybe picking up a MacBook Air at some point during that period to fill any ARM Mac needs.
If you bought the refreshed entry iMac at £1750, I'd guess it will, in practical terms, perform as well as the entry iMac Pro or entry Mac Pro. Saving you thousands. Thousands. Considering you have to BTO the Mac Pro beyond it's laughable base spec. Ergo the entry price of the Mac Pro isn't really £6k is it?
An entry refreshed iMac (the incoming model...) will serve you easily for two years whilst the AS Death Star moves into position.
£2k iMac over five years. £400 per year. £1k per year if you hold it for two years. And you could probably get at least half of that back and put it to AS iMac when you're ready.
Azrael.
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I have stopped listening to "leakers", they have lost all creditability regarding the iMac...
You almost get the feeling they were played...?
Not much of a squeak out of them since.
Azrael.
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iMac stands out for the crowd and has been doing so for a long time. I think Apple is emptying the channels. iMac release seem unlikely in Sept as it would clash with the iDevices and if not now it will be in October together with the AS iMac? Then the iMac has been nearly impossible to get for 1/2 year.
Considering the high price and mediocre specs, it could take a while to empty those channels.
If the IntEl iMac launches September and the AS iMac launches end of year...
This means the two iMacs, 24 and 27 will be side by side in marketing terms. Will one have the new design and one the old design? That would be ugly and odd.
Will the 21 inch version be axed? ie. No intel version? If the new Intel iMac launches at 27 inches with no 21 inch then the pending 24 inch will have to co-exist. A transition by its very nature suggests some level of co-existence if it's going to take two years (which I don't believe it will.)
Ming is saying new 24 inch iMac end of year. Apple are saying AS by the end of the year. But they didn't specify iMac or Macbook (the latter makes more sense based on sales...and giving the biggest up lift in performance and on the virtues of AS silicon more easily demonstrated.)
Will the iMac be released in October with Intel 27 inch iMac and 24 inch AS iMac standing side by side?
Azrael.
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What makes you think you will have go go AS in two years? I‘m still curious to see how long it will take for all Pro software to get rewritten and optimized for the new architecture. And if all software really makes it or some niche ones will just stop Mac support because if that.
The investment with an iMac is smaller but the flexibility is smaller as well. Also, it might lose value faster in comparison. The AIO concept is going to take advantage of the new chips in terms of thermals and therefor performance & design and will outshine the Intel iMacs quite soon. The Mac Pro on the other hand in some respect is already well balanced thermally and has PCIE slots. Even when Apple drops support one day you might still upgrade it with standard parts and could run Windows on it to use it as a server or render slave.
It varies according to company.
Some, like Affinity, were very aggressive with the move to Mac and then to iPad. Adobe trailed in the move to iPad. But, tellingly, they're not waiting around on this transition to get started on the AS Macs. Wonder why?
(They were the laggards on the last transition...) Even M$ are getting their skates on with Office.
Why?
Because the Mac has access to 1 million iPad apps and millions of iPhone apps with the move to ARM. It means a universe more competition for those two companies. And in a ARM market of over a billion devices? That means £££.
The ability to recompile to ARM takes days. And if software companies have been 'doing it right' then it will be quicky and relatively painless. And for the rest?
Runs like butter. Smooth as. Emulation translated at install time.
This transition started along time ago and we'll find out which companies have had their eye on the ball.
You get progressive companies and monopoly companies that haven't been used to competition.
I'm really looking forward to ARM Mac.
You're right on the AiO. It will shine like a star on AS. More cores. More efficiency. Cooler running. That sweet spot 24 incher....price it right and watch it go...
Yes please.
Azrael.
www.macworld.com
www.costco.com
