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Would you buy an iMac now?

richard13

richard13

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Aug 1, 2008
1,041
782
Odessa, FL
So, I have been happily using my MacBook Pro for 2 years but now it's time to purchase a new computer to replace my 3+ year old desktop. The MBP is still good but I really need something better for playing WoW. The 27" iMac is very tempting with it's sleek design and beautiful screen but it's been 4 months since Apple did their last refresh. If I read the Buyer's Guide correctly the iMac gets a refresh every 8 months or so on average.

I normally don't worry about stuff like this but with such a short refresh schedule I wonder if it would be a mistake to buy in the "trough" of the cycle. What do you guys think?

Thanks!
 
I think you should wait a little bit because I have this weird feeling in the back of my mind that Apple will release the new iMacs. Just have some patience, I am sure they will come soon enough.
 
I was pretty much in the same situation and went for it. The iMac 27" i7 with turbo boost is an awesome machine and will be for the next three years. Whatcha waiting for?:)
 
If the potential(s) of LightPeak and/or USB 3 and/or new processor are of interest / need to you, then wait... but how long? Otherwise, if you want to enjoy something now, and live just fine with the march of technology w/o any regrets [well, not too many!], then buy now.

BTW - I'm waiting ;)
 
I am in the same boat, but cannot wait until next year for a new computer so I ordered an i7 iMac today. I know I'll be hating it when the new models come out, but that happens rather quickly with every computer I have ever purchased, so what's new?
 
get it now , if you wait until "maybe there will come something better" as i promise you "there will come something better" , apple does not stop with the i7 development on the iMac they are working right now at the new one and once that is done they start all over again , so if you wait you will never get one as there is always something in the pipelines and as soon as a "new" one comes in the shops its outdated already as development has started on the next generation and apples resell value is good so if you feel you need the never one after 9 month get it
 
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Get it now. Start enjoying it as soon as possible. New things are always coming out so you will never end up getting something because you will be hearing rumors about the next model's features. If you like what the iMac has to offer now, get it. And as MacHamster68 said, if you decide that you NEED to have those new features then you can sell it and upgrade.
 
I was having a similar dilemma 1 month ago, wait or buy now, I decided the i7 2.93 iMac was more than sufficient for my needs for the next few years, glad I bought it now!
 
Golfwolf said:
I was having a similar dilemma 1 month ago, wait or buy now, I decided the i7 2.93 iMac was more than sufficient for my needs for the next few years, glad I bought it now!
Click to expand...
A 2.93 MHz i7 is really a very powerful processor. It'll be enough for the majority of the population for a couple of years.

And the backlit LED 27" Apple monitor that comes with it is really quite good. The only thing I've seen that comes close is an RGB LED screen that comes on some Dell computers, but they do not market it well because it is an expensive option at the level at which Dell sells its computers. I've had an XPS 1645 with the RGB LED screen, and it really is very good...but if you discount the price of a 27" LED 2560x1440 monitor from the price of an iMac, you end up wondering why they don't cost more than they do.

If I were configuring my machine myself, I'd have added an SSD. But my machine is a refurb and it was quite cheap compared to configuring my own new machine. I do not miss the SSD right now because I find I can leave the iMac turned on all the time, and it wakes from sleep even faster than an SSD's load time from startup, with the applications already load.

:)

So...if you need a good, strong computer, and you like OSX, I'd go ahead.

There's always something new and better over the horizon. If you keep waiting for the best thing on the horizon, you'll never be able to buy anything at all.
 
Hey guys.

Thanks for the responses!

Believe me I understand and agree with the idea that there always will be a newer, better version so you just have to jump in at some point. The current iMac is a wonderful computer so I wouldn't feel like I've made a bad decision if I just went for it. And, I just might.

My reasons to wait are as follows:

  • The next revision should tick sometime around Feb/Mar 2011. Maybe. And it's not that far off. On the other hand, there could always be delays due to hardware availability or maybe even Lion.
  • I'm still flabbergasted that Apple hasn't upgraded the SuperDrive to include Blu-Ray capabilities. Maybe they might include this?
  • Intel should be releasing Sandy Bridge processors any day now.
  • There are better video cards out there that Apple could be using.
  • Apple might fix some of the problems current owners have. Conversely they could introduce new ones.

Looking over my "wait" list I'm thinking that while these are good reasons they aren't as compelling as I once thought. Either way, I should come to a decision soon.

Thanks to all for your opinions and input. Considering how many others are in my boat I think this is a really good conversation to have!
 
richard13 said:
I'm still flabbergasted that Apple hasn't upgraded the SuperDrive to include Blu-Ray capabilities. Maybe they might include this?
Click to expand...

I think Steve believes that optical media is dead. If Apple had really liked Blu-Ray, we would have already seen it in Macs.

Intel should be releasing Sandy Bridge processors any day now.
Click to expand...

CES: January 6-9, 2011. Just like before

There are better video cards out there that Apple could be using.
Click to expand...

There is only ATI 5870 which is marginally better than 5850 (just higher clocks). Although there is nVidia GTX 460M but it's like a BBQ compared to 5850M (39W vs 72W) and not that much better.

ATI Mobility 6000-series should be out in few months but specs are unknown.
 
Hellhammer said:
I think Steve believes that optical media is dead. If Apple had really liked Blu-Ray, we would have already seen it in Macs.
Click to expand...
Yup. And how many Blu-Ray machines come with a way to stream video like Apple TV? Every one that I've ever seen.
 
I hope to pick up the low end 21.5 tomorrow. Blu-Ray won't happen, USB3/Lightpeak may happen, but hey, I REALLY don't need that right now. The only thing I would use it for is external storage. But I am satisfied with current speeds really. When I think about what is coming, I realize it will shave seconds off what I am doing now, But....I'm not in that much of a rush. A few seconds here and there really don't mean much. If you sleep an extra 2 minutes in the morning, why do you care if the video render is done 15 seconds faster?
The next reason I would upgrade is the return of the 24". The 27 is too big, but the 21.5 is actually a downgrade from the monitor I am using. THAT is disappointing.
 
Wait until better SSD options in iMac, who knows they might put mini-SATA like SSD in iMac (similar to Macbook Air).

if you can wait then wait until feb/mar 2011 and see what happens...
 
I just bought one Friday, and I can tell you it's not a bad time. The MR buyer's guide said it was neutral. That means you're in the middle of a cycle. I had to buy a computer, so there wasn't really much choice. But I don't think you can go wrong right now.

Having said that, after I bought each of my two previous Macs, a new model was released five weeks later. The Mac Mini was the worst because the Intel switch happened. The MacBook Pro wasn't as big of a deal, although the GPU was changed and that's what failed on my MBP. So if I'm some sort of barometer, you might want to wait five weeks.

Let me tell you that you'll LOVE the new machines. I was worried about the glare of a glossy screen, but that's not an issue with how bright the backlit LED is. You may get a little if something is very black, but I don't know how much you can do about it. Apple is a glossy-loving company now.
 
lcseds said:
I hope to pick up the low end 21.5 tomorrow. Blu-Ray won't happen, USB3/Lightpeak may happen, but hey, I REALLY don't need that right now.
Click to expand...

Like I said above I need a computer now so I couldn't wait, but I REALLY wish the iMacs had USB3 or eSATA now.
 
I'm different than most of you all. Every few years I buy the cheapest iMac. Particularly when they have just expanded the chip line, like now with the i3 and previously with the C2D. Even the lower level C2D performed at, or close, to the more top of the line iMacs with the earlier chips. The C2D lasted a long time. Being that Apple is still offering C2D, the i-Series is going to be around al long time.

I just got the entry-lever 21.5" i3 refurbished. I wondered about yellow screen, I wondered about if it would have iLife '11. I wondered if I shouldn't have gotten the i5. But this thing is perfect. Preloaded with iLive '11, beautiful screen, easy migration. It exceeded my expectations.
 
TMRaven said:
Not really true. Unless you mean for the lower end iMacs.
Click to expand...

No, I mean any iMac. There are way better video cards they could use. That said, it may not make much sense trying to cram them into the iMac case (heat/size may be a significant problem). The point is, that no matter what the next iMac looks like, Apple could conceivably have better hardware in their all-in-one computer line. Not a big deal.
 
richpjr said:
Like I said above I need a computer now so I couldn't wait, but I REALLY wish the iMacs had USB3 or eSATA now.
Click to expand...

eSATA will never happen and from Job's recent quote, I doubt USB 3 will too. Seems like they'll be jumping straight to light peak.
 
richard13 said:
No, I mean any iMac. There are way better video cards they could use. That said, it may not make much sense trying to cram them into the iMac case (heat/size may be a significant problem). The point is, that no matter what the next iMac looks like, Apple could conceivably have better hardware in their all-in-one computer line. Not a big deal.
Click to expand...

Heat and size would be a significant problem. Unless apple goes with towers for their next iMacs, or completely ditches either the hdd and/or odd, you won't be seeing desktop grade gpus in them. Making the iMac a couple inches thicker wouldn't solve that problem either, only surface area would.

But with that said, the 5750 (mobility 5850) is the best mobile gpu apple could have put in the iMac (barring 5870-- which is same card but 10% higher clock) or 480m-- which may as well be called a desktop card.
 
Get it now! i7, will still be great in a few years, waiting for the new ones and with all their glitches, bugs and discoloreds screens, etc, no thanks. I mean, they havent done too much about this series yellow-tint, grey bars and all. have they?
 
richpjr said:
Like I said above I need a computer now so I couldn't wait, but I REALLY wish the iMacs had USB3 or eSATA now.
Click to expand...

eSATA? Do people really still talk about this? Much hype but in reality its a joke in the PC world, I can't imagine how it would be relevant to the Mac.

USB3 would be nice though.
 
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