iMac reliable or not???

[Overg]

Hi
I am waiting ( patiently I must say... ) for a year to buy the new iMac.
Reading more or less everything.
This will be my first Mac.
The more I read into this fourm and the more I dig in the net, I found that they are supr unreliable machine,also 'that if something goes wrong you have to pay a lot to fix it.
People say: buy apple care, but if I am dropping 2 grand on machine, I expect it to work flawlessly for at least 6 years over the 3 years apple care( and also why I need to buy it in first place? If it so so good).

I want one so bad, however to fix my computer every now and then sound unreasonable to me.
Also do you know if the main problems is from the hd? Or the screen? ( if mechanic hd then ssd might solve most of the issues

What the pro here say?
Thanks

[GunZi]

Originally Posted by Overg

Hi
I am waiting ( patiently I must say... ) for a year to buy the new iMac.
Reading more or less everything.
This will be my first Mac.
The more I read into this fourm and the more I dig in the net, I found that they are supr unreliable machine,also 'that if something goes wrong you have to pay a lot to fix it.
People say: buy apple care, but if I am dropping 2 grand on machine, I expect it to work flawlessly for at least 6 years over the 3 years apple care( and also why I need to buy it in first place? If it so so good).

I want one so bad, however to fix my computer every now and then sound unreasonable to me.
Also do you know if the main problems is from the hd? Or the screen? ( if mechanic hd then ssd might solve most of the issues

What the pro here say?
Thanks

i'll be buying the low end model of the new generation. and i really want to switch to an SSD, cause last time i checked HDD's dont last for more than 3-5 years? + HDD is much slower. i think that's that main issue, i expect everything else to work for a long time.

[SpyderBite]

Originally Posted by Overg

People say: buy apple care, but if I am dropping 2 grand on machine, I expect it to work flawlessly for at least 6 years over the 3 years apple care( and also why I need to buy it in first place? If it so so good).

At the end of the day it is still just a computer. Many components are exactly the same as you'd find in a common PC. There is no consumer grade computer in existence that will guarantee you 9 years of "flawless" performance.

Apple Care is optional. For many it is piece of mind. For others they just roll the dice and hope that something doesn't go wrong.

Computers break. That's just the way it is. Your expectations are too high. You are not paying for an invulnerable machine. You are paying for the style, brand and OS X.

Perhaps you should spend $600 on a Mac Mini before you jump in to a more expensive Mac? Cause it seems to me you are looking for more than any computer can offer you with today's technology.

[HowardSmith]

I have swore off spinning hard drives. I love apple hardware but it will be double SSDs for me.

[Macman45]

I'm on my second 27" maxed out iMac. I have had no hardware related issues at all, and the machine has proved rock solid, the basis of my entire workflow revolves around it. The only upgrade I performed was to install an extra 8GB of RAM taking it up to 16GB..

My current machine is the 2011 3.4GHZ I7 with the 2GB VRAM upgrade. It's connected to a Pegasus R4 and really does take everything I throw at it with consummate ease.

I do however take the point about SSD's over spinning platter based drives, but when my upgrade comes due next year, I will be considering the Fusion option. My original intention was to go to a Mac Pro, but with the new specs, another maxed out iMac is not out of the question, and there will be time for me to see how the new drives function before I make my final decision early next year.

As posted, machines do break down, but my iMac experience has been a very positive one.

[macs4nw]

Originally Posted by Overg

Hi I am waiting ( patiently I must say... ) for a year to buy the new iMac. Reading more or less everything. This will be my first Mac. The more I read into this fourm and the more I dig in the net, I found that they are supr unreliable machine,also 'that if something goes wrong you have to pay a lot to fix it. People say: buy apple care, but if I am dropping 2 grand on machine, I expect it to work flawlessly for at least 6 years over the 3 years apple care( and also why I need to buy it in first place? If it so so good). I want one so bad, however to fix my computer every now and then sound unreasonable to me. Also do you know if the main problems is from the hd? Or the screen? ( if mechanic hd then ssd might solve most of the issues What the pro here say? Thanks

Disclaimer: I'm in no way touting myself as a pro here. LOL
In spite of the foregoing, I will respond to your post by saying, you needn't worry too much about all those rumors about 'the sky falling'. APPLE computers, by and large, are pretty reliable machines, and of the six Macs I've owned since the late nineties, none of them have ever failed, and I've never had a hard drive fail on me either. I HAVE had a 2TB TimeCapsule die on me, but it wasn't the HDD inside, but rather the power supply that failed due to overheating, so it's not as gloomy as you might have been led to believe.

In fact SpyderBite below, summed it up very well; solid advice imho.

Originally Posted by SpyderBite

At the end of the day it is still just a computer. Many components are exactly the same as you'd find in a common PC. There is no consumer grade computer in existence that will guarantee you 9 years of "flawless" performance. Apple Care is optional. For many it is piece of mind. For others they just roll the dice and hope that something doesn't go wrong. Computers break. That's just the way it is. Your expectations are too high. You are not paying for an invulnerable machine. You are paying for the style, brand and OS X. Perhaps you should spend $600 on a Mac Mini before you jump in to a more expensive Mac? Cause it seems to me you are looking for more than any computer can offer you with today's technology.

[macs4nw]

Originally Posted by Macman45

I'm on my second 27" maxed out iMac. I have had no hardware related issues at all, and the machine has proved rock solid, the basis of my entire workflow revolves around it. The only upgrade I performed was to install an extra 8GB of RAM taking it up to 16GB... My current machine is the 2011 3.4GHZ I7 with the 2GB VRAM upgrade. It's connected to a Pegasus R4 and really does take everything I throw at it with consummate ease. I do however take the point about SSD's over spinning platter based drives, but when my upgrade comes due next year, I will be considering the Fusion option. My original intention was to go to a Mac Pro, but with the new specs, another maxed out iMac is not out of the question, and there will be time for me to see how the new drives function before I make my final decision early next year. As posted, machines do break down, but my iMac experience has been a very positive one.

Other than the PEGASUS R4, I'm in a similar situation, and I have the exact same strategy. The new FUSION drive offers the best of both worlds, and then some, and is a no-brainer to me. I'll just wait for the 'bugs' to be ironed out, which hopefully ties in nicely with HASWELL's and 802.11ac's introductions to the iMac line. Mid 2013 to Fall 2013 is, I believe, a realistic timeframe.

[torana355]

Im still rocking my 2008 imac and it has never gone wrong. It gets left on 24/7 too.

[skyenet]

Originally Posted by Overg

Hi

The more I read into this fourm and the more I dig in the net, I found that they are supr unreliable machine,also 'that if something goes wrong you have to pay a lot to fix it.

Obviously you will find more comments about Apple hardware problems than folk who have no problems and are perfectly happy with their computers. I have owned around 30 Apple computers (3 iMacs) and products over the last 25 odd years. All computers are on 24/7 as well.

The only problem I have ever had was some marks on my 2009 27" screen. There were not too bad at all but when I got my hard drive replaced (it was still working fine) through their current replacement programme, they replaced the screen free of charge (23 months out of warranty)

So I have had probably at least £13,000 worth of products, never had Applecare and never had to pay for any spare parts/service. Apart from the free screen replacement I have also had a 1TB hard drive and an iPod Nano replaced through their replacement programmes, despite not having any problems with either items.

I have no hesitation going for a full BTO iMac 27" (will get Ram elsewhere) but because there are some new designs and technologies I think I will take out Applecare this time. Don't reckon I'll need it but it will be piece of mind for such an expensive purchase.

[Slow Programmer]

Over the years I have purchased 3 iMacs and they all still run just fine. I think most people are the same. I don't post threads such as, "My iMac is not having problems." People only post when a problem happens. That does nothing to tell you what percent of computers have issues because you only hear from the people having trouble.

[SandboxGeneral]

I have two iMac's, a 2008 model and a 2010 model and they're both working quite well. I did have the LCD replaced on the 2010 model this year due to discoloration, but AppleCare took care of it and all is well.

IMO, these are very well built machines. I had a 2006 MacBook Pro that I used daily for years. Then about 2 years ago I gave it to some friends in need and now they're still using it daily as their main computer.