New iMac - order online or go to the shop

Mic2904 said:

Guys, I am getting a 21" Mac on Friday, though my prefered option would be to actually go into a shop. This will be my first Imac and for the money i pay, i want at least a genius to help me set it up. I am aware I can possibly do it myself, but for the price I think its the very least Apple should do

Does Apple take the Imac from the same stock or will there be a seperat stock within the store?

Also, does anyone know there will be a queue? How have past releases been?

Good thing is I am off on Friday, so i have the time anyway

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I'm assuming you mean a real Apple retail store, not a 3rd-party authorized reseller.

I suggest calling the store Thursday evening. Confirm the time the store will open on Friday. They might even tell you if they expect to have the 21.5" iMac in stock.

Try to be at the store when it opens. I don't expect iPhone-style lines when the iMac arrives, but don't be surprised if they sell out before the end of the day.

The store won't have all the variant systems in stock. The best you can reasonably expect is that they will have both of the base 21.5" models available.

If you want any of the configure-to-order options, you'll almost certainly need to order online. If you order online, you can likely have it shipped to the store, where you'll pick it up and get set-up assistance. But confirm this by phoning the store before ordering.

I have my fingers crossed on whether or not the Fusion Drive will be available in stores tomorrow. It seems like it will be a popular choice (not to mention an upgrade with a nice margin for Apple). Hopefully it is available as I cannot wait any longer!!

I'm going to the shop tomorrow

do they generally help you with set up on same day ? i.e wouldnt you need to book a Genious appointment.


Genious Appointments alone in all my local stores have up to a weeks wait.

Save yourself the hassle and just order it from Mac mall now like I just did if you want a custom job. I maxed it out.

Usually that day they'll perform a basic setup to get you up and running right when you purchase it.

I'll be paying the local one a visit at 10am. I am really banking on the Fusion Drive being available in store.

Johnf1285 said:

I have my fingers crossed on whether or not the Fusion Drive will be available in stores tomorrow. It seems like it will be a popular choice (not to mention an upgrade with a nice margin for Apple). Hopefully it is available as I cannot wait any longer!!

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they are going to try to upsell the crap outta it. I almost picture these 21inches like car dealerships. They might have a few of the base model without but I bet they have even more with the fusion drive in them.

TouchMint.com said:

they are going to try to upsell the crap outta it. I almost picture these 21inches like car dealerships. They might have a few of the base model without but I bet they have even more with the fusion drive in them.

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That's what I'm thinking. It's a huge profit increase for the company to sell those models and there really isn't much to them at all. If I had to guess, the logic board in both 21.5" models has the msata connection and mounting hardware for their proprietary SSD. It's just then a mater of a special driver or build of OS X to be preloaded. Done deal.

I really hope this is the case.