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Haswell (in Late 2013/2014 iMac) worth waiting?
- Thread starter wmy5
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Haswell is not 3-4 months away.
It is 5-6 months away, and even then they will be focusing on the mobile cpu's first. Desktop Haswell CPU's that could be used in the iMac are more like 9 months away, maybe more.
So I would expect Haswell Macbook's anywhere from say May - August and then Haswell iMac's more like September - November depending on how slow Apple is with the changeover.
It is 5-6 months away, and even then they will be focusing on the mobile cpu's first. Desktop Haswell CPU's that could be used in the iMac are more like 9 months away, maybe more.
So I would expect Haswell Macbook's anywhere from say May - August and then Haswell iMac's more like September - November depending on how slow Apple is with the changeover.
Point made though not being able to run the latest version of OS X does not indicate obsolence. When Apple dropped support for PPCs (Snow Leopard), those with G5s weren't left entirely out in the dark. 5-6 years is still about right.
The mid-2007 iMac will also run Mountain Lion. So estimates of 5 years are still more or less correct.
Upgrade as you need or can afford; upgrade every five/six years maximum if possible that was my point
I was in the same boat for 3 years and decided to get the 2012 iMac. I was not in a rush as I required USB 3.
I would only hold out for the 2013 iMac for the Retina Display. I have a Dell U2711 so waiting further would mismatch it.
But given the $500 premium of the MBPro with Retina Display over the MBPro I could imagine the 2013 iMac with Retina Display to exceed that added premium.
It is likely the 2013 iMac will sport a 4K resolution Retina Display.
This year's Intel chip (Ivy Bridge) supports 4K resolutions. So does GPUs from ATI/AMD and NVidia.
By 2017 I will be upgrading to a new desktop, probably with 4K or better resolution.
I would only hold out for the 2013 iMac for the Retina Display. I have a Dell U2711 so waiting further would mismatch it.
But given the $500 premium of the MBPro with Retina Display over the MBPro I could imagine the 2013 iMac with Retina Display to exceed that added premium.
It is likely the 2013 iMac will sport a 4K resolution Retina Display.
This year's Intel chip (Ivy Bridge) supports 4K resolutions. So does GPUs from ATI/AMD and NVidia.
By 2017 I will be upgrading to a new desktop, probably with 4K or better resolution.
Good point... who wants to be the loser on doomsday that doesn't have a 2012 iMac with Ivy Bridge chips? Certainly not me.
You should't ' wait for the next release of CPU to the iMAC as you will be in the same boat, once the iMAC's get a spec bump there will already be new cpu's planned to be released.
Just enjoy the today technology and buy the computer that most fits your needs.
I don't think we'll see Haswell CPU:s in any Mac until late 2013 to early 2014. If you don't need a new Mac now then by all means wait for Haswell but then when Apple start selling Macs with Haswell, Intel will probably announce something new and you're back at square one.
Don't try to keep up with tech cause it's pointless. I used to do it when I was a PC and windows fan boy and it was such a waste of money and time.
Don't try to keep up with tech cause it's pointless. I used to do it when I was a PC and windows fan boy and it was such a waste of money and time.
There will always be some component of a computer that will be faster in a few months. Buy what you need *now*.
An argument could be made if there would be a huge leap. Traditional HDDs to SDDs for example. Even then I would not leap right as it came out. Generation 2+ of anything will have better performance, bugs killed, and prices considerably lowered.
An argument could be made if there would be a huge leap. Traditional HDDs to SDDs for example. Even then I would not leap right as it came out. Generation 2+ of anything will have better performance, bugs killed, and prices considerably lowered.
With Ivy Bridge, the desktop CPUs were released first, and the laptop/ULV parts were last to be released to the market. Jugding by this, we could very likely have a Haswell iMac in late July/August. However, because Intel is so far ahead of AMD now, they might take some extra time getting the CPU out there on the market. Ivy Bridge was delayed, and Haswell might be too..
In the end, if you wait 7-9 months you'll most likely get the chance to buy a Haswell iMac. As someone else stated there is a definate problem with the retina resolutions needed for iMacs, as they're bigger than what thunderbolt supports at present. Therefore it's hard to guess when we'll see retina iMacs, but there will be Haswell iMacs for sure in Autumn 2012.
In the end, if you wait 7-9 months you'll most likely get the chance to buy a Haswell iMac. As someone else stated there is a definate problem with the retina resolutions needed for iMacs, as they're bigger than what thunderbolt supports at present. Therefore it's hard to guess when we'll see retina iMacs, but there will be Haswell iMacs for sure in Autumn 2012.
I can see Haswell chips in the 2013 iMac as soon as the Retina Display part becomes available.
I am positive that the reason why Apple even bothered to update the iMac's design is because of the Retina Display. It is just that the Retina Display wasn't available (for technical or cost reasons) so they didnt announce it.
I expect Apple to continue selling Ivy Bridge iMacs without Retina Display in 2013 while selling Haswell iMacs with Retina Display next year.
To be honest I wish they didn't delay the iMac by 6 months for the new design. I wouldn't mind the old style iMac with FW800 and SuperDrive. So long as USB 3 and Ivy Bridge was present.
I could easily swap out the SuperDrive and put in a SSD.
I am positive that the reason why Apple even bothered to update the iMac's design is because of the Retina Display. It is just that the Retina Display wasn't available (for technical or cost reasons) so they didnt announce it.
I expect Apple to continue selling Ivy Bridge iMacs without Retina Display in 2013 while selling Haswell iMacs with Retina Display next year.
To be honest I wish they didn't delay the iMac by 6 months for the new design. I wouldn't mind the old style iMac with FW800 and SuperDrive. So long as USB 3 and Ivy Bridge was present.
I could easily swap out the SuperDrive and put in a SSD.
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This is hilarious.
People were so angry that they waited 18 months for 2012 iMac. It's out now and the best computer from Apple money can buy now.
For Haswell, you'll be waiting for at least a year to see it in iMac (it'll probably be sooner for portables).
If you put this logic to use, you'd be waiting all the time for the next best thing. Sure I've made some regrets myself (like buying Macbook Pro 13" in december 2010) but the only important thing to look at is your needs and of course Buyer's Guide to give you an idea.
People were so angry that they waited 18 months for 2012 iMac. It's out now and the best computer from Apple money can buy now.
For Haswell, you'll be waiting for at least a year to see it in iMac (it'll probably be sooner for portables).
If you put this logic to use, you'd be waiting all the time for the next best thing. Sure I've made some regrets myself (like buying Macbook Pro 13" in december 2010) but the only important thing to look at is your needs and of course Buyer's Guide to give you an idea.
I think it would be foolish for you to wait in light of future CPU updates:
1- Apple won't likely be releasing updated iMac before next fall.
2- The speed increase you would get is negligible.
3- Now that the new design direction and Thunderbolt are implemented, there are few things we can reasonably predict as "the next big thing" for iMacs. The only one that comes to my mind is the Retina display, which by no means is likely to see the light any time soon, and it's certainly not so much needed in a desktop system like this.
Net, next generation of iMacs will very likely be "more of the same": a bit thinner design, a bit more power, a bit more fusion space, etc. Which is to say, like every other technological thing, something a bit more advanced for the same price. But no predictable breakthroughs: we already had one with this release, and that is the thin design (like/need it or not that's another story).
I don't see why you should be waiting: that is, if you need an iMac. If you don't, just don't buy it. But don't get into the waiting game one month after a product was released.
If it was June of next year i would give you the same advice.
The upgrade in desktop CPU speed from IB to Haswell should be relatively moderate, like from SB to IB - from what I've read anyway. The Haswell iMac could be a noticably more cooler/silent machine, but Haswell is mostly about less watt for laptop/ultraportable CPUs and idle states. I can't find any information that indicate Haswell should be a noticable cooler CPU at max load than Ivy Bridge, although it might be.. It's going to be very interesting to hear from those who ordered the new iMac with high-end 27'' configuration (i7 + 680mx), and if there's any heat/fan noise issues there.
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You're always smarter to wait if you can as you'll most certainly get more for your money. Simply asking if you should wait makes me believe that you don't really *need* to upgrade and if that's the case then yes you should wait.
All you're going to get for responses are "no, don't wait" from people who are buying now, and "yes, you should wait" from people who aren't.
All you're going to get for responses are "no, don't wait" from people who are buying now, and "yes, you should wait" from people who aren't.