Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

No iMac refresh?

N

nathanlloyd

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 7, 2009
70
0
UK
What's everybody's thoughts on this? I need a new iMac (Macbook Pro running slow and getting old). I don't know whether it's worth holding off for a little longer.

Was really hoping Tim would do an 'and finally' yesterday.
 
Agent Smith

Agent Smith

macrumors 6502
Mar 21, 2004
261
0
Toronto, ON
Yesterday's event was iPhone based, so in a way I'm not surprised that there weren't any other product refreshes. Now that the iPhone is out of the way, it's time for Apple to focus on Mavericks. I suspect that refreshes will happen on or just after Mavericks launches.
 
K

klharper

macrumors member
May 2, 2007
45
5
I too was holding out for a hopeful last minute refresh.

However, at this point, it's not practical for me to wait any longer.
I need a new computer for a few projects by the beginning of October - it's looking like realistically, we're not gonna see the new iMac until the beginning of November, in terms of when you can physically have it.

At this point, it looks like a best case co-release with Mavericks, which we're all forecasting as a late October announce. I don't expect the wait gap/availability issues of last years iMac announcement [barring any drastic physical changes, which none of us are expecting either] - but I'd still give at least a safety lead time of 2 weeks from the announcement/release of new iMacs to when you can expect to have one in your home.

And then again, there's no guarantee new iMacs are released in October. Who knows, maybe they even "skip" a refresh cycle until something bigger and better is available to the iMac?
But me personally - I do believe that new iMacs will be announced sometime in Q4 this year. And despite that, I'm still looking to get a 2012 refurb in the next few days.

I do primarily audio work. For me, any new hope of upgrades still doesn't beat the deal of a current refurb.
Main point of interest being the processor for me - we're gonna see, realistically, a 5% CPU increase overall with Haswell. Sure, there is AVX2 [which is leading people to believe that Handbrake is 2x faster on a Haswell], but unless things can specifically utilize the instruction set, it's going to be something that isn't a game changer.
Wifi - sure .ac would be nice, but it's not something that I'm not going to be able to take advantage of for another few years, at least.
PCIe SSD - yes it'd be awesome, and we can all hope for it, but a Fusion drive is going to do what I need for a while.
Graphics - not a concern for me - and the model I'm looking to get has a 680MX, which is already gonna be overkill for me [too bad you can't CTO refurbs... :p]
TB2 - probably the biggest thing to miss out on, if it makes it to the iMac this time around, for me. Purely for the expansion possibilities and bus speed possibilities. But again - not something that will prohibit me from doing what I need to do.

Now what I'm really waiting on - if Sonnet would go ahead already and get that damn Echo 15 out... :D
 
comatory

comatory

macrumors 6502a
Apr 10, 2012
738
0
klharper said:
I too was holding out for a hopeful last minute refresh.

However, at this point, it's not practical for me to wait any longer.
I need a new computer for a few projects by the beginning of October - it's looking like realistically, we're not gonna see the new iMac until the beginning of November, in terms of when you can physically have it.

At this point, it looks like a best case co-release with Mavericks, which we're all forecasting as a late October announce. I don't expect the wait gap/availability issues of last years iMac announcement [barring any drastic physical changes, which none of us are expecting either] - but I'd still give at least a safety lead time of 2 weeks from the announcement/release of new iMacs to when you can expect to have one in your home.

And then again, there's no guarantee new iMacs are released in October. Who knows, maybe they even "skip" a refresh cycle until something bigger and better is available to the iMac?
But me personally - I do believe that new iMacs will be announced sometime in Q4 this year. And despite that, I'm still looking to get a 2012 refurb in the next few days.

I do primarily audio work. For me, any new hope of upgrades still doesn't beat the deal of a current refurb.
Main point of interest being the processor for me - we're gonna see, realistically, a 5% CPU increase overall with Haswell. Sure, there is AVX2 [which is leading people to believe that Handbrake is 2x faster on a Haswell], but unless things can specifically utilize the instruction set, it's going to be something that isn't a game changer.
Wifi - sure .ac would be nice, but it's not something that I'm not going to be able to take advantage of for another few years, at least.
PCIe SSD - yes it'd be awesome, and we can all hope for it, but a Fusion drive is going to do what I need for a while.
Graphics - not a concern for me - and the model I'm looking to get has a 680MX, which is already gonna be overkill for me [too bad you can't CTO refurbs... :p]
TB2 - probably the biggest thing to miss out on, if it makes it to the iMac this time around, for me. Purely for the expansion possibilities and bus speed possibilities. But again - not something that will prohibit me from doing what I need to do.

Now what I'm really waiting on - if Sonnet would go ahead already and get that damn Echo 15 out... :D
Click to expand...

Yeah well I was kinda in your boat last year. I really needed new Mac by the end of september/early Oct. There were no signs back then and some news trickled in, really nothing. Redesigned iMacs were a big surprise, there were not many leaks.

Remember, there was an event late Oct last year, I expect that there should be one this year as well. Primary focus will definitely be Macbook Pros with retina display (and Classic), maybe new iPads and new Mac Pro could be available as well.

I dont think they will skip gens. There's TB2 to be had and wifi AC definitely, I could see them offering PCIe SSD in iMacs as well, at least in 27".
Only reason for me to wait for new iMacs would be just to own second-gen of new design. There are some flaws with these gen iMacs (especially display) and overall, later models tend to be more resilient and reliable.

Last year I didnt wait as well, I bought a used 09 Mac Pro and stuffed it with heaps of RAM and storage, couldnt be happier. In the end I decided that Quad 09 Pro is enough power for me now, I could always get SATAIII card and six core CPU later. So far its fast enough for everything. I just didnt want AIO, the rate of failing GPUs and bad displays are just too big. Too much hassle to have iMac replaced and in my country there is no official Apple store, only resellers. Its hard to have the unit replaced, they always try to fix it first - which we know usually brings more problems.
 
S

Serban

Suspended
Jan 8, 2013
5,159
928
the refresh will be in October for iMac and macbook pro, along side with the ipads.
 
B

bleumax

macrumors newbie
Sep 25, 2009
27
1
I decided not to wait for the refresh and placed an order yesterday from BHPhoto. I figure that even if they announce an update in October, it may not be available for a month or two after that.

Some retailers, like BHPhoto, provide a modest discount and do not collect sales tax outside of their state. BHPhoto throws in Parallels and also provides a discount on lightroom and applecare when you purchase the software with the imac.
 
comatory

comatory

macrumors 6502a
Apr 10, 2012
738
0
well even if you wait few more weeks wouldnt 2012 refurbished iMacs be cheaper?

but i see the value in added software and tax decrease.
 
E

ElectronGuru

macrumors 68000
Sep 5, 2013
1,656
489
Oregon, USA
More time always gets you more tech and/or less cost, so it's a question of the cost of more time. Current setups may be slow enough that reduced productivity makes waiting impractical.

Otoh, last years launch didn't go so well, so they may have learned their lesson and won't announce until the new stuff is or is just about to be ready.
 
B

bleumax

macrumors newbie
Sep 25, 2009
27
1
comatory said:
well even if you wait few more weeks wouldnt 2012 refurbished iMacs be cheaper?

but i see the value in added software and tax decrease.
Click to expand...

The Apple store doesn't currently have the configuration that I want. Plus, taxes are almost 10% where I live, so a discount on Applecare and software (Lightroom 5) makes it about breakeven for a brand new iMac versus a refurbished one (unless the refurbished price came down further). AppleCare is a must for me since I've had iMac hardware issues in the past.

In the meantime, I can use the iMac now. :D
 
K

klharper

macrumors member
May 2, 2007
45
5
comatory said:
Yeah well I was kinda in your boat last year. I really needed new Mac by the end of september/early Oct. There were no signs back then and some news trickled in, really nothing. Redesigned iMacs were a big surprise, there were not many leaks.

Remember, there was an event late Oct last year, I expect that there should be one this year as well. Primary focus will definitely be Macbook Pros with retina display (and Classic), maybe new iPads and new Mac Pro could be available as well.

I dont think they will skip gens. There's TB2 to be had and wifi AC definitely, I could see them offering PCIe SSD in iMacs as well, at least in 27".
Only reason for me to wait for new iMacs would be just to own second-gen of new design. There are some flaws with these gen iMacs (especially display) and overall, later models tend to be more resilient and reliable.

Last year I didnt wait as well, I bought a used 09 Mac Pro and stuffed it with heaps of RAM and storage, couldnt be happier. In the end I decided that Quad 09 Pro is enough power for me now, I could always get SATAIII card and six core CPU later. So far its fast enough for everything. I just didnt want AIO, the rate of failing GPUs and bad displays are just too big. Too much hassle to have iMac replaced and in my country there is no official Apple store, only resellers. Its hard to have the unit replaced, they always try to fix it first - which we know usually brings more problems.
Click to expand...

Good points.

I was kind of hoping to go the used Mac Pro route. The way I see it, though, it's not worth over a 2012 iMac with 3.4GHz i7 it unless it's a medium-higher clocked 6-core.
I know a lot of folks are getting 4,1's, flashing them up to 5,1, and dropping in 6-cores themselves, but my turnaround time is getting tight on here. And I haven't found any good and trustworthy used deals that have enticed me yet.
[I did find a guy selling a base 12-core system for $1500:eek: - but I obviously missed out by a few days on that one! ]

However long I wait [which is getting down to one day at this point, really], I can't help but feel that new iMacs are coming out 15 days after I buy one, no matter what! :p
 
comatory

comatory

macrumors 6502a
Apr 10, 2012
738
0
klharper said:
Good points.

I was kind of hoping to go the used Mac Pro route. The way I see it, though, it's not worth over a 2012 iMac with 3.4GHz i7 it unless it's a medium-higher clocked 6-core.
I know a lot of folks are getting 4,1's, flashing them up to 5,1, and dropping in 6-cores themselves, but my turnaround time is getting tight on here. And I haven't found any good and trustworthy used deals that have enticed me yet.
[I did find a guy selling a base 12-core system for $1500:eek: - but I obviously missed out by a few days on that one! ]

However long I wait [which is getting down to one day at this point, really], I can't help but feel that new iMacs are coming out 15 days after I buy one, no matter what! :p
Click to expand...

yep going with Mac Pro is not for everyone. especially now with new CPU architectures, the gap between 2-3 year old Xeons is getting smaller each year, especially with quadcore CPUs. my Mac Pro is basically now something like quad i7 iMac. you will definitely get OS upgrades for longer than I am.

but if you find a good deal on six core, I'd go with it. putting dedicated GPU in Mac Pro is still good option today, not to mention all the drives etc.

If you live in US I think you have possibility to return the iMac within 30 days with some vendors. At least thats what I've heard. So push your purchase date as you can and buy from this vendor, when new iMacs are announced, you can just return it and get a new one. transferring your data from Time Machine backup should get you back to work in less than an hour.

Good luck with your decision!
 
S

Saltymac

macrumors member
Aug 19, 2013
99
0
Rocky Mt State
If you truly need the new hardware now buy it now otherwise wait until the Holiday shopping season. Only you know if this is a "I want it now " vs "I need it now" decision. My wants are often checked by the size of my bank account. It was not a surprise to me for Apple not to mix in the iMAC and other hardware updates yesterday. Apple is focused on the big issue of iOS devices and iphones. They are the main components to maintain and build revenues and market share not iMAC's, MBP's and Pro's. It appears some of the previous K-12 education focus on hardware has moved from (emacs) iMAC's and Pro's to iPAD's. Schools can afford to buy 3 or 4 ipads to each iMac. The current MacPro hardware appears to be dead to Apple with all emphasis on the nMP offering. The cell phone business deal with China is huge and iPhones take a priority over their other offerings. The iMAC redo will most likely happen in coordination with the MacBook Pro update as they share the same approach to the internal hardware. The timing of the Air Update was to make back to school shopping easier for those looking at laptops. They have to make sure sure any updates work with established OS's, hardware (as listed in Mt. Lion upgrade requirements) and the new Mavericks. The new A7 / M7 chips helps move the iOS user towards the power of the MAC OS platform / applications (programs) while the new Mavericks will move users towards a iOS APPS experience.
 
Last edited:
B

bp1000

macrumors 65816
Jul 7, 2011
1,476
185
I need a new 27" iMac too

I knew it was an iPhone event yesterday but I was hoping for a small segment about Haswell wifi-ac iMacs.

Oh well, hopefully the iPad event in October along with mavericks
 
A

akm3

macrumors 68020
Nov 15, 2007
2,252
279
klharper said:
Graphics - not a concern for me - and the model I'm looking to get has a 680MX, which is already gonna be overkill for me [too bad you can't CTO refurbs... :p]
Click to expand...

You CAN get CTO refurbs, they just don't come up as often. If you are patient you'll see a refurb with a 680mx. It might also have a huge SSD drive or something, but...
 
tomwvr

tomwvr

macrumors regular
Jun 12, 2012
213
98
Frederick Maryland
I dont think we will see an Imac until next spring

You will have the new MacBook Pros coming out and the new PRO

Too much there to also see a new iMac

All you may see is a silent refresh with some slightly different changes in HD/SSD but no processor or video upgrades until spring next year - that is my guess.

Tom
 
A

AFPBoy

macrumors regular
Jun 7, 2011
115
73
tomwvr said:
I dont think we will see an Imac until next spring

You will have the new MacBook Pros coming out and the new PRO

Too much there to also see a new iMac

All you may see is a silent refresh with some slightly different changes in HD/SSD but no processor or video upgrades until spring next year - that is my guess.
Click to expand...

I, too, think that Apple may not want to dilute the 'excitement' of an updated MacBook Pro and Mac Pro with the release of an iMac, and may delay the iMac update until spring. I'm still kind of surprised that they talked last October about Macs and iPads together, it will be interesting to see if something similar happens this October.

I'm not sure about the silent update being just the HD/SSD combo. If anything I would guess that they would update the CPU and GPU and keep the drive options the same, just so that Apple doesn't appear to be using old technology and that would be the easiest to do.
 
theRevIsNotDead

theRevIsNotDead

macrumors member
Aug 17, 2013
77
0
So does anyone have any rumored dates for the refresh to be available? I've been holding out since June, but I'm pretty impatient...

I feel like the iMacs will be a silent update, seeing as the new processors aren't a huge upgrade for desktops.
 
kazmac

kazmac

macrumors G4
Mar 24, 2010
10,086
8,627
Any place but here or there....
as many have been saying

the possible time for update would be late October when Mavericks is released.

I'm holding out as long as my 2010 iMac does, which I hope will be at least another year, or two, if possible.
 
A

AFPBoy

macrumors regular
Jun 7, 2011
115
73
I'm hoping for October as well. If I don't hear anything then I will likely purchase a late 2012 iMac. I would guess it could then be spring or summer until the next update.
 
theRevIsNotDead

theRevIsNotDead

macrumors member
Aug 17, 2013
77
0
AFPBoy said:
I'm hoping for October as well. If I don't hear anything then I will likely purchase a late 2012 iMac. I would guess it could then be spring or summer until the next update.
Click to expand...

That sounds like a good course of action. I'll do the same. They better update this October!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom