1st Mac purchase - should I buy or wait?

[AirHej]

I'm making the jump to Mac from the PC world. My computer usage is primarily the internet, Word/Excel, and some photo editing. I don't need the latest and greatest. When the new Mac 2012 is supposed to be released on 10/24, what happens with the current Mac 2011 machines? Can we still order/customize them from Apple? If so, will the price drop or are they already discounted? Thanks in advance and I'm looking forward to joining the Mac community.

 

[forty2j]

Any remaining 2011 stock will move to the refurbished store and be sold at a discount. It can be ordered but not customized.

 

[AirHej]

Ahhhh thanks. Hmmm, tough decision to buy/customize now or wait. Did I read here that Apple has "Black Friday" deals on their iMacs typically?

 

[ngenerator]

^ Maybe like $101 dollars off or something small like that

 

[ixodes]

Ahhhh thanks. Hmmm, tough decision to buy/customize now or wait. Did I read here that Apple has "Black Friday" deals on their iMacs typically?

Third party resellers usually offer very small discounts. $25 - $75.00.

Traditionally Apple does not discount and reaps huge profit margins due to high markups. That's why they are bigger than Big Oil. One pays a premium for the Apple logo.

Unless cash is tight buy now, the current models are bug free, well sorted & reliable. Something that's not always true about new models.

 

[Mx125]

Third party resellers usually offer very small discounts. $25 - $75.00.

Traditionally Apple does not discount and reaps huge profit margins due to high markups. That's why they are bigger than Big Oil. One pays a premium for the Apple logo.

Unless cash is tight buy now, the current models are bug free, well sorted & reliable. Something that's not always true about new models.

I'm in the same boat . . decided I need to buy new mac gift for my wife's birthday next week. Want the large screen but limiting my budget to entry point (i5 2700). I do see that the bump from i5 to i7 setup current model seems to be at least 20% performance jump . .however beyond budget.

In all your past experience, and in leui of hard facts . . would history tell you a new model would offer a big performance jump at the 27" entry level for same pricepoint? Or should one only expect USB 3.0 and minor bump? Or maybe . .simpler decision . . a higher pricepoint which would limit me on budget terms?

I'm sure you have educated guesses.

 

[motrek]

I'm making the jump to Mac from the PC world. My computer usage is primarily the internet, Word/Excel, and some photo editing. I don't need the latest and greatest. When the new Mac 2012 is supposed to be released on 10/24, what happens with the current Mac 2011 machines? Can we still order/customize them from Apple? If so, will the price drop or are they already discounted? Thanks in advance and I'm looking forward to joining the Mac community.

It sounds like your needs for an iMac are pretty low-stress. If I were you, I'd definitely buy one off of Craigslist that's a few years old. You can get a nice aluminum one for much less than $1000.

 

[AirHej]

It sounds like your needs for an iMac are pretty low-stress. If I were you, I'd definitely buy one off of Craigslist that's a few years old. You can get a nice aluminum one for much less than $1000.

Thanks for your input. Definitely something to think about before next week.