2 questions before possible iMac purchase

[lJoSquaredl]

I have a rMBP, but am looking to possibly go iMac soon. I LOVE the rMBP lineup, but altho I first purchased in case I got photo/video gigs that required one...i've maybe left my desk with it once, and not for a gig lol. Looking to get an almost maxed out 21.5 inch iMac to have more power at home for both editing/streaming games to Twitch soon. 2 questions tho on my purchase...

1. I've heard Yosemite looks bad on non retina displays and was wondering what thats about? Is this an issue that will persist in the final build because the icons/fonts were designed with retina more in mind? Is it really that bad?

2. Am I gonna feel horrible when I get one and then retina iMacs come out later this year or early 2015? My thought process right now is that retina iMacs will probably be expensive at first, or reserved for the 27 inch if anything, which i'm not going for anyways. Also, after a few issues with the retina screen while gaming/editing, I feel like it wouldn't hurt to have a machine to edit on that is more within the "standards" these days, until 4k and retina becomes the norm anyways.

I'll still probably buy an iPad or possibly another base model rMBP on the side next year, when the integrated graphics really start to take off, but would a few months wait really be worth the wait, both cuz this retina iMac business and cuz i've heard iMacs look terrible using the new OSX version on it?

 

[robgendreau]

I use Yosemite on an iMac 27" 2010 and it looks fine. Ditto on a 27" IPS monitor. Apple is unlikely to make system software that doesn't work on the vast majority of their product lineup. I can see them optimizing the OS on portables, but really.

"Retina" iMacs are a completely unknown quantity. Take a look around at available screens; there are only so many panels out there, unless Apple has some super secret one somewhere (a possibility). We don't even know what the resolution would be, but at iMac-typical viewing distances getting a "retina" experience would probably require LESS pixel density than what you've got on a MBP retina. But even that requires considerable horsepower.

And remember, back up a coupla feet and it's wasted. The whole point of retina was to get an up-close, non-pixellated experience for the viewer, which is less of an issue with a desktop. And the vast majority of content out there is still HD.

So you're right; I'd imagine an iMac with an improved screen would probably cost more. So you might do as well with a current one, and just getting a new monitor down the line. Or maybe a mini with a great monitor that's available now.

Meanwhile, go down to an Apple Store and see if they have Yosemite on an iMac. Jason Snell in Macworld opined that Yosemite was designed with retina (i.e. higher definition) monitors in mind, but that doesn't mean "exclusively for." Indeed, since the older fonts and design elements go all the way back before the improved 2560x1440 arguably it is designed to improve the it looks on the current iMac screens as well. And I think it does look better on them. A retina MBP still looks better still, but then again it always would at normal viewing distances.

 

[shulman3]

When will 21.5" iMac gets retina display? +will it have anything else new?

We are also strongly considering imac 21.5" purchase- (not the downgraded version). But also worried about the 'yellow' caution sign that Mac Rumors gives iMac purchases.
We don't need the retina display and Don't plan to get the larger 27" display anyway. So do we wait? or do we plunge ahead and buy now? If prices will go up for that display AND that is the only significant upgrade then we may as buy now. Right?

Advice Anyone?

1-When will the 21.5" display be upgraded to retina? is it on the horizon at all?

2-Does anyone expect anything else important to be new and improved? in the next round of 21" iMacs??

thanks very much!

 

[ElectronGuru]

When the wait is short and improvement is likely its always best to wait if you can. If only because prices on the current stuff will drop. But also that you might be surprised by what's next. For example, an improved low res 21 beside some new super 21.

 

[shulman3]

Timeline for imac 21"

Thanks for your reply!
1-Does anyone know how long or short the wait for the upgraded (21") iMacs will be or is it just based on conjecture & past experience?

2-Plus-does apple still sell the old ones once the new ones are released??
thanks again!
GS

 

[mad3inch1na]

I have a rMBP, but am looking to possibly go iMac soon. I LOVE the rMBP lineup, but altho I first purchased in case I got photo/video gigs that required one...i've maybe left my desk with it once, and not for a gig lol. Looking to get an almost maxed out 21.5 inch iMac to have more power at home for both editing/streaming games to Twitch soon. 2 questions tho on my purchase...

1. I've heard Yosemite looks bad on non retina displays and was wondering what thats about? Is this an issue that will persist in the final build because the icons/fonts were designed with retina more in mind? Is it really that bad?

2. Am I gonna feel horrible when I get one and then retina iMacs come out later this year or early 2015? My thought process right now is that retina iMacs will probably be expensive at first, or reserved for the 27 inch if anything, which i'm not going for anyways. Also, after a few issues with the retina screen while gaming/editing, I feel like it wouldn't hurt to have a machine to edit on that is more within the "standards" these days, until 4k and retina becomes the norm anyways.

I'll still probably buy an iPad or possibly another base model rMBP on the side next year, when the integrated graphics really start to take off, but would a few months wait really be worth the wait, both cuz this retina iMac business and cuz i've heard iMacs look terrible using the new OSX version on it?

Depending on which rMBP you have, it will probably not be noticeably worse than a maxed out iMac. If you aren't already running your rMBP on an external monitor, set one up with a 20$ webcam. That will be just about as good as a maxed out iMac. The iMac is more powerful, but for streaming, a rMBP should be more than enough.

Matt

 

[macs4nw]

We are also strongly considering imac 21.5" purchase- (not the downgraded version). But also worried about the 'yellow' caution sign that Mac Rumors gives iMac purchases.
We don't need the retina display and Don't plan to get the larger 27" display anyway. So do we wait? or do we plunge ahead and buy now? If prices will go up for that display AND that is the only significant upgrade then we may as buy now. Right?

Advice Anyone?

1-When will the 21.5" display be upgraded to retina? is it on the horizon at all?

2-Does anyone expect anything else important to be new and improved? in the next round of 21" iMacs??

thanks very much!

There have been zero rumors of an imminent r-iMac, and also zero parts leaks, add to that the still prohibitive (for iMac) cost of suitable panels (in addition to appropriate graphics of course), the as yet still uncertain final resolution of 3840 x 2160 UltraHighDefinition or 4K's native 4096 x 2160, as well as the lack of plentiful suitable content in the iTunes Store and I believe we are not going to see r-iMacs until at the very earliest when Skylake could come to iMacs sometime in Q3-2015.

A minor refresh in October is quite possible tho with spec-bumped Haswell processors (similar to the MBAs in April and the MBPs in July), as well as the inclusion of TB2 and/or even a modest across the board price cut for the entire iMac line.

 

[lJoSquaredl]

Depending on which rMBP you have, it will probably not be noticeably worse than a maxed out iMac. If you aren't already running your rMBP on an external monitor, set one up with a 20$ webcam. That will be just about as good as a maxed out iMac. The iMac is more powerful, but for streaming, a rMBP should be more than enough.

Matt

I've done some testing with my rMBP in the past month or two. I played while connected to an external monitor, and tried streaming while playing too. Altho its doable with the right settings, I feel super guilty about running a laptop that hard and hot. Not in terms of a hot keyboard which I can solve with an external, but I just feel bad using a laptop for stuff that heavy of a workload. I know I shouldn't since its a rMBP and designed for more than average use, but it's just always in the back of my mind. Rendering is one thing, but a few hours of constant streaming everyday could kill it in a year I would think.

 

[mad3inch1na]

I've done some testing with my rMBP in the past month or two. I played while connected to an external monitor, and tried streaming while playing too. Altho its doable with the right settings, I feel super guilty about running a laptop that hard and hot. Not in terms of a hot keyboard which I can solve with an external, but I just feel bad using a laptop for stuff that heavy of a workload. I know I shouldn't since its a rMBP and designed for more than average use, but it's just always in the back of my mind. Rendering is one thing, but a few hours of constant streaming everyday could kill it in a year I would think.

Well a new riMac is rumored on the front page, so there is that. I still wouldn't get one until Broadwell/Skylake just because it has been over a year since Haswell came out, and the new iMac will most likely come at a hefty premium for the 1st gen. Also, which rMBP do you have?

 

[lJoSquaredl]

Well a new riMac is rumored on the front page, so there is that. I still wouldn't get one until Broadwell/Skylake just because it has been over a year since Haswell came out, and the new iMac will most likely come at a hefty premium for the 1st gen. Also, which rMBP do you have?

Baseline 1st generation, so the original 650m.