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2012 iMac = Brilliant Design!

I'm not a fan of Apple's Anorexia Dysfunction.

Making the iMac "thinner" for the sake of being thinner made no sense. Making mobile devices (laptops, iOS gadgets, iPods, tablets) thinner and lighter makes more sense, because thinner and lighter makes portables easier to carry.

Last time I checked, the iMac is not a portable computer whatsoever.

But other than the 'Anorexia Dysfunction' and the removal of the optical drive, I think this new iMac is actually quite nice. Hey how about that!? I said something nice about the new 2012 iMac. :D

After all, there is a good chance I will end up buying one soon (I have been saving for a new iMac for the last couple years, I barely held off purchasing the 2011 iMac). As much as I have legit criticisms of this new iMac, I have to say that Apple's iMacs are still my favored and preferred desktops.

I am also realistic. I knew that the Retina display would not be feasible on this 2012 iMac (from a technical standpoint). Apple also addressed a couple of the MAJOR iMac wants of many MR-mongers.... #1) reduce screen glare with a superior display, and #2) the SSD option (well the Fusion Drive is the step in that direction). Hence to the eternal whiners/complainers that keep saying that Apple never listened to them whatsoever, they really sound petty now. Clearly Apple did listen to two of the top wants for the iMac. Of course, it is impossible for Apple to release any iMac that would address ALL of their wishlist features.
 
Best iMac ever

I agree this is a brilliant design and the best iMac ever.

The components top even what people were wishing for and speculating about - i.e., Ivy bridge cpu, fusion drives, the 680MX GPU (wow!). It baffles me some of the negative posts here. Idiots.

No other AIO computer (Dell, HP, Lenovo) EVEN COMES CLOSE to the hardware specs of the new iMac. Any naysayer idiot care to dispute this??
 
kennyap said:
I agree this is a brilliant design and the best iMac ever.

The components top even what people were wishing for and speculating about - i.e., Ivy bridge cpu, fusion drives, the 680MX GPU (wow!). It baffles me some of the negative posts here. Idiots.

No other AIO computer (Dell, HP, Lenovo) EVEN COMES CLOSE to the hardware specs of the new iMac. Any naysayer idiot care to dispute this??
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Calling someone who disagrees with you an idiot is very juvenile.
 
DakotaGuy said:
Not really. I bought a base 21.5" iMac when the 2011 model first came out. If comparing apples to apples I wouldn't trade it for the new base.
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I couldn't agree more! I was fully aware this summer that there was a major iMac refresh coming... I was expecting (and hoping against) Apple removing the ODD and there was strong evidence they were going to remove the second 6Gbps SATA interface (and they have!) and wanted the option to be able to manage what SSD (type and size) I could install in the family iMac, so I pre-emptively picked up the mid-2011 on refurb. I couldn't be happier with the setup I have. 120GB SSD (upgradeable to whatever I want, at a reasonable price!), 1TB 7200RPM storage, side access optical drive, side access SD card slot and 16GB RAM (configurable to 32GB if I want at a later date). I would really have liked to have had USB3, but, c'est la vie! I could sell my current setup for more than enough to buy the top of the line 2012 21.5-inch, but have zero interest... As a fan, technician, owner and someone who is involved in the industry almost 24-7, I honestly believe the product is a disaster.
 
G-Mo said:
I couldn't agree more! I was fully aware this summer that there was a major iMac refresh coming... I was expecting (and hoping against) Apple removing the ODD and there was strong evidence they were going to remove the second 6Gbps SATA interface (and they have!) and wanted the option to be able to manage what SSD (type and size) I could install in the family iMac, so I pre-emptively picked up the mid-2011 on refurb. I couldn't be happier with the setup I have. 120GB SSD (upgradeable to whatever I want, at a reasonable price!), 1TB 7200RPM storage, side access optical drive, side access SD card slot and 16GB RAM (configurable to 32GB if I want at a later date). I would really have liked to have had USB3, but, c'est la vie! I could sell my current setup for more than enough to buy the top of the line 2012 21.5-inch, but have zero interest... As a fan, technician, owner and someone who is involved in the industry almost 24-7, I honestly believe the product is a disaster.
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I almost forgot about the nice side access SD card slot as well. Why would anyone stick an SD card slot on the back of a computer? Oh yes because being thinner really improves a desktop computer. lol
 
kennyap said:
I agree this is a brilliant design and the best iMac ever.

The components top even what people were wishing for and speculating about - i.e., Ivy bridge cpu, fusion drives, the 680MX GPU (wow!). It baffles me some of the negative posts here. Idiots.

No other AIO computer (Dell, HP, Lenovo) EVEN COMES CLOSE to the hardware specs of the new iMac. Any naysayer idiot care to dispute this??
Click to expand...

Adding the price of the i7, fusion drive, 680, etc. is going to push the price close to $3,000. I'm sure you can find a comparable Winmachine with those specs for much less, although I agree the design won't be as aesthetically pleasing.
 
No 1GB GDDR5 BTO on the 21.5" was a mistake, IMO. Actually, a big mistake. Even with a 650M it could have caught some more customers. I think Apple wants to push any serious desktop customers towards the 27" and leave the bottom end for the mini, thus resulting in a kneecapped low-end iMac. The SD card slot placement is just... wrong.
 
smoking monkey said:
I can't believe all the negative nonces!

The design is fantastic. It has 40 percent less volume, 8 pounds lighter (both good for the environment), less moving parts and a brand new screen design that will make the screens look so much better. I think this is the best design we've ever seen on an iMac.
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Best design?? Come on.... It's looks the same as the previous model but thinner. Don't get me wrong I'm still going to purchase one. I wish that they got rid of that "fat" chin though. lol
 
iMac 27

I think it was a good idea to design the optional external optical drive, the latter prevents mechanical problems down the road.
Truthfully, it would be easier to disconnect the above drive and return for repair should the latter occur. :cool:
Additionally, the cost is a little more but the use of an all flash memory would hopefully add to the prevention of mechanical failure.
I hope the internal video card and I7 processor have sufficient cooling etc... :confused:

Furthermore, a friend told me I should wait a month or two before I purchase a new iMac - as noted above since keeping an eye on this site will provide good info concerning new release problems should they arise. :apple:
 
I love the new design. I can't wait to get my hands on one. It looks amazing. I cannot remember the last time I used the disk drive anyways.
 
It wasn't that long ago that the major complaint with the iMac was that the processor/GPU was always at least one or two generations behind what was on the market at the time. Gaming on an iMac was a fantasy. So I'm glad that the guts of the iMacs in recent years are generally fairly up to date...at least at release. GPU's are another story, but still way better than what the iMacs used to get stuck with.

While I don't mind this anorexic mentality of slimming down product that Jony is obsessed with nowadays from an aesthetic standpoint, I don't like that it comes at the expense of certain functionality.
 
I love the design of the new iMac except for one thing. The SD card slot was so much better on the side of the machine, I hate that it is on the back now. A non issue for many people but I use SD cards often enough to care about it being simple to access. Other than that I love the new iMacs.
 
flopticalcube said:
Calling someone who disagrees with you an idiot is very juvenile.
Click to expand...

My post was a reflex/reaction when I noticed all the negative posts regarding the new iMac. I just came on the forum today, since the release, and I didn't expect to see that. So I apologize for that.

But it still baffles me, I'm here shaking my head... to me, and a lot of people, the GPU was a major gripe in past iMacs. And here we have the new iMac with a GPU more powerful than anyone even speculated on (GTX 680MX).

The complaints/negative posts to this brilliant new iMac are [also] if not more juvenile.
 
kennyap said:
My post was a reflex/reaction when I noticed all the negative posts regarding the new iMac. I just came on the forum today, since the release, and I didn't expect to see that. So I apologize for that.

But it still baffles me, I'm here shaking my head... to me, and a lot of people, the GPU was a major gripe in past iMacs. And here we have the new iMac with a GPU more powerful than anyone even speculated on (GTX 680MX).

The complaints/negative posts to this brilliant new iMac are [also] if not more juvenile.
Click to expand...

My negative points are just to explain why the new iMac is not for me. It is ok for someone to critisize a product that does not meet their needs.
 
flopticalcube said:
Some are but many have valid points.
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The way I look at it is this:
The CPU is a nice upgrade, faster RAM, sweet GPU upgrade -- in essence the new iMac is without a doubt a worthy 'next-generation' machine.

Yeah I suppose I will afford some validity to the posts, they are valid. But not for me. I don't see any downside to the nice new design, or losing the Optical Drive which I haven't used in over a year. What are the other points? I'd have to go back to those threads to remember, to be honest. Is it price some gripe about? Don't get me started on juvenile...
 
It IS a brilliant design.
And it IS overpriced.

If the seccond statement is no issue (because it's Apple after all), you'll be a happy maccer whatsoever.

If the second one IS an issue, then most likely it will cause frustrations. And rightly so. Because you just don't want to buy something you think isn't worth your hard earned cash.
 
kennyap said:
The way I look at it is this:
The CPU is a nice upgrade, faster RAM, sweet GPU upgrade -- in essence the new iMac is without a doubt a worth 'next-generation' machine.

Yeah I suppose I will afford some validity to the posts, they are valid. But not for me. I don't see any downside to the nice new design, or losing the Optical Drive which I haven't used in over a year. What are the other points? I'd have to go back to those threads to remember, to be honest. Is it price some gripe about? Don't get me started on juvenile...
Click to expand...

A few months after the 27" hits the shelves, it will be outdated. The 680MX, an excellent GPU that rivals a 670 desktop, will be equal to a mid-tier desktop GPU by June. The CPU, while an OK increase over the 18 month old Sandy Bridge, will also be supplanted by the far more advanced Haswell next spring. Except for the GPU, all the tech in the 27" is already over half a year old... and that is the best model. The new bonded screen is nice, fusion looks interesting but there really is no new tech there and has yet to prove itself. 5400RPM 2.5" drives are a step backward. SD slot in the back is awkward. There is lot's to complain about.
 
flopticalcube said:
A few months after the 27" hits the shelves, it will be outdated. The 680MX, an excellent GPU that rivals a 670 desktop, will be equal to a mid-tier desktop GPU by June. The CPU, while an OK increase over the 18 month old Sandy Bridge, will also be supplanted by the far more advanced Haswell next spring. Except for the GPU, all the tech in the 27" is already over half a year old... and that is the best model. The new bonded screen is nice, fusion looks interesting but there really is no new tech there and has yet to prove itself. 5400RPM 2.5" drives are a step backward. SD slot in the back is awkward. There is lot's to complain about.
Click to expand...

The minute something is released, it is already outdated. Focus solely on that and you'll never be content.

Not saying that there isn't something to complain about, but some people just won't ever be satisfied.
 
squan said:
The minute something is released, it is already outdated. Focus solely on that and you'll never be content.

Not saying that there isn't something to complain about, but some people just won't ever be satisfied.
Click to expand...

No its not as long as there is no better alternative. With better alternatives now being so close, in so many areas, it looks like a less compelling purchase, technology-wise. Most of the tech in the iMac could have been delivered months ago.
 
kennyap said:
Yeah I suppose I will afford some validity to the posts, they are valid. But not for me. I don't see any downside to the nice new design, or losing the Optical Drive which I haven't used in over a year. What are the other points? I'd have to go back to those threads to remember, to be honest. Is it price some gripe about?
Click to expand...

- Removal of Optical Disc Drive (can get USB SuperDrive or alternative ~$79)
- Removal of FireWire 800 port (can get a Thunderbolt to FireWire adapter ~$30)
- Poor placement of the SD card slot
- No (user?) RAM upgradeability (21.5-inch)
- Downgrade to 5400rpm 2.5" HDD (21.5-inch)

I've read issues on the graphics offered, again in the 21.5-inch, by users more heavily impacted by those details than I... anyone want to add more?
 
flopticalcube said:
No its not as long as there is no better alternative. With better alternatives now being so close, in so many areas, it looks like a less compelling purchase, technology-wise. Most of the tech in the iMac could have been delivered months ago.
Click to expand...

In my opinion, that's a matter of perspective I think.

Some components are evolving very rapidly and are indeed already outdated. So yeah, in that regard you could say that the iMac is a bit behind.

But for many that's not an issue. Having a the latest that Apple hast to offer is, knowing that they will get the latest impressive piece of Apple engineering that will carry out everything flawlessly. Regardless of how many days old some components are.

It depends if you look at the components individually, or the whole that Apple was able to create for mass production.

Then it just comes down on price, which admittedly is too expensive. But if one is willing to pay the price (such as myself) then there's really not much to complain about.
 
I agree it looks amazing. For people who don't like dont buy it, go on and buy your super custom built win8 tower for half the cost. :rolleyes:
 
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