It wouldn't surprise me if something concrete (such as a new iMac appearing in a reseller's price list) doesn't appear until just a day or two before a release, if at all, especially if it's not a redesign.
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2012 iMac - next big date?
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It wouldn't surprise me if something concrete (such as a new iMac appearing in a reseller's price list) doesn't appear until just a day or two before a release, if at all, especially if it's not a redesign.
I asked about the 2 week return - and for IMACS the chances that your able to just return it in a two week period, even if a new model comes out is SLIM - which made me hesitant
There's nothing wrong with getting a laptop. Do I need portability? No. However, I refuse to purchase a 2011 iMac with my hard earned money. I'd rather spend on the latest and greatest and get my money's worth. As it stands, the rMBP fits the bill and that'll be the direction I head in if there is no refresh by the middle of October. I personally cannot see Apple staggering the release of their iMacs if one model is still experiencing manufacturing issues. It's either all or nothing. If one is not ready for prime time, then they'll delay the release of all. Personally, the rMBP is a great machine and can run circles around the current 21.5" iMac (which is what I'm in the market for). I mean think about how we are demeaning and trivializing ourselves over a product that may never see the light of day anytime soon. Life is short so enjoy it. I played the waiting game and am clearly losing, so I'd rather just get something now that suits my needs. In plus, I have a cool setup in mind for the rMBP and vesa mounting an LED panel to my wall, which when done, would be amazing (something not possible with the iMac).
EDIT: In addition, portability is a plus if you ever needed it, so power + portability is a win in my book.
I agree. Although I believe we're looking at a redesign. Think MacBook Pro to MacBook Pro with Retina, but for the iMac. I highly doubt the ram will be soldered though. If it is, then we're looking to be forced into getting 16gb right off the bat if we want to keep the machine for as long as possible. This is always an interesting argument though.
I imagine:
- New screen/glass lamination (higher res to reach that Retina minimum, I guess the jury is out on this?)
- A new chassis in which this new fully laminated screen can attach to it. Who knows, maybe the way in which the next gen iMac opens will be similar to how the iPhone 5 opens.
- A new chassis that is redesigned for a new layout of the internal components such as all flash, proprietary memory.
- No optical drive. Sorry hard core optical drive people, the writing is clearly on the wall.
- Improved cooling and sound system similar to what was seen in the MacBook Pro Retina
I'm aiming for the base 21.5" myself (plus maximum ram purchased elsewhere), in part due to a few unplanned expenses that I had recently, so the rMBP is definitely out of the question for me. In any case, I'm really not sure how a €1158 21.5" iMac can be compared to a €2299 15" rMBP. Yes, the rMBP comes with an IB i7 whereas the iMac comes with a SB i5, has 8 GB standard vs. 4 GB standard (easily and cheaply upgradable on the iMac though), and has a fast SSD vs. a boring old slow HDD. But it's still €1141 more, plus whatever you buy as an external display which in my case would be needed. Not accounting for the screen, you can get an extra 128 GB 11-inch MBA together with a 21.5" 2011 iMac and spend the same as a base rMBP. If I were in the position to spend that much money, I'd rather go with that combo to get a neat desktop machine and a very sleek laptop.
I guess I'm biased, however: I always saw laptops as being "less powerful" than desktops even when it's clearly not the case. It's the kind of mistake that you realize you're making, but can't help it. Perhaps it's the smaller screen that gives me that idea, or perhaps the fact while I can get around trackpads decently I find myself more at home with a mouse. Or maybe I never used any laptop for the kind of intensive tasks I'd do on a desktop (heavy photo or video editing, compiling big software, etc.) so I never proved to myself that they are indeed powerful enough. Or who knows, it may just be the battery slowly losing its efficiency over time while the computer is stuck to a desk...
EDIT: it goes without saying that I'd never buy a 2011 iMac at its list price. It'd have to be either discounted by some shop, or refurb.
I get that people are looking to the RMBP as an alternative to the iMac, however I really do think that you should at least wait until the end of October considering how close we are to the only "rumored" release date. That fox news guy also changed his date to some time in October so it is really the only date we have. I keep thinking that as we go into october this is most likely to happen http://www.appleheist.com/appleheist-updates-apple-release-schedule/
The Apple Store return policy is two weeks, so I cannot see why they would not accept a return within that window. If you open it, there will be the re-stocking fee (15%?).
I completely agree. No matter how frustrated I am. And also how much I want the iMac to come out today, there´s nothing now that makes it less probable than 2 weeks ago. All rumors are hinting at a september-october launch. And, I completely understand that apple hasn´t released it now the last couple of weeks. If it was my company I wouldn´t either. It would just create more fuzz and work and the iMac would be completely overshadowed by all the iphone hype in the media. Even this coming tuesday, media is still filling pages and pages of iphone stuff. And apples web page is plastered with iphone images. There´s no room for a new iMac yet. Let stuff calm down first. At least 1 week more, probably 2, then it makes much more sense to release some new stuff.
I would still buy te current iMac before a rMBP, personally. The maxed out iMac is still more powerful for a lower price. If you dont use the mobility, then why pay for the rMBP ?? and you would also have to get an extra monitor, which makes the pricetag even higher.
Yeah, I don't get this attitude of getting a rMBP instead of an IMac. I want a large screen, I want a decent keyboard that I can move round the desk independent of the screen and I don't need the machine to be anywhere else but where it is now. So, I could get all that from a MacBook, but I'd have to buy an extra screen and another keyboard and likely the screen and keyboard on the Macbook would rarely be used (if ever) and it wouldn't be an improvement in performance over a refurbed 2011.
Indeed, some people seem worried that Apple is neglecting and/or alienating its iMac customers, but honestly, you have to be pretty technically advanced to know about the differences between e.g. Ivy Bridge and Sandy Bridge, or other potential improvements that are discussed in this thread.
I'm sure that 99% of people who walk into an Apple Store with the intention of buying an iMac wouldn't notice if you sold them a 2009 model vs. a 2011 model and they'd be extremely happy with either. So I doubt Apple is hurting in any significant way from lack of refreshes to the line.
I would like to think people would know the difference between the 2009 iMac vs the 2011, iMac but you are most likely correct that most do not know maybe 85 to 90% not 99%.
The truth is the difference between the 2011 and the 2012 won't be that much. When compared to the difference between the 2009 and the 2011 it is night and day. But the 2012 won't be much better then the 2011. Especially if apple goes to
nvidia gt 650m and not a better gpu such as the Amd 7970m
http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-650M.71887.0.html THESE ARE NOT GREAT SPECS.
A lot more than 90% know the difference. Imacs have started to take place in businesses and companies doing stuff that actually requires heavy machine capabilities - because the machine looks good and have starte getting significant horsepowers. I would assume those care as much as Mac geeks and gamers when it comes to hardware. So I think thousands of people are sitting and waiting for the new iMac before they make a purchase. Even myself I know many waiting, which are not in the inner macgeek circle
I'm not so sure people are just so ..naif to don't even know what year
the product are buying refers to.
You don't have to be a Pro to understand that an Iphone 4 is older than a 4s and 4s the same with the 5 and Imacs users are not newbie seeking for the last iphone with the same shape but new indeed are really evolved users who know what their money are actually buying.
I mean a 27 inch Imacs its not for mass markets but for users who prefers to buy that instead of a Mac Pro maybe because lacking with the enough amount of money and you need a little knowledge to know the differences,its not just the case and even without this you understand walking in mega store that Imacs are older than the new products showed month by month just because specs are not changing every time you come back.
Really you believe people can't even read specs or calendars or having a little curiosity to know what their bleeding money are buying?
I don't think so.
the product are buying refers to.
You don't have to be a Pro to understand that an Iphone 4 is older than a 4s and 4s the same with the 5 and Imacs users are not newbie seeking for the last iphone with the same shape but new indeed are really evolved users who know what their money are actually buying.
I mean a 27 inch Imacs its not for mass markets but for users who prefers to buy that instead of a Mac Pro maybe because lacking with the enough amount of money and you need a little knowledge to know the differences,its not just the case and even without this you understand walking in mega store that Imacs are older than the new products showed month by month just because specs are not changing every time you come back.
Really you believe people can't even read specs or calendars or having a little curiosity to know what their bleeding money are buying?
I don't think so.
I really wish I never knew this forum tbh. Otherwise I would have bought the IMAC in June.
I would have gotten one in february. But once you get on the waiting train you just can't get off. Well I can't.
sadly thats true. Will be nice when they get out, Ill buy one and not visit this forum for a whilw. I don't have the same inpatience when it comes to the other products (ie ipad, iphone, etc..)
What you don't know won't hurt you. And the 2011 iMac is a powerful machine, which the ivy bridge would only modestly improve in computing power alone if it wasn't for other things like USB 3 etc. so yes. Wish I'd bought one in April!!!
I'm in the same boat. An old Dell Inspiron 1520 with integrated Intel graphics for me. Luckily I wiped it and installed a fresh copy of Windows 7.
Once I get onto a new iMac it will be night and day!
I'm going by this train as well and I hope it will arrive in Cupertino before my Uni starts again at 10th of October...but I think this train will be late.��
By the way, I'm searching the Web for imac news as many others here but it's lacking results, too.
But I can tell you, here in Germany Amazon has got just very few 21,5" and no 27" of the 2011 iMacs left, but Apple stores got all of them still in stock.
I agree to some other guys here and think that the rumored issue of the big displays is the reason why we suffer this heavy delay. ��
My interpretation of this Kuo-guy's estimated launch schedule is that he predicts Apple's theoretic launch dates, basing on data from deliverers. But even if Apple got all these things for the 21,5" together and assembled it doesn't mean that they release them. They would never release a iMac series without their flagship, the 27".
And who knows, perhaps they managed their display-problem a long time ago before the public even got to know there are problems and all these hardworking busy guys are assembling our Macs right now...��
"We just gotta play the waiting game."[H.J.Simpson]
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Me too LOL
I'm stubborn and will NOT buy the 500+ day old iMac now! Someone at JB HiFi (here in Australia) said the new model will be out next month... do we trust sales people? I guess they can't be selling too many of the 'old' model right now with everyone in the know waiting!
I did notice they had a demo 2010 model 27" (no Thunderbolt) still wanting about $1800 for it, seriously? The only reason you'd get that is for software compatibility as it runs Snow Leopard.
I guess I meant people wouldn't notice in the sense that it wouldn't affect their experience in a truly substantial way. Of course people can read specs and calendars. But I do a lot of scientific computing and I'm not sure if even I would be able to tell you if I was sitting in front of, e.g., a 2010 iMac or a 2011 iMac for my day-to-day tasks without running some kind of system diagnostic tool.
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