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Apple Store talked me out of 27in imac

A

aliciad332

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 20, 2012
7
0
So 9 months ago it was decided we would by an imac for the house when I got my bonus in March. Here we are in March and after 9 months of research i finally decided on the 27inch imac. (I even put it in my signature already!)

Fast forward to today and at the Apple Store said I wanted to purchase said imac and the rep asked me what i would be using it for and why i wanted the 27 inch. My response was the 21.5 looked small to me (use a 21" monitor everyday for work, see friends 21.5 imacs at their houses) - and we have a large space where we are putting it so why not. Also plan to have it awhile and don't want to look back and regret decision even if i don't have immeadiate use.

He basically told me I was stupid to spend the extra money on the screen since I wasn't doing any heavy video editing or gaming, and I should just get one of the 21.5 models and basically told me the lesser one would be plenty for all our music, movies, picturs, documents, etc...

So i left with a 21.5 to test out and see how I like it, returning it if not. However I am curious if i should agree with his suggestion or not? Is the 27in only beneficial to those who really need the screen specs? Do any recreational users have a 27 inch they regret? I'm so confused. My logic for wanting a 27in might be stupid, but i don't love the 21.5...it looks so small on my huge workspace!!! :confused:

Please share thoughts - and waiting for 2012 imac not an option, so don't waste your time
 
aliciad332 said:
So 9 months ago it was decided we would by an imac for the house when I got my bonus in March. Here we are in March and after 9 months of research i finally decided on the 27inch imac. (I even put it in my signature already!)

Fast forward to today and at the Apple Store said I wanted to purchase said imac and the rep asked me what i would be using it for and why i wanted the 27 inch. My response was the 21.5 looked small to me (use a 21" monitor everyday for work, see friends 21.5 imacs at their houses) - and we have a large space where we are putting it so why not. Also plan to have it awhile and don't want to look back and regret decision even if i don't have immeadiate use.

He basically told me I was stupid to spend the extra money on the screen since I wasn't doing any heavy video editing or gaming, and I should just get one of the 21.5 models and basically told me the lesser one would be plenty for all our music, movies, picturs, documents, etc...

So i left with a 21.5 to test out and see how I like it, returning it if not. However I am curious if i should agree with his suggestion or not? Is the 27in only beneficial to those who really need the screen specs? Do any recreational users have a 27 inch they regret? I'm so confused. My logic for wanting a 27in might be stupid, but i don't love the 21.5...it looks so small on my huge workspace!!! :confused:

Please share thoughts - and waiting for 2012 imac not an option, so don't waste your time
Click to expand...


So say "Don't waste your time" but essentially what you are asking us to do is become you and make a decision for you that only YOU could know the answer too... we can't dictate to you what you should and shouldn't agree on.

Personally... I think choosing a larger screen just because my workspace is large to be a bit stupid...to me a computer is not a fashion statement or a piece of furniture that should go with something... its there to get a job done.

Edit:

Also when I was purchasing my first iMac I could have bought the first 27" iMac (the one with identical specs to the 2nd 21.5" however I decided against this because the GPU was identical in both machines and on the 27" it would have more more processing to do in games and other graphically intense applications due to the resolution being much higher. So I went with the 21.5 and its been great so far (Except having to return it 3 times until I got one without any issues, and now this one is starting to get dust under the screen in a corner -_-)

I would only get a 27" if I would really benefit from the extra screen real estate. I wouldn't but it to make my work space look alright or what not... its just there to be used as a tool or a form of consumption of entertainment.
 
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I use a 27" at home and barely do any photo editing. I love the screen real estate and wish I had more at times when working on multiple things.

At work I use a 21 and it feels way too small. Feel like there's not enough space to have a couple documents or so browser and document open at the same time.

I cant believe an apple store rep would talk you down on a purchase. Weird.
 
ri0ku said:
So say "Don't waste your time" but essentially what you are asking us to do is become you and make a decision for you that only YOU could know the answer too... we can't dictate to you what you should and shouldn't agree on.

Personally... I think choosing a larger screen just because my workspace is large to be a bit stupid...to me a computer is not a fashion statement or a piece of furniture that should go with something... its there to get a job done.
Click to expand...

no - i mean waste time typing that response out. And not looking for someone to make a decision for me, just want to make sure there is nothing I am overlooking...
 
i see nothing wrong with a larger screen if you have the space. extra real estate always comes in handy.
 
So get the 27".

I don't see the problem.

You want the 27". I assume you have the budget for the 27". The Apple guy offered you an opinion, you didn't have to follow it. I'm sure if you said "thanks for the advice, I want the 27" he would have sold it to you.

If you want the 27", and you can afford the 27" - get the 27".
 
profets said:
I use a 27" at home and barely do any photo editing. I love the screen real estate and wish I had more at times when working on multiple things.
Click to expand...

I have a 21.5 and wish I had a 27 half the time.

profets said:
I cant believe an apple store rep would talk you down on a purchase. Weird.
Click to expand...

Not weird at all in fact.

No Apple Store employee is on commission. They are there to help you get the machine that fits you best, not the one that costs the most.
 
We chose the 27" primarily because of the ability to use the screen to multi-task more easily. For example, I make use of the screen real estate to keep two full size pages or apps open on a single screen. In some cases, I can squeeze three apps on a single screen. In addition, the larger screen provides a measure of future proofing. For example, who is to say one will not get into video processing or gaming at some point in the future. To each their own, but I think the larger screen size brings increased flexibility. I have not heard of anyone complaining the 27" screen is too big. I have heard of users complaining about the smaller screen. Enough said.
 
I was in our local Apple Store a couple of weeks ago and a sales guy basically told me the same thing...we tell people not to get the 27" since it will look a lot bigger when you get it home.

Strange, but I think we can all make our own determination as to what screen size we want.
 
If somebody in the Apple store was trying to talk me out of a 27", the first thing I'd ask is -- "Do you have any 27s in stock?"

It's an old salesperson gambit. "Oh no, sir . . . you don't want [the one we don't have in stock], you want [the one we have in stock]."
 
I think the 21.5" is better if you are going to have a 2nd monitor (maybe a 24"). If not, then I'd prefer the 27".
 
Buy the 27in imac

Buy a refurbished mac. That's what I did. I purchased the 27 inch refurbished through the apple store online and got the same computer as the ones sold through the retail store w/ 16% off. I also agree w/ a former poster -- if you want the 27in and can afford the 27in, then get the larger computer. Myself, I don't play video games, nor do I have the faintest of clues as to how to edit video or photos, but I love having the larger screen real estate. My previous computer was a 26in HP Touchsmart, and I have a large desk that I spent a lot of money on; I didn't really want to downgrade from a larger screen to a smaller one, plus I too felt that it would have looked awkward w/ a big desk and a tiny computer. I use a computer to mainly check my e-mail, mull through Safari, and re-watch lectures recorded at my school. Nothing hardcore, but in my opinion, that extra 6in diagonal somehow makes it more enjoyable.
 
they did the same thing 2 me when i called the apple number 2 help determine which one i should buy and i was gonna get the 21but when i got in best buy 2 purchase mine i went with the 27 cuz i felt like i owed it 2 myself
 
Suggest visiting your nearest Apple store, BestBuy or FutureShop and play with each screen size. Then, pick the size that feels best to you. Also remember that if screen is 27" large, one doesn't need to use 100% of its space. re: Side-by-side sessions work much better with 27".

Remember that one also has 14 days of "100% refund" returns - if bought from Apple store. If you don't like the 27" size, simply return it within 14 days.

Hope this helps as well...
 
If you want a bigger screen, get a bigger screen. Who cares if you only use it for basic stuff? If you like it, buy it. I don't NEED a 27", but that's what i'm getting.. unless a 30" comes out.
 
My wife has a 20" (She had hers about a year before I finally got one for myself after my Dell died), so I had a "pretty good idea" what a 21.5 would be like. Now that I have the 27" Im so glad I didn't get the smaller one. I love being able to put two Finder screens side by side and actually read them both with these tired old eyes. Plus, watching movies is great! Like a small flat screen TV!
 
I have dual 27inch screens and its not enough room. I really need a third.

Then again I am a HEAVY computer user so your needs may vary.
 
I don't want to be THAT guy, but I have used both 27 and 21.5" iMacs before I purchased mine. I went with the 21.5" because I dislike the huge 27" screen size. I hated my art classes in college because we were always on these huge displays where i had to scroll for "days" to get to the other side. I dislike having to turn my head to see the other side of the screen.

These are my thoughts, but I'm clearly in a minority on preferring the 20-ish" size monitor.
 
docfoster said:
Buy a refurbished mac. That's what I did. I purchased the 27 inch refurbished through the apple store online and got the same computer as the ones sold through the retail store w/ 16% off. I also agree w/ a former poster -- if you want the 27in and can afford the 27in, then get the larger computer. Myself, I don't play video games, nor do I have the faintest of clues as to how to edit video or photos, but I love having the larger screen real estate...
Click to expand...

Same here. I initially bought mine refurbished and ended up with a 27" because I was buying the best CPU I could afford at the time, and it just happened to have a 27" screen. Now I'll never go back to a smaller screen. Having a bigger screen just gives you more flexibility, for instance using the Mac as a small HDTV, which I hadn't originally planned to do. But it works out great. I've set the Mac on the coffee table and had friends over to watch games and movies. If you're ever going to watch movies on your Mac the choice is obvious, if you can afford it.
 
My logic for wanting a 27in might be stupid, but i don't love the 21.5...it looks so small on my huge workspace!!! :confused:



Same reason I went with the 24' years ago. Except I wasn't confused. Get what makes you smile :)
 
Personally I think that the 27" is the way to go. I"m ordering mine next week in fact. My PC has a 23" main monitor, and I have a 19" secondary monitor. I always have multiple windows open at the same time, and having them layed out for easy access is a much more friendly user experience than alt-tabbing through them IMO.

Extra screen real estate can be a really enjoyable experience when you're able to watch a small Netflix movie while surfing Slashdot or working from home a few hours on a Saturday. Don't get me wrong - I'm sure the 21.5" is really boss for some people's needs. But for me personally, on a computer I'll spend $2K on and use for 4-5 years, I want it to be as capable as possible.

Regardless of whether you go back for the 27" or keep the 21.5", congratulations. The iMac is an amazing device!
 
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