Best Future-Proof Mac Desktop?

[vtinq]

I'm considering buying a new iMac, but was burned when my current iMac (early 2006) was deemed incompatible with OS8. I believe Apple has already stopped software updates for OS8 and don't want to fall victim to perfectly good hardware becoming "too old" for Apple software. So, I'm asking for suggestions on the best "future-proofed" iMac or Apple laptop?

 

[rowdy&proudy]

I'm considering buying a new iMac, but was burned when my current iMac (early 2006) was deemed incompatible with OS8. I believe Apple has already stopped software updates for OS8 and don't want to fall victim to perfectly good hardware becoming "too old" for Apple software. So, I'm asking for suggestions on the best "future-proofed" iMac or Apple laptop?

I 2nd this question. Specifically the cheapest future proof iMac. Please and thank you! =D

 

[sebastius]

The 2010 still runs everything and is reliable, but some small features (handoff, Metal) are missing. The 2011 and 2009 are problemmachines (GPU). 2012 is a new design and less to tinker with.

 

[Coldmode]

I'm considering buying a new iMac, but was burned when my current iMac (early 2006) was deemed incompatible with OS8. I believe Apple has already stopped software updates for OS8 and don't want to fall victim to perfectly good hardware becoming "too old" for Apple software. So, I'm asking for suggestions on the best "future-proofed" iMac or Apple laptop?

Apple hasn't updated 10.8 since 2013. Just get a new iMac, or if you really want to maximize value, wait until they refresh them this fall. They'll keep the same update schedule for all 2014/2015 machines regardless of their specs.

 

[spatlese44]

Definitely wait for the next refresh. Yosemite supports machines going quite a ways back, which is a promising sign. Maybe we'll start to get closer to 10 years of support considering how much slower processing power is increasing. As a fellow 2006 iMac owner, I feel your pain, but I think we just got unlucky with the cutoff for support being only a year later.

Get an SSD. Apple will have to start charging less for these eventually and I think, with the next refresh, we might be in for a pleasant surprise.

 

[robeddie]

I would suggest avoiding any iMac unless you can get a full solid state drive. The computer is close to impossible to open up, so replacement isn't a great option, and the fusion drive is a compromise between a real SSD and a spinning drive. Those who swear by the fusion drive do so because they're coming from a spinning drive and it is faster, but it pales in comparison to a true SSD in terms of speed and durability.

 

[campyguy]

I was reading this thread with a bit of personal interest as we have (want, really) to replace a few older iMacs and one MBP but I'm waiting for the rumored fall refresh, and then my iPhone's email app dinged at me with a new message! It's an email from BarclayCard offering 0% interest on a new Mac for "back to school" - I get one of those emails every single time Apple has a hardware refresh shortly afterward, without fail. Nice!

With the rumored iMac refresh coming "soon" I'll likely be shopping for a new, used iMac 5k on Apple's Refurb Store to replace our 2010 version...

 

[26139]

I'm considering buying a new iMac, but was burned when my current iMac (early 2006) was deemed incompatible with OS8. I believe Apple has already stopped software updates for OS8 and don't want to fall victim to perfectly good hardware becoming "too old" for Apple software. So, I'm asking for suggestions on the best "future-proofed" iMac or Apple laptop?

When your computer was no longer able to be updated, did it stop working?

C'mon, you're talking about a machine that was seven years old at the time.

There's no such thing as a future-proofed anything in the tech world, though I'm not sure why people think that computers unable to be upgraded to the latest OS are somehow no longer useful.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

I'm considering buying a new iMac, but was burned when my current iMac (early 2006) was deemed incompatible with OS8. I believe Apple has already stopped software updates for OS8 and don't want to fall victim to perfectly good hardware becoming "too old" for Apple software. So, I'm asking for suggestions on the best "future-proofed" iMac or Apple laptop?

That is not being burned, 9 years is about the best you can expect from any computer. It is not perfectly good hardware it would struggle to run even some basic modern apps. No operating system gets more than 10 years of support, (except XP and windows tried to drop that loads of times but couldn't because it's use was so prevelent) Hell Vista only got about 5 years (because it was rubbbish).

In other words you can't future proof. You clearly don't need amazing specs so buy what you like and use it to run Linux then you can keep it up to date however you wish. Hell just put linux on your current machine and use that if it's all you need.

 

[Dreadnought]

Get the model with the best/fastest gpu you can afford, after 5 years it's one of the bottlenecks. An SSD or fusiondrive would also help. Ram can be updated later if you go for the 27"

 

[MRrainer]

Obviously, the MacPro is the most future-proof desktop.
It will still be a nice desktop in 2020. At some point, the 12core CPUs should be cheap enough to be able to max one out without taking another mortgage on the house, so to speak.
Currently, a boxed E5-2697v2 CPU will cost about the same as a complete rImac with FusionDrive...
At least, were I live. And electronics is pretty cheap here.
I'm not sure if Apple still has any "future proof" Macs in the lineup. Apart from the MacMini, they're almost completely unrepairable for a start. And as Apple has switched to LPDDR3 RAM and SSDs with non-standard-cables for more and more products, upgrading is not really an option.