I hpe they aren't waiting. Over the last few days my PC has taken a turn for the worst and my gpu is on it's way out. Another month I can take. More I will be struggling. (but blatently still wait 
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Buy 27" iMac now, or wait until Sept/Oct?
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because the current GPU (especially mobile ones) are not powerful enough to drive a resolution that high on a 27" display. Even some of the animations on the 15" retina are choppy apparently.
Retina on a 27" display is not as needed either because you sit a lot further away from a bigger screen so the pixels seem smaller anyway. You would notice a difference but no where near enough to pay so much extra for it at this point in time.
Just 1 month away according to rumors I am definitely waiting myself. Even if I needed a computer right now I would probably go rent a PC until they released
I get your point. Thanks.
However, I feel that the current/next generation GPUs (which the upcoming iMacs may have) will be able to power that many pixels. Here is video of someone setting up Eyefinity on a laptop and with good playable results.
Moreover, the iMac can be more tolerate to heat and noise, because of it's size and so they can put in more powerful and "hotter" GPUs.
I think the iMac can get a retina display and I am myself looking forward to one.
It will be a deciding factor for me. If it does not, then I will probably pass and get a rMBP instead.
I loved the transformation from iPhone 3 to 4 when the retina came in it. I love the retina iPad and I loved the rMBP display when I used it in the Apple store. Having a 27" retina display will be a game changer (when compared to other all-in-one PCs) and I think Apple would not want to delay there...
If you're gonna buy one now, get an Apple Refurbished model. That way you save a few hundred bucks and won't feel bad if a new one comes out in the near future because you still got a good deal.
Paying full price right now for an iMac that hasn't been updated for over a year is a bit of a bad deal since Apple doesn't lower their prices over that time.
Paying full price right now for an iMac that hasn't been updated for over a year is a bit of a bad deal since Apple doesn't lower their prices over that time.
I got a refurb...and along with a company discount saved $300. I can't complain - the refurb is immaculate!
I waited since December and kept following the so called rumours on here which had a new release date every month. It got so frustrating and finally I bought one - no regrets!
rMBP is not the best Apple laptop when it comes to the general UI/scrolling performance. But Apple still went ahead and released it. Maybe it was okay as per them.
Now if iMac were to get a retina display, and if it was able to achieve UI/scrolling performance comparable to the rMBP, then I think maybe Apple will be okay with it too?
Another thing going for the riMac is that, as the screen size becomes bigger and bigger, the PPI density required for "retina" reduces. So maybe we won't need that many pixels for the riMac!
This is what I think.
So to sum up:
Wait
Buy now
Wait
Buy now
Wait
Buy now
Wait
Buy now
Glad we could help...
I chuckled. Clever and true. Well done!
This is one reason I hope the next iMac is an update (like the MBP) and not a redesign which might see the DVD and other features dropped.
Yes I know DVD is on the way out but I'd like it on my next iMac so I have it built in for the next 4-5 years.
Yes I'm in it for the long haul, and will wait for the next iMac, come what may.
I'm pretty confident we'll see a redesign. Maybe not retina, maybe just a design update...or maybe just a 1k pixels more in width. from the rumors I've read the new iMac will look more minimalistic, just a screen and a thin bezel (as new TV's) also with a new and even thinners and sexier keyboard. Probably they will remove the ODD and the screen has a better quality (less reflective)...This is what I made out from all the rumors I've picked up (and believe me I've read every rumor I can dig up)...
Probable release date in October (I'm guessing 5th of october as a Steve Jobs 1 year Anniversary Tribute, though I wish it was sooner).
So most likely we will see a really sexy new machine with badass hardware. I would hate myself hard if I had caved, as I almost did, and bought the current very old machine.
In 2009 I got the early model (the design before the current) and even though I bought it the day it was released I felt I got a bad deal...because the price I paid for it was about $2500 and 6 months later the new design with 27" came out and because they then got more space. they added desktop cpus, better sound, larger screen, and dropped the price. So all in all my machine more than halved in price in 6 months, because the lowest new 27" model had better specs in a larger screen. If I buy the next iMac I will at least know that I haven't bought a machine and had it for a couple of months before I dream of a new one....that would suck!. And even if the current iMac looks great an all, if Apple makes a redesign (which they probably are) you will instantly think you made a bad deal (I know it by experience). The iMac is so old now, that they are not gonna let it stay this way for a lot longer. Do you really need a machine now, I would even consider borrowing or renting one instead of getting the current overpriced and out-dated model.
Probable release date in October (I'm guessing 5th of october as a Steve Jobs 1 year Anniversary Tribute, though I wish it was sooner).
So most likely we will see a really sexy new machine with badass hardware. I would hate myself hard if I had caved, as I almost did, and bought the current very old machine.
In 2009 I got the early model (the design before the current) and even though I bought it the day it was released I felt I got a bad deal...because the price I paid for it was about $2500 and 6 months later the new design with 27" came out and because they then got more space. they added desktop cpus, better sound, larger screen, and dropped the price. So all in all my machine more than halved in price in 6 months, because the lowest new 27" model had better specs in a larger screen. If I buy the next iMac I will at least know that I haven't bought a machine and had it for a couple of months before I dream of a new one....that would suck!. And even if the current iMac looks great an all, if Apple makes a redesign (which they probably are) you will instantly think you made a bad deal (I know it by experience). The iMac is so old now, that they are not gonna let it stay this way for a lot longer. Do you really need a machine now, I would even consider borrowing or renting one instead of getting the current overpriced and out-dated model.
OP, I was in a very similar situation earlier this year. I'd owned PCs exclusively, but had occasionally flirted with the idea of getting a Mac. Over this last winter, my PC started acting funky. I knew a replacement was imminent. I began scouring the Internet for Mac-related info and stumbled upon this site. At the time, the forums were bustling with a frenzy of "there's a new iMac coming in x number of weeks/months" posts. I checked the forums daily, with the rumored dates coming and going.
In mid-March, I purchased a new 27" iMac with all of the bells and whistles. I'm extremely satisfied with my decision. I know at some point, a new, better iMac will be released, and I'm okay with that. Some might say I should have waited, or purchased a refurb, or repaired my PC. I know the decision I made was right for me, and that's what matters.
The first Apple product I ever purchased was an iPhone 3GS. I'm using it to type this post. Shortly after I bought it, the iPhone 4 was released. Initially, I wished I would have waited, however, it didn't change my overall experience with this phone. I loved it. Still do. I'll be content with using it until the next phone is released.
In the end, do what's best for you. If you want an iMac now, then get one. If you think you'll enjoy your iMac less if a new one is released soon, then wait. In the realm of technology, there always seems to be the promise of something better around the corner. From my perspective, if I always focused on what was coming, as opposed to what I have, or could have now, I might never be happy.
Good luck.
In mid-March, I purchased a new 27" iMac with all of the bells and whistles. I'm extremely satisfied with my decision. I know at some point, a new, better iMac will be released, and I'm okay with that. Some might say I should have waited, or purchased a refurb, or repaired my PC. I know the decision I made was right for me, and that's what matters.
The first Apple product I ever purchased was an iPhone 3GS. I'm using it to type this post. Shortly after I bought it, the iPhone 4 was released. Initially, I wished I would have waited, however, it didn't change my overall experience with this phone. I loved it. Still do. I'll be content with using it until the next phone is released.
In the end, do what's best for you. If you want an iMac now, then get one. If you think you'll enjoy your iMac less if a new one is released soon, then wait. In the realm of technology, there always seems to be the promise of something better around the corner. From my perspective, if I always focused on what was coming, as opposed to what I have, or could have now, I might never be happy.
Good luck.
people have been saying a new iMac is just around the corner for well over a half a year now... everything you think you might know about a refresh is at best a guess... so just make a decision and live with it, wait or get it, don't worry be happy....