Thank you very much for your reply.
The most important thing right now is the retina display. I got a NAS server running at my home, so I'll just go with the 256 flash drive.
And I'm not going to be using the thunderbolt so that doesn't matter.
Thanks a lot for the advice on the RAM part. I'll of course go with the 8 GB standard and then upgrade if necessary.
And it is the 27" iMac.
I bought a late 2013 iMac just before Christmas and I must say it is an excellent machine. May I recommend maxing on the RAM when you order if you are getting the 21" (as it can not be upgraded after purchase) BUT if you are going for the 27" get the cheapest RAM option available (2 * 4GB) then buy 32GB (4 * 8GB) from a reputable source - I would suggest Crucial as they guarantee compatibility with macs & you can buy direct from the manufacturer (this is precisely what I did). Also I got a ½TB SSD and it is extremely fast - it boots to the log in screen virtually immediately then it opens the apps immediately with a 2 second delay in opening iTunes (I have at least 6 apps that open on log in including iTunes) - basically how long it takes to boot and log in depends largely on how fast you can type your password!). If you want a large internal storage however I have heard that the fusion drives are very good but I have no personal experience of them.
I hope that you can get back to me and ask any further questions that you think of and also let me know what you eventually decide. As far as by now/wait for update I think the update probably won't be until early Autumn (though this really is just a guess) but if you do decide to wait Intel have just released new Chips (Broadwell I think) also they may upgrade the Thunderbolt port on the back to Thunderbolt 2.
Good luck with your mac.
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Thank you Steve. Yeah, well I don't think I'll notice any upgrade on the CPU compared to the one thats out now.
And about the storage, I got a NAS server at home so I'll go with the 256 flash storage.
Thanks again, really helpful!
The iMac will be refreshed towards the very end of the year, usually around November. We don't know if it will be a minor spec update featuring Broadwell (which shouldn't matter for a desktop class machine) or if Apple will revamp the iMac with a retina display.
I personally don't think we will see a major overhaul of the iMac. The current design launched in late 2012 so I can't see anything major happening for at least 1-2 years.
If you are buying an iMac then I would suggest going for the Fusion drive as it's a perfect cost/performance balance. I have had my iMac (my first!) since late 2012 and I love it. It's a brilliant machine and I think if you buy now you will be very happy with your purchase.
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yes it would indeed be nice, but I'm just not sure whether or not it would have any influence on day to day basis. :/
The 1080p screen on my iMac is amazing. I certainly won't be bothered if/when a retina iMac comes along. When I look to upgrade my iMac in a few years it will of course be nice to have a retina display.