Buying an iMac

[RichardI]

Hi all. I'm currently a PC owner (have been for 20 years) but my next PC is going to be a Mac. I see the buyer's guide for iMacs says "Don't Buy - Updates soon". What updates are there likely to be? Why should I wait rather than buying now? We're not talking about a major re-design obviously (at least not right away) so what are we talking about? I've been surfing all the Mac sites and I haven't seen anything really big coming for iMacs. I want the iMac because it's such an intelligently designed package - get a wireless keyboard and mouse with it, at least 2 Gb of RAM, add a USB hub, an external hard drive and you can have your desk back. My only worry is Leopard. What about waiting for that? Should I? Anyway, Apple has won another customer here. I absolutely refuse to pay for another copy of Windows . What are you folks's opinions on waiting vs. buying now?
Thanks,
Rich

 

[psycoswimmer]

Hi all. I'm currently a PC owner (have been for 20 years) but my next PC is going to be a Mac. I see the buyer's guide for iMacs says "Don't Buy - Updates soon". What updates are there likely to be? Why should I wait rather than buying now? We're not talking about a major re-design obviously (at least not right away) so what are we talking about? I've been surfing all the Mac sites and I haven't seen anything really big coming for iMacs. I want the iMac because it's such an intelligently designed package - get a wireless keyboard and mouse with it, at least 2 Gb of RAM, add a USB hub, an external hard drive and you can have your desk back. My only worry is Leopard. What about waiting for that? Should I? Anyway, Apple has won another customer here. I absolutely refuse to pay for another copy of Windows . What are you folks's opinions on waiting vs. buying now?
Thanks,
Rich

Well, the next update for the iMac (which was last updated in September on the Wednesday a week before the It's Showtime! event) could possibly be a major design revamp, or just some spec increases. One probable spec increase would be the outdated x1600 graphics card. I bought a 20" iMac at Christmas and I expect to be using it for many, many years without worrying about it being completely outdated.

Leopard is going to be released in Spring. Spring starts in March and ends in June, so therefore, Leopard could be released as early as March or as late as June. Also, Santa Rosa is probably going to be released in May, and the new iMacs may incorporate the Santa Rosa platform.

If you need it now, buy it now; it's a great computer. If you can easily wait, then wait.

Also, if you're looking into savaing a little money, the refurb macs are a great deal. My iMac is a refurb and it looks brand new. However, you don't get ther original box (just a brown box); but you might get some "goodies" like an updated processor or more RAM.

Congrats on switching to Mac! You'll love it.