Damn. I'm really starting to contemplate if I should just build a PC...

[ixodes]

If we step back and look at the big picture, Apple makes a lot of products as compared to just five years ago. While I may not be fond of their approach, I do understand that iToyz is now their number one focus.

The computer division gets a bit of lip service in typical Apple fashion, proclaiming how important laptops and desktops are. Yet if we look past the marketing hype, and focus on what is happening or not happening, it's obvious that computers are now second.

After all, while different, it didn't take a lot of R&D to create the MBPr.

For those like myself that really like their Macs, it's just a matter of accepting the change in Apple's priorities. They're still creating updated machines, simply as a more leisurely pace in some cases.

 

[phillytim]

Good Lord! If you guys want an iMac, buy an iMac!

We have no idea whatsoever when the new one will come out, if you need an iMac then buy the iMac and move on happily with your wonderful new system!

There is always something coming down the pike that you'll want, but here some of you have been waiting well over half a year. More than half a year that you could have been enjoying your new system!

I bought my MacBook Pro last summer, knowing that a refresh would probably be coming out before long. But I was losing sleep wondering, wishing, waiting, and I realized how insane that was and bought this beautiful system and have moved on. There have been 2 refreshes since, and I don't regret buying my system when I wanted it. I'm not losing sleep.

This past Saturday one of my buds bought a 21.5" iMac off the shelf at Best Buy; he's had a fun weekend with it and isn't falling into the trap of waiting aimlessly about for something that Apple may or may not release until next year (as some reports are).

There really isn't anything totally groundbreaking or life-stopping in a new iMac as opposed to the one that is on the shelves now.

The most annoying part of these boards is belaboring the unknown. No one knowns when Apple will release something or other, except maybe the September iPod yearly releases.

I suspect that Apple really isn't losing out on anybody other than some spoiled pouty brats, but then they are expending way too much energy belaboring the releases and highly probably are going to end up with an iMac sooner or later regardless what their poutiness says!

Get the iMac now, or go build your PC; either way, enjoy it and move on not holding back your personal productivity!

 

[AppleInMyBlood]

This isn't necessarily a knock on apple per se. But if you want to stay on the cutting edge with hardware, Apple isn't really the best way to go. You're on their time schedule, not yours.

This is often true with regard to individual specs, at least on paper, but Apple does tend to be the first with new leading-edge tech, often by months or even years: Firewire, wireless internet, Thunderbolt, ultra high res displays, all-flash storage, long battery life; there are others but I can't recall right now.

 

[PantherCreek]

Good Lord! If you guys want an iMac, buy an iMac!

We have no idea whatsoever when the new one will come out, if you need an iMac then buy the iMac and move on happily with your wonderful new system!

There is always something coming down the pike that you'll want, but here some of you have been waiting well over half a year. More than half a year that you could have been enjoying your new system!

I bought my MacBook Pro last summer, knowing that a refresh would probably be coming out before long. But I was losing sleep wondering, wishing, waiting, and I realized how insane that was and bought this beautiful system and have moved on. There have been 2 refreshes since, and I don't regret buying my system when I wanted it. I'm not losing sleep.

This past Saturday one of my buds bought a 21.5" iMac off the shelf at Best Buy; he's had a fun weekend with it and isn't falling into the trap of waiting aimlessly about for something that Apple may or may not release until next year (as some reports are).

There really isn't anything totally groundbreaking or life-stopping in a new iMac as opposed to the one that is on the shelves now.

The most annoying part of these boards is belaboring the unknown. No one knowns when Apple will release something or other, except maybe the September iPod yearly releases.

I suspect that Apple really isn't losing out on anybody other than some spoiled pouty brats, but then they are expending way too much energy belaboring the releases and highly probably are going to end up with an iMac sooner or later regardless what their poutiness says!

Get the iMac now, or go build your PC; either way, enjoy it and move on not holding back your personal productivity!

+1, I totally agree with you, I bought my iMac in April full knowing that a release was coming in June/July (or so I thought back then) but why wait? Seems odd, you either need to upgrade or you don't...

...you know, if you get the iMac when it's released, it's only a matter of time that they update it again, so you might as well wait for that refresh too, but by the time that one comes out it'll be about 12 months until the next one so you might as well just keep waiting...

 

[laserfan]

Buy that Dell 27 AIO and put Mountain Lion on it!

Somebody will, I'm sure...

 

[jmhart]

Good Lord! If you guys want an iMac, buy an iMac!

I'm starting to think you are right. If I can't think this way, then I have no business buying an iMac.

Yet it's not possible to think this way if you know the technical details. So I conclude that iMacs are not meant to be purchased by technical users.

Yes, you might be right...

 

[Entopia7]

I thought that building a carefully thought-out hackintosh was the best idea in the world, until I did it. As it turns out, I don't like to worry about whether or not my OS X installation will work correctly. Also, I forgot how much I dislike Windows 7's handling of... almost everything. After discounting my OS X install for long-term use, I lasted a couple hours attempting to work in Windows before realizing I had made a huge mistake with the build.

Bottom line is, if you are in it for OS X (like I am), then there really is no substitute for the real thing. If you don't mind Windows and can adjust your workflow to suit, then go for it! More "bang" for your buck and all that...

Now attempting to sell my freshly built PC at cost to be ready for the iMac update, whenever that comes...

 

[iSayuSay]

I thought that building a carefully thought-out hackintosh was the best idea in the world, until I did it. As it turns out, I don't like to worry about whether or not my OS X installation will work correctly. Also, I forgot how much I dislike Windows 7's handling of... almost everything. After discounting my OS X install for long-term use, I lasted a couple hours attempting to work in Windows before realizing I had made a huge mistake with the build.

Bottom line is, if you are in it for OS X (like I am), then there really is no substitute for the real thing. If you don't mind Windows and can adjust your workflow to suit, then go for it! More "bang" for your buck and all that...

Now attempting to sell my freshly built PC at cost to be ready for the iMac update, whenever that comes...

Do you need OSX for primary machine? Do you work intensively on it? Because if not, you can always buy MBA and a nice 27" display like Dell U2711 (ATD is great but Thunderbolt PC is still scarce). You lose no pixels since it's the same panel as ATD and iMac, then you can hook both your current fresh built pc AND the MBA to the display.

I still believe a nicely built gaming machine will beat highest end iMac hands down in term of performance, while all the Mac experience handled by the MBA. It might seems costly, but I think you get the better out of your money.
At least that's my plan for my next upgrade.

 

[Winni]

I've been waiting for a new iMac since the beginning of the year and it just seems that it's never going to come. It doesn't sound that long when I think that it's barely July but it feels like a helluva long time! I really start to wonder if I should just build my own PC and end this agonizing wait. But then I remember Windows. How I would hate to take that plunge then see the new iMac unveiled in all it's glory while i kick myself for being so impatient. Why Apple!? Why does thou torment me!?

*sigh*

It's only a matter of time until I give in...

I wish I had your "problems"...

 

[theSeb]

this is often true with regard to individual specs, at least on paper, but apple does tend to be the first with new leading-edge tech, often by months or even years: Firewire, wireless internet, thunderbolt, ultra high res displays, all-flash storage, long battery life; there are others but i can't recall right now.

usb 1

 

[Rlnplehshalo]

Can't wait until my custom build is finished in the next coming month or so once parts arrive, I'll be posting some pics most likely.

And for $1000 less that the top of the line model 27" iMac costs I get an amazing graphics card, i7 ivy bridge CPU, vast storage with SSD, plenty of RAM, USB 3.0 and a slick case And what to do with that spare $1000 you ask? Well I could get a triple monitor display, or even a 30" HD+ display.

Money. Well. Spent.

For laptops however I wouldn't bother with anything other than a Macbook Pro, other manufacturers just make crappy, cheap and bottlenecked systems that don't go through enough testing. Then theres bootcamp for my windows needs on a laptop so I can get the best of both worlds.

Note to apple, I couldn't care less about the thin factor of the MBP it was fine as it was, I'd rather have a few extra millimetres for a better GPU.

 

[Chippy99]

good lord! If you guys want an imac, buy an imac!

We have no idea whatsoever when the new one will come out, if you need an imac then buy the imac and move on happily with your wonderful new system!

There is always something coming down the pike that you'll want, but here some of you have been waiting well over half a year. More than half a year that you could have been enjoying your new system!

I bought my macbook pro last summer, knowing that a refresh would probably be coming out before long. But i was losing sleep wondering, wishing, waiting, and i realized how insane that was and bought this beautiful system and have moved on. There have been 2 refreshes since, and i don't regret buying my system when i wanted it. I'm not losing sleep.

This past saturday one of my buds bought a 21.5" imac off the shelf at best buy; he's had a fun weekend with it and isn't falling into the trap of waiting aimlessly about for something that apple may or may not release until next year (as some reports are).

There really isn't anything totally groundbreaking or life-stopping in a new imac as opposed to the one that is on the shelves now.

The most annoying part of these boards is belaboring the unknown. No one knowns when apple will release something or other, except maybe the september ipod yearly releases.

I suspect that apple really isn't losing out on anybody other than some spoiled pouty brats, but then they are expending way too much energy belaboring the releases and highly probably are going to end up with an imac sooner or later regardless what their poutiness says!

Get the imac now, or go build your pc; either way, enjoy it and move on not holding back your personal productivity!

usb3
esata

Unless for you, £1,500 on a Promise Thunderbolt raid array is just irrelevant.

How are you *cost effectively* going to attach some fast, secure storage to a current iMac?

 

[phillytim]

You ARE wasting life away obsessing about some artificial release timeline.

Just go buy your iMac, or build your PC, and be happy & productive with it!

Time to move along.....

I feel like I'm wasting my life away constantly checking this damn forum in hope that one day I'll see a topic that confirms a release date. This is becoming an unhealthy obsession.

 

[Overg]

or it will be real quiet because folks left..

correct, I plan to leave the area ( although I like this forum, but reading every days rumours of the imac it's too much)
if I don't see imac in July, I will be back here , when the imac will arrive officially from apple.

 

[Overg]

+1, I totally agree with you, I bought my iMac in April full knowing that a release was coming in June/July (or so I thought back then) but why wait? Seems odd, you either need to upgrade or you don't...

...you know, if you get the iMac when it's released, it's only a matter of time that they update it again, so you might as well wait for that refresh too, but by the time that one comes out it'll be about 12 months until the next one so you might as well just keep waiting...

I totally disagree with that approach.
Buy now and get over it ?
are you kidding me?
those who buy now are plain su*ckers ( excuse me for the harsh words..)
but buying an outdated system for full money, is plain silly.

Those of us who get angry is people who understand technology,
want to buy their first iMac, and want it to last for years.
Not to buy a system that already lost one year.

Would you pay full money for 1 year old car?
Of course not! so what is the difference here?

People also get angry because of apple stupid games, who think that people will buy anything they produce no matter what, in full money.
buying the iMac2011 give them the proof that they are correct.

If more people will stop buying the 2011 model, they would see a major drop in sales in 2011 model, and believe me they would rush the 2012 model right away.

 

[Mark D]

I totally disagree with that approach.
Buy now and get over it ?
are you kidding me?
those who buy now are plain su*ckers ( excuse me for the harsh words..)
but buying an outdated system for full money, is plain silly.

Those of us who get angry is people who understand technology,
want to buy their first iMac, and want it to last for years.
Not to buy a system that already lost one year.

This is not a race, it's a precision electronic instrument designed to accomplish certain tasks. The truth is, if the current computer is too old, then it'll be the same story with the next one and nothing is going to "last you for years". If a computer handles everything you need it to do then it is worth the money, unless you are brainwashed by numbers and codenames.

 

[Overg]

This is not a race, it's a precision electronic instrument designed to accomplish certain tasks. The truth is, if the current computer is too old, then it'll be the same story with the next one and nothing is going to "last you for years". If a computer handles everything you need it to do then it is worth the money, unless you are brainwashed by numbers and codenames.

True, so this is why you try to "squeeze " as many years as possible from it.
and not start with already" squeezed" system

and still the car example is valid, a new car is coming every year, why bother to wait? buy the old model ( a day before a new model is released) with full money....

 

[BlueOcean]

I've been waiting for a new iMac since the beginning of the year and it just seems that it's never going to come. It doesn't sound that long when I think that it's barely July but it feels like a helluva long time! I really start to wonder if I should just build my own PC and end this agonizing wait. But then I remember Windows.

Hackintosh. I must say, I love my iMac. But when I can eventually use it no longer, the Hackintosh option is looking more and more attractive. More power + easy to repair + cheaper. You lose the design, but there are some impressive small cases out there these days and reasonably priced IPS displays.

----------

I thought that building a carefully thought-out hackintosh was the best idea in the world, until I did it. As it turns out, I don't like to worry about whether or not my OS X installation will work correctly. Also, I forgot how much I dislike Windows 7's handling of... almost everything. After discounting my OS X install for long-term use, I lasted a couple hours attempting to work in Windows before realizing I had made a huge mistake with the build.

Bottom line is, if you are in it for OS X (like I am), then there really is no substitute for the real thing. If you don't mind Windows and can adjust your workflow to suit, then go for it! More "bang" for your buck and all that...

Now attempting to sell my freshly built PC at cost to be ready for the iMac update, whenever that comes...

I'd like to hear your experiences with this (if you don't mind sharing). It's something I've been thinking of. Did you follow a guide like TonyMacx86? I figured if I went with recommended parts, then OS X wouldn't be a problem to run smoothly.

 

[Entopia7]

I'd like to hear your experiences with this (if you don't mind sharing). It's something I've been thinking of. Did you follow a guide like TonyMacx86? I figured if I went with recommended parts, then OS X wouldn't be a problem to run smoothly.

I used a recommended build from Tonyx86, and really installation was fairly smooth. After the proper multibeast kexts and a little tweaking with the network settings to get the App Store to recognize the computer as a real mac, I was more or less in business.

It was quite stable overall, but there were a couple things keeping it from being a 100% working install:

USB 3.0 would not work correctly for the life of me. The drivers included with Multibeast are experimental, and I didn't have luck with them. Now that OSX will be natively supporting USB 3.0, though, you may have better luck.

Sleep simply would not work correctly. If I slept the computer, all the USB devices would eject themselves and not reconnect on wake. Solution: just don't sleep...

OS X did not like my RAM running at 1600mhz, and the motherboard would often do a double reset thing that cleared settings and bumped it back down to 1333 (triple checked my DSDT stuff, all the OSX side stuff, no change). Windows didn't mind.

Most importantly for me, my USB audio interface did not like the hackintosh. It needed to be plugged in after boot or else no audio would be sent to it, sometimes spat out corrupted audio, etc. I tried different audio driver options in multibeast, eventually just opting to not install anything past vanilla in order to get a stable experience, but it never quite worked as well as it does on an authentic Mac. It was strange.

---

Ports not working, coupled with not being able to sleep the computer and a bad time with a very important peripheral left a somewhat sour taste in my mouth. I also know that Mountain Lion is coming out soon, and while the update process is much easier than it used to be, I would still be waiting and crossing my fingers when the time came to finally test the waters.

All that being said, I really did have fun with the build, and it was very cool to see OS X on a custom built rig. If you like to tinker and get a kick out of finding solutions to problems, then you will probably fare better than I. In the end, though, I run OS X because it just "works," and is a transparent experience for me as a creative professional. Compared to windows, OS X just fades to the background and lets me do my work.

---

The best way I can describe a hackintosh is a less-transparent OS X, where you find yourself wondering if you're going to kernel panic (I only had one, but that was enough), or if you could tweak something to make this part of the OS run better, or if you should chance that OS update you saw in software update today. It's only a few kbs, but it could screw up your whole installation. Better re-clone your boot drive before you try it...

They work, and in my experience they actually work well (the one kernel panic was an SNES emulator that could very well have been shoddily coded), but... something feels off. Maybe I'm just too picky; your mileage may vary.

 

[Nandifix]

Just a question, can you use an iMac just for the computing power and then use an external display with the iMac screen completely powered off?

 

[n0cus]

I've been waiting for a new iMac since the beginning of the year and it just seems that it's never going to come. It doesn't sound that long when I think that it's barely July but it feels like a helluva long time! I really start to wonder if I should just build my own PC and end this agonizing wait. But then I remember Windows. How I would hate to take that plunge then see the new iMac unveiled in all it's glory while i kick myself for being so impatient. Why Apple!? Why does thou torment me!?

*sigh*

It's only a matter of time until I give in...

You said you have been waiting from the beginning of this year, so just wait a little longer.

 

[BlueOcean]

The best way I can describe a hackintosh is a less-transparent OS X, where you find yourself wondering if you're going to kernel panic (I only had one, but that was enough), or if you could tweak something to make this part of the OS run better, or if you should chance that OS update you saw in software update today. It's only a few kbs, but it could screw up your whole installation. Better re-clone your boot drive before you try it...

Thanks, that was a really helpful post. Although I do like tinkering, I guess you're right, the reason I like OS X is because of the general lack of hassle in comparison to Windows. If I'm going to go through that hassle anyway, it seems like I may as well stick to Windows if I'm going to build a computer.

So, I guess I'd be best sticking to the iMac in future, although I'd maybe be interested in some sort of next-gen Mac Pro type product.

That said, with Thunderbolt, if they can pull off a solution where you can hook yourself up to some beastly desktop hardware at home, then a MacBook and monitor might be the way of the future.

 

[Acorn]

its pretty easy to just spit out buy now who cares when its not your money. I waited 4 months for the 2012s airs and you know what im glad i did. im waiting for 2012 mac minis now and when it is finally released just as before i will be glad i waited.

 

[Hakone]

$1k in components and windows 7 should* last you quite awhile. Best of luck with what you choose!

(I too am waiting for the new iMac, but the wife won't let me get a new rig unless my current Dell breaks...boohoo)

 

[Gaiduku]

$1k in components and windows 7 should* last you quite awhile. Best of luck with what you choose!

(I too am waiting for the new iMac, but the wife won't let me get a new rig unless my current Dell breaks...boohoo)

There's an easy solution to that....

"Accidentaly" spill coffee/tea on it when the new iMac is released