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Discount on M1 iMac coming?

G

ger19

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 30, 2022
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I’ve had my eye on an iMac since they came out. The only thing stopping me is that my 10 year old Win machine is still working fine. With the new iMacs possibly coming out soon, would it be likely that the current iMacs would be discounted?

I really don’t need a powerful computer so if there was a good deal on the current machines, it might be time to jump on one.
 
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There may be slight "closeout" discounts on the m1 iMac.
But if the new iMac is an m3... well... I'd forget about the discounts and get the m3 instead. It will be somewhat better...
 
Fishrrman said:
There may be slight "closeout" discounts on the m1 iMac.
But if the new iMac is an m3... well... I'd forget about the discounts and get the m3 instead. It will be somewhat better...
Click to expand...
I agree it will be a better machine, however, is there really any point for a person who uses the computer primarily for web surfing? The only other thing I do is a very basic spreadsheet, Turbo Tax (once per year) and listen to music. Not sure I even need an M1 but I love the look and the screen resolution.
 
ger19 said:
I agree it will be a better machine, however, is there really any point for a person who uses the computer primarily for web surfing? The only other thing I do is a very basic spreadsheet, Turbo Tax (once per year) and listen to music. Not sure I even need an M1 but I love the look and the screen resolution.
Click to expand...
True, the M1 series chips are fine for most tasks. For a non-enthusiast the M1 imac at a discount will be ok.
 
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jouster said:
S/he is using a ten-year-old windows machine, so I doubt future value is a consideration.
Click to expand...
(He)

Plus, I’m 62 yeas old. :)

I used to renew my machines more frequently when I worked. Plus, during my working years, especially the early years, computers changed a lot in 3 years. Now, there’s just not the increased value to upgrade so often. That coincides with my use case changing drastically. I’m just a surfer and email reader. Heck, I could buy a Chromebook but I have my dignity. FWIW, my Win machine is a custom build from Silent PC. It has a small form factor and no fan so it is silent. All I’ve needed to do with it over the years is upgrade the OS from 7 to 10 and I had to upgrade the SSD from 120 to 240. It’s been a solid machine.
 
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ger19 said:
(He)

Plus, I’m 62 yeas old. :)

I used to renew my machines more frequently when I worked. Plus, during my working years, especially the early years, computers changed a lot in 3 years. Now, there’s just not the increased value to upgrade so often. That coincides with my use case changing drastically. I’m just a surfer and email reader. Heck, I could buy a Chromebook but I have my dignity. FWIW, my Win machine is a custom build from Silent PC. It has a small form factor and no fan so it is silent. All I’ve needed to do with it over the years is upgrade the OS from 7 to 10 and I had to upgrade the SSD from 120 to 240. It’s been a solid machine.
Click to expand...
You have a few years on me...but not that many!

Like you, I am far from a "power user"...whatever that is. I recently got an M2 Mini base model. With the education discount it was $499. I already owned the monitor, keyboard, mouse etc. I got 256 GB of built-in storage, and use a 2TB SSD for my pictures/movies etc. Apple's storage pricing is ridiculous in my opinion.

It is by far the best computer I have ever owned. It handles basic productivity, Zoom, Excel, Safari, Chrome, light photo editing, Music, iMovie and others (mostly astronomy software) without a hitch. And when it stops working--I hope a long time from now--I can replace it without needing to buy a new screen etc.

I love the iMac's design but cannot consider one until Apple allows them to be repurposed as a monitor once their useful
computing life is over.
 
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Personally, I was going to purchase a iMac M1 Blue but don't need the monitor and keyboard, mouse.
the reason I want one was only for the color.
seems to me by having Bondi blue iMac in 1999 was enough for me and iMacs.
 
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I think that any Apple Silicon Mac is going to last 10 years or more, you will of course lose OS support during that time but the machine will most likely still be usable. I have a 2013 Mac Pro on my desk that I still use daily for basic work and occasionally some photo editing when I don't want to get my MacBook Pro out of my bag. I suggest getting as much ram as you can and getting the higher end model when looking at the refurb models.
 
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ger19 said:
You don’t think an M1 will last for say 10 years? I’m close to 11 on my Win machine.
Click to expand...

M1 can easily last 10+ years. But Apple will "vintage" the software over about 7 years and M1 has been around a few years already. Once you get 2 generations beyond an Apple hardware generation, various new features start "no longer being possible" (unless third party hacks are applied) on older technology. And once macOS updates end, many Apple apps will "upgrade" out of compatibility with the older Mac. For example, the iWork apps are notorious for this.

On the other hand, Windows tends to not be in such a hurry to leave old hardware behind. Some might even argue that Windows supports older hardware for too long. Those with old Intel Macs entering or beyond vintaging can give them second life as a Windows PC because Windows will likely support them quite well.

Apple wants all to buy new hardware as soon as reasonably possible. Hackers will show that old hardware can run new macOS just fine, but then you are leaning on hacks that can break with each software update. If hackers can make new macOS run on older hardware, Apple can obviously do it too. So why don't they? The current way makes lots of money. This other option makes no money.

So, yes, you can save some money by buying M1 Macs after M3 release. However, you "pay" for the savings SOONER because that "new" (to you) Mac will be vintaged much sooner than buying "latest & greatest." Once vintaged, key apps will stop working in full (Safari for example will increasingly not work as a browser) and other apps will not be compatible with the same apps updated in newer version of macOS: for example, friend sends you a Keynote file created in newer macOS version and it probably won't open on the latest version that you can still run on your vintaged Mac.
 
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dumastudetto said:
M1 Macs have two more major macOS releases left in them. You'll then get a couple of years of security updates beyond that for the last major update you receive.
Click to expand...

Apple will be selling newly produced M1 MacBooks Air well into 2024 (could be into 2025, who knows)… it seems likely to me that those M1 machines will get new MacOS releases for several more years
 
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No discounts yet. Best Buy and Costco are still selling the M1’s at the same price as before the M3 release. I’m thinking I’ll wait until Black Friday and if I don’t see any deals, I just pay up.
 
ger19 said:
You don’t think an M1 will last for say 10 years? I’m close to 11 on my Win machine.
Click to expand...
I think 10 years (from now - 2033) is probably the expected end of life of those machines:

1. Apple usually stops supporting the hardware (meaning fixing problems) 7 years after the last sale if my memory is correct.
2. Historically, Apple usually supports MacOS for 10 years. That includes upgrades and the one off security patches.

Eventually what will happen is the web browsers will stop supporting the new systems, and web pages will slowly start breaking as the web browsers no longer can render the pages. This will prevent you from accessing online banking or other types of security focused websites.

My opinion, based on your needs, a M1 iMac, base model, would be good, if you can find it for a 20% discount or thereabouts.
 
dumastudetto said:
M1 Macs have two more major macOS releases left in them. You'll then get a couple of years of security updates beyond that for the last major update you receive.
Click to expand...
Source on that? I think everyone agrees that the 2020 MacBook Airs have at least one more MacOS Update. I'm not seeing anything that will cut off the M1 soon.
 
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dumastudetto said:
M1 Macs have two more major macOS releases left in them. You'll then get a couple of years of security updates beyond that for the last major update you receive.
Click to expand...
I don't believe that, sorry. Where did you pull that info from?? All my Intel Macs got 7-8 major versions during their supported life bearing in mind that was before the annual major updated became a thing. I'd expect M1 Macs to get at least 6 or 7! With Apple Silicon there's no reason to for them not to get a long period of support as the M1 chips are not all that different to the M3 which should see at least 6 or 7 major updates as well.
 
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There is a discount on the M1 iMac base unit at Costco. They're asking $999 for it. It's hard not to think about getting a new iMac for under $1K. I've generally thought of a higher end unit with a 16GB/512ssd configuration. But now I'm wondering what harm would there be in trying the base unit. If I don't like it, I can always return it to costco and If I do like it I've saved some good money.

I'd really like to hear from someone who has the base unit but generally, I think it would do me just fine. I think my risk is that it will become "obsolete" sooner. The more I think about it, I don't need anything much more than my iPad to do the things I want to do. Surely the base M1 can handle that.

Thoughts?
 
ger19 said:
There is a discount on the M1 iMac base unit at Costco. They're asking $999 for it. It's hard not to think about getting a new iMac for under $1K. I've generally thought of a higher end unit with a 16GB/512ssd configuration. But now I'm wondering what harm would there be in trying the base unit. If I don't like it, I can always return it to costco and If I do like it I've saved some good money.

I'd really like to hear from someone who has the base unit but generally, I think it would do me just fine. I think my risk is that it will become "obsolete" sooner. The more I think about it, I don't need anything much more than my iPad to do the things I want to do. Surely the base M1 can handle that.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
There is no difference between the M1 MacBook Air and the M1 iMac, except for the screen size and lack of battery. I have a slightly better model of a MacBook Air M1, and not the binned version.

What type of work do you do with your iPad? I use my MacBook Air for almost everything. I use it to code using Visual Studio and Xcode. I'm teaching myself Final Cut Pro. I use it to write e-mails and surf the internet.

The only thing I did not like about the MacBook Air M1 (and might apply to the M1 iMac) is the display. I hate the glossy display and gave me a headache. I brought a matte screen protector for $15 USD and the problem went away.

Unless there's some giant technology change coming out that I can't foresee (maybe VR headsets?) I expect to replace my MacBook Air around 2030 or thereabouts.
 
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Follow up to this thread. I now see an M1 at Costco for $999. It’s the base unit with Ethernet so originally $1,499. So $500 off. That’s the best I’ve see on discounted M1’s.

I think I’m going to pull the trigger and buy this one. I can get it in Blue, which is the color I want. Also, my research lead me to understand that this 2nd level model (upgrade from the very Base model) has two fans for better cooling. In all my discussions about memory and disk space, this was one area that I didn’t want to concede. I know many will say that 8gb/256gb is not enough memory/disk space but I’m going to give it a try. My needs (use case) are very minor. I really could get by with a keyboard on my iPad if it had a bigger screen and handled storage more like a typical desktop. Plus, if it’s not enough, Costco does have a great return policy and I’ll take advantage of that. I realize it’s a risk, but I think the main risk is the future proofing you get from adding more memory/storage. I’m fine with a shorter life span given that I’m getting 1/3 off the price from the start.

Wish me luck.
 
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