Get M1 iMac now or wait for M2 update?

[MaskedCarrot]

I was thinking about getting an M1 iMac with 16 gig of ram, but I was curious as to whether now is a good time to get one or if anyone thinks Apple might refresh the iMac later this year with the M2 or do you think they will wait until next year?

I don't do much on the computer except for the usual every day stuff, browsing, email, youtube....etc....

I know the M1 right now would do everything I need, but I just hate the thought of buying one now and Apple in 6 months refreshes it.

Also how good are Apple's trade-ins? I was also curious if I got an M1 one now, do they make it worth your while to trade it in when a new version comes out.

 

[andreyush]

Very unlikely we'll see another iMac this year! Maybe in 2022 but if you need it buy it now, it will be more than enough for what you're doing.
Also the trade ins in my opinion are the easy way to get rid of the old machine and get some extra money. I have the 16gb config and I'd get £410 on it haha.

 

[TechRunner]

I know the M1 right now would do everything I need, but I just hate the thought of buying one now and Apple in 6 months refreshes it.

That’s the risk you take with all technology. We live in a constant upgrade cycle. If you need one now, I wouldn’t hesitate to grab an M1. It will keep you happy for some time to come, according to your uses.

 

[NewUsername]

I was thinking about getting an M1 iMac with 16 gig of ram, but I was curious as to whether now is a good time to get one or if anyone thinks Apple might refresh the iMac later this year with the M2 or do you think they will wait until next year?

I don't do much on the computer except for the usual every day stuff, browsing, email, youtube....etc....

I know the M1 right now would do everything I need, but I just hate the thought of buying one now and Apple in 6 months refreshes it.

Also how good are Apple's trade-ins? I was also curious if I got an M1 one now, do they make it worth your while to trade it in when a new version comes out.

Well, it depends on what you have now. If you have, say, a 2012 iMac on its last legs, I would go out and get the current M1. Most likely the M2 iMac won’t come out until early to mid 2023, though there is always a chance we could see a refresh in October or November this year. What that refresh could entail beyond the switch from M1 to M2 is anyone’s guess by the way.

If on the other hand though, you now have a 2019 iMac which still works perfectly, then I wouldn’t hurry to upgrade.

 

[ucfgrad93]

Well, it depends on what you have now. If you have, say, a 2012 iMac on its last legs, I would go out and get the current M1. Most likely the M2 iMac won’t come out until early to mid 2023, though there is always a chance we could see a refresh in October or November this year. What that refresh could entail beyond the switch from M1 to M2 is anyone’s guess by the way.

If on the other hand though, you now have a 2019 iMac which still works perfectly, then I wouldn’t hurry to upgrade.

Well said. If the OP were to get one now and Apple refreshes in a timely manner, he could always resell it.

 

[jdclifford]

Well said. If the OP were to get one now and Apple refreshes in a timely manner, he could always resell it.

I agree about how it depends on what you are using NOW. Based on Op's use case description I doubt he will notice any difference between an M1 iMac and an M2 iMac. How fast do you need to go? 180mph or 230mph when speed limits are 65mph. Apple is selling overkill just like the new Mac studio configurations. Even some of those who need the best and fastest agree that the M1 Ultima is overkill and not worth the $$$.

Personally my M1 iMac is more than sufficient for my daily needs (and I can say the same for my 14"MBP M1 Pro).

 

[MaskedCarrot]

I was just checking Apple's website, and a 16 gig 512g speced machine wouldn't be here until May 5th.

Looks like the supply chain issues aren't ending anytime soon.

For me though, I don't NEED it now though. I have a nice PC desktop. I just wanted to get a MAC to mess around with. I had a 2009 iMac back in the day that I liked, and I wouldn't mind messing around with MacOS again, but it's not a need, just a want.

If Apple wasn't planning on refreshing it until next year, then ya I would probably get one, and yes I know there is always new stuff gunna come out, its just if it comes out this year I'd had to be out of date in 6 months.

 

[velocityg4]

I was just checking Apple's website, and a 16 gig 512g speced machine wouldn't be here until May 5th.

Looks like the supply chain issues aren't ending anytime soon.

For me though, I don't NEED it now though. I have a nice PC desktop. I just wanted to get a MAC to mess around with. I had a 2009 iMac back in the day that I liked, and I wouldn't mind messing around with MacOS again, but it's not a need, just a want.

If Apple wasn't planning on refreshing it until next year, then ya I would probably get one, and yes I know there is always new stuff gunna come out, its just if it comes out this year I'd had to be out of date in 6 months.

You can check various retailers. Micro Center carries some custom configs. Stock will vary by store and they currently are only allowing in store pickup. My local store has the 16/1TB config in stock. If you have one nearby. You can check what options they list in stock.

Also check BHPhotovideo, Best Buy and Tiger Direct occasionally. At any rate. If you want the iMac. Place the order with Apple now. Then check other retailers. If one of them gets the one in stock you want. Order from them and cancel your Apple order.

As for Apple coming out with a new one. No one can say for certain. I'm going to assume 2023. From what I recall from rumors of the upgraded TSMC process the M2 will likely use. TSMC won't be able to start production until this summer. The lower end Macbook models and Mac Mini are most likely the priority for those chips. Which I assume will be released in October/November. Then the iMac in 2023.

 

[MaskedCarrot]

You can check various retailers. Micro Center carries some custom configs. Stock will vary by store and they currently are only allowing in store pickup. My local store has the 16/1TB config in stock. If you have one nearby. You can check what options they list in stock.

Also check BHPhotovideo, Best Buy and Tiger Direct occasionally. At any rate. If you want the iMac. Place the order with Apple now. Then check other retailers. If one of them gets the one in stock you want. Order from them and cancel your Apple order.

As for Apple coming out with a new one. No one can say for certain. I'm going to assume 2023. From what I recall from rumors of the upgraded TSMC process the M2 will likely use. TSMC won't be able to start production until this summer. The lower end Macbook models and Mac Mini are most likely the priority for those chips. Which I assume will be released in October/November. Then the iMac in 2023.

Ya I placed an order with Apple this morning for a 16/512 M1 iMac. I really liked the Orange one, but my daughter told me to get the Green or Blue one since she wasn't digging the Orange. I decided to get the Green, although I still like the Orange one better.

I forgot about Microcenter, but they didn't have any 16 gig models in stock, neither does best Buy. The other ones I would have to have shipped, and being the case, I might as well just get it from Apple. That way if I have an issue or change my mind it would be easier to just drive to an Apple store to take it back.

If the refresh comes on out 2023 instead of this year, then I think I would feel better about the purchase. Next year I could get the new one and give this one to my daughter.

 

[staypuftforums]

Ya I placed an order with Apple this morning for a 16/512 M1 iMac. I really liked the Orange one, but my daughter told me to get the Green or Blue one since she wasn't digging the Orange. I decided to get the Green, although I still like the Orange one better.

I forgot about Microcenter, but they didn't have any 16 gig models in stock, neither does best Buy. The other ones I would have to have shipped, and being the case, I might as well just get it from Apple. That way if I have an issue or change my mind it would be easier to just drive to an Apple store to take it back.

If the refresh comes on out 2023 instead of this year, then I think I would feel better about the purchase. Next year I could get the new one and give this one to my daughter.

Based on your stated use case, it wouldn't matter at all whether you had a M1 or a M2 machine. You'd probably not even notice the difference. The main advantage would be the extra 1-2 years of software support from Apple.

My use case is similar to yours and I was maxing out at 10% CPU usage on the M1.

 

[DSTOFEL]

I was thinking about getting an M1 iMac with 16 gig of ram, but I was curious as to whether now is a good time to get one or if anyone thinks Apple might refresh the iMac later this year with the M2 or do you think they will wait until next year?

I don't do much on the computer except for the usual every day stuff, browsing, email, youtube....etc....

I know the M1 right now would do everything I need, but I just hate the thought of buying one now and Apple in 6 months refreshes it.

Also how good are Apple's trade-ins? I was also curious if I got an M1 one now, do they make it worth your while to trade it in when a new version comes out.

I'm right there with you! I just recently (past 2 weeks) replaced my late 2015 27 inch iMac (i5, 2TB fusion drive) with a 24 inch M1 iMac (16GB, 512GB SSD) from the Apple Refurbished site. I went back/forth on the decision during the 15 day return window...but I decided to stick to it. It's awesome. Does everything I need (Lightroom/Photoshop/FCP and general computing stuff). Now, I do have a 2TB Sabrent M2 Rocket NVMe that I use as a TB3 external drive for my Lightroom Catalog and photos (highly recommended: 2,000 mb/s+ Read/Write speeds) and I'm using an OWC TB3 Dock for some more ports. I think I'm set for the next 5 yrs...minimum for what I do.

 

[Onimusha370]

I'm right there with you! I just recently (past 2 weeks) replaced my late 2015 27 inch iMac (i5, 2TB fusion drive) with a 24 inch M1 iMac (16GB, 512GB SSD) from the Apple Refurbished site. I went back/forth on the decision during the 15 day return window...but I decided to stick to it. It's awesome. Does everything I need (Lightroom/Photoshop/FCP and general computing stuff). Now, I do have a 2TB Sabrent M2 Rocket NVMe that I use as a TB3 external drive for my Lightroom Catalog and photos (highly recommended: 2,000 mb/s+ Read/Write speeds) and I'm using an OWC TB3 Dock for some more ports. I think I'm set for the next 5 yrs...minimum for what I do.

Do you mind sharing what your enclosure is on your SSD to get those speeds? currently looking at the Sabrent but enclosures I can see seem to max out at 10Gbps!

 

[Xdibo]

Depite the reviews and comments that the M1 can 'do all', this 16GB-RAM restriction is what worries met too in both the iMac and Mini. Owning today a 27" Intel i7 iMac and 15" Macbook Pro, the first having 32GB of RAM on board, the latter 'only' 16GB (with both of course the 2GB 'extra' on top of that for the GPU) - I notice a clear difference when opening simultaneously multiple Adobe applications... some other occasional tools too. No issues with the 32GB iMac whatsoever but the 16GB Macbook Pro frequently tumbles into delays, refuses to switch applications and sessions get occasionaly corrupted too. I'm not fully believing in the magic of the unified memory concept for the M1. The 16GB option feels already to be a no-brainer if you want to secure the future for your hardware a little bit. 8 GPU cores only feel like a serious degrade from the NVidea architecture. I'm sceptical that any iMac 24" or Mac Mini will be able to stay on my desk for more than 5 years. I was btw planning to replace my 27" iMac... with a brand-new new 27" iMac Pro (expected with the M1 Pro or Max, expandable to 32GB or even 64GB). I was really NOT awaiting a much more expensive Studio solution - in fact, a 'repackaged' version of the existing iMac 27" 5K display and a separate box on my desk. The 24" iMac only feels like 'half the solution' I require as a creative artist / fine art photographer. On the other end of the universe Apple judges that the EU-clients have to pay about 1/3th extra vs someone in the US for exactly the same Studio-configuration, add about 800$ to understand what I mean (the difference has never been that significant, you can do the calculation by your own - and I don't believe the story of extra warranties). I have been an Apple user since 2006, but I don't know that will be able to stay one if prices for basically the same kind of 'workstation solution' go up like this.

 

[DSTOFEL]

Do you mind sharing what your enclosure is on your SSD to get those speeds? currently looking at the Sabrent but enclosures I can see seem to max out at 10Gbps!

I got this WAVELINK TB3 enclosure. It was only $80 bucks and not recommended for double-sided SSD’s like the Sabrent Rocket 2TB, but I just left the top off and just left the included heat sync exposed. With an iMac…it just sits behind it and it’s okay…as it never moves. I heard the Sabrent TB3 enclosure is great quality, but very low speeds. I’m not sure you can get the WAVELINK anymore…it’s no longer. It’s no longer available on Amazon. Maybe look at the TREBLEET enclosure ($129)…seems to be good and fast.

 

[Onimusha370]

View attachment 1987591 View attachment 1987592 View attachment 1987593
I got this WAVELINK TB3 enclosure. It was only $80 bucks and not recommended for double-sided SSD’s like the Sabrent Rocket 2TB, but I just left the top off and just left the included heat sync exposed. With an iMac…it just sits behind it and it’s okay…as it never moves. I heard the Sabrent TB3 enclosure is great quality, but very low speeds. I’m not sure you can get the WAVELINK anymore…it’s no longer. It’s no longer available on Amazon. Maybe look at the TREBLEET enclosure ($129)…seems to be good and fast.

That’s awesome, thanks for all the info

 

[zoom25]

Depite the reviews and comments that the M1 can 'do all', this 16GB-RAM restriction is what worries met too in both the iMac and Mini. Owning today a 27" Intel i7 iMac and 15" Macbook Pro, the first having 32GB of RAM on board, the latter 'only' 16GB (with both of course the 2GB 'extra' on top of that for the GPU) - I notice a clear difference when opening simultaneously multiple Adobe applications... some other occasional tools too. No issues with the 32GB iMac whatsoever but the 16GB Macbook Pro frequently tumbles into delays, refuses to switch applications and sessions get occasionaly corrupted too. I'm not fully believing in the magic of the unified memory concept for the M1. The 16GB option feels already to be a no-brainer if you want to secure the future for your hardware a little bit. 8 GPU cores only feel like a serious degrade from the NVidea architecture. I'm sceptical that any iMac 24" or Mac Mini will be able to stay on my desk for more than 5 years. I was btw planning to replace my 27" iMac... with a brand-new new 27" iMac Pro (expected with the M1 Pro or Max, expandable to 32GB or even 64GB). I was really NOT awaiting a much more expensive Studio solution - in fact, a 'repackaged' version of the existing iMac 27" 5K display and a separate box on my desk. The 24" iMac only feels like 'half the solution' I require as a creative artist / fine art photographer. On the other end of the universe Apple judges that the EU-clients have to pay about 1/3th extra vs someone in the US for exactly the same Studio-configuration, add about 800$ to understand what I mean (the difference has never been that significant, you can do the calculation by your own - and I don't believe the story of extra warranties). I have been an Apple user since 2006, but I don't know that will be able to stay one if prices for basically the same kind of 'workstation solution' go up like this.

Same, exactly. I have both Intel 2018 15" and M1 Air [for family member] (both with 16GB RAM). I have no problems with the CPU of M1, but the RAM limitation is definitely something I'm going to decide as I desperately need to upgrade my Late 2009 27 iMac. Either I can downsize to 24" iMac and save money, but be limited to 16GB RAM, or spend considerably more for a 27" Display + 32GB RAM Studio.

 

[MaskedCarrot]

Same, exactly. I have both Intel 2018 15" and M1 Air [for family member] (both with 16GB RAM). I have no problems with the CPU of M1, but the RAM limitation is definitely something I'm going to decide as I desperately need to upgrade my Late 2009 27 iMac. Either I can downsize to 24" iMac and save money, but be limited to 16GB RAM, or spend considerably more for a 27" Display + 32GB RAM Studio.

I guess the question is what do you do that you might require more that 16 gig of RAM?

I had 16 gig on my PC for awhile, never had an issue, even with gaming. I only upgraded to 32 gig just for Microsoft Flight Simulator. But other than that, I don't even fully utilize 16 gig.

However, once you have 32 gig, you get accustomed to having that extra headroom, whether you need it or not. So it's good to have it just for certain times. I despise having RAM swap to the SSD, such an evil thing. lol

Me though, I don't do any of the music/video editing/photo rendering....etc....that you see all these "professional" people in these forums always talk about it. I am just an average user on a daily bases. Web browsing, email, watching YouTube....etc....stuff like that. I used to have a MAC years ago, so I am not current on how much MacOS uses and it's programs. 16 gig is probably enough for me, but I just like to have the extra ram just for that warm blanket feeling.

 

[zoom25]

I guess the question is what do you do that you might require more that 16 gig of RAM?

I had 16 gig on my PC for awhile, never had an issue, even with gaming. I only upgraded to 32 gig just for Microsoft Flight Simulator. But other than that, I don't even fully utilize 16 gig.

However, once you have 32 gig, you get accustomed to having that extra headroom, whether you need it or not. So it's good to have it just for certain times. I despise having RAM swap to the SSD, such an evil thing. lol

Me though, I don't do any of the music/video editing/photo rendering....etc....that you see all these "professional" people in these forums always talk about it. I am just an average user on a daily bases. Web browsing, email, watching YouTube....etc....stuff like that. I used to have a MAC years ago, so I am not current on how much MacOS uses and it's programs. 16 gig is probably enough for me, but I just like to have the extra ram just for that warm blanket feeling.

For casual usage such as that, 16GB RAM will never give you issues. Even 8GB RAM should be fine, but 16GB is a good assurance. I went with 16GB RAM for the M1 Air for my family member because I know they always just leave all their apps, docs, and tabs open with videos and music. Makes things easier.

My use case on the other hand does include frequent video and photo editing (Final Cut and Lightroom). I used to use Logic in the past but that's now more of a hobby.

RAM used to be literally the last thing on people's mind when ordering iMacs in the past decade plus. Order everything and then RAM aftermarket for cheaper and when you could get more funds down the line - no rush. Can't add more RAM or swap out for a bigger internal SSD like in the past.

16GB RAM should not be an issue for you. I still haven't seen the 24" M1 in person as of yet, so hoping to do that soon to see if I'm even considering something feasible. If I were you, I wouldn't worry about the 16GB RAM. I'd want to make sure on how the screen looks in person (from the front and off axis) and how the height and size is going to work in your space...maybe how many apps/screen you want to be able to see side by side. I plan on giving it a solid run through.

 

[MaskedCarrot]

For casual usage such as that, 16GB RAM will never give you issues. Even 8GB RAM should be fine, but 16GB is a good assurance. I went with 16GB RAM for the M1 Air for my family member because I know they always just leave all their apps, docs, and tabs open with videos and music. Makes things easier.

My use case on the other hand does include frequent video and photo editing (Final Cut and Lightroom). I used to use Logic in the past but that's now more of a hobby.

RAM used to be literally the last thing on people's mind when ordering iMacs in the past decade plus. Order everything and then RAM aftermarket for cheaper and when you could get more funds down the line - no rush. Can't add more RAM or swap out for a bigger internal SSD like in the past.

16GB RAM should not be an issue for you. I still haven't seen the 24" M1 in person as of yet, so hoping to do that soon to see if I'm even considering something feasible. If I were you, I wouldn't worry about the 16GB RAM. I'd want to make sure on how the screen looks in person (from the front and off axis) and how the height and size is going to work in your space...maybe how many apps/screen you want to be able to see side by side. I plan on giving it a solid run through.

I was able to look at them recently in one of my local Apple stores. I currently have a 27" monitor on my PC and it is a good size for me, and I was wondering if going down to a 24" would be an issue. But when I looked at it in person, it didn't turn out to be an issue for me.

I really wanted the Orange color. I think Orange is an underrated color and should get more attention. But, my plan is to give this one to my daughter when the M2 version comes out, which I will get. She really liked the Pink one, but I am not buying a Pink one to use for me. hehe She said otherwise, she likes Blue and Green also. So I ended up picking up the green. I like the nice pastel version of it, and I think it has a nice earth tone look to it.

 

[zoom25]

I was able to look at them recently in one of my local Apple stores. I currently have a 27" monitor on my PC and it is a good size for me, and I was wondering if going down to a 24" would be an issue. But when I looked at it in person, it didn't turn out to be an issue for me.

I really wanted the Orange color. I think Orange is an underrated color and should get more attention. But, my plan is to give this one to my daughter when the M2 version comes out, which I will get. She really liked the Pink one, but I am not buying a Pink one to use for me. hehe She said otherwise, she likes Blue and Green also. So I ended up picking up the green. I like the nice pastel version of it, and I think it has a nice earth tone look to it.

That's great to hear.

I have to see the colours in person. The front face of pink and orange reminds me of past Rose Gold? Yellow is my personal choice, but I'm so used to the black, white and silver tones in my room that the silver might make the most sense. I think that tone of yellow might feel overbearing and overpowering. The orange is a bit less than than the yellow in that regard and the pink even less than the orange based on the pics. Silver is the most likely to blend into my current room (or any future rooms) and age well over the years. The 27" iMac from 2009 still looks so modern and up-to date. In my current setup, I only have to worry about how it looks from the front, as the back is against a window. People with iMacs in the middle of their room have to care more about how it looks from both front and back. For example, the pink looks red in the back.

 

[MaskedCarrot]

I figured I would check back since it's been about a month since I started this thread.

I ordered a Green M1 iMac 16/512 with the full sized keyboard. Scheduled delivery date was end of April/early May. Then I started to read threads on here about people's MBP or M1 Studio orders being pushed back. I checked local Apple stores and saw they had Blue M1 iMac 16/1 TB in stock. I didn't need 1 TB of storage and really wanted the full sized keyboard, but I figured my original order would most likely get pushed back also, so I just bought the blue one and cancelled the order for the Green one.

So far I am loving it. The stuff I do on it I could easily do on my iPad, but I prefer a desktop. I guess I'm old school. And I can't believe how awesome the 4.5k screen is! I am blown away by it. I was thinking I wouldn't like the Magic Mouse, but I find that I really like that also, although my wife doesn't. I still would have preferred the full sized keyboard. For some reason I am terrible at typing on the small keyboard, but can type just fine on the full sized, but I am slowly getting used to it.

Now I am seeing that people's orders in another thread here are being pushed back to July or August, so I am glad I was able to get an iMac without that long wait. So I didn't get exactly what I wanted, but I feel the compromise was worth it to get it now and not have to wait for a few months.

 

[jpohio]

Congrats on your new iMac. I have a Green 16/ 1TB, ordered a few months ago. My needs sound similar to yours, and the system is perfect for what I do. I never find myself wishing I had more RAM, display is awesome. Enjoy.

 

[ucfgrad93]

Ya I placed an order with Apple this morning for a 16/512 M1 iMac. I really liked the Orange one, but my daughter told me to get the Green or Blue one since she wasn't digging the Orange. I decided to get the Green, although I still like the Orange one better.

Enjoy your new iMac.

 

[theorist9]

I really wanted the Orange color. I think Orange is an underrated color and should get more attention.

With a name like MaskedCarrot, I'm not surprised! ?