Has anyone else ever had to advise a Mac/iOS prospective buyer?

[AaronM5670]

When I visited my local Apple Store earlier today, I bumped into a woman who had been in the store longer than me chatting to a Genius. I struck up an interesting conversation with her that lasted the best part of 90 minutes about Macs and why she should wait until the autumn spec bump to purchase one. She seemed to be have a genuine intent to purchase, definitely not a timewaster.

Has this happened to anyone else? I'd be interested to know!

 

[hallux]

Considering the significant delays Broadwell has seen, the autumn update is likely to be a 100 Mhz CPU bump and not much more. Why spend 90 minutes convincing someone to hold out for an update that will probably be negligible for their use?

 

[AaronM5670]

Considering the significant delays Broadwell has seen, the autumn update is likely to be a 100 Mhz CPU bump and not much more. Why spend 90 minutes convincing someone to hold out for an update that will probably be negligible for their use?

It wasn't just that which was discussed; personally I think it's not a good idea to purchase a product which is about to be updated as no one knows what will be improved until Apple announce it, something major could happen, unlikely as it is, you just never know.

 

[andiwm2003]

It wasn't just that which was discussed; personally I think it's not a good idea to purchase a product which is about to be updated as no one knows what will be improved until Apple announce it, something major could happen, unlikely as it is, you just never know.

i see that differently: unless it is highly likely that a mac gets updated within three month and it's predictable that it will get features I want or need I would not wait several and rather buy.

I buy when I need a mac and usually can't afford to wait 3 month for a maybe improvement.

You can calculate it that way: if you buy now and then three month later the mac gets updated you lose $300 by selling and upgrading. If you wait three month working on an outdated machine and you are annoyed with it then that costs more than 300 bucks. 300 bucks is 5 dinners or 4 ski lift ticket or 2-3 theatre shows. so we are willing to spend money to get fun or avoid annoyance. So why not spend it on your computer.

 

[nowlan1]

There will always be a better tool. If you need a tool today, buy a tool today.

 

[JAT]

When I visited my local Apple Store earlier today, I bumped into a woman who had been in the store longer than me chatting to a Genius. I struck up an interesting conversation with her that lasted the best part of 90 minutes about Macs and why she should wait until the autumn spec bump to purchase one. She seemed to be have a genuine intent to purchase, definitely not a timewaster.

Has this happened to anyone else? I'd be interested to know!

Was she a freaky techy geek that cares more about how many pixels can be driven and how fast than what images the pixels are actually making? I hope so, if what you are saying is you talked her out of buying a computer today.

 

[gnasher729]

When I visited my local Apple Store earlier today, I bumped into a woman who had been in the store longer than me chatting to a Genius. I struck up an interesting conversation with her that lasted the best part of 90 minutes about Macs and why she should wait until the autumn spec bump to purchase one. She seemed to be have a genuine intent to purchase, definitely not a timewaster.

Has this happened to anyone else? I'd be interested to know!

Had I witnessed this, I would have told that lady that she is talking to a clueless geek with no real life experience, and that she should go ahead and buy that computer _now_. Number one, you don't have a clue what "spec bumps" there will be, and 90% of people don't know what a "spec bump" is anyway. Number two, it is very, very unlikely that this lady will feel any positive effect from a "spec bump". Number three, she will feel a very negative effect from not having a Mac for that time.

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It wasn't just that which was discussed; personally I think it's not a good idea to purchase a product which is about to be updated as no one knows what will be improved until Apple announce it, something major could happen, unlikely as it is, you just never know.

By the way, her buying decision is none of your business. For all we know, her family has after years of hard work convinced her to replace her malware-ridden PC with a safe computer, and you have undone all that hard work and done everyone a major disservice. Be proud of yourself.

 

[Boyd01]

Not sure why everyone feels the need to nasty to you in a personal way. However, from the little that you have told us, I think you probably did the wrong thing. Buy the computer that you need today. Who knows what will be released in the fall, how much it will cost, when it will ship and how buggy it may be.

The current Mac lineup fine; buy the one that fits your needs and budget, be happy.

 

[snberk103]

When I visited my local Apple Store earlier today, I bumped into a woman who had been in the store longer than me chatting to a Genius. I struck up an interesting conversation with her that lasted the best part of 90 minutes about Macs and why she should wait until the autumn spec bump to purchase one. She seemed to be have a genuine intent to purchase, definitely not a timewaster.

Has this happened to anyone else? I'd be interested to know!

Since you asked the question....

No, I don't lecture my friends, and certainly not strangers, about their purchase decisions. They are adults not children.

On occasion I have consulted with my friends about their purchase of a Mac. My philosophy is very simple. If they are consulting me, then their needs are probably fairly modest and 'spec bumps' are useless for them. If they need it now, buy it now. If they have a working computer and have some time, shop the refurbished store. Take some to time understand what they really need, and wait for a good deal to pop up. Check the refurbished pages obsessively.

For someone with a working computer who is buying more out of desire than need, it may make sense to wait to see if Apple introduces something shiny in the fall. Usually the prior model then hits the refurbished store at a good discount.

Occasionally I'll talk over a purchase with someone who really could use a spec bump. But in that case they've already educated themselves, and we're just re-hashing what we both believe will happen to see if they've missed something in their decision making process.

But absolutely not... I don't lecture anyone, and I don't offer my opinions to a stranger.

Unless she's cute... In which case I'll simply reinforce whatever decision she's already made. Which is what most people want in any case.

 

[Designer Dale]

She can buy it now and use it or she can:

Wait for the spec bump announcement
Wait for the spec bump release
Wait for the spec bump ship delay

And then worry about the rumors of the next spec bump...

Dale

 

[AaronM5670]

I was never suggesting that I single-handedly advised a stranger to buy or not to buy, I just offered her my own personal opinion. The person in question stayed in the shop after I left so for all I know they could've bought a new Mac there and then.

Not everyone is has a great knowledge of the latest technology, and the release dates of products in the past, unlike some on this forum. The idea that spending £2.5k+ on a computer for it to be immediately outdated (or outdated within the next few months) is one that I refute, since the last iMac came out a while ago and is on the 'caution' status on the buyer's guide. You guys all have your personal opinions, as I have mine, and we're entitled to them. This has got out of hand and out of context I'm afraid, I was just interested to see if anyone else had seen a similar situation before. These products are purchase to last perhaps over 7 or 8 years, and I wouldn't like to be stuck with a product I've just bought that has been superseded by a superior product. If you look at the number of days that have passed since the last update, you'll notice it's within ±50 days of a new iMac being realised. This really isn't that long a wait and personally I'd stick with what I've got until the inevitable release. I can understand someone purchasing a new Mac in the middle of a release cycle, as long as it's outside a reasonable waiting time, although in some situations (i.e. theft, as I have experienced) I had to put up with an iPad 2 even after the iPad 3 came out due to a like-for-like replacement. I understand it sounds stupid to wait ages for a new product release, however 50 days really isn't that long, come on guys!

None of us know for definite which feature the next iMac will or won't have (such as a Retina Display, for example), however we can judge roughly on what has happened in the past few years, as I did in this situation, and will continue to do.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Perhaps if you used a term like "advised" or "suggested," rather than "lectured," you might have received a different response. I think we got the impression you advocated a single position, "Wait." If you fairly presented the pros and cons of waiting/purchasing now, then I have no issue.

In the world of computers, "There will be an update/new model soon" is the rough equivalent of "The sun rises in the east." Maybe it'll be 50 days (July 28? It's been years since Apple released an iMac at that time of year). It could just as easily be 100 days, or more.

If the current machine is four or five years old, the important performance bump isn't the small one that may come sometime later this year, it's the big one that happens the moment the new machine is removed from the box.

The MacRumors Buyer's Guide approach is interesting, but it doesn't meet my definition of a Buyer's Guide. It's more of a Window Shopper's Guide, or a Non-Buyer's Guide. A Buyer is someone who wants/needs something now, and seeks information to aid in the decision-making process. Of all the products there, there is just one "Buy" and two "Neutrals." Neutral, on a six-month-old, newly-redesigined product??? And if they just glanced and saw, "Don't Buy" and "Caution" without drilling down? They'd think there was something physically wrong with the product. In any worthwhile Buyer's Guide, purchase timing would be just one column among many, not the sole criterion.

Despite the name, an Apple computer isn't a piece of fruit, bound to rot in less than a week. It's a durable item that can be used productively for many years to come.

 

[AaronM5670]

Perhaps if you used a term like "advised" or "suggested," rather than "lectured," you might have received a different response. I think we got the impression you advocated a single position, "Wait." If you fairly presented the pros and cons of waiting/purchasing now, then I have no issue.

In the world of computers, "There will be an update/new model soon" is the rough equivalent of "The sun rises in the east." Maybe it'll be 50 days (July 28? It's been years since Apple released an iMac at that time of year). It could just as easily be 100 days, or more.

If the current machine is four or five years old, the important performance bump isn't the small one that may come sometime later this year, it's the big one that happens the moment the new machine is removed from the box.

The MacRumors Buyer's Guide approach is interesting, but it doesn't meet my definition of a Buyer's Guide. It's more of a Window Shopper's Guide, or a Non-Buyer's Guide. A Buyer is someone who wants/needs something now, and seeks information to aid in the decision-making process. Of all the products there, there is just one "Buy" and two "Neutrals." Neutral, on a six-month-old, newly-redesigined product??? And if they just glanced and saw, "Don't Buy" and "Caution" without drilling down? They'd think there was something physically wrong with the product. In any worthwhile Buyer's Guide, purchase timing would be just one column among many, not the sole criterion.

Despite the name, an Apple computer isn't a piece of fruit, bound to rot in less than a week. It's a durable item that can be used productively for many years to come.

This thread is full of those advising a prospective iMac buyer to wait, as an upgrade is undoubtedly imminent.

It makes no sense not to wait if you're not in rush. I put up with 2006 plastic iMac until it was well past its sell by date. The only reason I had to upgrade was because it was almost obsolete. I reaped the rewards of waiting patiently; I got a faster, more efficient, less power-consuming iMac with a significantly higher Geekbench and Cinebench score than if I'd got one in 2011 or 2012. I told myself I'd wait for the next spec-bump after the 2012 slim model came out so all the problems (such as WiFi connectivity issues, yellow tinge, fan/hdd noise etc.)

These are my views, so if you want it really bad then buy now, a few months before it's inevitably superseded. There will always be something better, it's just a matter of when your patience runs out, as with my plastic iMac that took about 10 minutes to boot up, when things got ridiculous. Desktops are on their way out, everyone knows this, so the timing makes sense when the iMac and its fellow desktops are in their swan song - I know my iMac will be outdated come autumn, however minor or major the improvements may be and it doesn't bother me in the slightest. I'm more than happy to wait 8, 9 or 10 years+ until I upgrade again, if desktops as we know them are still around then. What I'm trying to say is that buying the old model just before the new, better version is obviously going to come out is pointless, unless you absolutely must. I'm more than happy buying a product early or mid-cycle, but when the rumour mill is in full flow and an update clearly is very close, that's when I don't understand why people buy one when the product is a want and not a need.

 

[hallux]

I'd say an iMac update is probably in the same situation as a MBP update, when the next generation of chips is ready. I doubt Apple would spend engineering time and $$ to release a Haswell-based iMac with Broadwell "around the corner". With the same logic you're giving - it'd be foolish to release now and in 6 months have all those new Haswell-based iMac owners chomping at the bit for a Broadwell-based unit or wondering why they couldn't or didn't wait for the next model to come out.

If you're always looking forward to "the next best thing" to buy, you'll always be waiting

 

[AaronM5670]

I'd say an iMac update is probably in the same situation as a MBP update, when the next generation of chips is ready. I doubt Apple would spend engineering time and $$ to release a Haswell-based iMac with Broadwell "around the corner". With the same logic you're giving - it'd be foolish to release now and in 6 months have all those new Haswell-based iMac owners chomping at the bit for a Broadwell-based unit or wondering why they couldn't or didn't wait for the next model to come out.

If you're always looking forward to "the next best thing" to buy, you'll always be waiting

Not really, my logic just suggests to be happy with what you've got as long as it's still just about usable for the work you have to do and to do some research before blowing thousands of pounds on an expensive computer which you'd like to last as long as possible, or deciding if you need a certain spec etc., I never said wait forever, just until you cannot feasibly work with the resources you have available to you, for example with my 8 year old iMac which is obsolete as it doesn't receive OSX or other security updates and is slow, vulnerable and incompatible with most current software.