I feel like the redesign is next year - wise to buy now (for work) and sell next year?

[Swift Sketcher]

I know I know, there will always be a better computer down the line.

But I've been hobbling along with my 2011 iMac (which has performed like a champ until the last few years) hoping it will survive until Apple finally updates this near decade old design. But it looks like it may fall just short of making it any further. The beachballs, the stutters, the HDD space in constant battle with my professional work are making it a real risk to keep around much longer.

Would it be wise to just bite the bullet now with the refresh and *if* a 100% redesign comes out next year, sell and upgrade then? I'm most worried that the hit in value with a new design rolling out would make it a bigger financial depreciation to this year's iMac compared to the average refresh.

 

[Cashmonee]

If you need it for work, buy it now. You are talking about productivity which translates to real dollars earned.

However, I would go in with the understanding that an iMac is not the easiest thing to sell and I may lose a fair amount of money. Again, that may still be a wise investment because you made more than you lost by increasing your productivity.

 

[nouveau_redneck]

If you need it now, buy now. The current specs should take you as far as your '11 took you up until this point in time, if you choose buy and keep. If you really anticipate selling a year from now if a potential new design comes out, then hold on. Keep in mind that, even if a new design comes out it will probably only be a minor jump in performance specifications. The current machines are nice.

 

[SkiHound2]

I'm not going to say you should buy now. But if you're "hobbling along" then perhaps now is the time. There is always something else coming down the road. No one know just what, or when, or at what cost. At some point we'll likely see ARM based Apple everything. When is still an open question as to what will be the growing pains. No matter what, the computer we buy now will not be state of the art in 2 yrs. It may still work great and it may meat all of your, or my, needs. But it won't be state of the art. In terms of financial value buying used technology that's a year or two old. And certainly in terms of financial value one should keep using stuff till they feel like they're "hobbling along." But there's nothing wrong with having a little joy in getting a new toy. That actually has some value too.

 

[dimme]

If there is a redesign next year, it may be best to wait for version 2. That way the "growing pains" are worked out. Especially with the arm rumors floating around. Thats my thinking at least. I just ordered a 2019 to replace my 2015.

 

[mcnallym]

If relying on to make a living and is hobbling along then why not replaced already.
If using for work to earn a living then should be more then recovered the money on a 2011 and the time not spent keeping your computer going is spent productively instead.
The iMac 2019 will still be a good performer next year, and in the mean time you are getting on earning money not spending time worrying if the system you are working on will fail.
Why would you then need to buy a new iMac next year? Would the iMac 2019 suddenly become unable to perform the tasks for your professional work?
Buy a 2019 now, use it and make money and keep it for a few years until you actually need it. It will still be more then usable in 2020.

Of course if you want to replace you can, it’s your money after all.

 

[rafark]

I'd wait for the wow factor.

 

[Nismo73]

Scary to think the redesign might not happen until a fall event 2020.

 

[macduke]

There isn't much there to redesign. It's a display that has I/O on the back. Thinner bezels? I'm sure that will help speed up your workflow, lol. I don't get this post. If they change something meaningful like display size to 6K 31.5" or Pro Motion 120Hz, they're going to do it on the iMac Pro first. The 5K iMac is second tier now and the 4K iMac is third tier. If you need a Vega 64, 10Gbps ethernet or a UHS-II card reader, buy an iMac Pro or buy an eGPU and adapters. The only major change that might happen is a switch away from Intel to Apple chips but rumors point to that happening for MacBooks first. I'm also not sure if I would even want a first generation Mac running on ARM. Probably too many weird issues and compatibility problems with existing software that will take some time to sort out. It's going to fast as hell but can you get work done with it? That is how I ultimately arrived at the decision to upgrade now. I was like you and already overdue (2012 rMBP for my personal, non-work issued Mac) and wanted to move to a desktop for more power/longevity. But I was worried about waiting an extra year to get the ARM chips. But there is no guarantee of that and even so I'd prefer to stay away from that to start (although I might pick up a MB or MBA to try it out as a secondary device). If you need it now just upgrade and be happy.

 

[Fishrrman]

I will -guess- that a complete redesign of the iMac is AT LEAST a full year away, perhaps longer.

The old saying applies:
If you need "now", BUY now.

 

[1chrischan]

I get AppleCare and sell a couple months before it runs out so the buyer can be assured of getting anything fixed ahead of time...or I get it fixed before selling. You can get a decent price that way. And stay current, technology-wise. I prefer not to wait and hobble along till it dies.

 

[goldbuffalo]

I predict the redesign will be a rectangular screen.

 

[1chrischan]

I predict the redesign will be a rectangular screen.

 

[lakerchick4life]

I want to get my first iMac 27 inch, I was hoping for maybe a space grey design kind of like the iMac Pro who knows maybe they will introduce something in June which is what Im waiting for..would have been nice to have the T2 technology so I can say "Hey Siri" and not have to press a button, similar to the macbook pro design, the whole face ID thing, eh, for a desktop seems kind of pointless, cool if they included it but doesnt matter either way to me..dont know what happened to those rumored 31 inch screens that were supposedly going to happen this year

 

[SkiHound2]

I predict the redesign will be a rectangular screen.

You'd be wrong, here's a sneak peek at the next iteration:

 

[Kulfon]

I'd wait for the wow factor.

Me too