iMac totally outdated....whats going on?

[jmhart]

I went from a G5 PowerMac to the i7 iMac, so I'm more than pleased with my upgrade in performance.

Yes it's always good when in the know and to buy just after the release date but I'd hate to buy an iMac after 3 months only to find weeks later Apple has dropped the price. I get your point.

I haven't checked the big name PC makers like Dell and Sony, but in general do their prices remain steady through the models life?

That said I know Microsoft recently dropped the price of Surface mid cycle, with no Surface 2 likely to come soon.

Windows PCs at retail from pretty much any manufacturer drop in price over time and often go on sale or are rebated heavily if they don't sell well enough as there is a lot of competition in that sector. Apple has excellent control over it's supply lines and is the sole manufacturer of (official) Macs and rarely has an excess of product until a product cycle is nearing its end which is about the only time you see any kind of meaningful discounts. This is excellent for Apple's bottom line, but not so good for folks looking to maximize the bang for buck which leaves you with the only method you have left--buying close to release to get as much use out of your full price baby as you can before the value starts to drop when the next model year is released.

All of this of course means nothing if you find yourself in a situation where you need a machine now, in which case you do what you gotta do and maybe take it in the shorts a little bit as far as maximizing value.

 

[iHailCaesar]

I don't see the iMac as outdated, I think its in league with all the other stock machines available. Some would consider my iMac outdated, but to me its still cutting edge and does everything I need it to do. I run Aperture and Final Cut Pro X and never have any issues. Its all relative I guess, one mans thoroughbred may be another mans jackass.

 

[orph]

my mum uses an imac, she has no idea what ram is and think's the computer is called a 'hard drive' if it's a big box.
she can use an imac to go on the web, what more can she want?

i have friends that use there imacs/macbooks only for web/email & word, i relay suspect they dont care how fast there CPU is at most they care about how cool the new model looks 'fashion over power'

if you relay care do a rip down and swap the CPU or buy a tower.

(most people i know dont even upgrade ram)

 

[Lancer]

I do wonder if the average consumer cares if their new iMac is replaced with a new model just weeks or months after getting it? The computer will still last just as long and many Mac users keep their computers longer than the PCs so over 3 years or longer will it really matter you got last years spec?

That said I'm after a iPad Mini, I know the current one will work just great for what I need but I'd rather wait for the next model, just to have that new Apple product rush

As for PC users, studies show most PC tower buyers never replace major components unless they break and even then are more likely to get the new model in a new case when their old PC dies.

It's only power users that what the latest mother board or CPU, and they are unlikely to be in the market for an iMac anyway.