Is there any point?

[sebbyRIOT]

Hey guys!
In a bit of a predicament here.

I've been waiting for a few months now for the iMac refresh and have been following the 2012 iMac thread religiously. While initially I thought it might be worth waiting for a possible design refresh, a lot of rumours seem to hint that a design refresh will not be happening.

So I'm still trying to decide whether to wait now that I've waited this long, or just go for it and buy one now. There's an option on the Apple website to upgrade to 16GB RAM from 8GB... But is it worth it?
Not sure if Macs work the same as Windows in the sense of needing 64 bit operating system/software to use the extra memory?

Many Thanks

 

[Ubuntu]

Hey guys!
In a bit of a predicament here.

I've been waiting for a few months now for the iMac refresh and have been following the 2012 iMac thread religiously. While initially I thought it might be worth waiting for a possible design refresh, a lot of rumours seem to hint that a design refresh will not be happening.

So I'm still trying to decide whether to wait now that I've waited this long, or just go for it and buy one now. There's an option on the Apple website to upgrade to 16GB RAM from 8GB... But is it worth it?
Not sure if Macs work the same as Windows in the sense of needing 64 bit operating system/software to use the extra memory?

Many Thanks

Hi Seb,

If you're in no particular rush to upgrade I'd wait for the next refresh. Check the buyer's guide if you haven't already. Also, don't buy the upgrade from Apple, it's quite pricey and you might just be okay with 8GB, depending on what you do. Mac OS X is 64BIT anyway, but it's best to check and see if 4GB/8GB is plenty for your needs before upgrading to 16GB.

 

[leman]

Don't buy RAM from Apple, its really overpriced. You can get cheap aftermarket RAM and install it yourself, its 2 minutes work.

OS X is a 64bit OS and it can and will utilize more then 4 GB of RAM when available.

 

[sebbyRIOT]

Hi Seb,

If you're in no particular rush to upgrade I'd wait for the next refresh. Check the buyer's guide if you haven't already. Also, don't buy the upgrade from Apple, it's quite pricey and you might just be okay with 8GB, depending on what you do. Mac OS X is 64BIT anyway, but it's best to check and see if 4GB/8GB is plenty for your needs before upgrading to 16GB.

Thanks for the quick replies Ubuntu and leman!
Just checked the Apple website - didn't realise how easy it actually was to upgrade the RAM, so I'll definitely be buying separately, thanks a lot!

I am currently a student looking to go into iOS development, so obviously I'll be using Xcode a lot which, in theory, won't be needing 16GB RAM. I'm just conscious of making it as future-proof as possible so that I don't need to upgrade in a long while. I sometimes make short films in my spare time so perhaps the extra memory would speed up rendering times?

 

[boy-better-know]

Hey guys!
In a bit of a predicament here.

I've been waiting for a few months now for the iMac refresh and have been following the 2012 iMac thread religiously. While initially I thought it might be worth waiting for a possible design refresh, a lot of rumours seem to hint that a design refresh will not be happening.

So I'm still trying to decide whether to wait now that I've waited this long, or just go for it and buy one now. There's an option on the Apple website to upgrade to 16GB RAM from 8GB... But is it worth it?
Not sure if Macs work the same as Windows in the sense of needing 64 bit operating system/software to use the extra memory?

Many Thanks

What rumours say that there won't be a redesign?
And I wouldn't buy ram from Apple, do it yourself and save a bundle.

 

[Ubuntu]

Thanks for the quick replies Ubuntu and leman!
Just checked the Apple website - didn't realise how easy it actually was to upgrade the RAM, so I'll definitely be buying separately, thanks a lot!

I am currently a student looking to go into iOS development, so obviously I'll be using Xcode a lot which, in theory, won't be needing 16GB RAM. I'm just conscious of making it as future-proof as possible so that I don't need to upgrade in a long while. I sometimes make short films in my spare time so perhaps the extra memory would speed up rendering times?

You can quite happily develop for iOS on any current Mac, although the 27inch screen of the iMac is really handy. I currently use a MBA 11inch with an external monitor for both iOS and Android development (I'm a student, too) and it handles it quite well. The video processing would actually be more dependent on the processor so it would be best to get the best available processor at the time of purchase if you want to see a significant difference, but if you're only occasionally making these films it might not be worth it. I used to have the 2011 i5 model and I'd sometimes have to process HD videos which could take a while I guess, but otherwise I wouldn't have been really using the extra power of the i7 processor so I'm quite glad I didn't go for it.

Best thing you can do is to purchase the i5 model when it's updated and test-drive it. If you're not happy with the performance when it comes to processing videos then you can return it (check Apple's return policy in your country in order to ensure there are no restocking fees) then you can safely go for the i7 processor instead.

 

[mzjin]

What rumours say that there won't be a redesign?
And I wouldn't buy ram from Apple, do it yourself and save a bundle.

The new iMacs are not going to be a redesign.

 

[rkaufmann87]

The new iMacs are not going to be a redesign.

LOL and your source is....? At best you have a 50/50 shot at being correct!

 

[glitch44]

The new iMacs are not going to be a redesign.

The rumors actually point to a "slimmer" redesign, which I take to mean dropping the optical drive as they have done in the Air and Minis. I suspect they'll do this in the Macbook Pro redesign too, although maybe going to a dual SSD/ HDD design and beefy CPU that still separates it from the Macbook Air.

 

[Digital Skunk]

The rumors actually point to a "slimmer" redesign, which I take to mean dropping the optical drive as they have done in the Air and Minis. I suspect they'll do this in the Macbook Pro redesign too, although maybe going to a dual SSD/ HDD design and beefy CPU that still separates it from the Macbook Air.

Dropping the slot loading ODD in the iMac isn't like dropping it in the laptops. You won't save much space loosing the ODD in an iMac nor a 15" or 17" MBP. It's going to take a complete redesign of all of the major components and internal cooling, which the iMac has a slight problem with.

I don't see Apple taking the ODD out of the iMac anytime soon anyway, the MBPs for sure, especially if they allow us to put much needed hardware in place of the ODD, but the iMac may not have it removed just yet.

 

[glitch44]

Dropping the slot loading ODD in the iMac isn't like dropping it in the laptops. You won't save much space loosing the ODD in an iMac nor a 15" or 17" MBP. It's going to take a complete redesign of all of the major components and internal cooling, which the iMac has a slight problem with.

I don't see Apple taking the ODD out of the iMac anytime soon anyway, the MBPs for sure, especially if they allow us to put much needed hardware in place of the ODD, but the iMac may not have it removed just yet.

Obviously it would require a redesign, but Apple's made it clear that optical drives don't have a future in their computers. Dropping the drive would save them money in parts, drop the amount of aluminum needed for the chassis, give them more room for cooling, and reduce one more component that requires Applecare support. Given Apple's disdain for waste and unnecessary features and rumors of a redesign, I see this happening in the next update, but I guess we'll see whenever they roll it out.

 

[boy-better-know]

The new iMacs are not going to be a redesign.

Tim Cook, is that you?

 

[ctdonath]

How many here rely on ODDs to any meaningful degree? to wit: need one often enough that keeping a cheap portable USB one in a drawer for the rare disc is sufficient, the inconvenience balanced by cost/power/complexity savings. In a machine noted for thin, saving a few cubic inches is good.

Save for the very rare burn to disc (audio or video), my only need for an OOD is to rip all remaining videos into my home media server. I've got more external DVD drives than I know what to do with, and don't see any need for another one (built in or not).

 

[Digital Skunk]

Obviously it would require a redesign, but Apple's made it clear that optical drives don't have a future in their computers. Dropping the drive would save them money in parts, drop the amount of aluminum needed for the chassis, give them more room for cooling, and reduce one more component that requires Applecare support. Given Apple's disdain for waste and unnecessary features and rumors of a redesign, I see this happening in the next update, but I guess we'll see whenever they roll it out.

All that's somewhat well and good, but as many have said, the ODD isn't going to save a lot of space, it doesn't take up that much space in larger iMacs.

If it does go, it will be replaced with another HDD/SSD option, giving the iMac the ability to have 3 drives. The only thing that would go against Apple's stance at that point would be the need for an external ODD cluttering up a desk.

 

[harcosparky]

How many here rely on ODDs to any meaningful degree? to wit: need one often enough that keeping a cheap portable USB one in a drawer for the rare disc is sufficient, the inconvenience balanced by cost/power/complexity savings. In a machine noted for thin, saving a few cubic inches is good.

Save for the very rare burn to disc (audio or video), my only need for an OOD is to rip all remaining videos into my home media server. I've got more external DVD drives than I know what to do with, and don't see any need for another one (built in or not).

First of all I use mine quite frequently, several times a week burning images to DVD's for clients.

Second, I bought an iMac because of its clean and neat appearance on the desktop. If I wanted a box with a bunch of crap hanging off of it I would have gotten a Windows tower.

On the rumor that the ODD might be removed from the MBP in a future refresh we bought two new 15" MBP's because of the ODD.

As far as all those external DVD's you have ... you did say you have more than you know what to do with, most people would consider them 'clutter' and get rid of them. Keep 1, maybe 2 and give sell or give the rest away.

 

[leman]

All that's somewhat well and good, but as many have said, the ODD isn't going to save a lot of space, it doesn't take up that much space in larger iMacs.

If it does go, it will be replaced with another HDD/SSD option, giving the iMac the ability to have 3 drives. The only thing that would go against Apple's stance at that point would be the need for an external ODD cluttering up a desk.

Well, removing the ODD might open a way to providing a user-serviceable HDD in the iMac. The main problem here is iMac's thinness. It is very difficult to design a computer like the iMac so that the HDD would be accessible from the back (because the space in the back is taken by the mainboard) and it does not have enough space to fit a HDD on the sides or on the bottom. Thus, placement of the HDD behind the display is seemingly the only viable option (which Apple took). Removing the ODD may actually give space for a user-serviceable HHD bay on the side.

 

[musty345]

Don't buy ram off Apple

As others have said, buying RAM off Apple is a bad idea; it's severely overpriced.

As for the RAM upgrade, I bought my iMac (mid 2011) and it came with 4GBs of RAM. I can honestly say that upgrading it to 8GB has really made it a lot faster, and has meant that I don't have to worry about closing stuff. Even if you're not running loads of applications, Mac OS caches applications you had on before in the RAM so when you go back to open them again it's a lot faster.

I bought my RAM off Crucial for £17 (for one 4GB stick) and they have a tool which tells you exactly which RAM you need to buy but I'm sure there're plenty of other great RAM dealers.

Just don't buy from Apple.

 

[Atomic Ed]

How many here rely on ODDs to any meaningful degree? to wit: need one often enough that keeping a cheap portable USB one in a drawer for the rare disc is sufficient, the inconvenience balanced by cost/power/complexity savings. In a machine noted for thin, saving a few cubic inches is good.

Save for the very rare burn to disc (audio or video), my only need for an OOD is to rip all remaining videos into my home media server. I've got more external DVD drives than I know what to do with, and don't see any need for another one (built in or not).

Well I for one need and use the optical drive quite a bit. I use it to burn files, create dvd slideshows for people which I create for them, even create dvd movies too from time to time. I was disappointed that even now in 2012 the imac stll doesn,t come with bluray capability or drive, so I am forced to use an external usb bluray drive. One of the main points for me in getting an imac, which keep in mind is a desktop computer, was to have it all inclusive and reduce all the peripheral clutter I had with using external devices all over the desk. Now if Apple wants to save money inparts thats fine, but it shouldn't come at the expense of crippling or taking away from their all in one design. If they do this it will no longer be an all in one but require seperate devices just to provide basic desktop finctionality. I know they are pushing people towards icloud and itunes store for purchase /renting movies, and probably also see this as another puch towards getting people to spend more money. However there are quite a few out there, myself included, who do not care to store my personal data in a cloud, or spend countless dollars rentingor buyingnmovies digitally. Some dont even have decent enough internet connections to support this but they will suffer from such a move by apple. I for one would not like them removing the optical drive, i hated it on the air, which is why I never bought one, hated it on the mini we still have a 2009 model that has one and were keepingit, and if they do it on the imac next then this will be the last imac i buy. There are many alternativs out now to the imac, biggest con is not having osx, but if they cripple the hardware then trading off to windows 7 or 8 wont mTter so much.