Okay so I just bought an iMac now I'm reading all these posts on the new one should be out soon. Should I return it now while I can and hold off till the new one or will there be nothing significant with the up coming iMac that would suggest me keeping it. I don't just want to be the guy who bought the old one for the same price right before the new one comes.
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Just bought iMac
- Thread starter Itzmemark
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Nobody knows what the new iMac will be, nor when it will be released. Apple may never release a new iMac or they may release one without any internal hard drive. Who knows. The point is you've got the best computer in the world right now and no new product is going to make your existing iMac slower or crappier.
The refresh is imminent, and if you look at the buying advice page here you will see that waiting is the advised course of action...Having said that, if you need it now and are prepared to accept the fact that your iMac may be a generation behind in a couple of months then stick with it. Personally if I were looking to upgrade mine (not due until next year) I would wait until the new models are announced. As to when that will be....It's all guesswork, that's Apples' way of doing things...
It's fairly logical to expect a refresh in early / mid May. All of the parts that Apple needs for the refresh have now been announced/released. Also normally Apple does not release new products just before the earnings call, which was earlier this week so everything is in place, in my opinion.
In the worst case, they may wait until Mountain Lion, but this didn't happen last year so I am not expecting it to happen this year, especially as the lack of refreshes do hurt their bottom lines so Apple will want to refresh as soon as possible to bolster sales this quarter.
In the worst case, they may wait until Mountain Lion, but this didn't happen last year so I am not expecting it to happen this year, especially as the lack of refreshes do hurt their bottom lines so Apple will want to refresh as soon as possible to bolster sales this quarter.
In all respect, the buying advice page has been saying avoid buying iPod Classic and iPod shuffle for the best part of 2 years which is hardly up to date! To boot, can someone explain to me why the buying advice page also denotes mac mini as "Don't Buy" when most of the range utilizes processors which have not yet been released by intel?
The buyer's guide is based on exactly one factor: time since last refresh vs. average refresh cycle. Silly little things like missing required components aren't considered. The iMac has been "don't buy" since at least January.
That said, if I were the OP and had already purchased it, I think I would hang on to it until the last day it can be returned.. most places that is at least 14 days, and there's a pretty good chance a new model is out in that time, so you can return the old one and go home with the new one the same day. If there's no new model by the time it must be returned, then the answer to whether you should return it anyway and wait for the refresh will be driven by if you can get by without it for a bit longer, and whether the place you bought it from charges a restocking fee.
It calculates the average day cycle of each generation, that's all. It's not a giant component release "checklist".
Edit: beaten to it!
What do you mean?
Mac mini "Core i5" 2.3 (Mid-2011) 2.3 GHz Core i5 (I5-2415M) - CPU launch date: Q1'11
Mac mini "Core i5" 2.5 (Mid-2011) 2.5 GHz Core i5 (I5-2520M) - CPU launch date: Q1'11
Mac mini "Core i7" 2.7 (Mid-2011) 2.7 GHz Core i7 (I7-2620M) - CPU launch date: Q1'11
Mac mini "Core i7" 2.0 (Mid-2011/Server) 2.0 GHz Core i7 (I7-2635QM) - CPU launch date: Q1'11
Which range?
The "Don't buy" and "Buy only if you need it" are both based on the average number of days between updates versus the number of days since the update. And it's automatic.
As an example there was one update with a 499 day gap for the MacBook Air that is skewing the average, so it's marked "Buy only if you need it". However if you removed that one anomalous data point, it would be marked as "Don't buy".
In summary, the Buyers Guides is a "Guide" and not something that is set in stone. You need to look at the recent rumors around the product in question and the availability of parts likely to go in to the next version of the product. In the case of the Mini, you have pointed out what the update is waiting for and should be part of the buying decision for a Mini.
So going back to the original thread topic, what part if anything could the iMac be waiting for? If there's nothing, it could be waiting on 10.7.4. Come to think of it, we may see a bunch of hardware updates once 10.7.4 is released.
He means the Ivy Bridge equivalents. Core i5 Ivy Bridge mobile chips don't come out till June; only the i7 mobiles are out now. So June would be the earliest possible date for a Mini refresh.
If your work needs a lot of GPU (games, 3d design, video, OpenCL) then waiting probably would have been best. If you plan on doing work off an external USB hard drive, then waiting might have been best.
For anything else? You're solid.
Ivy Bridge will likely go obsolete at the same time as Sandy Bridge does, given that they run at similar speeds and include similar feature sets. You can still add an internal SSD or 32GB of RAM for future-proofing. Thunderbolt will give you access to faster drives than USB and external 4xPCI-E expansions, even if they are at a premium compared to USB solutions at the moment.
For anything else? You're solid.
Ivy Bridge will likely go obsolete at the same time as Sandy Bridge does, given that they run at similar speeds and include similar feature sets. You can still add an internal SSD or 32GB of RAM for future-proofing. Thunderbolt will give you access to faster drives than USB and external 4xPCI-E expansions, even if they are at a premium compared to USB solutions at the moment.
I dont plan on doing anything to crazy it's just when I was doing work last night it started lagging bad so I came here to look at ram since I only have the stock 4 and then I saw all the threads on here and made me wonder. And since you guys know much more on this subject than I, I figured I should ask
Return it. Get the new one, it will be out soon.
Why spend the same amount of money for 2011's hardware in 2012 when the latest and greatest hardware (suitable to the iMac) is just being released?
To the people saying there won't be an update, you're wrong. Apple needs to remain competitive in this market. HP, Dell, Asus, Acer; they'll all have their Ivy Bridge models out soon too. It's a no brainer. A new iMac will be coming out any day now.
You may be without a machine for a few weeks but it will be worth the wait. Or return it at the latest time of the return period, the new model may pop up between now and then.
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Exactly. Thank you for clarifying.
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Of course I acknowledge the CPU release does not take into account other components, nor Apple's ability to get components in large volumes from suppliers sometimes even ahead of full releases. But in the case of the mac mini in particular looking at the current cycle, there was 4-5 month delay from the launch of said CPUs and the launch of the refreshed models. To boot, Apple has not been discounting Mac minis either on Black Friday deals nor any other events worldwide, so don't get a feeling the mac mini refresh is imminent. [with apologies to OP, who would have zero interest in the mac mini]
You are fine with what you have. Don't stress. Enjoy it. The iMac obviously met your needs when you bought it. If the new iMac is released in two months will the iMac you have suddenly stop meeting your needs? If that's the case, then you'll be buying a new iMac on average every 273 days (according to the MR buyer's guide).
I have to say my brain agrees with this (and in fact these machines should last you considerably longer than PCs do even if the hardware ages at the same rate to state the obvious), but my heart may not on launch day of the next gen machine
His iMac will depreciate in value the second the new iMac launches.
As others have said when we are this close to the 2012 model it is just madness to pay 2012 money for the 2011 iMac.
It depends
I bought my iMac back in September 2009, just before a refresh, and yes, it was unpleasant to see that, when the new ones came out, I could have bought a stock model (old = my one) for approximatively 20% less.
However, if you want to wait for the latest model, you'll never buy one.
As said by other members, you have no clue what the new iMac will look like.
I preferred the form factor of the previous one, so ... good point.
Another aspect : if you buy a new one, you're never sure it will be without unforeseen flaws ... it's just such a pressure to get things to market in due time.
Having a model that's already marketed for some time means the flaws should have been vetted out.
Anyway, I would strongly advise the Applecare, especially on the latest/greatest/newest.
Looking back after nearly three years ... my frustration vanished, and I'm just enjoying a beautiful and nice engine. There is no difference between being satisfied, and being satisfied.
Not the most powerful ... but that wasn't a requirement.
Well, make up your own mind, take a decision, and accept the implications.
I bought my iMac back in September 2009, just before a refresh, and yes, it was unpleasant to see that, when the new ones came out, I could have bought a stock model (old = my one) for approximatively 20% less.
However, if you want to wait for the latest model, you'll never buy one.
As said by other members, you have no clue what the new iMac will look like.
I preferred the form factor of the previous one, so ... good point.
Another aspect : if you buy a new one, you're never sure it will be without unforeseen flaws ... it's just such a pressure to get things to market in due time.
Having a model that's already marketed for some time means the flaws should have been vetted out.
Anyway, I would strongly advise the Applecare, especially on the latest/greatest/newest.
Looking back after nearly three years ... my frustration vanished, and I'm just enjoying a beautiful and nice engine. There is no difference between being satisfied, and being satisfied.
Not the most powerful ... but that wasn't a requirement.
Well, make up your own mind, take a decision, and accept the implications.
Don't listen to the people who are saying that something better always comes around. Yes all products will be replaced as time progresses, however the new iMacs are to come out soon. They will either come out next month or at the latest around June 11th (WWDC).
I understand what you're saying, but so what. If his present iMac can do everything the new iMac will be able to do, in five years is it really going to matter? It's not like we're talking about driving a $50K car off the lot. Why buy any iMac if it will depreciate in value in 273 days?
And I didn't realize we were so "close" to the new iMac being released. I must have missed a release date somewhere...
I just think the OP should be happy with his purchase.
But, to the OP, if this really is going to bug you, take it back and wait for the new one.
Some peopl are just happy to have a iMac/Product. There are people out there who don't care about latest and vice versus. Some people would buy an iMac off eBay which is a few years old, they wouldn't care about the 2012 model. For me that's the way to be. As others have said ate people going to buy a new iMac every 272-280 days on average?
People need to learn to appreciate things. Now a days people feel like THEY have to have latest, even if just viewing Facebook/Twitter. This is not having a go at the OP it's just giving my view on society as it is now. Someone who can't afford a iMac would be happy with a 4 year old iMac if given to them. Not this forum though. Most on here MUST have latest.
People need to learn to appreciate things. Now a days people feel like THEY have to have latest, even if just viewing Facebook/Twitter. This is not having a go at the OP it's just giving my view on society as it is now. Someone who can't afford a iMac would be happy with a 4 year old iMac if given to them. Not this forum though. Most on here MUST have latest.
Of course! If we didn't care so much, there'd be no reason for us to visit the forum every day, looking for the slightest shred of news.
agreed, if someone have me a 4yr old iMac i would sell it.. needing iMac news soon! going without my own computer until it arrives