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Just ordered a new iMac should i have waited for Haswell?
- Thread starter scofal
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I always see people commenting like you on these matters.
While it's true that people shouldn't wait forever to purchase something, and while it's true that people should buy NOW if they absolutely need it now - most people buy computers for their own personal use and not for work. And when they do that, they can afford to wait a few months or so and in that case, it's absolutely idiotic to buy a computer if you know it will be updated in a few months.
While you might purchase your computers for work and absolutely need it NOW, then go ahead and buy. For me - and I'm sure many more - who are buying computers for our own personal use, we can wait a few months since our old computer works fine (we just like buying new computers).
it's now or never!!!
Hi, I follow this thread with a passion cause I'm in the process of buying a new 27 iMac (1999$+FD). I've been saying I will buy a new Mac since 2010 at least and I never took the plunge always waiting for the next big thing. And I'm inclined to do the same now. A friend said to me the same thing as Surban : Buy it before you die. And it made me think. I'll never ever have a new iMac if I don't buy one. I am puting myself in an infinite loop. So I set a deadline to buy my new iMac: July 22 (for personal reasons) be it Haswell or not. And may God have mercy on me. Anyhow, this 2013 iMac will surely be better and faster than my 2006 Core2Duo. Do you think?
Hi, I follow this thread with a passion cause I'm in the process of buying a new 27 iMac (1999$+FD). I've been saying I will buy a new Mac since 2010 at least and I never took the plunge always waiting for the next big thing. And I'm inclined to do the same now. A friend said to me the same thing as Surban : Buy it before you die. And it made me think. I'll never ever have a new iMac if I don't buy one. I am puting myself in an infinite loop. So I set a deadline to buy my new iMac: July 22 (for personal reasons) be it Haswell or not. And may God have mercy on me. Anyhow, this 2013 iMac will surely be better and faster than my 2006 Core2Duo. Do you think?
Hi, I follow this thread with a passion cause I'm in the process of buying a new 27 iMac (1999$+FD). I've been saying I will buy a new Mac since 2010 at least and I never took the plunge always waiting for the next big thing. And I'm inclined to do the same now. A friend said to me the same thing as Surban : Buy it before you die. And it made me think. I'll never ever have a new iMac if I don't buy one. I am puting myself in an infinite loop. So I set a deadline to buy my new iMac: July 22 (for personal reasons) be it Haswell or not. And may God have mercy on me. Anyhow, this 2013 iMac will surely be better and faster than my 2006 Core2Duo. Do you think?
These could be my words exactly, only i have a 2007 core2duo and it still works fine, i always made the excuse that if i could not run the next OS X anymore i would buy a new one, well Mavericks STILL supports my mid 2007 iMac! But i decided to buy anyhow because i just sit here and wait and speculate while i could have already been enjoying a new iMac.
Hi, I follow this thread with a passion cause I'm in the process of buying a new 27 iMac (1999$+FD). I've been saying I will buy a new Mac since 2010 at least and I never took the plunge always waiting for the next big thing. And I'm inclined to do the same now. A friend said to me the same thing as Surban : Buy it before you die. And it made me think. I'll never ever have a new iMac if I don't buy one. I am puting myself in an infinite loop. So I set a deadline to buy my new iMac: July 22 (for personal reasons) be it Haswell or not. And may God have mercy on me. Anyhow, this 2013 iMac will surely be better and faster than my 2006 Core2Duo. Do you think?
Or just wait until the next thing is released and buy on release-day? I think it's stupid to set a fixed date for a computer-purchase -- especially if your existing computer works fine.
Stupid? Let's see. I've had my trusted Core2Duo for 7 years now. True: no problem whatsoever. No nothing. Works like a charm and rather quick at Word, FileMaker, Safari, Mail, Pages, etc. etc. Until you ask it to pp some photos in Aperture, Lightroom or the likes. Beach balling after beach balling. Not to mention Lion which I could give a try on a friend's same as mine iMac. Slooooow. So in 2010, I wanted a new iMac. Didnt'd buy. Told myself: your white machine does the job fine. Next year. Went to buy a new iMac in 2011. Didn't. Told myself. Wait till 2012, Apple will come with something newer. Comes December 2012. Didn't buy cause...your white thing does the job after all. See my point? People like me never buy a new iMac. 50% of your friends tell you not do it cause "your existing computer works fine" and 50% of your other friends say "You'll never buy a new one, you'll always find your existing machine works fine". I'm a free lancer. I know what deadlines mean...
If you're a freelancer, you use your computer for work - thus my statement is still valid. Buy now.
What you must realize is that there's a difference between
a) waiting because the next generation will be better than the recently released generation
b) waiting because an update is due in near future
I fall into the b) category. When the update occurs, I'll buy immediately. You on the other hand fall into the a) category. When the update occurs you'll wait because you think the next generation will be better (which it most likely will, but this is what I mean with that you shouldn't wait forever) and that your current computer will suffice - thus ending up never buying.
Two totally different reasons for waiting to purchase.
If you're a b) and set a fixed date then that's just stupid. If you're an a) on the other hand and set a fixed date then that's just good so you can finally buy your computer.
That is wrong on so many levels, I just don't know where to begin. But for starters, try these:
1. You don't know the iMac will be updated in a few months time. Maybe it won't be updated at all until next year.
2. Computers are always getting updated. With your logic, you'd always have to be idiotic to buy a computer.
3. Who knows whether any of the updates - when they do come - will be of any benefit to the OP at all. And if that's the case, why wait. What's the point of waiting for 802.11ac for example if you connect via Ethernet, and apart from anything else who knows if the new model will have 802.11ac
- Agreed, although it's likely to be updated in the next few months.
- Very true. As I've said to others if you need a computer, buy it now. One should only wait in that situation if very strong rumors exist and point to something happening the next week. But then you still may not have anything announced.
- Also true that you never know what a model update will bring, although there as good guesses that can be made. In this case for the iMac the following is likely: Haswell, 802.11ac, PCIe SSD and Graphics upgrades. Although Haswell and graphics won't be that big an improvement.
Of course I also think that people who update every year when they have no need to is kinda stupid as well. The shortest a Mac lasted me was 2 years beforeit could no longer handle what I wanted to do, the next lasted 5 years. This one is at 3 years and I'm starting to feel some performance issues, but nothing currently bad enough to not wait until the next update before buying a new iMac, although who knows maybe Mavericks will fix those issues. And yes, from what I'm reading it's a possibility.
1. It's true that you don't know an exact date but we're pretty much sure that it will be updated this year - and it's already july so only 5-6 months to wait then (which btw falls into "a few months").
2. No. If you buy a computer at or shortly after a release you're fine. The thing we (and by "we" I mean us "wait:ers") want to avoid is to buy a computer and then have it be updated in 2 months which absolutely sucks. Sure, your recently bought computer might be fine and work great but there's always that feeling that "if I had only waited 2 more months I'd have more performance for the same money".
So no, you're not always idiotic. If you buy a Mac at or around the release of it, you're fine. But sure enough, computers gets outdated the moment they are released - that's not really the reason I wait though. I wait to avoid having the computer updated shortly after buying, I'm not waiting because the next generation will be better because then you'll have to wait forever.
Whatever you buy, some months after you bought it a new model will come out. It's not like you avoid this happening by waiting. It still happens.
So what you are proposing is to take some pain now, by not owning the machine you want for a few months, so you can have one later that is a current model for a few months extra.
Seems rather ridiculous to me to be honest. Why is the "new model for a few months extra" option better than the "get it now, you don't have to wait" option? It's a value judgement and I don't share your sense of value.
If it's a major redesign, it's often worth waiting for. I'm very happy I waited for the 2012 model, although the wait ended up being interminable.
But the 2013 updates, while not known with 100% certainty, can be guessed with reasonable accuracy and are rather underwhelming. Consumers who aren't looking for something very specific would be a little silly to wait just for the sake of waiting right now. This is usually true of the "silent refreshes" that occur for 2-3 models between redesigns.
True but that's not the reason for waiting. Like I said, if you only buy a computer just to have the latest and greatest, you still won't avoid the fact that it will get replaced and outdated upon the next release. However, if you buy a computer and want to "time" your purchase so that you'll get the latest and greatest at the time of purchase (not the latest and greatest *always*), then waiting until at or shortly after a release is the optimal time for purchasing in that case.
The thing you need to understand is that I don't want the machine now. That's the thing. I want to wait until the next is released. I don't need a new computer. I don't need it for work. My current computer works alright for now. I just want to upgrade. Will I be fine with the current model? Sure. Do I have to wait? No. But I want to wait because I know I'll feel stupid if I purchase one now and then have an update being released shortly after.
I wait, not because the next one will be better. I wait to maximize my purchase and to get as much value for my money as possible. I know it will be updated and outdated after a few months but at least I got it when it was just released (e.g. maximized my purchase).
Fair enough, you are free to do so. I have never said that my way is the only or the best way. As I said, if you use your computer for work or simply just want a new computer NOW - go ahead and buy. I just don't want a new computer NOW (I want it *soon*), I have no need for it so I can afford to wait. Get the difference?
You ALWAYS have the latest and greatest at the time of purchase. (Unless you buy a discontinued model, which is not what we are discussing.) So the ONLY benefit of waiting is to lengthen the time during which you own the latest and greatest. Is that "advantage" worth the "disadvantage" of waiting and going weeks or months without a machine you want now? That is a personal judgement.
I really don't need to understand that because this thread is about answering the OP's question and is not about me trying to persuade YOU what to do. I honestly dont mind what you do and I am not trying to persuade you about anything.
I am simply saying to the OP, he/she need have no regrets for buying a new iMac now. That is all.
You should be fine. Unless you're pushing your computer to its limits which I doubt most of us do.
Their unrelation is what separates them. Surely something will come out between now and September- iMacs, displays, or MBP.
I find myself in the same boat. All of a sudden we are in need of a new MAC. I've been back and forth on, Buy now or Wait.
I'm gonna wait because I know I will regret it if I don't get the latest for my money.
I'm gonna wait because I know I will regret it if I don't get the latest for my money.
Fair enough.
But ask yourself this: What will you actually DO with a 2013 (or perhaps 2014) iMac that you can't do with a late 2012? In what way will your actual day to day experience be any better?
You see, unless they change the shape if the thing - and no-one is expecting that any time soon - I really don't think you will be able to tell the difference. I waited for USB3 because that was so overdue and such a huge upgrade over USB2 that I just had to wait. USB2 is inadequate as a hard drive transport, USB3 is not. So it was a game changing improvement that I had to have. So I can understand waiting if there is something new coming that is worth waiting for, but is there?
And if you buy one today, you WILL have the latest for your money. The only question is, for how long? The answer is who knows. It could be 6 months or more. Unlikely you might say, but look how everyone expected a new iMac at WWDC 2012 and it never came.
And if you bought one now, you get to enjoy it now. Up to you, anyway.
You say you need a new Mac. How long can you afford to wait before actually getting it? And which o fthe probably improvements that the next iMac might have is worth waiting for when you need a Mac now? Based on the lack of iMac rumors and that the fact that Intel is releasing more Haswell desktop processors in September, I'm fairly sure you won't see a new iMac before the end of September at the earliest and definitely later if you want to order a CTO unit.
Not everyone expected a new iMac at WWDC. Some people expected new everything at WWDC. And as for waiting or not, it's all about the expected new features. But you're definitely right about guying one when you need it instead of waiting for an undefined amount of time.
Wait for second generation
When the last iMac all aluminium was launched in October 2009, like the new slim iMac, it had many issues, most of which were remedied in the June 2010 refresh - well apart from major LCD issues.
The same applies to the 2012 iMac, so in my humble opinion its always best to wait for the refreshed second generation model before investing - if you look at used prices for the 2010 27in i7 you'll see why this is a good idea.
Further, the second generation slim iMac will get better wifi, better CPU and maybe even a little better GPU or price drop for existing GPU.
In a nutshell, if you can wait a couple months more return the iMac now and get the new revision once its announced, you'll be happy with this decision in the long run - make sure to invest in AppleCare though and max out RAM yourself.
When the last iMac all aluminium was launched in October 2009, like the new slim iMac, it had many issues, most of which were remedied in the June 2010 refresh - well apart from major LCD issues.
The same applies to the 2012 iMac, so in my humble opinion its always best to wait for the refreshed second generation model before investing - if you look at used prices for the 2010 27in i7 you'll see why this is a good idea.
Further, the second generation slim iMac will get better wifi, better CPU and maybe even a little better GPU or price drop for existing GPU.
In a nutshell, if you can wait a couple months more return the iMac now and get the new revision once its announced, you'll be happy with this decision in the long run - make sure to invest in AppleCare though and max out RAM yourself.