My requirements - go for current iMac or wait? Advice please

[interbear]

If I'm not going to see any performance difference then, all things considered, I'm better off buying an iMac today.

That's what I concluded. As long as you go 2nd hand or Apple refurb store to get value then it makes sense. I am in no doubt that the 2nd hand iMac I've just agreed to buy will be more than enough performance wise.

 

[cyrways]

That's what I concluded. As long as you go 2nd hand or Apple refurb store to get value then it makes sense. I am in no doubt that the 2nd hand iMac I've just agreed to buy will be more than enough performance wise.

Best buy open box is always a good value too, I got one for 1457 with lots of warranty left. So pretty close to apple refurb, you can call around locally and ask about them.

 

[interbear]

You're downplaying the role of USB 3 way too much. Unless they drop the price of entry with Thunderbolt VERY soon, which is unlikely because of the way they made the cables, it's going to go the way of HD-DVD and Laserdisc.

Sure the tech is superior, but only marginally superior to the alternative, and cannot compete with the alternative's ubiquity and price.

It's not like Apple doesnt get that. USB3 is standard on new machines. Fine. But saying there's no tech gap?? buying a 4 figure machine in late 2012 without usb 3 is plain foolish.

All depends on the price point. If I was buying a new machine at retail price, then yes, I'd expect it to have USB3.

But I think I can spend less and confortably survive without USB3 for a while. I can use FW800 or thunderbolt for storage, and if I really need USB3 I'll get an adaptor.

Also, tech gap is only important if people change their desktop PC every year or two. I'm not sure the majority do. I expect to be happy with the current iMac, and see a couple of refresh cycles occur before I buy again. Perhaps I'm in the minority but I don't always want the new shiny thing - I want something that works for me and does what I need. If it does that then the newer shinier thing is all well and good, but I'll only buy it when it add reals value to me.

 

[Razeus]

Hold out until Black Friday. That way we'll no for sure if Apple has written off iMac's in 2012. The writing is on the wall I fear, however.

Apple already gave us a warning 2 years ago. We are in the post-PC era.

 

[CWallace]

If I'm not going to see any performance difference then, all things considered, I'm better off buying an iMac today.

You'll see a performance difference, but I expect it's not going to be tremendous (with the possible exception of the GPU).


I've decided my top-end refurbished 2011 iMac is powerful enough so I'm not going to upgrade until the Haswell models come out.

If I still had my 2009 iMac, I'd wait another month to see if a new model came out. If it didn't, then I'd buy a top-end refurbished 2011 iMac and wait for the Haswell model.

 

[mojothemonkey]

All depends on the price point. If I was buying a new machine at retail price, then yes, I'd expect it to have USB3.

But I think I can spend less and confortably survive without USB3 for a while. I can use FW800 or thunderbolt for storage, and if I really need USB3 I'll get an adaptor.

Also, tech gap is only important if people change their desktop PC every year or two. I'm not sure the majority do. I expect to be happy with the current iMac, and see a couple of refresh cycles occur before I buy again. Perhaps I'm in the minority but I don't always want the new shiny thing - I want something that works for me and does what I need. If it does that then the newer shinier thing is all well and good, but I'll only buy it when it add reals value to me.

Right, but usb3 is not just a spec bump or yet another "latest new thing." Every once in a while there is a leap to a new standard. You dont want to miss that standard if you're within reach, as that standard will likely keep you mostly current for many, many more years. It's not like its the usual 0.1 ghz cpu bump or something.

Within a few months, almost any phone coming out is going to be USB 3 compatible. Within the year the same will be true for virtually every other peripheral. And it's not just about speed. USB3 computer ports have much more power available at their disposal versus USB2, meaning devices will charge faster too.

 

[Mike Valmike]

Right, but usb3 is not just a spec bump or yet another "latest new thing." Every once in a while there is a leap to a new standard. You dont want to miss that standard if you're within reach, as that standard will likely keep you mostly current for many, many more years. It's not like its the usual 0.1 ghz cpu bump or something.

This, this, a thousand times this. Don't be the guy who still has a CDI/VCD player right when DVD players took off in the marketplace.