Need an iMac for editing, but should I wait for a leopard/new models?

[Spaceghost1]

Hi,

I was about to buy a 20" iMac to use FCP on, but it seems kind of silly to buy one if Leopard suddenly comes out, and I need to spend more money to upgrade. Also there are new models coming out soon? But the recent ones only came out in September?

Will Leopard come out when there are new iMac models or seperately? Not having any kind of release dates is not helpful.

What would you suggest? What is going to be better about the new iMacs?

 

[murfle]

Hi,

I was about to buy a 20" iMac to use FCP on, but it seems kind of silly to buy one if Leopard suddenly comes out, and I need to spend more money to upgrade. Also there are new models coming out soon? But the recent ones only came out in September?

Will Leopard come out when there are new iMac models or seperately?

What would you suggest? What is going to be better about the new iMacs?

I'm currently dealing with pretty much all of the above... Check https://buyersguide.macrumors.com// out... Leopard will be out between March 21st and June 20th. People can debate when in that period it will be released, but it is unknown to the public. Period. Hardware wise, we know nothing except speculation.

Personally, I'm waiting for either the mac pro or the imac to come out with a new model, and for Leopard to be released... but I'm not in dire need, as my PC laptop hasn't exploded yet... If it does, I won't be waiting any more... Read through the forums if you are interested in unfounded speculations... Some of it might even give you a rough idea when stuff might come out, but its just that... Speculation.

Not having any kind of release dates is not helpful.

Welcome to the world of Apple...

 

[diamond3]

Well here is some information for you to consider....

ThinkSecret believes that Final Cut Pro 6 will finally make its debut at NAB, which takes place April 14-19. The software was originally expected at last year's NAB which instead saw the release of the 17" MacBook Pro.

Final Cut Pro 6 has been rumored to bring 5.1 surround sound editing, 1080/24p and 1080/30p DVCPROHD support (Update: Those original specifications appear to already have made it into Final Cut Pro 5.1). ThinkSecret adds that the extra development time has afforded Apple to enhance Final Cut's realtime video editing engine with Core Animation technology.

Lastly, ThinkSecret reports that the high-end Final Cut Extreme targeting Avid users will also make its debut at NAB. Little is known about the product at this time, but it is said to be a hardware and software solution with a pricetag near $10,000.

I would wait at least until then. Because its possible that Leopard could be released by then. But I am guessing we will see an upgraded FCS there. I think that would be worth the wait to buy it. If you really need the computer, just wait to get FCP after the NAB.

 

[sparkyms]

I'd say if you need one then get one. Tiger is good enough, and will last you until you can afford leopard when it comes out in the next few months.

As far as anyone knows, the iMac could change... but then again it could not. Like you were saying the last update came in november (in the uk i think at least).
If you're willing to wait then do so, but you could be waiting until June for leopard, and perhaps even longer for new iMacs.

Cliffs notes: Who knows?!

 

[Spaceghost1]

Well I read that apparently the new imacs will have the Santa Rosa cpu, and the release date for that is the 9th May so I guess that means we won't see anything new until at least then.

I don't need FCP6, heck I could use FCE to be honest, thats not what I am worrying about.

The mac is only for editing and other post-production stuff so I just wonder if it is actually worth waiting for the new models, I just wonder if it will make much difference.

 

[chicagdan]

Well I read that apparently the new imacs will have the Santa Rosa cpu, and the release date for that is the 9th May so I guess that means we won't see anything new until at least then.

I don't need FCP6, heck I could use FCE to be honest, thats not what I am worrying about.

The mac is only for editing and other post-production stuff so I just wonder if it is actually worth waiting for the new models, I just wonder if it will make much difference.

I disagree. There's no reason for Apple to go with Santa Rosa on the iMac because all of the enhancements on that chip are meant to improve the mobile computing experience and the speed increase over Core 2 Duo will be negligible. The more interesting rumor iMac-wise is the existence of lower power consumption Xeon chips.

 

[Spaceghost1]

So the only reason to wait is to have a cheaper electricity bill?

I was going to get a 20" imac and upgrade to 2gb ram, 500gb hdd and a Radeon X1600 (256mb).

I do like the current iMac design so I just wonder if it is actually worth waiting for the new models, for my purposes it seems like what is currently available will be more than enough for a good few years, even when FCP6 comes out.

Also I currently get higher education discount, I won't be in HE by the (apparent) time the new models are out.

Leopard appears to be out fairly soon so I can wait for that.

 

[chicagdan]

So the only reason to wait is to have a cheaper electricity bill?

I was going to get a 20" imac and upgrade to 2gb ram, 500gb hdd and a Radeon X1600 (256mb).

I do like the current iMac design so I just wonder if it is actually worth waiting for the new models, for my purposes it seems like what is currently available will be more than enough for a good few years, even when FCP6 comes out.

Also I currently get higher education discount, I won't be in HE by the (apparent) time the new models are out.

Leopard appears to be out fairly soon so I can wait for that.

LOL, no! Lower power consumption is the key to packing more cores on a chip that could run in a box like the iMac.

But look, I have the Core 2 Duo iMac and let me tell you ... it is far more horsepower than I need for anything. Nothing's come close to choking it yet. How long do you plan on having the computer? Personally, I like to upgrade every 18 months or so (powermax.com gives great trade-in value.) I'm 100 percent confident that the Core 2 Duo iMac is going to be a very strong machine throughout that lifecycle for me. You can get good deals on iMacs right now because of this (for instance, better trade in value than you might expect from powermax.com), so there are advantages to buying now.

 

[diamond3]

I don't know if you will exactly need FCP 6, all that I am saying is that it sounds like its only a month away. Why not just get the latest version if you are going to buy it. If you are going to wait for Leopard then hopefully the new iLife, FCE, FCS will be out by then. Who knows, maybe iLife will work just fine for you in your situation.

Also, I wouldn't let the possibility of a imac redesign make you wait on buying an iMac. All of apple computers look so great, that sometimes the newest one isn't too impressive. ie. iMac g4 to g5. Either way you will be happy with whatever iMac you get.

 

[chicagdan]

I don't know if you will exactly need FCP 6, all that I am saying is that it sounds like its only a month away. Why not just get the latest version if you are going to buy it. If you are going to wait for Leopard then hopefully the new iLife, FCE, FCS will be out by then. Who knows, maybe iLife will work just fine for you in your situation.

Also, I wouldn't let the possibility of a imac redesign make you wait on buying an iMac. All of apple computers look so great, that sometimes the newest one isn't too impressive. ie. iMac g4 to g5. Either way you will be happy with whatever iMac you get.

The G5/Intel iMac design has grown on me, but I agree completely that the G4 design was a work of art and I miss my old luxor lamp.

 

[RRK]

I disagree. There's no reason for Apple to go with Santa Rosa on the iMac because all of the enhancements on that chip are meant to improve the mobile computing experience and the speed increase over Core 2 Duo will be negligible. The more interesting rumor iMac-wise is the existence of lower power consumption Xeon chips.

It seems likely to me that Apple will go with the Santa Rosa chip set on the next rev. of the iMac and then they will go to true desktop chips next year at 45nm.

I havn't heard about Xeons in the iMac but I guess anything is possible. However, if you look at Intel's January-June 2007 roadmap (if I'm reading it right) everything has been announced except "Next Generation quad-core processor" in the mainstream desktops section. This sounds like a iMac level processor to me and it has a time frame which fits well into new iMac rumors.

Also, I believe that Santa Rosa at this point will include Core 2 processors.

 

[AlexisV]

If Apple told you Leopard was coming out on 30th April for example, how Macs do you suppose they'd sell between now and then? Not many.

Leopard might come out in a month or in the middle of summer. So you can either sit on your hands for months, or buy now.

And it's not like Leopard is going to be the be all and end all. It is just a point release at the end of the day.

I'm sure people wouldn't be as bothered if they never brought in the big cat naming terminology!