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new iMac + iLife 11...should i wait?

D

delacruzjeff

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 30, 2010
66
0
hello,
this is my first post in this forum so bear with me. i'm about to purchase the new 27" iMac i5-quad core w/ 4gd ram. i can upgrade the on a later date. mainly use of computer will be light video editing and photo editing, web browsing and some word and excel processing. do you think the i5-quad core is an overkill? for now i'm only planning to use iPhoto and iMovie until i become familiar with Mac then move to Aperture and Final Cut.

my other question is...should i wait to buy the iMac until the new iLife 11 comes out? rumors said iLife '11 will come out on Aug 17th? right now if i buy the iMac it will only come with the iLife 09. i just don't want to pay extra to buy the upgrade iLife if i buy the Imac now.
thanks.
 
I don't know whether Apple will charge people with iLife '09 to upgrade to iLife '10.

If they're going to charge people, I would definitely say wait because they are apparently improving all of the programs, and adding a new 'mystery' application.

If they're not going to charge people to upgrade, I would just get iLife '09 now and then choose the upgrade option later when iLife '10 comes out.
 
Welcome to the forums, delacruzjeff. I'm not sure if this helps you, but earlier this week Apple Store told me that if I buy a Mac with iLife 09, and iLife 11 is released within the next two months, I could ask for '11 and they will send it for free. Of course, if it's released more that two months from now, 10 bucks for an upgrade doesn't sound half bad.
 
Are you sure it's August 17th? I've been reading it's August 7th...I have half a mind to wait too since it's only a week.

Also, would Apple release iWork around this time too? Because I'd like to save money and just get it pre-installed.

R94N said:
I don't know whether Apple will charge people with iLife '09 to upgrade to iLife '10.

If they're going to charge people, I would definitely say wait because they are apparently improving all of the programs, and adding a new 'mystery' application.

If they're not going to charge people to upgrade, I would just get iLife '09 now and then choose the upgrade option later when iLife '10 comes out.
Click to expand...

Where'd you hear that?
 
I've been holding back on my purchase for this exact same reason. In the past Apple have given a free upgrade for iLife to those that buy a Mac after the announcement of the new version, but they haven't always given the same to those who buy the latest machines before the new software is announced. As I've still got my 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo iMac I have the luxury of waiting until mid August to see, but if it doesn't appear by that time I'll buy my replacement anyway.

As you don't have a Mac already it may be more worthwhile taking the risk for you. You could use it as a willpower test :D
 
Queso said:
I've been holding back on my purchase for this exact same reason. In the past Apple have given a free upgrade for iLife to those that buy a Mac after the announcement of the new version, but they haven't always given the same to those who buy the latest machines before the new software is announced. As I've still got my 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo iMac I have the luxury of waiting until mid August to see, but if it doesn't appear by that time I'll buy my replacement anyway.

As you don't have a Mac already it may be more worthwhile taking the risk for you. You could use it as a willpower test :D
Click to expand...

Agreed, I don't think iLife up-to-date is retroactive (see http://www.tuaw.com/2009/01/20/ilife-09-hardware-up-to-date-program/) because, according to that article, it applies to computers bought on the day of the MWSF keynote and beyond for two months.
 
Rgearding i5 versus something "lesser"

Hey... everyone is responding to the part about iLife and not the other part. I would recommend you buy the best you can afford. It might be overkill for your current needs, but software and other things require ever greater amounts of processing power (including simple things like plugins for Safari). I have helped people purchase computers for two decades. The first question I always ask is, "How much can you afford today without hurting yourself, AND have the ability to spend the same amount in about 30 months?" I use 30 months because most people start yearning for a new computer with new widgets at about 24 months but wait until the 30-36 month mark.

If you think about the budget side for today and 30 months from now, you will know what you CAN spend... Then... SPEND IT ON THE BEST MAC :apple: YOU CAN GET!!!
:D

Best Of Luck!

BTW - iPhoto is great, but, you may want to get Aperture 3.0 and figure that into your budget. It is a wonderful step-up from iPhoto!
 
1. There is no such thing as overkill for movies and photos.

2. If you have to replace your computer in 30 months, you've bought too little.

3. You might want to think about getting Aperture and Final Cut pre-installed because there is a discount when you do so.

In general buy the most computer you can with the most memory and most disk space you can afford. In the iMac this makes it about a $5,000 purchase. It should last you for about five years before needing replacement.
 
jerry333 said:
1. There is no such thing as overkill for movies and photos.

2. If you have to replace your computer in 30 months, you've bought too little.

3. You might want to think about getting Aperture and Final Cut pre-installed because there is a discount when you do so.

In general buy the most computer you can with the most memory and most disk space you can afford. In the iMac this makes it about a $5,000 purchase. It should last you for about five years before needing replacement.
Click to expand...
5 years. That's funny. Imagine using an iMac g4 today.
R94N said:
I don't know whether Apple will charge people with iLife '09 to upgrade to iLife '10.

If they're going to charge people, I would definitely say wait because they are apparently improving all of the programs, and adding a new 'mystery' application.

If they're not going to charge people to upgrade, I would just get iLife '09 now and then choose the upgrade option later when iLife '10 comes out.
Click to expand...

Apple always charges people with the previous version to upgrade. There will be an up to date version though. I would just buy now and pay the $10 to upgrade.
 
Just buy it now. They normally do a promotion for macs bought within say 2 months of release where you just have to pay for shipping. Either way you'll still have a great computer :)
 
appleguy123 said:
5 years. That's funny. Imagine using an iMac g4 today.
Click to expand...
Point of order m'lud. iMac G4s were discontinued July 2004, that being six years ago. This time five years ago we were on the second revision of the iMac G5.

The defence rests.
 
heesey1010 said:
Agreed, I don't think iLife up-to-date is retroactive
Click to expand...

appleguy123 said:
Apple always charges people with the previous version to upgrade.
Click to expand...

If the Apple Rep I spoke to this week was wrong about Apple sending a free upgrade to the next release of iLife, I apologize for repeating the error. If it's not Apple's practice to offer a free upgrade when someone buys an old version just before a new one is announced, then the Apple Rep must have misspoke. Lesson learned. :eek:
 
Undo said:
If the Apple Rep I spoke to this week was wrong about Apple sending a free upgrade to the next release of iLife, I apologize for repeating the error. If it's not Apple's practice to offer a free upgrade when someone buys an old version just before a new one is announced, then the Apple Rep must have misspoke. Lesson learned. :eek:
Click to expand...
Apple has to announce iLife 11 first. Then the up to date program will be detailed.
 
wow.. thank you guys for your suggestions and posts.

my first time posting here and you guys are very helpful...

i will go with the iMac 27" i5 quad-core but with 4gb ram for now then will upgrade soon. i will also look into the aperture and final cut at the same time.

with regards to iLife... maybe i will wait till Aug 17th and i'll put that as my deadline to buy whether the new iLife will come out or not.

thank you..thank you..
 
delacruzjeff said:
wow.. thank you guys for your suggestions and posts.

my first time posting here and you guys are very helpful...

i will go with the iMac 27" i5 quad-core but with 4gb ram for now then will upgrade soon. i will also look into the aperture and final cut at the same time.

with regards to iLife... maybe i will wait till Aug 17th and i'll put that as my deadline to buy whether the new iLife will come out or not.

thank you..thank you..
Click to expand...

If you wait, it seems as if you can never really buy any Apple product. I've checked the old releases and it seems Apple usually announces it and ships it later and the "upgrade" period kicks in from the time of the announcement. Just don't go around extending that "deadline" :D
 
appleguy123 said:
Apple always charges people with the previous version to upgrade. There will be an up to date version though. I would just buy now and pay the $10 to upgrade.
Click to expand...

Is it safe to assume the upgrade fee is per computer? And is it possible to install a single copy of iWork on a second Mac? I know Office for Mac is licensed for up to three machines and iWork Family Pack is up to five.
 
Run 'em into the ground...

appleguy123 said:
5 years. That's funny. Imagine using an iMac g4 today.
Click to expand...

Well, not much need for imagination here. I am using a G4 mirror drive door Mac tower, maybe 7 or 8 years old. It's gettin' creaky, and one new piece of software I downloaded doesn't work well with it. Sometime this month I will order a 27-inch i5 quadcore with HDD and SSD, external combo HDD/firewire & USB 2.0 hub, and a good external DVD burner (Panasonic). Maybe a new set of speakers (with a headphone jack in the front) unless someone can suggest another way to compensate for Apple hiding the headphone jack on the back of the iMac. That (and a new computer desk) should still be good 5+ years down the line. Then I will tune up the G4 and use it as a replacement for my old IBM OS/2 box which died a year or so back. That was a GOOD computer and a GREAT operating system--lasted for about 15 years without a backup. [Try that with any flavor of Windoze, eh?] I don't trade in my cars when the ashtrays fill up, either.
 
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