New shipping dates poll for 2012 iMac

[Confuzzzed]

Shall we start again as some have suggested?

According to New York Times technology columnist David Pogue, the updates are due in 2013! Makes comment that Apple still believes in desktop Macs, including both the iMac and the Mac Pro (no comment)!

An email to a Pro user by Tim Cook, questioned on the future of the Mac Pro allegedly states "Our pro customers are really important to us...don't worry as we're working on something really great for later next year"

My thoughts are:

At this stage it's hard to predict when the iMac refresh will take place. To me, the ivy bridge processor adds very little in CPU terms, the GPUs in the 2011 iMacs were fine (ok, so the current stock is better but that is only really relevant to gamers and select few pros - as we have seen with Mac Pro not the group new Apple cares about the most) especially top-end ones, screen excellent so the pressure on Apple to update is less acute as people imagine.

Another aspect to consider, IMO would be that of SSD capacity. If the new MacBook Pro takes off, I'd imagine there may even be capacity constraints on the new SSDs so even less likely that Apple will share them out in any refreshed or redesigned iMacs. They are also probably waiting for real world experience of the new heat sink system before transferring that to a redesigned iMac.

So, when can we expect a new iMac?

 

[necromorph]

Who knows, maybe in 20XX (feel free to fill in the X's).

*Sticks two fingers up at apple*

 

[lucasfunkt]

Has the 24th for Mountain Lion been confirmed.

I thought it was just vaguely slated for 'July'.

 

[cooky560]

Either Fall or never, Apple have failed on an epic scale

 

[Confuzzzed]

Has the 24th for Mountain Lion been confirmed.

I thought it was just vaguely slated for 'July'.

No, that's simply my guess based on last year's dynamics, holidays etc.

 

[iMcLovin]

I think I'll just buy the current. I have a 24" and really want a new one. And most likely the next update will only be a spec bump with ivy bridge and slightly better gfx card. then I'll just hate myself for waiting that long. Better buy it now, except this to be the last proper iMac....Apple is clearly expecting Desktops to be a thing of the past.
If there's a major refresh next year, which I can only hope for, better just selling the system I have and buy a new one and pay whatever it costs inbetween.

Damn you Apple for making me do this.

 

[boyd1955]

I strongly suggest you add "Don't give a damn" to that list

 

[HurryKayne]

Ivy doesn't give any?
Are you nuts?(cordially)
Ivy brings with it USB 3 native,CATCUS RIDGE THUNDERBOLT
AND A NEW GPU..and you call this nothing?
I WON't Buy 2011 tech for 2012.
I'd rather buy an Hackintosh...and i'll cut the rope!
Too much is too much!

 

[boyd1955]

I'm looking at going Hackintosh too ... Sod Apple and its silly overpriced gadgets ... The tide will turn

 

[dustroom]

Better be soon

They can't hold off too much longer on a hardware update for the iMac - the chips are available!

Considering the minor updates - IvyBridge, rumoured anti-glare screen, possible retina display - I'm hoping and praying for a Mountain Lion release.

There won't be enough new features to make a huge song and dance about, so a muted 'run Mountain Lion on our new iMac' release would make sense.

I hope.

Still seething at Tim Cook for not 'Just one more thing'ing it with an iMac announcement.

 

[highlights]

There won't be enough new features to make a huge song and dance about, so a muted 'run Mountain Lion on our new iMac' release would make sense.

I hope.

This is my thought as well. New version of OSX + new iMac to run it on (though it might just be a spec bump... which I would be fine with).

If they release it early enough in July, they'll catch the back to school crowd as well (though, admittedly, most of them go with MacBooks). I am seeing a slight trend to the iPad/Desktop combo since the iPad has gotten good enough to be used in the classroom for note-taking, but it's still a small minority of students (I'm a grad student at a uni where the students can, by and large, afford fancy tech... much more than I can!). It would fit into the mountain lion/back to school stuff that will happen at that time, much more so than a mac pro refresh (which is maybe why they did that now?).

 

[iMacFarlane]

Apparently, that Mac Pro refresh really wasn't a refresh anyway. The processors in them were so old that the supply was depleted (intel stopped making them quite a while ago), so Apple was forced to dip into a supply of 'newer' chips to continue production.

Did anyone else notice that the store now lists the iMac as 'iMac', vice 'the New iMac', which it said up until yesterday?

 

[forty2j]

No, that's simply my guess based on last year's dynamics, holidays etc.

I would actually like to vote for July 10.

 

[Confuzzzed]

I would actually like to vote for July 10.

ok, noted! What makes you say that though?

 

[forty2j]

ok, noted! What makes you say that though?

Seems to fit 680M volume availability.

If it's a July release, it probably will be tied to ML simply so they don't have to produce a release batch with Lion and then another batch immediately after. But from a pure component perspective, the 10th looks right. (The 3rd is possible, but I don't like it's proximity to US Independence Day.)

 

[nagareru]

The mac mini is still advertised as the new. I think the change of the imacs title means that a refresh is soon to happen i would also say july is not too soon nor too far. I currently own a mbp 2009 but i need apple to update the imacs gpu, although the current one is good enough it will not be in a year and a half.

 

[Overg]

When thinking of it, not sure we see the speed bump in July, the reason is that the air and the pro ( old one) got bump this wwdc, so why wait with the iMac? After all Phil could say and another speed bump to iMac as well. Since he didn't say that I assume that we won't see it in July either but I will wait...

 

[Photography]

In my opinion, there will be an iMac refresh with speed bump coinciding with the release of ML next month, and a major redesign will be released next year at WWDC 2013.

 

[lucasfunkt]

No, that's simply my guess based on last year's dynamics, holidays etc.

Ok I think I'm going to wait for the Mountain Lion release in late July and if it still doesn't come out then and there haven't been any reliable rumours of an imminent release then I'll get a 2011 iMac.

Does that sound like a good plan?

 

[forty2j]

Ok I think I'm going to wait for the Mountain Lion release in late July and if it still doesn't come out then and there haven't been any reliable rumours of an imminent release then I'll get a 2011 iMac.

Does that sound like a good plan?

As long as you don't plan on paying full price for that 2011. Paying 2011 prices for 2011 components in 2012 is just silly.

I've got a good feeling on the July release anyway.

 

[dearlaserworks]

Seems to fit 680M volume availability.

If it's a July release, it probably will be tied to ML simply so they don't have to produce a release batch with Lion and then another batch immediately after.

I agree with both. Given the clear shift to Nvidia for MacBooks announced yesterday, it makes plenty of sense that Apple is waiting on availability of the GTX 680m chips before dropping a 2012 iMac. And it makes sense for a consumer machine to appear with the new OS, not a few weeks before. Plus Lion is a bit of a Lemon, so why not help consumers skip right over it.

 

[lucasfunkt]

As long as you don't plan on paying full price for that 2011. Paying 2011 prices for 2011 components in 2012 is just silly.

I've got a good feeling on the July release anyway.

No I'd either buy one from Amazon who's prices are a good £90-£160 cheaper or a get a refurbished one. I would even be tempted by the new macbook pro if it wasn't so expensive, no way can I justify spending nearly twice as much as I was planning.

I just need something powerful enough to run Final Cut Pro and programs like that smoothly and my current macbook pro can't fully handle it. I've got to draw the line somewhere I can't wait until next year it's affecting my work, my productivity.

 

[Lerk]

We cant know, and i dont know if there's a point trying to guess. When it's done, i suppose.

 

[Razorhog]

We cant know, and i dont know if there's a point trying to guess. When it's done, i suppose.

Ditto. There has been months of speculation, following the release of certain hardware components or events, and there will continue to be speculation. We won't know for sure until it arrives.

 

[AppleDApp]

I was in the Apple store earlier today and the sales guy and I agreed that the iMac will have a soft launch once Mountain Lion arrives.