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Penryn iMac and Mac Mini Updates Soon?
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Apple won't refresh the MacMini with anything that's not in the current low-end MacBook. That's the way it has always been. Plus, the MacMini already runs quite warm. A 7200 would only add to that.
I hope that waiting pays off for all of you. I too saw the value in 'future-proofing' by waiting for rumored/expected iMac updates and avoiding the current iMacs that have been out for 8 months or so with no technology change nor price decrease. I love the 20in aluminum iMac I put downstairs last October as our family computer and conversely have been happy it stayed as a 'current' model so long. I needed to (OK, wanted to) replace my aging upstairs PC with a new Mac - hence no rush so I could handle a bit of watching the iMac rumors play out.
I must however admit I almost pulled the trigger on the refurb 24in iMac 2.8ghz model for $1899. What kept me from doing that was, just as all of you talk about, the fact it is non-upgradeable and if a couple weeks later an update came out putting the low end 24in model at this same price range, then I would be missing out on potential hardware improvements: faster processor (maybe quad), better graphics card, faster Ram (800mhz maybe), additional ports (eSATA maybe), bigger harddrive (although chance of standard drive in low end 24in going up to more than 500gb seems low). Who knows.....but whatever the case, even thiough either old or new would have done everything I need now I'd have felt shortchanged.
Anyway, I'm glad I waited and I'm glad the new iMacs didn't get released because the time spent watching allowed me to realize the most fun and future-proof new toy will be the refurb Mac Pro 8 core 2.8ghz (early 2008) system I just ordered. Way more cores & processing power than I'm likely to need for many years (but it's there), faster Ram (800mhz), ok graphics card (but I can upgrade in future), small harddrive at 320gb (but a couple WD640GB drives already on the way and I can pop them in without tools - try that on an iMac).
So why am I sharing all this? Mostly to say thanks to all of you who offered intelligent and informative guesses at what the impending iMac upgrades will bring. But also to share what I thought were the most logical thoughts on timing:
First, my guess at the new iMacs: Tuesday April 22nd or Tuesday April 29th.
Reasons:
1) Apples $100 Printer rebate ends the 21st. If they're expecting the updates to generate a large batch of sales to 'holdouts' why give incentives they don't have to. (admittedly I don't know who really foots the bill for that rebate, printer manufacturers or Apple, or maybe shared...)
2) They've been offering special pricing on 'refurbs' of current iMacs for quite a while. And I just find it hard to believe they get that many returns to generate that many true refurbs.... they are obviously either clearing out current generation units and parts supplies and/or trying to bump unit sold counts for market share stats.
3) I think iMacs will come before the (rumored) updated Mac Mini's. I've got to think Apple makes more profit per unit on iMacs. Thus it would seem silly to put out Mac Mini's that are more feature rich and temp away potential iMac buyers who only have the current iMac line to compare them to.
4) Ties in with rumors Intel is aggressively phasing out the 65nm Merom processors in favor of the 45nm Penryn. In fact I think this may be a reason for not expecting them to wait until WWDC or a Montevina overhaul and to do an interim update.
5) It would be newsworthy for their 2nd Quarter financials and associated talking points. Further, assuming updates are done around now, it would put the start of next school year about 4 months into the lifecycle and their selling price would stay the same while their parts prices likely decrease, meaning they make even more per unit.
Anyway. Those are my guesses. Don't take it as rude if I don't follow up when you board stalkers tear me a new one. I'll be off being productive on my new system
Again, I just wanted to share what my own board stalking has led me to surmise, and to say thanks for the historical/future insights many of you offered.
I must however admit I almost pulled the trigger on the refurb 24in iMac 2.8ghz model for $1899. What kept me from doing that was, just as all of you talk about, the fact it is non-upgradeable and if a couple weeks later an update came out putting the low end 24in model at this same price range, then I would be missing out on potential hardware improvements: faster processor (maybe quad), better graphics card, faster Ram (800mhz maybe), additional ports (eSATA maybe), bigger harddrive (although chance of standard drive in low end 24in going up to more than 500gb seems low). Who knows.....but whatever the case, even thiough either old or new would have done everything I need now I'd have felt shortchanged.
Anyway, I'm glad I waited and I'm glad the new iMacs didn't get released because the time spent watching allowed me to realize the most fun and future-proof new toy will be the refurb Mac Pro 8 core 2.8ghz (early 2008) system I just ordered. Way more cores & processing power than I'm likely to need for many years (but it's there), faster Ram (800mhz), ok graphics card (but I can upgrade in future), small harddrive at 320gb (but a couple WD640GB drives already on the way and I can pop them in without tools - try that on an iMac).
So why am I sharing all this? Mostly to say thanks to all of you who offered intelligent and informative guesses at what the impending iMac upgrades will bring. But also to share what I thought were the most logical thoughts on timing:
First, my guess at the new iMacs: Tuesday April 22nd or Tuesday April 29th.
Reasons:
1) Apples $100 Printer rebate ends the 21st. If they're expecting the updates to generate a large batch of sales to 'holdouts' why give incentives they don't have to. (admittedly I don't know who really foots the bill for that rebate, printer manufacturers or Apple, or maybe shared...)
2) They've been offering special pricing on 'refurbs' of current iMacs for quite a while. And I just find it hard to believe they get that many returns to generate that many true refurbs.... they are obviously either clearing out current generation units and parts supplies and/or trying to bump unit sold counts for market share stats.
3) I think iMacs will come before the (rumored) updated Mac Mini's. I've got to think Apple makes more profit per unit on iMacs. Thus it would seem silly to put out Mac Mini's that are more feature rich and temp away potential iMac buyers who only have the current iMac line to compare them to.
4) Ties in with rumors Intel is aggressively phasing out the 65nm Merom processors in favor of the 45nm Penryn. In fact I think this may be a reason for not expecting them to wait until WWDC or a Montevina overhaul and to do an interim update.
5) It would be newsworthy for their 2nd Quarter financials and associated talking points. Further, assuming updates are done around now, it would put the start of next school year about 4 months into the lifecycle and their selling price would stay the same while their parts prices likely decrease, meaning they make even more per unit.
Anyway. Those are my guesses. Don't take it as rude if I don't follow up when you board stalkers tear me a new one. I'll be off being productive on my new system
Again, I just wanted to share what my own board stalking has led me to surmise, and to say thanks for the historical/future insights many of you offered.
Dammit, I need a Mac Mini update! It's pathetic how long this POS has kept running w/o Apple just not giving 2 shi1ts about it. COME ON APPLE, HURRY THE @#$% UP AND UPDATE THE MINI! Im about to explode. I want OSX, but all this waiting is pathetic!
Intel is not scheduled to launch a new set of Penryn mobile CPUs designed to work with the Montevina systemboard platform until May, so it seems very unlikely that Apple would release an iMac or Mac Mini update before those CPUs ship.
As such, I really think Apple will update the entire non-Mac Pro line either at once, or in quick succession, starting at or after WWDC and not before.
So if you need a new machine before this summer, buy now. If not, wait until then.
As such, I really think Apple will update the entire non-Mac Pro line either at once, or in quick succession, starting at or after WWDC and not before.
So if you need a new machine before this summer, buy now. If not, wait until then.
Wait or not?
I'm a new apple user.
May I know rather than the design......any idea for the change for coming update?
I wish to purchase a 24" imac, so I really don't want that once I pay the money.....and see the apple online store "come back soon"......
I'm a new apple user.
May I know rather than the design......any idea for the change for coming update?
I wish to purchase a 24" imac, so I really don't want that once I pay the money.....and see the apple online store "come back soon"......
I would expect no changes to the iMac's design. And I tend to think that the Mac Mini might not change, either, though there are rumors it will.
The MacBook and MacBook Pro are rumored to be re-designed around WWDC.
The MacBook and MacBook Pro are rumored to be re-designed around WWDC.
Hey guys I have a little theory I thought up while on the Apple website. The printer rebate is ending the 21st of April, a Monday. The day after that is a Tuesday, a common release date for iMacs and the like. Since all of this fits in so perfectly and that it's been such a LONG time since an update...I believe Tuesday, April 22 might be our day, forum members. Let's keep our fingers crossed for this Tuesday. 
Hey guys I have a little theory I thought up while on the Apple website. The printer rebate is ending the 21st of April, a Monday. The day after that is a Tuesday, a common release date for iMacs and the like. Since all of this fits in so perfectly and that it's been such a LONG time since an update...I believe Tuesday, April 22 might be our day, forum members. Let's keep our fingers crossed for this Tuesday.
A lot of people said this last year in June/July, and again, we waited weeks while Apple kept extending the ipod rebates for students, and the printer rebates before the iMacs were released in August. I agree that the next two weeks seems likely, but the printer rebates doesn't mean much.
They should be appearing in Best Buy's inventory first. That has been a great clue for basic updates as of late.
Let's keep our fingers crossed for this Tuesday.
Nothing personal, but it's not going to happen.
Apple will not update anything until they are ready to debut the Montevina platform systemboard and that cannot happen until Intel releases the CPUs designed to work with it and that will not happen until next month at the earliest.
Apple might very well release them before WWDC so they can talk about the platform with the software developers, but until Intel formally offers the CPUs for sale, Apple will not update.
But with the instalment of the Penryn chips in the MacBooks, the iMacs will have to get them as well regardless of when Montevina comes out, which will be in 2009...basically just to fit the gap in between for the time being.
Montevina and it's supported CPUs (which are Penryns) ship next month. With rumors that the MacBook and MacBook Pro are getting new enclosures, I expect this is to support those new CPUs (specifically, the quad-core model for the MacBook Pro). Since Apple will be sourcing new motherboards using the Montevina platform for the MacBook and MacBook Pro, why not source them for the iMac and the Mac Mini, as well? It's cheaper that way to buy and to support (driver development).
If Apple doesn't upgrade the iMac and the Mac Mini to Montevina, the user community is going to carp about it just as they carped about the delay taking the MacBook and iMac to Santa Rosa when the MacBook Pro was updated.
And with Nehalem around 12 months out, it would be foolish of Apple to either just shove Penryns into the current iMac and Mac Mini while updating the MacBook and MacBook Pro with faster CPU speeds and faster memory speeds and do nothing else until Nehalem a year later, or to shove Penryns in now and then change the systemboard again six months out to only change it six months after that to move to Nehalem.
It makes far more sense for Apple to wait until June or July to secure sufficient Montevina systemboards and compatible Penryn processors to release new MacBooks, new MacBook Pros, new iMacs and new Mac Minis that use both and will comfortably keep those platforms "fresh" until Q2/Q3 2009 and Nehalem.
Montevina doesn't come out in 2009, Calpella does (2Q, acoording to the current schedule).
Has it not been the case that Apple has released Intel powered Macs with processors that had yet to hit retail? I think I remember that Mac Pros were updated and available with the latest Xeon processors before those processors were officially available for retail.
So, could it be the case that Apple gets preferential treatment from Intel to outfit new iMacs with the latest platform before that platform is available to the public?
Spoke to an Apple Store Manager in the mall this week and he told me that you shouldn't go crazy trying to determine if a particular day is more important to Apple for a release than any other (i.e. Earth Day 4/22 or 10 Year Anniversary 5/6). He stated with much reassurance that a release can come at any time and does not have to be a Tuesday. I still hope that a new IMAC is in the near future
While it can come at any time, historically, releases occur on Tuesday. The exception to this recently was actually the last iMac update. It was a Wednesday, due to the Labor day holiday I believe.
Yea, but keep in mind...the manager knows as much as we do when it comes to release dates...and the KEY fact...he's trying to sell you a system ASAP...so you basically can't go by their word either.
AND, since Earth Day is tomorrow they might want to release the iMac with a nature-friendly outcome...I don't know just something to ponder at.
So do we have any ideas about how much these iMacs are going to be? More expensive than the last ones? I have been saving so long and hard it's ridiculous. I'm using a home made gaming pc at the moment as I sold my Macbook just before they revamped them and by the time I got around to wanted to save for an iMac (bored of the laptop, screen too small for me) I read rumours of new iMacs so i've been holding off!
Apple seems to trend towards either keeping the price the same (with improved components) or lower the price a bit (with similar components, just at the new spec).
