Purchase 27" iMac now, or wait?

[Totally]

I personally think they may make a minor iMac update this year like they made a minor rMBP update. I don't believe there will be a 4k or retina iMac until 2015. Also, I think a 4k or retina iMac will cost way more than the current one - no one mentioned this that I read.

 

[Serban]

They need a 4K iMac because all the FullHD displays are old and cheap, even the 1440p. So for the price you pay now the display is irrelevant and Apple is making more profit than 2 years ago.
So Geforce announced that in October 980M will be release, and a 4K iMac with an increase in price around 400$ is more than justify

 

[dec.]

I think they are working on a major update for the end of the year.

 

[Serban]

Yes, Eddy Cue already said 1 month ago at Re code interview that has the best pipeline that he seen in Apple until now. You don't make such a statement if you have minor updates for iMac/mac mini.

I think this year will be an important year for iPhone/iMac/Mac mini and Apple tv

 

[tyche]

I'd really like a 24" 4k iMac over a current 27" iMac. Wishful thinking these days Apple does small incremental updates.

 

[RoastingPig]

3-4 thunderbolt ports would be very welcome..maybe not possible with lack of lanes in lga 1150 over 2011

reason being: i have 2 thunderbolt displays and 1 cinema.

 

[Serban]

They really need a retina iMac with 980MX+thunderbolt 2 ports and maybe standard Fusion Drive or SSD

 

[casperes1996]

Just an addendum

I feel like i'd just add that a refresh of the CPU in the iMac wouldn't be .2 like the rMBPs. It'd only be .1. If you have a look at Intel's chip lineup, this'll be clear. Only if they were willing to put in a K part (increasing TDP) would you see substantial benefits from a Haswell refresh CPU (4GHz base).

 

[iMcLovin]

Yes, Eddy Cue already said 1 month ago at Re code interview that has the best pipeline that he seen in Apple until now. You don't make such a statement if you have minor updates for iMac/mac mini.

I think this year will be an important year for iPhone/iMac/Mac mini and Apple tv

Tim cook has said that every year. So far they have just released products no one wants. I have my doubts we see anything more on the mac side this year because of broadwell chips....sadly. and now with the rumors of iwatch coming 2015, if thats right, I really wonder what Cue was referring to - so far it seems like their worst year in decades.

 

[Serban]

I don't think so, because products will be release starting September with the iPhones.

i think this year is the year of the redesign Mac Mini, the retina for Macbook air and imac, and possible the redesign Apple Tv

 

[iMcLovin]

I don't think so, because products will be release starting September with the iPhones.

i think this year is the year of the redesign Mac Mini, the retina for Macbook air and imac, and possible the redesign Apple Tv

I hope you are right, but I feel its unlikely. If they release a retina iMac with haswell - a lot of people will wait to buy, because they know broadwell is around the corner.

But who knows, Im no oracle, so I´ll keep my hopes up

 

[zarf2007]

I hope you are right, but I feel its unlikely. If they release a retina iMac with haswell - a lot of people will wait to buy, because they know broadwell is around the corner.

But who knows, Im no oracle, so I´ll keep my hopes up

Yeah but is it? I think a haswell with speed bump, 980m GPU and 4K screen is more likely this fall, as broadwell is unlikely to appear until q1/q2 for iMacs so that would point to an even later release which I doubt people wait for.

 

[Roller]

I hope you are right, but I feel its unlikely. If they release a retina iMac with haswell - a lot of people will wait to buy, because they know broadwell is around the corner.

But who knows, Im no oracle, so I´ll keep my hopes up

What else can Apple do to make the next iMac seem more than a "refresh?" A higher resolution display is one. That will have to be coupled with a 900-series GPU, which are becoming available. I suppose they could also make changes to the outer design, such as making the stand height-adjustable (which I would welcome). The iMac is already "thin," and they're certainly not going to add optical drives back in.

So Apple is already very close to having what they need for a decent update, minus Broadwell. But I wonder if expectations of what Broadwell will do are a bit high, especially for iMacs. They'll be more efficient, with a lower TDP, but the iMac with Haswell already does quite well in heat dissipation, especially compared to iMacs prior to the late 2012 update. I'm also skeptical that the rumored 40% boost in integrated graphics performance will make that much of a difference for the iMac.

The only question is whether Broadwell's improved TDP will be required to offset any of the other internal changes. If so, we'll probably have to wait until around mid-year. But if not, Apple could release an upgraded iMac soon and then introduce Broadwell as a refresh when it's available.

 

[Serban]

Haswell is already powerful with a normal heat...i think they can bump the speed..i would love an i7 with turbo boost over 4ghz , and it's more than enough.
I really hope for a better PPI and 980MX. These things can make me update my late 2013 iMac. And i hope no ghosting or bleeding

 

[Suture]

I just received my new iMac just a few days ago. I looked at it like this:

Scenario 1: Apple does a minor refresh. Not worth the wait. I wanted to move on from my mid-2011 Mac Mini now, so a minor bump, be it to a GeForce 880 and other nominal differences wasn't beneficial to me to wait.

Scenario 2: 4K screens and GeForce 980. 980 would be nice. 4K would be nice. But I would think it would be priced higher, and this model I chose was really all I wanted to spend. The 4K screen I'm sure will look amazing though.

And we shouldn't be surprised if there's NO updates for some time. History tells us that sometimes (2011) they just go quite some time without any updates.

 

[Serban]

When the 15" retina macbook has been release was like 300$ more than the standard...i would like to keep it the same. I don't believe they can charge more than 300$ for just 4K


i will buy the retina iMac with 980M, thunderbolt 2, 512SSD and i7 up to 4ghz

 

[insane79]

depends really, if you don't need it asap you could wait till next year mid or end & skip this coming update, or wait a second wait till 2016 i m sure the retina iMac will be out for sure

 

[vga4life]

Don't forget if you use Adobe CS6, most of the apps aren't optimized for retina and there's no guarantee it'll work perfectly with Yosemite.

So if you're in that situation, you should buy now. Unless you want to pay Adobe forever for using its retina apps.

This is exactly why I bought a mid-range 27" iMac to replace my 15" early 2011 MBP; CS5 is a sunk cost for me, and does everything I need. I was not about to sign up for CC, which means Retina macs are out of the question.

 

[steve62388]

I hope you are right, but I feel its unlikely. If they release a retina iMac with haswell - a lot of people will wait to buy, because they know broadwell is around the corner.

But who knows, Im no oracle, so I´ll keep my hopes up

Why? My understanding is the main advantage Broadwell will bring is lower power consumption, and that doesn't really apply to a desktop. Sure it will be slightly better, but then so will the next CPU, and the one after and so on. You will be waiting forever.