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Should I buy an Intel iMac now?

Rigido

Rigido

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 1, 2017
22
4
Rome, Italy
Hi,
I hope this community can help me to understand (and that my English is good enough :rolleyes:)

Right now I have a 27" 5K "Late 2014" iMac that started to show a "ghost image". It is not a burn-in problem, it is a ghost of what was currently on screen. It is not a big problem as you can see the ghost just in some cases (i.e. when I switch from the desktop to the grey window of PhotoScape) but it is almost impossible to see if I start the screensaver (Shifting Tiles).
Apple announced new 27" iMacs on August, on June announced new ARM processors and that they plan to switch to new technology in two years.
Should I spend, now, 2700€ for a brand new computer that will lose all of it's value in 3 or 4 years?

Thanks
 
Other than the ghosting issue, do you have any other real issues with the current iMac? How would you feel if you bought now and a new design were released in the next 6 months to year?
 
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Rigido said:
Hi,
I hope this community can help me to understand (and that my English is good enough :rolleyes:)

Right now I have a 27" 5K "Late 2014" iMac that started to show a "ghost image". It is not a burn-in problem, it is a ghost of what was currently on screen. It is not a big problem as you can see the ghost just in some cases (i.e. when I switch from the desktop to the grey window of PhotoScape) but it is almost impossible to see if I start the screensaver (Shifting Tiles).
Apple announced new 27" iMacs on August, on June announced new ARM processors and that they plan to switch to new technology in two years.
Should I spend, now, 2700€ for a brand new computer that will lose all of it's value in 3 or 4 years?

Thanks
Click to expand...
I don't really understand your comment, "Should I spend, now, 2700€ for a brand new computer that will lose all of it's value in 3 or 4 years?"
I'm still using a mid 2010 27" iMac11,3 a marvellous machine still performing well, on which I'd upgraded memory and installed a Samsung 500GB SSD. For the same spec machine local private ads now show prices ranging from 500e - 750euros (so say an approx average of 600euros / $US710 for a 10 year old iMac).
So surely a 2020 2700€ new iMac will retain a significant value in 3 or 4 years time!
 
CooperBox said:
So surely a 2020 2700€ new iMac will retain a significant value in 3 or 4 years time!
Click to expand...
Hi CooperBox,
this is MY point of view and I hope I did my homework well:
Apple announced Intel transition on June 2005, on February 2006 introduced Intel support to Tiger OS (10.4.5) and all new hardware was Intel, 2007 Leopard OS (Intel with support for PPC) and 2009 Snow Leopard OS (no more PPC support).
If they really switch to ARM in 2 years (2022), keeping the Intel transition timeline in mind, we would have an ARM only OS in 2024/5. How many developers would still develop for Intel based systems?
Said that, who would buy an Intel iMac even if at a reasonable price in 2024/5?
 
It will still be easy to develop for Intel systems in 2024 if Apple’s native libraries are compiled for ARM and x86.
 
I have a feeling late-model Intel Macs are likely to sell for a premium for a number of years after Apple stops making them.
 
Another way to look at it is this. If Apple is not able to live up to the hype and it's first production runs of ARM computers do not perform as well as expected, all those that have withheld on upgrading to by an ARM will suddenly look at what mac intel machines are still available and suddenly you find there is a rush on buying the last lot of intel based macs. If you are the type of person that likes to gloat about having the latest Apple product then of course wait, but if not, buy whatever machine suits your needs now.
 
Rigido said:
Hi CooperBox,
this is MY point of view and I hope I did my homework well:
Apple announced Intel transition on June 2005, on February 2006 introduced Intel support to Tiger OS (10.4.5) and all new hardware was Intel, 2007 Leopard OS (Intel with support for PPC) and 2009 Snow Leopard OS (no more PPC support).
If they really switch to ARM in 2 years (2022), keeping the Intel transition timeline in mind, we would have an ARM only OS in 2024/5. How many developers would still develop for Intel based systems?
Said that, who would buy an Intel iMac even if at a reasonable price in 2024/5?
Click to expand...
I doubt history is going to repeat itself like that. Overall, in the Age of Ecosystem, Apple's tendency has been to extend useful lifespan - to maximize the number of devices that can access iTunes, App Store, synchronize data via iCloud, etc. - to keep as many users as possible capable of accessing the latest content and capabilities on all their devices. That's the primary reason they went to free OS upgrades. I'm expecting the 2022 Intel Macs will get at least four new versions of macOS before Intel support is withdrawn.

I have a Late 2013 iMac - those shipped originally with OS X 10.8 and can still run macOS 10.15. That breeds a certain expectation on the part of users. Considering the substantial growth in Mac sales/users since the days of PPC, there would still be a very large, very unhappy group of Mac users if Apple pulled the plug on macOS-for-Intel upgrades after just a few years. I don't see that happening.

As to resale value? There will be those that will pay a premium to have an Intel Mac in order to run Windows, older versions macOS, etc., so value is not likely to drop to zero. But you have a six-year-old iMac, so why are you worried about it losing value after four years?
 
Rigido said:
Said that, who would buy an Intel iMac even if at a reasonable price in 2024/5?
Click to expand...

You would be surprised how well Macs keep their values. This would be valuable to someone who wanted to run Bootcamp that will not be possible on Apple Silicon, or someone with valuable Intel Mac software they they either don’t want to lose or replace. I believe you will get a reasonable price for a used iMac 4/5 years down the line, certainly not zero.
 
James Craner said:
I believe you will get a reasonable price for a used iMac 4/5 years down the line, certainly not zero.
Click to expand...

Certainly not zero but it won't be much. The people that will want an intel Mac in the future for something like Bootcamp will be in the minority and have access to a sea of devices in the used market that does not have enough available buyers.

A reasonable price in 4/5 years is going to be nowhere near today's used value, far less.

Remember the vast majority of macOS users are not 'pro' or 'complex' users, ARM will work just fine for most people's needs.
 
LeeW said:
Certainly not zero but it won't be much.
Click to expand...

This is your opinion. I went through the last transition and sold my Powermac G5 for a reasonable price well after the Intel Macs were available. The iMac is capable of running Pro software and there will be plenty of people wanting to keep running legacy software and / or Windows when their current computer fails.

I have a 17 year old iMac G4 17” 1.25Ghz, that I could sell for around £200 on eBay, if I wanted to.
 
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