Hey I have been thinking about this for days now, I'm getting ready to go all in on apple eco system but don't know if I should pull the trigger now or wait until after the reported Nov event. Do you guys think there will be a new iMac desktop or not.
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Should I buy Imac 27inch now or wait until after reported Nov event?
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But there's no date yet, much less a clear idea of what they are going to announce? It seems odd (IMHO) that Apple would announce a new iMac a few months after launching the 2020 Intel Macs... Am I wrong about that?
We're still going to learn a tremendous amount about the future of all Mac's in this event. Even if iMac's aren't in this first round, the picture of the next two years is going to be a lot more clear.
warp9
macrumors 6502
I don't see how that helps the OP make a buying decision.
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LeeW
macrumors 601
What are you actually waiting for? You say you are wanting to go all-in, what does that even mean in relation to what you have today? If you are new to the Mac you should definitely not be waiting to be on the ground floor with AS, don't believe the hype, it will take a couple of years at least before AS is ready for general use.
jazz1
macrumors 601
Well as others have said, wait or don’t wait, it all depends on your immediate needs. It also depends what kind of upgrade schedule one keeps. Some people keep Macs for years, other might upgrade with every update or so. Heck my dear old Dad used to buy a New Plymouth/Chrysler gold colored, white roof, finned station wagon every year due to mileage, and ego 😉
The big deal here is that ARM might be a significant upgrade.
The big deal here is that ARM might be a significant upgrade.
Well i have been using the iPhone, Apple watch, and Apple tv for a couple of years now and was wanting to integrate an iMac and some of the homepod mini into my local little eco system.
LeeW
macrumors 601
Ok, it sounds like you are not a professional with specific needs, so you have choices but choose wisely.
You can buy an iMac today that is very capable and will last you 5+ years if you are someone who hangs on to things that long. It will do everything you need and more, again I am assuming you have no really specific needs.
Or, if you really want to wait until Apple has put their own chips in the iMac you need to wait until next year, no iMacs with AS are coming this year. But, also consider that 1st gen iMacs with AS are going to have limitations, bugs and issues that you don't really want to deal with as a new user of macOS.
Interesting. It sounds like you're saying this generation of Intel iMacs is likely to be the last for us to buy additional Non-Apple RAM. What makes you think that (other than it would presumably make more money for Apple).
The only thing I would really like to do is be able to edit 4k video, that's the most strenuous task I can see. I do have a capable Windows PC for that though.
Then wait a bit longer for Dec event... and Jan event... and Feb event, March event, April event, May, June, July, Aug, Sep and next Oct event. Actually while you're waiting wait until Dec 2022 when the ARM transition is complete. Don't forget to wait for the second gen of AS Macs either. 😉
jazz1
macrumors 601
Perhaps a cheaper ARM CPU vs. Intel. But way overpriced Apple RAM. There is no free lunch (with Apple) unfortunately. But as usual with Apple I’ll just suck it up and buy.
The belief is that the new Macs are going to be even more closed than the current ones are... much akin to the iOS devices in that they are not upgradeable, only replaceable.
For example, on the new 2020 iMac, the SSDs (below 2TBs in size) are soldered to the motherboard unlike previous builds in which (with some effort on your part) are user replaceable. It is highly likely that the ARM generation Macs will be so proprietary as to have zero internal user upgradeable parts.
So if you're really ready to go all-in... remember that... you are making a substantial financial commitment by professing the Apple eco-system as your new home.
We're here because we already made that commitment years ago... at this point it's all water under the bridge to us. But for the new guy, making the jump just as Apple is planning to abandon INTEL architecture entirely is a quite a commitment to make. Which is why waiting to see just what Apple intends to do with these new ARM based Macs is a more prudent direction to go.
For example, on the new 2020 iMac, the SSDs (below 2TBs in size) are soldered to the motherboard unlike previous builds in which (with some effort on your part) are user replaceable. It is highly likely that the ARM generation Macs will be so proprietary as to have zero internal user upgradeable parts.
So if you're really ready to go all-in... remember that... you are making a substantial financial commitment by professing the Apple eco-system as your new home.
We're here because we already made that commitment years ago... at this point it's all water under the bridge to us. But for the new guy, making the jump just as Apple is planning to abandon INTEL architecture entirely is a quite a commitment to make. Which is why waiting to see just what Apple intends to do with these new ARM based Macs is a more prudent direction to go.
You don’t see how getting additional information about a future product would help make a buying decision now? What does that even mean?
How many people do you think would have held off on buying the 2020 iPad Pro if they knew 7 months later the iPad Air was going to come in cheaper and with a next gen processor? Information matters.
warp9
macrumors 6502
No because he wants an imac now, not 2 years from now. It doesn't matter what Apple has planned if it means sitting around without a computer until who knows when.
p.s. I would have bought that 2020 ipad pro because waiting 7 months is stupid. Playing the waiting game is a losing proposition because there will always be something better right around the corner. Even if you get an Arm mac in Nov 2020, you will feel like a chump when you read about the 2021 2nd gen model.
I would say buy now. Apple Silicon represents a major jump in computing, but it's not going to happen overnight, and it's not going to be a seamless transition as these things never are. The iMac in its current implementation delivers an excellent user experience on a reliable OS and has an established history of reliable hardware. If you are currently ready to go all-in on Mac, the current Intel Mac makes the most sense to me (further, a November update to that specific iMac seems pretty unlikely).
You don't know when the new iMac's are coming out, you don't know what they look like, you don't know how fast they are, and yet you think the new event won't help with a buying decision? Well, you can think whatever you want, but I don't think that's a defensible position.
Most people would gladly wait 6 months for a significant bump ... they don't come that often nowadays. There is not always something better around the corner, but also sometimes there is. Dogma about making your decision one way or the other all the time is silly. We make decisions based on what we know ... and we're about to know a lot more in few weeks.
