Should I get an iMac or holdoff

[Serban]

Untill to fall for what? Just waiting more month for nothing? They can update the imac mac mini mac pro and mbp at wwdc
They did something like this at wwdc 2012 with updates for all macbooks
[doublepost=1461528895][/doublepost]But hey, its just my opinion

 

[ljonesj]

ive seen the port its not much thinner than the normal port its smaller length wise but thats it and to me it seems weeker as not as much surface area to help hold the wieght of the cable and for thunderbolt 1 and 2 are standard cable type why change it now to another cable end

 

[Ankaa]

The imacs are rumored to take a little redesign as new colours as well

This is the first time I read that. While I would certainly welcome this (damn, I want white back - though that's probably not gonna happen), do you have any sources to back that up?

 

[maflynn]

The imacs are rumored to take a little redesign as new colours as well

Really, not that I have my hand on the pulse of iMac rumors. all that I've seen is people hoping to see new designs. As for colors, since apple has moved to rose gold for other products it stands to reason that the iMac will have that choice.

 

[m7ammed]

I will be getting mine in 24 hours! 😀
Been reading up on all the migration options, I've bought the desk and set the place up already for its arrival 😛

 

[maflynn]

Nice congrats

I was excited to pick mine up last November and to this day, the iMac has been a great computer.

I opted to go the clean computer path, and only restore my data. That way I had full say in what was installed, and made sure the cruft that gets built up over the years is not carried over to the new machine 🙂

 

[m7ammed]

Really tempted with this, how would I move my iTunes library though? Not sure what else I need to move though.

Nice congrats

I was excited to pick mine up last November and to this day, the iMac has been a great computer.

I opted to go the clean computer path, and only restore my data. That way I had full say in what was installed, and made sure the cruft that gets built up over the years is not carried over to the new machine 🙂

 

[Ankaa]

Really tempted with this, how would I move my iTunes library though? Not sure what else I need to move though.

You can export your iTunes library (File>Library>Export Library) and then import this library file.

 

[T-Will]

I'm in the same position as OP, both my 2010 MacBook Pro is having kernel panic issues (even though day-to-day performance is great), and my wife's laptop has become unusable, so we've been looking at getting a 4k iMac.

It will be difficult for me to part with my pure SSD MacBook Pro setup and go with the 2TB Fusion, but I'm hearing good things about Fusion performance. I considered the DIY SSD upgrade route, but cracking open a brand new iMac and dropping in a 1TB SSD seems a little too risky for me.

It will be our first iMac, and my wife's first Mac (even though she's used iOS for years and occasionally dabbled on my MacBook), so it will be an interesting transition. 😀

 

[accentaudio]

I pulled the trigger and did it. The thing is, there will always be a new Mac around the corner. You could wait forever. The new iMac has the latest gen Intel processors, so I don't see the need to hold out.

 

[Ankaa]

That's a good decision, congratulations! Unless it's like three days until an Apple event, there really is no reason to wait. And even then, there probably isn't.

Usually - especially in iMacs - the changes from one generation to the next aren't major enough that you would miss out A LOT, rendering the "old" model useless in the process. E.g. one of the last major updates was getting rid of the optical drive and making the iMac super-thin - everything else basically was standard product evolution (CPU, RAM, GPU, ...those kind of things), no revolution (as in the MB when it came out last year). Even if Apple wants you to think you NEED those new things - 99% of people just don't.

I've bought "old" Macs, twice (once half a month before a MBA update, once even the old model AFTER the introduction of the new one) and never regretted it. Not even once.

 

[scott911]

motivating me is the $300 off best buy has on a bunch of imacs... Even is a refresh was around the corner, I wouldn't geting a discount any time soon...

 

[Ankaa]

motivating me is the $300 off best buy has on a bunch of imacs... Even is a refresh was around the corner, I wouldn't geting a discount any time soon...

Unfortunately not for 27'' with 2TB FD 🙁 Also...which model/year are they?

 

[colodane]

This is certainly a personal decision, but for me it would not be worth $300 to buy from Best Buy. For a $2K to $3K iMac (which I will likely be buying in the next few months) I'd purchase directly from Apple. The customer service, Build to Order with shipping to Apple store, and easier problem resolution with a direct purchase make it the way to go for me.

 

[varian55zx]

I pulled the trigger and did it. The thing is, there will always be a new Mac around the corner. You could wait forever. The new iMac has the latest gen Intel processors, so I don't see the need to hold out.

That's why the optimal time to buy a Mac, or any Apple product is right after the new one comes out.

That way, you are maximizing the amount of time that the one you have is the newest one.

As we know, no matter what a new one will come out. But then that way, at least yours is newest for the longest time possible.

That's what I did with my 5K iMac, and I routinely do with the iPhones.

 

[maflynn]

That way, you are maximizing the amount of time that the one you have is the newest one.

True but by the same token, if you're going to hold onto the iMac for years and years, then buying it mid cycle (or even late cycle) may not matter too much.

I understand your point and to be honest, I usually buy near or at the release date myself when I'm ready to upgrade my equipment. Still, I can see the logic of people holding off for a bit, and not buying immediately.

 

[Outrigger]

In the same boat. For the last few months, my late 2012 iMac has been acting up to the point of me just using it for web browsing. It does not see all the files in a given drive whether it be the internal or external. I would have to cold boot it since trying to restart the computer from the menu does nothing. I have my eyes set on the 5K i7 1TB SSD, but waiting to see what WWDC brings. I would just hate to buy the current one if there is a new one on the way since there is no discount on the current one I have my eyes on. I can wait 3 more months.

 

[nunes013]

Want some suggestions from the experts here. Always trust MacRumors forums first! Ive been using a MacBook Pro since 2009 (have the retina now). I am finishing my masters in two weeks and landed a full time job starting in September. I am lined up to sell my rMBP for about $750-$800 to someone. I want to get a 21.5" iMac and 9.7" iPad Pro combo. I want the iMac to last quite a while. About 6 or 7 years. What does everyone suggest on specs? I do a little photography editing and some basic audio editing as the most cpu intensive tasks. Maybe video with my GoPro. What do you all think?

 

[varian55zx]

True but by the same token, if you're going to hold onto the iMac for years and years, then buying it mid cycle (or even late cycle) may not matter too much.

I understand your point and to be honest, I usually buy near or at the release date myself when I'm ready to upgrade my equipment. Still, I can see the logic of people holding off for a bit, and not buying immediately.

Both points are valid.

You would certainly want to maximize the amount of time that you have the new one, and yet, the advantage of waiting a very short period of time (maybe a couple weeks) after a brand new release is to make sure there aren't any known product errors or defects (2014 5K iMac anyone).

Essentially what I did, I waited about a month and a half after the late 2015 model came out to buy mine. That was long enough to make sure there weren't any defects, or that it was a flawed product. And yet, I've maximized the amount of time that mine is the current model.

I consider that optimal.

 

[Ankaa]

but waiting to see what WWDC brings

What kind of updates do you expect or hope to see at WWDC? What do you think an updated iMac will get, what the current model hasn't and how would this significantly improve your life other than just the ego?

Honest question 🙂

Essentially what I did, I waited about a month and a half after the late 2015 model came out to buy mine. That was long enough to make sure there weren't any defects, or that it was a flawed product. And yet, I've maximized the amount of time that mine is the current model.

I consider that optimal.

But some people can't wait forever. Some people put getting a new Mac off and off because the old one is still working fine..until...one day it just isn't.

And some people have been putting getting a new one off for so long for whatever reasons, they're just tired of waiting.

There is no optimal time.

 

[varian55zx]

But some people can't wait forever. Some people put getting a new Mac off and off because the old one is still working fine..until...one day it just isn't.

And some people have been putting getting a new one off for so long for whatever reasons, they're just tired of waiting.

There is no optimal time.

Well

Assuming every word in my post hit home... You're considering a month and a half to be 'forever'. Ok, forever can be a subjective term. You must be living a very interesting life for 1.5 months to be forever, and especially in tech time. That's about a second

My belief is buy the new one if the current one is no longer delivering in terms of performance.

You can also buy the new one if you simply just "want the new one".

Funds would be the only limiting factor for a new purchase.

 

[Ankaa]

You misunderstood. I was more referring to the "wait until an update + 1.5 months" vs. buy +-now instead of waiting until whenever there might be an update. Unless it's maybe one week from now.

 

[varian55zx]

You misunderstood. I was more referring to the "wait until an update + 1.5 months" vs. buy +-now instead of waiting until whenever there might be an update. Unless it's maybe one week from now.

What I meant with the 1.5 months,

Is I intentionally waited a cool, 1.5 months after the release of the late 2015 5K iMac, in order to make sure it wasn't a flawed product or had any known defects or problems.

Once it was determined it didn't have those things, I pulled the trigger. And have no regrets in doing so.

This was a great release to buy and it's not too late, assuming the next release will indeed be in the fall.

If you know the next one is coming out in a week, yes you should wait. You don't want to be one of those grannies in the Apple Store that buys an iPhone the day before the new one is coming out.

 

[Ankaa]

Yeah, I got that. But there are plenty more months inbetween "1 week prior an event" and "1.5 months after an event". "1.5 months after the release" can be 4.5, 5.5., ... months away. That can be forever for some people. However, you made it sound like those people should wait because "1.5 months after a release" is the optimal time.

For example: I'm in the market for a new MBA. It's not urgent. So I waited for the March event. No updates. Had I one then after realising there was no update, I had "wasted" money with the recent increase of the base RAM. But, there was no way to tell this was coming and this was coming now. At the same time, there could not have been any update and there is also no way to tell when there MIGHT be an update... you could keep waiting from event to event...

There is no optimal time. You buy a computer when you need it. If it's not sufficient then or renders useless after just one update, you bought the wrong one from the get-go. Everything else is just in your head.

 

[m7ammed]

I pulled the trigger last wednesday, working on photos with this thing is just lovely! everything is so smooth and you can view photos at 80-100% on the beautiful screen, which makes working on them easier.

https://www.instagram.com/m7m_photo/
https://www.facebook.com/M7M-Photography-436145783127568/