So... after no imacs were announced today, should i buy or wait?

[mreg376]

wait, you will get a better mac on lmost the same price with better design and better thermals and specs

Apple's recent pattern has been a 20% price bump and no expandable RAM. So I'm not sure that is good advice. If your needs require "better specs" and you're sitting around waiting for months using an old machine I would question where you really NEED "better specs." And if so, you're just shooting yourself in the foot.

 

[HyperliteG4]

I'm in a similar boat. I'm now considering a refurbed iMac Pro at this point. I just want something that is going to last 4-5 years without much slowdown. With the way I would configure a new Mac mini (plus cost of LG 5K monitor, mouse & keyboard), a refurbed base iMac Pro would run me around the same $$$$. Plus I'd get 2 more cores, more CPU memory and an all-around better machine.

2017 Refurbished iMac Pro 8-core, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD – $4249

2018 Mac mini 6-core 3.2, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD - $2499
+ LG 27" 5K - $1299
+ Space Grey Mouse/Keyboard - $248
= $4046

Seriously not much of a difference in cost and it runs up close to my allowed budget for work.

Any thoughts on this?

FYI if you are wondering what I do: I do 4K HDR video editing with FCPX & Davinci Resolve, color grading, use the Adobe suite & web design/development.

 

[theluggage]

I’m not a fan of Apple’s options and pricing for drives. But that isn’t a problem with Fusion Drives. That is Apple marketing choices.

"Apple’s options and pricing for drives" is the only reason why we're still talking about Fusion drives.

Looking on Amazon, there's a 2TB WD M.2. SSD stick for $330 - now its only a SATA drive, so its not the same speed as Apple's PCIe parts, but it will most likely out-perform a Fusion drive by a long chalk - without the added complexity. Plenty of PCs (including All In Ones, laptops and SFFs) can take one or two M.2 sticks. The only point of a Fusion drive now is because the only pure SSD alternative Apple are offering is a super-fast super-expensive proprietary PCIe drive.

If you've got a few-years-old Fusion drive machine that you're happy with, fine - but IMHO anybody buying a new, high-end machine today should really look beyond having spinning rust built in to their all-in-one or SFF computer... and for those of us that want to stick with MacOS that means paying Apple prices.
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Any thoughts on this?

Well, if you definitely want a 5k display, iMac (Pro or regular) is a no-brainer, since it includes more-or-less the same screen as the $1300 LG. Economically, the mac mini only makes sense if you're going to "bring your own display and keyboard". If I were getting a Mini I'd pair it with a more affordable "4k" UHD display and an existing - or third party - keyboard & mouse. (Personally, I can't bear the Apple mouse and the Magic Keyboard II is nothing to write home about for the price).

The big issue for you is going to be the GPU performance - we'll probably have to wait for benchmarks but I can't see the Intel integrated graphics in the Mac Mini holding a candle to the discrete graphics in the iMac/iMac Pro. CPU I wouldn't want to call - the Mini might beat the iMP in a single-threaded sprint, so it probably depends on your exact workflow and how much advantage it takes of the extra 2 cores in the iMP (and how much the Mac mini throttles).

The other question is whether the Mini's ram is going to be officially user upgradeable (I know its in sockets - but how much glue will you need to fight past to get at them and will it void the warranty?) - if it is, you'll probably save money by upgrading it yourself.

Seems to me that the "sweet spot" for the Mini is the $1099 configuration (esp. if you can cheaply upgrade the RAM). Beyond that, the prices get silly for integrated graphics (and eGPUs are currently silly expensive).

 

[iMas70]

If I remember correctly from a problem I had with my daughter's iPad, if you purchase from Apple and there is a problem that is covered under warranty (like they have to replace the product), they will take care of it in the store. But if you purchase from a retailer, they have to send the product out then you receive a replacement a week or so later. is this correct? I'm looking to order a new iMac this week. I'll pay a few extra dollars to be able to get service at my local Apple store if I need it.

 

[mreg376]

If I remember correctly from a problem I had with my daughter's iPad, if you purchase from Apple and there is a problem that is covered under warranty (like they have to replace the product), they will take care of it in the store. But if you purchase from a retailer, they have to send the product out then you receive a replacement a week or so later. is this correct? I'm looking to order a new iMac this week. I'll pay a few extra dollars to be able to get service at my local Apple store if I need it.

Any Apple item you buy from an authorized Apple retailer can have warranty service at an Apple store.

 

[androo4519]

What price drops? (I’m in the same boat as you)

Me too. Same boat. It doesn't feel like a good time to buy an iMac if we are only months away from a major improvement. The usual good advice to buy what you need now doesn't quite hold up when what you buy may last ten years. Waiting just a little longer may make those ten years more pleasant and productive, so it could be worth waiting, if you can. It really is a great pity they didn't offer a discrete graphics option for the Mac Mini.

 

[green86]

The logic board in my 2011 27" iMac sh$t the bed 5 weeks ago and I've been waiting for this October event for what seems like an eternity! Just got back from shamefully buying a 2017 27incher in dire need of a desktop, but possibly thinking of returning it and going with a Mac mini to hold me over until there's an upgrade. Hard decision though as my 2010 Mac mini is still going strong hooked up to my flatscreen and easily handles downloading media and playing it...which is all I ask of it, so I won't really have much use for a new mini when the new iMac comes out.

What's a good looking monitor to pair with a Mini? I've got 3 of the older 20" silver cinema displays (one of which I'm using in portrait orientation next to my iMac for emails and extra screen real estate), but resolution is lacking with them and would like something 4k that isn't my tv.

USB-C HP Envy. I love mine. Very mac like. Some people complain about the height.. I've found it perfect

 

[PlayUltimate]

Get the Fusion drive if you need it. I've used them since they were introduced and don't have any issues with them, I need the storage for my workflow and don't want (even more) external drives around. I would say if you would use the SSD do not get the 1TB and rather the 512GB option to save money (or 256 but that seems too low for an iMac). Or rather just get the Fusion and come around to using an external SSD in the future as your primary boot up drive in the future because it doesn't seem like SSD storage is lowering in price on Apple products anytime soon.

Good idea, albeit I took the opposite approach. I bought it with 256 SSD installed. And have a variety of Thunderbolt/USB3 HD drives that hold some of the larger folders. EG. Photos and iTunes files live on an external 2TB drive. There is sometimes a slight lag to initially access the folder but I can live with that. The internal SSD boots fast and the entire machine runs quietly.

BTW, on the 27" the RAM is user accessible. Don't pay extra for Apple RAM.