it is a hard problem, but the rise of mobile devices means many libraries now pay attention to cross platform compilation. It’s a much different landscape than 2006.
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The WORST iMac to buy
- Thread starter jobinhosyntax
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Same as me.
I already want to buy a iMac 8 years ago but got a PC with i7 3770. I would say it still functions greatly today with small issues. In past two to three years, I wait and wait, the machine is still working and Apple does not change the design yet. However, I have brought one this year, finally. Although it is the base model, I think it is far more than enough for my works in early all of the time. The high tier is attractive but my mind say no.
Agreed.
Just for argument sake, let’s say support runs out in 3 years. Now I have a choice: stick with what will still be a decent Intel/Windows machine, or sell and go completely Apple. To say my iMac will be worthless is silly.
In 3 years we might be at the second iteration of Apple Silicon (or soon) for the iMac 27/30/32". I bet it's going to be far better than anything we currently know.
It will certainly won't worth a lot. But you can keep it. But selling it will be hard. And unfortunately, AS will be appealing...
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It's the opposite for me. I would love to be able to buy an AS iMac right nowI even consider installing a GUI on my Ubuntu compute server for waiting as much as possible for AS iMac. I'm so tired of having an overheating laptop for work. I want the full fledged experience and performance. Average temperature of my Late-2013 MBP through a typical day is 85 degrees. It has to end.
I agree. Intel MacBooks run too hot and thanks to Covid my old MacBook never left my desk. I don't see the same issue with my 2020 iMac though.
I don't see an 27" AS iMac being part of the first wave of AS Macs though. I think the smaller MacBooks will be first, possibly joined by a Mac Mini and maybe a small iMac. The power and heat advantages of the ARM architecture will be fairly obvious in a MacBook or Mac mini. For a larger desktop, not as much.
In any event, I think it is generally better to wait for version 2 of any new Apple tech (they are not unique in this regard). I did buy the first iPad and the first Apple Watch. They became outdated very quickly. My 2020 iMac does of course have the new Navi GPUs and they are not completely problem free. I am not that worried but if I had bought a laptop with the butterfly keyboard I would have been quite unhappy.
I will not upgrade to Big Sur on Intel until early 2021. My employer will take a while to support it and I am sure it will have some new bugs. It is the same with Apple developer technologies. Swift is a great language but it took a while to stabilize.
Intel Macs will retain some advantages too. The most obvious is Bootcamp, I am not using it right now but I like to have the option should I need to run Windows at home for some reason. The big one for me right now is Docker. The base images mostly derived from x86 Linux images. Also important to me is the ability to run Linux VMs (the public cloud basically runs on Linux x86 VMs). OTOH AS Macs could help drive the adoption of Linux on ARM (AWS does offer Linux ARM VMs).
It is still unclear that if x86 simulation or virtualisation of Windows available on AS macOS, Microsoft have provided free virtual machine for testing their browsers, aka IE and Edge. An Intel Mac provide advantages to web developer for testing different browsers on different platform using one machine only. Although I am not one.
An Intel Mac provides the greatest flexibility to their users, from home users to developers or professionals, which AS Mac probably not able to do so, or with limited functions and efficiency. And in fact this flexibility have contributed many on market share and development of Mac in these years.
According to latest leak, Windows ARM would eventually work on AS, but is not a top priority for either sides.
It is very obvious.
Microsoft have to solve the compatibility for its ARM based OS first. Even in x86 system, there are way TOO many different hardwares, MS have to deal with many issues when releasing each major update of Windows 10.
There are still many issues with Windows on ARM, and both the market and users are not ready yet. Windows on ARM only available to manufacturers now can assure greatest compatibility, also there are not much consumer hardware available and few people would like to build their own ARM based PC.
Windows on AS Mac will never be priority for both sides until both ARM base systems are running smooth individually.
But by that logic if we are saying that any non-AS iMacs has no resale value then aren't all iMacs up to this point THE WORST IMAC TO BUY? I say no I keep my Macs for a long time and repurpose those I don't need or are obsolete as do a lot of other Mac users I know. My father before he passed away last year still used my 1998 G3 iMac, the original iMac! I don't think a good judge of how useful a device is by how much we can hock it for on eBay.
I don't agree with that premise at all. We really can't use the PowerPC to Intel migration as a guide for this migration. The situation is very different. The PowerPC was a niche architecture, Intel and ARM are both ubiquitous. The installed base of Apple Macs is huge both in actual numbers and the dollar value of that installed base. The developer tools from Apple are much better. Finally Apple doesn't have another transition in the immediate pipeline (i.e. 32bit to 64bit).
Then as already discussed not every workflow that an Intel Mac supports will be supported by an ARM Mac.
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No the 2020 iMac is the 'worst' because it will have measurably the shortest live span compared to the older iMacs
(resale value wise).. I agree with you that resale value is not the only variable in play, but for a lot of people it is very important. Your miles may vary (as you stated).But my point was (answered to the post I reacted to) that there was some truth in the video and that it is not only click bait.
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The 2020s have the latest Intel processors, the latest AMD GPU (with 16GB of VRAM - try and spec that card in a PC) and a sweet monitor with built in webcam, mic and speakers. Saying it's a bad purchase is like telling every PC buyer don't bother buying anything with the same specs as it's worthless in 3-4 years. The caveat is that upgrades to the iMacs is more problematic.No the 2020 iMac is the 'worst' because it will have measurably the shortest live span compared to the older iMacs
But my point was (answered to the post I reacted to) that there was some truth in the video and that it is not only click bait.
LTT didn't just say it was a bad purchase, they said it was the worst. Total clickbait. I enjoy the channel but it always comes with an anti-Apple slant.
I like to drag on Apple when they screw up but this is definitely not one of those cases.
1) Apple told us about Apple Silicon way in advance. They didn't have to tell us yet; they could have just released this iMac and let it be a big seller with nobody knowing AS was coming. They gave us warning so we could make an informed choice, which is something they usually don't do because of their "We don't talk about future products." policy.
2) Apple released a very high-performing, quality product for what is probably going to be one of the last Intel Macs, at a reasonable price. They did this knowing some people are going to need to run on Intel for a bit longer and are going to want the last available Intel machine to be a really good one. They could have easily released nothing and sell more AS Macs when they are released, but they didn't do that.
Again, dragging on Apple is like a favorite pastime of mine, despite using their products heavily. But in this case I think Apple did well. We can make an informed choice as to whether to buy or wait, and if we choose to buy, the machine is top quality without compromise.
1) Apple told us about Apple Silicon way in advance. They didn't have to tell us yet; they could have just released this iMac and let it be a big seller with nobody knowing AS was coming. They gave us warning so we could make an informed choice, which is something they usually don't do because of their "We don't talk about future products." policy.
2) Apple released a very high-performing, quality product for what is probably going to be one of the last Intel Macs, at a reasonable price. They did this knowing some people are going to need to run on Intel for a bit longer and are going to want the last available Intel machine to be a really good one. They could have easily released nothing and sell more AS Macs when they are released, but they didn't do that.
Again, dragging on Apple is like a favorite pastime of mine, despite using their products heavily. But in this case I think Apple did well. We can make an informed choice as to whether to buy or wait, and if we choose to buy, the machine is top quality without compromise.
When it is about moving from Intel to AS, it is not simple a “future products” thing. It is about compatibility and user experiences. When macOS abandon 32 bit support, it gave us not a short period of notification, allowing time for developer to update their old 32 bit only apps or user to switch to other apps written in 64 bit. Other than this, Apple would do their jobs to ensure compatibility and user experiences among different generations of products.
The last Intel iMac is really an excellent machine. Even with the base model bought, it never let me down so far, just unexpectedly quit issues inside Bluestacks which I think it is more Bluestacks’s responsibility than Apple’s, however I don’t feel a “wow” either.
I've been using Macs since 1990 or so. And I even sold and serviced them for high end ad agencies for 15 years. For many years I personally used the best and most expensive Macs available. When I changed careers and started buying my Macs with my personal money I went with Mac Minis and couple of 27" iMacs which seemed good bang for the buck. In fact I am still using my late 2009 iMac (with i5, 32GB RAM + 1TB SSD) and I am happy with it. I no longer do work requiring the most powerful Macs so i've been ok with the older gear. I learned early not to upgrade all the OS and software I use (if the ones I have work fine) because the core reason for upgrades is really not making the software better but make me want a new computer sooner.
However, every now and then I have thought about getting a new one. No real need but new is new, you know? But after the Silicon news I decided not to take a risk but to upgrade the best of the iMacs I have with a new GPU, processor and Wifi card. I won't be spending money to a new Mac until I see what really happens. That basically means I will wait atleast 2 years after the Silicon Macs are released to see they have gotten rid of the biggest bugs and software industry has gotten on board with the new systems.
After long career with Apple (intimately) I do like the machines and the systems in general but I don't trust them that much. Seen too many screw the customer -situations back in the day. And even recently, their strategy to glue some laptops together so that they cannot be repaired or serviced do not make me trust then any more.
So, buyer beware!
However, every now and then I have thought about getting a new one. No real need but new is new, you know? But after the Silicon news I decided not to take a risk but to upgrade the best of the iMacs I have with a new GPU, processor and Wifi card. I won't be spending money to a new Mac until I see what really happens. That basically means I will wait atleast 2 years after the Silicon Macs are released to see they have gotten rid of the biggest bugs and software industry has gotten on board with the new systems.
After long career with Apple (intimately) I do like the machines and the systems in general but I don't trust them that much. Seen too many screw the customer -situations back in the day. And even recently, their strategy to glue some laptops together so that they cannot be repaired or serviced do not make me trust then any more.
So, buyer beware!
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