Actually, I didn't say I "need" USB-C or TB3. I don't. I'm saying that those were the main draw of Skylake, and since I keep my computers for a LONG TIME, the included ports are a factor in terms of a long-term investment.I don't want to be rude but you need USB-C and TB3 when you NEVER even used a SSD? they were available in 1999.. I guess you won't need usb-C before 2030. If you want cheaper alternative you could take the fusion drive or the 256ssd and add an external slower one and get more bang for your $$$.
I transfer large files, quick SSD is essential to me and others. I would also agree they should offer non-premium SSD options!
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Updated Skylake 27" iMac this fall?
- Thread starter FrankySavvy
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Ah I knew there was a reason. I also do web design but I work in OSX with windows running in a VM for that.
I just wiped my bootcamp partition as I have ordered a new retina iMac which will serve solely as a bootcamp machine (selling my windows workstation and don't want to keep rebooting the iMac as I am often running an amp stack which I do not want to shut down. The new iMac arrives Friday, I will install bootcamp and test 1440p and 1080p and let you know.
There many people like you who are torn by recent announcement of iMac. Maybe it's time to move on?
I have a question that I hope folks here can help me answer. My old 24" mid-2008 iMac died a couple months ago and I have been waiting on the Skylake processors making their way into the iMacs before upgrading. I had hoped that the upgrade to Skylake would coincide with new retina Cinema/Thunderbolt dispalys so I can run a dual monitor setup with the 27" iMac. However, it looks as if the lack of TB3/USB-C in the iMac means that they will not be releasing a 27" retina display any time soon (for at least another year anyway). So my question is this...should I bite the bullet, upgrade now and look at third party 4K/5K displays as my second display or should I exercise some patience and wait for a potential mid-2016/late-2016 27" retina display (hopefully) coinciding with an updated 27" retina iMac with TB3/USB-C? Thanks!
I'm saying "lackluster" in that I expected more. I'm not saying the 5k isn't a great computer. It would obviously be a humongous upgrade coming from my 2010 MBP.
FWIW, the iMacs used to be much more upgradeable before the redesign.
I'm aware I could get a lot more for my money with a PC. I'm just not sure I'm ready to jump back into Windows. I enjoy OS X (even though I'm still on 10.6.8)
1) Do you need a computer?
2) Do you need an iMac?
3) Does it affect your professional life in anyway without a computer?
If you say yes to all 3..go get it now. Current computers these days are more than enough. Go get it but buy it with highest spec you could afford.
Even then, Windows machines aren't future proof. Case in point, last year I built a workstation for school and virtualization. Maxed it out with 4790K i7, 32 GB of RAM, SSD/HDD RAIDs, 4 GB graphics, etc. Total cost, with dual monitors, was around $2600. That's pretty spot on for a decent iMac - and that's not even including the 5K display, and it runs Windows (lol).
Oh, and you know what? Sure I can upgrade the machine I built, but if I want to change ports - PCI or new motherboard. New CPU? Change the motherboard. You get my point. The perfect does-it-all future proof computer doesn't exist. And if it did, it would be over $3000 and still be outdated in 6 months!
USB 3.1 (USB C) is still half the transfer speed of Thunderbolt 2! So that's kind of a non-issue. As for Thunderbolt 3? Really, really, you think you MIGHT need some sort of peripheral THAT DOESN'T"T EVEN EXIST YET that runs at 40 whatevers? And don't get me started on target mode. I've owned a few iMacs and even added an SSD to a 2010 model. It was NOT easy. So five years ago, I can tell you they were NOT more upgradeable. BTW, if you want to make your 2010 MBP get a bit more life, put an SSD in it. Like a whole new machine.
Look, next year there will be new iMacs likely with Thunderbolt 3 and USB C and a faster Skylake chip (4.2Ghz?) and faster this and that. But you'll be disappointed then too. And you can't get more for your money with a PC. You will just get what you pay for. A 4K screen instead of a 5K screen for example will save you over $1000. A 'slower' SSD will save you a couple hundred too. Are either of these going to affect your computing experience? Not significantly and they will save you money. But don't think you can get this quality computer, with the same specifications, apples to apples machine for less. You can't.
In addition to the answer above, you can run a 5K external display using BOTH thunderbolt ports (so if a 5K cinema display does come out, you'll be able to use it). Or save some cash and get a 4k external. I've almost always used dual monitors with my macs and never owned a cinema display.
Thanks, would be great if you could test it. I really don't want to work with VM only and really need bootcamp. There is still many things I would want to keep working in 1440p, have to understand that maybi 95% of the people don't even have 1440p monitors so there is no point in 4K/5K web work... So if you want to go mac route, the only option is a mac pro and it is to much horse power for someone coding / design work. If this is the case than Apple has made a big mistake in my opinion. Than my only option is making my own windows machine and forget about OSX
Yes, I know. The thing is I don't need 5k, and Apple doesn't make a non-5k 27", so that's needlessly inflating the price for someone like me. If Apple made this same 27" iMac, but 1440p instead of 5k, for $1,000 less, that's the one I'd buy.
I don't need TB3. It's more that it would be nice to have that port on the computer considering those peripherals might be standard in 3 years. Who knows what the future holds, but USB-C and TB3 are right around the corner. If you don't upgrade your computer often (Like me), ports matter for longevity.
These are just my opinions
I think you will see huge improvements switching between OS X and Windows in the new iMac with full SSD. It takes about 10-15 seconds for me to reboot into the opposite OS on my 2015 MBP. I expect the new iMac to have the same if not better r/w speeds.
Yes, it is even really fast with my current retina iMac but its not the speed but more that I need to keep the services going in OSX. I contemplated getting a mini to become the apache server but this is a great excuse to upgrade the iMac
Bold highlighted statement 1: window aren't future proof? hmm let me think about that for a moment. I don't know..I mean..i've seen people using windows since windows 98 or earlier...for typing and etc.
Bold highlighted statement 2: Okay...so what's your point that you are making? That apple computer is better because it will last forever/longer? Or is it that you hate windows computer because it will break down faster?
People have been using typewriters since forever. Perhaps I should have said Windows-based hardware isn't future proof. There's always going to be a new thingamajigger every year, a new connector, a new port, something, and no matter what computer you buy it's not going to have those new things once they come out.
I don't hate Windows, per se. I've been a Windows user for most of my professional life, as well as Unix/Linux. I wouldn't say that any computer is better than another. They all have their place for what they do well. Windows is great for office and corporate productivity, and people who like to build and tinker with their systems (same goes for Linux). Unix/Linux is great for servers, back ends, and mission critical applications that need maximum uptime. Apple computers are great for creativity, students, and people that don't want to think about anything other than turning on their computer and using them.
As a Network and Server Systems Engineer, who spends most of my time at work troubleshooting Windows systems and configuring and maintaining Unix systems, when I get home from work and turn on my computer I don't want to have to think about it. I don't want to work on it. I just want to turn it on and use it.
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1) Yes - I'm working off my old 17" mid-2009 MBP, which can be "bang your head on the wall" frustratingly slow.
2) Yes - Well, I need a desktop. I don't enjoy working on photo editing and spreadsheets on a laptop. I'll do it in a pinch, but I prefer a desktop for that task.
3) That's an interesting question and I'm not sure how to answer that. It does not directly affect my professional life (i.e. I'm not a pro photographer, videographer, or anything like that). I am an engineer that dabbles in amateur photography who occasionally works from home.
I would also need a desktop computer to double as a media server. I realize that a Mac Mini could probably accomplish this, but don't think it has the horsepower to accomplish the other things I would like to do.
(Sorry, I should have mentioned in my original post that I was doing everything on my 6 year old 17" MBP right now).
But if a 5k cinema display comes out and requires TB3/USB-C, how would I be able to run it off of two TB2 ports? I would not be opposed to doing that, but something tells me that such an adapter is unlikely from Apple. I'd be willing to do a 4k external. Do you have any recommendations? Do you use external displays with just iMacs (or Mini's or Mac Pro's), do you use them with laptops, or both desktops and laptops? Thanks!
Well...whatever you you use for...try to get it in high spec as you afford because these days apple is prevent consumers from being able to upgrade.
These are the most civil disagreements I've seen on the Internet. Thanks for keeping it friendly.
Sounds like none of us need the new ports, like TB3, but some of us want them for future proofing.
I'd be frustrated too if I couldn't buy the new iMac because I wanted to future proof. And yeah Apple is to blame because they skimp out on SOME things.
But for the rest of us it's a substantial upgrade. My favorite part is the new screen personally
Sounds like none of us need the new ports, like TB3, but some of us want them for future proofing.
I'd be frustrated too if I couldn't buy the new iMac because I wanted to future proof. And yeah Apple is to blame because they skimp out on SOME things.
But for the rest of us it's a substantial upgrade. My favorite part is the new screen personally
Its funny, I get the sense that we are all 'on the fence' in this thread. Some of us are defending the refresh to affirm our decision to buy, while others are criticizing it to affirm their decision to not buy. But yes, I like the civility here...
This thread has been my first posts on this forum. I have to agree, it's been fairly civil. I'm glad everyone is playing nice. This thread indeed helped me to decide to pull the trigger today on a new 27". I've been wanting to get back into the OS X ecosystem for a while now, and this latest refresh was enough for me. The specs on the refresh beat the current custom-built system I'm running, so that's good enough for me. (Well, minus the GPU specs, but I have a much more powerful GPU on my current system than I need anyway.)
Guys, life's too short.
Get one, try it, send it back for free if you don't like it.
That's what I'm doing, I suggest you all do the same.
Take care