What to expect from iMac 2012 - Discussion

[forty2j]

They released new Mac mini's last year just a few weeks after WWDC together with Lion.

July 20. Which was 6 weeks after WWDC.

Although, the 2010 mini's came out June 15, which was 1 week after WWDC. So who knows.

Simultaneous with ML seems like the better bet than announcing "it's Tuesday" though, especially if we're also watching for Nvidia 680m's.

 

[Razorhog]

Ok....Phew....nearly ran out of breath.

I am very confused, why, on Amazon, market place sellers would sell a brand new imac for more than the Apple price (2.7GHz i5 / 27"). Do people really buy at more than the Apple price or the Amazon price?

Seems weird.

There's always a sucker.

 

[Shane1905]

Teased myself in the apple store again today looking at the 2011 iMac, still can't bring myself to get it after how long I've been waiting for the update... But was wondering how many of you use the track pad vs the mouse, or a combination of the two and what your thoughts were on them? I use an iPhone 4 and the original iPad so I'm tempted by multitouch but wonder how it is to live with on a desktop? Also Had a look at the new retina MacBook Pro too, the screen is awesome, well worth a look if any of you go past an apple store.

 

[connor.e]

I'm just hoping that we see a GTX 680m in the new iMac. Do you think there's a possibility of Apple using a crossfire option? I certainly hope so.

 

[Seamaster]

Teased myself in the apple store again today looking at the 2011 iMac, still can't bring myself to get it after how long I've been waiting for the update... But was wondering how many of you use the track pad vs the mouse, or a combination of the two and what your thoughts were on them? I use an iPhone 4 and the original iPad so I'm tempted by multitouch but wonder how it is to live with on a desktop?

I've been using the Magic Trackpad for a year now and couldn't go back to a mouse.

 

[7709876]

I'm just hoping that we see a GTX 680m in the new iMac. Do you think there's a possibility of Apple using a crossfire option? I certainly hope so.

There will 100% not be an option for crossfire 680m GPUs.

I would stake my house on that.

 

[Leemado]

There will 100% not be an option for crossfire 680m GPUs.

I would stake my house on that.

I do not even think there will be one 680m in there... I just don't believe it.
I think our highest hope would be the AMD 7970m and I hope they use it.

 

[Metal Dice]

I don't see how the iMac could have been released at WWDC together with the new MacBooks. It would be a waste of advertising potential. Take the Apple.com front page for example, there would be a five month wait (approximately until October) until they could advertise the new iPhone, perhaps too many months of silence.
My intuition tells me that releasing many products at once is ineffective, in terms of advertising and consequently in regard to profit.

 

[jmhart]

I do not even think there will be one 680m in there... I just don't believe it.
I think our highest hope would be the AMD 7970m and I hope they use it.

There's no way they're going to use NVidia in the retina MBP and AMD in the iMac. Maybe next year...

 

[heimbachae]

Teased myself in the apple store again today looking at the 2011 iMac, still can't bring myself to get it after how long I've been waiting for the update... But was wondering how many of you use the track pad vs the mouse, or a combination of the two and what your thoughts were on them? I use an iPhone 4 and the original iPad so I'm tempted by multitouch but wonder how it is to live with on a desktop? Also Had a look at the new retina MacBook Pro too, the screen is awesome, well worth a look if any of you go past an apple store.

I'm rocking SL on a 27" and use the magic mouse. it works for what I need it for. if I ever upgrade (most likely to ML) I'll definitely get a trackpad.

 

[Rlnplehshalo]

There will 100% not be an option for crossfire 680m GPUs.

I would stake my house on that.

Haha amusing, I highly doubt it also.

 

[Leemado]

There's no way they're going to use NVidia in the retina MBP and AMD in the iMac. Maybe next year...

That makes sense but 680m... i don't think so, it's too expensive. If they go with nvidia they'll go with a lesser model.

 

[Mister Bumbo]

That makes sense but 680m... i don't think so, it's too expensive. If they go with nvidia they'll go with a lesser model.

The top 27" iMac isn't exactly a budget computer though.

 

[forty2j]

That makes sense but 680m... i don't think so, it's too expensive. If they go with nvidia they'll go with a lesser model.

The performance dropoff from even the 680m to the 675m is ridiculous. For price/performance I'd prefer AMD, but with indications being they go Nvidia I'd be very disappointed if they cheaped out on the GPU.

 

[Melbourne Park]

The performance dropoff from even the 680m to the 675m is ridiculous. For price/performance I'd prefer AMD, but with indications being they go Nvidia I'd be very disappointed if they cheaped out on the GPU.

They might in the base model. There was a number for an imac listed in those Australian price details which preceded the developer's conference. The model was a base model of some kind, and its specmarc was just powerbook retina speed. But it would have been i7 - afterall all the powermac pros are i think. Certainly the 15" ones.

So perhaps a slower card in the base iMac large screen?

And I hope they remove the glass from the monitor. Just like they have with the Retina, which makes it less reflective. And cheaper to build too!!

 

[forty2j]

They might in the base model. There was a number for an imac listed in those Australian price details which preceded the developer's conference. The model was a base model of some kind, and its specmarc was just powerbook retina speed. But it would have been i7 - afterall all the powermac pros are i think. Certainly the 15" ones.

So perhaps a slower card in the base iMac large screen?

And I hope they remove the glass from the monitor. Just like they have with the Retina, which makes it less reflective. And cheaper to build too!!

The Geekbench scores don't tell you anything about graphics performance. It's just CPU & architecture.

 

[madrag]

(...)But it would have been i7 - afterall all the powermac pros are i think.(...)

powermac pros? you mean Mac Pro, right?

 

[jmhart]

The performance dropoff from even the 680m to the 675m is ridiculous. For price/performance I'd prefer AMD, but with indications being they go Nvidia I'd be very disappointed if they cheaped out on the GPU.

Oh yeah, I find it hard to believe Apple would do something that silly but I suppose anything's possible. I do know if they don't offer a top end GPU, I'll have to look elsewhere.

 

[marcelmfa]

Ok....Phew....nearly ran out of breath.

I am very confused, why, on Amazon, market place sellers would sell a brand new imac for more than the Apple price (2.7GHz i5 / 27"). Do people really buy at more than the Apple price or the Amazon price?

Seems weird.

Maybe some guys have a Huge Cupon Discount on Amazon...

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The performance dropoff from even the 680m to the 675m is ridiculous. For price/performance I'd prefer AMD, but with indications being they go Nvidia I'd be very disappointed if they cheaped out on the GPU.

Why u prefer AMD, better support, cost x benefits, driver updates?

----------

The Geekbench scores don't tell you anything about graphics performance. It's just CPU & architecture.

The site notebookcheck do some analysis about mobile and desktops GPU, are you think that its possible trust in them?

 

[forty2j]

Why u prefer AMD, better support, cost x benefits, driver updates?

Two things:
1) Last time the iMac had Nvidia, it was a near-catastrophe. The drivers were extremely unstable, so kernel panics mid-game were common.
2) The AMD 7970m is an excellent card, double the performance of last year's AMD 6970m. The Nvidia 680M adds an additional 10-15% performance over the 7970m.. at roughly double the cost. It's possible, but unlikely, that Apple would decide to absorb the cost difference in their margins.

The site notebookcheck do some analysis about mobile and desktops GPU, are you think that its possible trust in them?

As far as I know it's a reputable site; I've been doing checks there myself. But nothing there hints at what is actually planned the for the next iMac. The Geekbench score had some hardware details leaked (exact CPU, RAM speed, etc.) but nothing about the GPU.

 

[AFPBoy]

Change in SSD prices?

Hi,

One of the reasons that I'm waiting for a 2012 iMac is that I'm hoping for a drop in SSD price. A look at the new Macbook Pros shows that adding a 256 GB SSD is still a $500 upgrade. Do you think it will be the same for iMacs or is there a chance there will be a price drop (say $100?).

Regards,
AFPBoy

 

[Razorhog]

Wow. Double the cost for the 680m. Looks like its the 7970m then. But then that takes us back to the "why the delay" question. Ugghh

 

[forty2j]

Wow. Double the cost for the 680m. Looks like its the 7970m then. But then that takes us back to the "why the delay" question. Ugghh

A 680M and a $200 price hike on the top 27" seems more likely than Apple sitting on a finished product. To me, at least.

 

[Sjhonny]

Two things:
1) Last time the iMac had Nvidia, it was a near-catastrophe. The drivers were extremely unstable, so kernel panics mid-game were common.
2) The AMD 7970m is an excellent card, double the performance of last year's AMD 6970m. The Nvidia 680M adds an additional 10-15% performance over the 7970m.. at roughly double the cost. It's possible, but unlikely, that Apple would decide to absorb the cost difference in their margins.



As far as I know it's a reputable site; I've been doing checks there myself. But nothing there hints at what is actually planned the for the next iMac. The Geekbench score had some hardware details leaked (exact CPU, RAM speed, etc.) but nothing about the GPU.

Never had any issue with the 9400m (17" mbp unibody) didn't really use the 9600m, I did found the need for logging in and out so bothersome ... (I know this wasn't the last generation that used a Nvidia GPU)

 

[HurryKayne]

Well,i decided to buy a new 24" inch monitor (1920x1080)for my old (please don't die!!!!)2006 MacBookPro(the merom one).
Will i be able to drive it with a 2011-2012 Imac ?is it thunderbolt to hdmi possible?
I suppose that any card ,for example the 6970 could drive games at the max possible in 1080p..is it so?
Then..Rumors and facts (the new retina mac book pro) are "suggestin" Nvidia for
"2012-please don't make us wait till-2013" next Imacs,
but ,correct me if i'm wrong even if 660m,675 are too weak (??) are more affordable for Apple...and 7970 stays in the middle between 660m and 680 m..in terms of price and performances( 7970 is quite good in my opinion and has a better price-quality ratio)..
so i don't see Apple going to the pricy 680m while i'm scared to see 660m/675m.. instead,
and this would make ,in my opinion,2011 Imac look very good still.