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why do you wait for the new iMac?

Why?
My current iMac is a first generation intel based 20". Though still a serviceable machine for some things, it getting a bit slow for others. Besides, with my rich uncle's mysterious demise on our last fishing trip I finally have enough money to update.

"If only you could see what I've seen with your eyes"
 
I'm Done waiting

Overg said:
3 reasons:
1) ivy bridge
2) USB 3
3) principle, to teach apple lesson that you can't ask for full money on 1 year technology. Even if the product have apple logo on it.
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I've been holding out to get my 1st mac, but enough is enough. Will likely get the new Vizeo:
1. i7 ivy bridge
2. USB3, eSATA, 2xHDMI, 8BG Ram, 1TB HHD, 32GB SSD
3. MS Signature (no crapware). OK, it's windows - that's the downside
4. $1350 - $1000 less than iMac and has current technology
5. principle - I really want a Mac, but I can't keep waiting for the new one, and won't pay $1K more for the current one.

I was about to get an iPad, mainly because of integration with a Mac, but will now wait to see how the Win8 tablets look. Sorry Apple.
 
My current iMac is a 2006 17 inch, 2Ghz, 3Gb RAM. I've used it for six years with various versions of Creative Suite, Finale music notation, Logic, FileMaker Pro, NeoOffice, OmniOutliner, etc, etc.

I could buy a 2011 iMac today. Most tasks done in Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator are no problem for current gen machines. Even heavy use of Logic shouldn't trouble them too much.

Computer power has been expanding much faster than the demands made on it. I remember when separating a full-page image into CMYK or running filters would take seconds. But for several years now, it's been trivial.

But my 2006 iMac is starting to show its age. The screen has a couple of lines running down it, where pixels aren't displaying. I shouldn't really expect much more life from the hard drive.

I'm waiting for the 2012 iMac because I'm hoping for better and cheaper SSD options, and because I believe that the faster the processor, the longer your machine will cope before it can't deal with the latest software and tasks. I'm looking to get another six years out of my purchase.

But if a new iMac doesn't come out with Mountain Lion, I'll probably bite the bullet and buy the current model.
 
I'm currently on a 2009 MacBook Pro. The main reason I'm waiting is because of the GPU and for the USB 3. Working with movie editing software like Final Cut on this thing has become a frustrating. It takes ages to load my stuff and it sometimes crashes at random. The gaming experience is also more a gaming frustration. Other than that it works perfectly fine. I am not in a rush to look for a new Computer.

I would have no problem with the 2011 model, but as long as i have a working Mac here i can afford the wait.
 
For gaming.

1) 2012 mobile GPU (7970m or 680M).
2) Rumored glare reduction.

Distant 3rd ) USB3.
 
Im not going to wait. I need one asap, because my mbp 17" cant keep up with my needs and i need bigger realestate. Tried the model i want at a friends and it does everything i need.
Mainly photoshop and 3D not a lot of game-ing.
If all goes well the iMac will pay for itself and a quick upgrade.
And dew to the currency exchange rate the iMac cost is good in my country now :)
 
Hoping to pay $1700 for a 2012 entry level 27" iMac that has USB 3.0 and matches or beats the specs of the current 2011 higher end $2000 model, 3.0+ GHz, 1GB of video RAM. Not a gamer myself. Apple very well may bump 27" models to 8GB RAM even if the entry level 21" comes with only 4GB still. I can live on 8GB for a while, so that'd save me any near term RAM upgrade expense. It's a stretch that we'll see SSD included or affordable this year. If Apple is still gouging for optional SSD drives, I'll buy my own SSD boot drive and dare to install it myself.

To hold me over, I installed a 256GB Crucial M4 SSD into my early 2008 MacBook Pro yesterday and it's better than new and eerily quiet. I even added a 32GB partition on the SSD and installed Snow Leopard w Rosetta so I can keep some old apps alive. We were forced to upgrade to Lion to migrate to iCloud from MobileMe.
 
I tend to apply a common sense approach to buying a new computer because I use them for income generation.

With Apple it is easy, thanks to Apple Care.

I buy on a 30 - 36 month schedule.

When the current unit is 30 months old and has 6 months of Apple Care left I can get a pretty good resale value. At 30 months I put the current unit up for sale and once a buyer has been found I buy the replacement.

If a new new one comes out 15 days after I purchase, I really don't care. In fact I'd probably not even know about it unless someone told me.

I buy on my schedule and not Apples or anyone else's.
 
harcosparky said:
If a new new one comes out 15 days after I purchase, I really don't care. In fact I'd probably not even know about it unless someone told me.

I buy on my schedule and not Apples or anyone else's.
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I love that attitude, you have it spot on. I really wish i could think that way, sadly i know it would drive me mad if a new one was released 15 days after my purchase.
 
Few reasons I'm waiting. First, my first-gen Mac Pro, while starting to get sluggish, is still running. So I have some time.

Plus, I'm a heavy Adobe user, specifically their photo and video programs. Adobe likes Nvidia. So I'm waiting it out in hopes that Apple switches over.

Also, I had two big equipment purchases I planned to make and couldn't afford to do both at once. First was a new 27" iMac to speed up my workflow, and next would have been a Canon 70-200L lens to complete my photography kit for work. Since Apple hasn't updated the iMac yet, I just rearranged the order and bought the lens first, so it'll be a few months before I can afford it anyway.

And finally, since Apple doesn't lower costs, I'm not paying current prices for last year's parts.
 
dayloon said:
I love that attitude, you have it spot on. I really wish i could think that way, sadly i know it would drive me mad if a new one was released 15 days after my purchase.
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I guess because of my age, I don't let things like that bother me.

I make a purchase and only look forward to what that purchase will do for me.

If I spent time looking back at what " could have been ", my productivity level and thus my income will drop.

I like the comment others make ......

" I ain't buying last years hardware at todays prices? "

When the new ones come out with a price increase, it may make the old one look better.

I look at the hardware in my iMac and it is better than most of the PC's that Best Buy has on their site.
 
MilksBrilliant said:
Why buy a computer that's good for four years, when you can wait and get one that'll be good for five!
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ITA!

My 2005 G5PM is still hanging in there thanks to 4Gb of RAM but it's time to go Intel ;)

ETA - I got it on eBay about 4-5 years ago and it has not missed a beat (knock on wood) the last NEW Mac I bought was in 2000, the G4PM. And I got an old model at a lower price just as they were updating them. But this time I'm going for new, well at least a hardware update and not 13 month out specs.
 
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great answers y'all.

I do have to say though, once the end of august comes, no sign of iMac coming soon. I will pull the trigger and get the current one and will have a big smile on my face.
:D
 
I'm waiting, but I'm in a tough spot right now because my current iMac doesn't officially support Lion (2006 iMac Core Duo), and I can't start using iCloud with my macbook and iPhone until I start using Lion...So I need a new iMac because mobile me ends at the end of the month!

I'm waiting because I bloody well hope the resulting update will be worth the time without MobileMe/iCloud...

Is there anyone else who uses mobile me and has a mac too old for lion that is in the same position?
 
Same boat as you. 2006 Core Duo.

I was glad they gave the option to keep using the email address past June 30.

It's funny because I always assumed that they would release new machines prior to the end of mobile me (up until recently, anyway). Now there's no chance of a iMac release before then.

I think many of us are scratching our heads and saying "WTF Apple?" 400+ days? Really?
 
beefstar03 said:
Is there anyone else who uses mobile me and has a mac too old for lion that is in the same position?
Click to expand...
Whaaaaat?

I'm using a 2006 C2D iMac and also use MobileMe. I had no idea I was approaching some sort of crisis with my email. :(

I've been anxiously awaiting this iMac update for many, many months.
 
Scythe5 said:
Same boat as you. 2006 Core Duo. I was glad they gave the option to keep using the email address past June 30. It's funny because I always assumed that they would release new machines prior to the end of mobile me (up until recently, anyway). Now there's no chance of a iMac release before then.
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I hear that.

I migrated MobileMe to iCloud to keep my @mac email address — there's a kludge to keep Mail working on your Mac under Snow Leopard, and I've gone back to syncing bookmarks via iTunes. Everything else is iCloud. But I put off doing all this for as long as possible expecting new iMacs before the MobileMe deadline.

Now I'm torn between (a) biting the bullet and getting the new retina MacBook Pro (or other Macbook/MacBook Air) when ML is shipping preinstalled, or hanging back to see what the refreshed iMac — if it ever appears — offers.
 
I stopped waiting, I ordered a late 2011 15.4 MBP on a good discount. Also ordered an SSD, optibay caddy and 16gb RAM. I'll use my 24" monitor. They should all arrive early next week.

I wanted an iMac for a quite a while but, I decided mobility isn't such a bad thing after all, and the older Core i7 will do just fine for my needs. I'll just treat it like a desktop most of the time.

The big eye opener for me is the SSD prices. I had no idea they had come down in price so much. I've been ignoring them for years so I wasn't really paying attention.

I think these last few generations of Macbooks will be the last for easy self-upgrades.
 
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