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Why sometimes the latest isn't always the greatest

M

mcpix

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 13, 2005
303
85
There have been several threads recently about waiting to buy until the new iMacs are released. While I agree that it probably makes sense to wait, there are a few other factors that new buyers should consider.

Do you have any legacy programs that won't run on Lion? The current iMacs can run either Lion or Snow Leopard. The new iMacs will be Lion only.

Have you tried Lion? I am still on the fence whether I like it or not. Maybe it will grow on me, but I'm glad I have the option to switch back.

Do you need an optical disc drive? We don't know yet if Apple will remove the drive, but if they do, that would be a deal breaker for me. As part of my business, I create DVDs for my customers everyday.

Now if Apple adds a Blu-ray drive, sign me up for the new iMac!
 
Yes, but with only a week or so away to the WWDC, it still does not make sense to buy something 'old' now. Even after the WWDC, you will have both the option to consider the old or new imac and make much more informed choices. So by logic, it would be better to wait for the WWDC, look at all the choices, then make your purchase - the old imacs will still be around to purchase then anyways.
 
mcpix said:
Do you have any legacy programs that won't run on Lion? The current iMacs can run either Lion or Snow Leopard. The new iMacs will be Lion only.
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You will have to get over this someday

mcpix said:
Have you tried Lion? I am still on the fence whether I like it or not. Maybe it will grow on me, but I'm glad I have the option to switch back.
Click to expand...
Yes, there is some getting used to, but after a week, you never want to ga back, trust me

mcpix said:
Do you need an optical disc drive? We don't know yet if Apple will remove the drive, but if they do, that would be a deal breaker for me. As part of my business, I create DVDs for my customers everyday.
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No, you don't, and you can always buy an external DVD superdrive that u can use for all your future macs

mcpix said:
Now if Apple adds a Blu-ray drive, sign me up for the new iMac!
Click to expand...
Never gonna happen

Trying to stay in the past is never a good idea, its better to try to be ahead of time
 
krazzix said:
You will have to get over this someday


Yes, there is some getting used to, but after a week, you never want to ga back, trust me


No, you don't, and you can always buy an external DVD superdrive that u can use for all your future macs


Never gonna happen

Trying to stay in the past is never a good idea, its better to try to be ahead of time
Click to expand...

Agreed on every point.
 
Well, you seem to be a rare case of user who for some reason is tied to a particular platform. There are some people still running DOS because they have to use some specialized applications not available somewhere else.

Anyway, just because you have some reasons why latest doesn't work for you, it does not mean that the latest is not the greatest. You just have some 'special needs'.

BTW, all krazzix says is very much true.
 
Disc drives are going to the stone age. If you need one so bad just buy a 40 dollar usb one. The average user probably rarely uses their disc drive.
 
What kind of software are you afraid of not getting on the new machine? If its a proper software that still is in development, it will get a quick update from the developer to support the new OS. If its not in development, well, maybe its time for find a better replacement and not stick to the past. Besides, if you want to stay with the past, you can still likely install Leopard on the new machines.

I understand you are eager to buy a new machine, but there's currently no reason to buy the current more than a year old setup....If you don't care about hardware specs, then at least because of the price. Apple don't change the price of a product before something new comes out. In the Data business an almost 1.5 year old hardware with unchanged prices is a ripoff.
 
krazzix said:
You will have to get over this someday


Yes, there is some getting used to, but after a week, you never want to ga back, trust me


No, you don't, and you can always buy an external DVD superdrive that u can use for all your future macs


Never gonna happen

Trying to stay in the past is never a good idea, its better to try to be ahead of time
Click to expand...

The only item I disagree on is the external superdrive. I use my ODD a lot and also used it even more on my iMac. Apple has set it up so that you can change the region of your ODD 5 times. That's awesome. Do external superdrives/disc drives allow you to change the region?
 
RedCroissant said:
The only item I disagree on is the external superdrive. I use my ODD a lot and also used it even more on my iMac. Apple has set it up so that you can change the region of your ODD 5 times. That's awesome. Do external superdrives/disc drives allow you to change the region?
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It is generally a pretty painless process to make sure you can change the region an infinite number of times. I've done it on all the Macbooks I've had. From memory, the five times limit is a firmware thing, set by the drive's manufacturer (Pioneer, or whoever) and Apple's DVD player app just interacts with this firmware.
 
mcpix said:
Have you tried Lion? I am still on the fence whether I like it or not. Maybe it will grow on me, but I'm glad I have the option to switch back.
...
Now if Apple adds a Blu-ray drive, sign me up for the new iMac!
Click to expand...
Lion is not a bad OS, its stable offers a number of nice features, it is different then SL and it does not run rosetta apps which I can understand still impacts people.

I think you're mixing up problems with an OS and apple releasing a good fast better computer. That computer will be running the lastest OS, so it stands to reason does that fit your needs.

As for BR, since apple makes $$ on streaming movies and shows, I see little reason for them to offer a Blu-ray drive
 
krazzix said:
Trying to stay in the past is never a good idea, its better to try to be ahead of time
Click to expand...

I couldn't disagree more. If it works for you, what is the point in buying new stuff? You'll be spending money for the sake of spending money. If you are content with what you have then there is no point wasting your money until you have to.
 
All good points depending on the user. But you're still paying full price for a product that is over a year old, so it really comes down to if the price difference in regards to performance before/after new release is worth the points stated. We shouldn't generalize of what is objectively the best choice, instead let each individual user decide for themselves.
 
As a long time Mac user, I've happily upgraded the OS many times. For some reason Lion just hasn't "clicked" with me yet (I've been using it for about 6 months). Usually every new OS has a feature or features that make me say "Wow, that's great, I'm never going back". That hasn't happened with Lion. I understand that with Mountain Lion just on the horizon, if I stay with Snow Leopard I'll be 2 OS's behind and that's not usually a good thing.

I also realize I have rather unique needs in that I use both FCP X and iMovie 6 HD (which still runs under Lion!). I've had to abandoned many programs over the years so I'm used to it. It's just that Apple sometimes maddeningly eliminates useful features from software for no obvious good reason. For example, I use a Sony DVMC-DA2 digital converter to convert analog video to digital. It works in all the iMovies and FCP 6 & 7, but for some reason is not recognized in FCP X.

As far as using an external ODD, I have a couple of those including a Blu-Ray drive. They work fine, but it's one more thing cluttering up my already crowded workspace.

I guess my point was that the next iMac may be incrementally faster (10-15%?), but may also represent a significant shift in direction. For some users, the current iMac may be more suitable.
 
Good reasons to stay in the past.
1.A back up.Better in the past to had some,because without the future can be really unpleasant;
2.The compatibility.For audio or pro cinema makers for example a stable system is better than an unstable buggy beauty one.
3.Low prices.Namely The refurb ones.In my case if i'll get disappointed by the new Imacs ( for example bad Gpu or Nvidia one..)(please Apple give me a 7970m and Cactus Ridge)i'll search for a 27"" 2011 one;)
4.And for Iphone...the jailbreak^^.

ps.
3.I suppose Apple doesn't want to lose a lot of potential new consumers...and to have another Nvidia disaster.
ps.2
I hope next week to have a lot of Rumors about Imacs.Wwdc and MacBookPro and this is the only scenery where future would be better than the past 8 hours down time on Apple stores..for the Nest.
 
roadbloc said:
If it works for you, what is the point in buying new stuff?
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How long will it work for you?

I'm replacing my 7+ year old Sony because, while it did work and worked very well, it doesn't work with the demands of modern software.
I'm replacing it with an iMac. I could get a 2011 iMac which would work well for now, or I can wait a couple weeks and get a 2012 model which will work for at least a year longer.
 
roadbloc said:
I couldn't disagree more. If it works for you, what is the point in buying new stuff? You'll be spending money for the sake of spending money. If you are content with what you have then there is no point wasting your money until you have to.
Click to expand...

The OP's point was just that, spending money on a NEW machine - current vs. soon to be released newer technology.

krazzic was simply saying IF you are going to buy a new machine, may as well go with the latest tech being [soon] released.

IF money IS to be spent on a NEW machine, as the OP proposed, by all means get the latest technology. Otherwise, save yourself the $$ and spend money on a used machine or keep what you have, to satisfy your legacy needs.
 
I downgraded to Snow Leopard and don't miss Lion at all. The several hundred dollars of DAZ models I have that will not work under Lion was the main reason I downgraded. There are people that need software that will not run on Lion. As an alternative I could download the same models for PC and they are compatible with XP, Vista and Win 7. I see no reason that Lion had to break compatibility for so many functional programs by the exclusion of Rosetta.
 
If you want to avoid Lion, then yes, getting a 2011 iMac isn't a bad idea. That said, if you can still wait, you can get 2010 or 2011 iMacs on clearance for a lot less after the new models come out (although the clearance prices generally take a few more weeks to drop IIRC)

I'm not concerned about the potential loss of the ODD either. I still have my old iMac, so I can use the Remote Disk for the few times I still use it (a handful of older games with DVD DRM, and the rare CD) Otherwise almost all my software and music come from online, and BluRay and TV through my PS3, and I know how to Boot Camp with USB.

My big issue is the SSD. buying from Apple now means paying through the nose for a slow drive, or dealing with the hassle of travelling to have one installed professionally. Apple's almost certainly going to be using the Samsung 830 and dropping the price: compared to that, paying an extra $30 for a portable bus-powered DVD is trivial.
 
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