You think there will be any critical hardware added to the next iMac?

[welches409]

My late-2007 24" iMac is on the fritz and in need of replacement. It has gotten to the point where I can barely do anything besides basic internet browsing and listening to music. I like to use Adobe Creative Suite for graphic design and photo editing as a hobby (in addition to some video editing) but have been unable for a while because the computer lags.

I know there is always something newer and hardware bought today is dated pretty quickly. I can deal with that. What I would kick myself over would be if some critical hardware was added to the next iMac that wouldn't allow me to use the next wave of new products. I'm thinking hardware that would allow for things like... wireless charging (iWatch), Thunderbolt 2, etc.

I know nobody knows for certain but, any thoughts?

I have a refurb 27" late-2013 iMac ready for me to pickup in-store but this concern keeps eating at me. Please help reassure me this thing won't have hardware limitations in the next 2 years.

 

[Thermonuclear]

A new iMac will likely be able to run the latest OS/X version for three to four years and get bug fixes and security updates for a couple of years more. A similar comment could be made for support of applications and services provided by Apple.

Apple, like other companies selling products in the US, has a legal obligation to provide at least some level of support for five years from the sale of a product; longer in some states. But sometimes that level of support is no more than providing a source for parts and repairs. There is no guarantee that the latest iGadget or application will play with any Mac already released.

More worrisome is the possibility of a CPU architecture switch, at least for the low end Macs. If Apple starts using its ARM processors in Macs, then support for Intel based software in older low end machines could rapidly evaporate.

 

[mad3inch1na]

My late-2007 24" iMac is on the fritz and in need of replacement. It has gotten to the point where I can barely do anything besides basic internet browsing and listening to music. I like to use Adobe Creative Suite for graphic design and photo editing as a hobby (in addition to some video editing) but have been unable for a while because the computer lags.

I know there is always something newer and hardware bought today is dated pretty quickly. I can deal with that. What I would kick myself over would be if some critical hardware was added to the next iMac that wouldn't allow me to use the next wave of new products. I'm thinking hardware that would allow for things like... wireless charging (iWatch), Thunderbolt 2, etc.

I know nobody knows for certain but, any thoughts?

I have a refurb 27" late-2013 iMac ready for me to pickup in-store but this concern keeps eating at me. Please help reassure me this thing won't have hardware limitations in the next 2 years.

I doubt anything too important will occur in the next year or two, but I honestly don't know anything. A 4K display has been rumored, but it will come at a premium. As long as the refurb iMac you are looking at has an SSD/Fusion Drive, it should last 4-5 years.

 

[welches409]

Thank you for the feedback. The iMac I have ordered does have an SSD.

All this talk of devices with new sensors and potentially new charging methods makes me nervous I could be lacking hardware to maximize new iDevices in the near future.

 

[Dreadnought]

Next to TB2, 4k display and DDR4, the only extra add-on could be a RF antenna for homekit. In this way you can directly have control over all kind of (domotica) equipment. Maybe this is going to be a feature in all new Macs, or only in the AppleTV and or Airport range.

Wireless charging will probably be an add-on or through the trackpad. Also I think it's time for an update of the wireless mouse, keyboard and trackpad with bluetooth LE.

 

[brerlappin]

If you're a serious Adobe CS6 user, I'd buy now:

1. Only Photoshop & Illustrator are optimized for retina, so if the new iMac has a retina display the rest of the CS6 apps will be blurry.

2. Who knows if CS6 will be compatible with the final version of Yosemite