Anandtech Decides if I buy an iMac

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: AstroManLuca

Originally posted by: Megatomic
Don't assume that updates are around the corner. The same train of thought prompted people to believe that the mac mini was going to get refreshed at Macworld this month. If the iMac suits your purposes now just buy it. It's no different that the PC world, there is always something new right around the corner. If you wait for the next thing, you'll be forever waiting and never buying.

I disagree. In the PC world, there's always something new around the corner. If you wait whenever something new is coming up, you will never buy anything.

In the Mac world, Apple refreshes its computers at set intervals of 6-12 months (recently, closer to the 12-month side of things). They do not update their specs or price in between updates. If you buy at the end of a cycle, you're getting a bad deal, and essentially losing that many months of longevity from that computer.

the problem is... anyone who's been waiting for a mac mini update... well.. yeah, heh.

true, you'll get the short end of the stick, but it's the gamble you play. if you can wait, then wait it out and see. I don't see i7 personally, it's too expensive right now. quad core though, seems likely.

 

[KeypoX]

you will have to wait for July but it will be well worth it. Snow leopard should be out with way better hardware, software, video card...

OMG I just checked the price of the 24" imac $2,199.00

wow, do a hack, that way you can upgrade later if needed.

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: KeypoX
you will have to wait for July but it will be well worth it. Snow leopard should be out with way better hardware, software, video card...

OMG I just checked the price of the 24" imac $2,199.00

wow, do a hack, that way you can upgrade later if needed.

Well, 2199 isn't too bad when you consider that it comes with a 24" IPS screen.

Though the next revision might have LED backlighting, making it even MORE awesome.

 

[KeypoX]

just made a bad ass system in newegg for less than 1100, with a 24" samsung monitor HDTV tuner built in 1920 x 1200 resolution

4GB ram, 9800GTX+, e8500 should hit 4ghz or atleast 3.6ghz or stock 3.16ghz. 1TB drive... plus like $100 in rebates... sweet power supply blah blah blah add $100 for leopard follow kadios guide and your done.

 

[KeypoX]

Originally posted by: TheStu

Originally posted by: KeypoX
you will have to wait for July but it will be well worth it. Snow leopard should be out with way better hardware, software, video card...

OMG I just checked the price of the 24" imac $2,199.00

wow, do a hack, that way you can upgrade later if needed.

Well, 2199 isn't too bad when you consider that it comes with a 24" IPS screen.

Though the next revision might have LED backlighting, making it even MORE awesome.

what is the monitor comparable too? I have found some led back lit screens for around 600 pushing price to around 1300.

I mean unless im overlooking something i cannot see paying a premium of 700+ just for real mac stuff.

 

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: KeypoX
just made a bad ass system in newegg for less than 1100, with a 24" samsung monitor HDTV tuner built in 1920 x 1200 resolution

4GB ram, 9800GTX+, e8500 should hit 4ghz or atleast 3.6ghz or stock 3.16ghz. 1TB drive... plus like $100 in rebates... sweet power supply blah blah blah add $100 for leopard follow kadios guide and your done.

what you don't get with that... the IPS screen as mentioned (the HP 24" is the cheapest i think, at $650, but I've read of some QC issues). tho, the big downside is it's glossy.

and most importantly, the form factor. That is a big reason why I got the 20" imac... it was SO nice to have everything neatly in the "monitor." It also helped that educational discounts brings it down some and gives me a 4yr warranty

With that said though, I went with a hack because all the integration got to me. I thought I could get over it.. then i discovered virtualization, and needed more HDD's.. my desk was getting cluttered w/ external drives, and only maxed w/ FW400... hopefully my gamble pays off and snow leopard runs w/o a hitch... or it's windows 7 here I come

 

[NXIL]

Of course, as always, a new iMac is just around the corner:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10149823-37.html

At least one analyst thinks Apple has new iMacs on tap but is mulling whether to include two cores or four.

In any event, Wu believes Apple is also redesigning the way the iMac dissipates heat, which could allow it to put lower-power chips in this year and give it enough headroom to make speed bumps in the future without having to redesign everything all over again.

Desktop sales--a sore point in Apple's otherwise excellent first fiscal quarter--declined 25 percent compared with the same period a year ago. Desktop sales have been down for all vendors, but the overall desktop business declined just 16 percent in the past quarter, according to IDC.

Wu also believes that Apple could be waiting to time the launch of the new iMacs with the launch of Mac OS X Snow Leopard operating system, which is expected to ship sometime around June. Snow Leopard is expected to improve the way Mac OS X handles multicore processing and graphics processing.

http://arstechnica.com/apple/n...hip-cooling-issues.ars

http://www.macrumors.com/2009/...ays-quad-vs-dual-core/

Unfortunately, Wu's report reads as if it were based on circulating speculation about the iMac rather than any particular insight into the new machine's manufacturing process. Our tracking of Wu's previous predictions has shown a very poor track record.

HTH ETIIAC (even though it is all conjecture)

NXIL

 

[KeypoX]

Originally posted by: randomlinh

Originally posted by: KeypoX
just made a bad ass system in newegg for less than 1100, with a 24" samsung monitor HDTV tuner built in 1920 x 1200 resolution

4GB ram, 9800GTX+, e8500 should hit 4ghz or atleast 3.6ghz or stock 3.16ghz. 1TB drive... plus like $100 in rebates... sweet power supply blah blah blah add $100 for leopard follow kadios guide and your done.

what you don't get with that... the IPS screen as mentioned (the HP 24" is the cheapest i think, at $650, but I've read of some QC issues). tho, the big downside is it's glossy.

and most importantly, the form factor. That is a big reason why I got the 20" imac... it was SO nice to have everything neatly in the "monitor." It also helped that educational discounts brings it down some and gives me a 4yr warranty

With that said though, I went with a hack because all the integration got to me. I thought I could get over it.. then i discovered virtualization, and needed more HDD's.. my desk was getting cluttered w/ external drives, and only maxed w/ FW400... hopefully my gamble pays off and snow leopard runs w/o a hitch... or it's windows 7 here I come

Ok so the monitor i configured for hte 1100 system i think was 400. So add 400 for a 800 budget for a monitor and you have a 1500 system. Still save $600. But maybe a hack wont run snow leopard but as of now I believe netkas is running one on a hack and hopefully will help others.

The form factor is the quality i disklike the most on the imac. But for people that dont like to add/subtract parts ever. Its pretty sweet.

 

[secretanchitman]

just wait. the new imacs will be coming out soon, and possibly with an LED backlit 20 and 24" screen and better internals. even when those come out, the older models will definitely drop in price, so either way, you'll be good.

or just buy a hackintosh. honestly, there isnt anything as sleek or modern as a mac to me, but in terms of saving money, its the way to go!

 

[Redfraggle]

Updates are inevitable, but that's true of any technology. Just buy the item you want and quit worrying. I think Apple sometimes screws itself out of sales this way because their demographic is prone to not be a bunch of instant gratification types. Just get the thing already!

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: secretanchitman
just wait. the new imacs will be coming out soon, and possibly with an LED backlit 20 and 24" screen and better internals. even when those come out, the older models will definitely drop in price, so either way, you'll be good.

or just buy a hackintosh. honestly, there isnt anything as sleek or modern as a mac to me, but in terms of saving money, its the way to go!

You definitely get more for your money with a hackintosh, but for a person that doesn't need to put in more hard drives, the imac is an incredibly elegant solution, and no slouch performance wise, especially the 24".

 

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: Redfraggle
Updates are inevitable, but that's true of any technology. Just buy the item you want and quit worrying. I think Apple sometimes screws itself out of sales this way because their demographic is prone to not be a bunch of instant gratification types. Just get the thing already!

I don't think they screw themselves at all. Their demographic doesn't keep up with this stuff.. they just wait and see. The mac following of all the trends and timetables is a small fraction I believe. It may make a blip, but not enough yet to warrant worry from Apple.

I do wish Apple would get a little more competitive on price. It might keep me away from Windows if my hack fails/i get lazy, heh

 

[Redfraggle]

Originally posted by: randomlinh

Originally posted by: Redfraggle
Updates are inevitable, but that's true of any technology. Just buy the item you want and quit worrying. I think Apple sometimes screws itself out of sales this way because their demographic is prone to not be a bunch of instant gratification types. Just get the thing already!

I don't think they screw themselves at all. Their demographic doesn't keep up with this stuff.. they just wait and see. The mac following of all the trends and timetables is a small fraction I believe. It may make a blip, but not enough yet to warrant worry from Apple.

I do wish Apple would get a little more competitive on price. It might keep me away from Windows if my hack fails/i get lazy, heh

Exactly my point. Apple embraces the "wait and see" take and I think it prevents sooner sales. Although, we ultimately buy the Apple we want -- usually.

 

[NXIL]

New iMacs apparently going to be in pipeline soon, old iMacs not being shipped any more:

http://www.appleinsider.com/ar...lity_in_near_term.html

Supposedly Q1 2K9 availability....

HTH

NXIL

 

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: Redfraggle

Originally posted by: randomlinh

Originally posted by: Redfraggle
Updates are inevitable, but that's true of any technology. Just buy the item you want and quit worrying. I think Apple sometimes screws itself out of sales this way because their demographic is prone to not be a bunch of instant gratification types. Just get the thing already!

I don't think they screw themselves at all. Their demographic doesn't keep up with this stuff.. they just wait and see. The mac following of all the trends and timetables is a small fraction I believe. It may make a blip, but not enough yet to warrant worry from Apple.

I do wish Apple would get a little more competitive on price. It might keep me away from Windows if my hack fails/i get lazy, heh

Exactly my point. Apple embraces the "wait and see" take and I think it prevents sooner sales. Although, we ultimately buy the Apple we want -- usually.

I'm not sure why I use that wording, but I was trying to convey that the demographic doesn't really care. Other than geeky folk like us, every other mac user is oblivious to the fact they got screwed on the deal. but it's all about perspective, they aren't necessarily the latest and greatest types.

actually, I find that is true for everyone... apple's demographic really is just those same people with more expendable income.

 

[Kaido]

AppleInsider is reporting that dual and quad-core iMacs are next:

http://www.appleinsider.com/ar...al__and_quad_core.html

 

[rikadik]

Do I buy an iMac? (Total Votes: 69)
YES! Don't worry about updates, you'll have a great machine now rather than a marginally better one in 6 months time!
22 votes 31.88 (%)

NO! Wait until the updates come. They're inevitable and could include Core i7, LED, DDR3, nVidia Graphics.
23 votes 33.33 (%)

NO! Build a hackintosh instead. Spend your savings on beer.
16 votes 23.19 (%)

I like turtles.
8 votes 11.59 (%)


Thank-you for everyone's input. It looks like, by a margin of 1.45% Anandtech says I'm waiting at least a bit longer!

Seriously though, the discussion in this thread just illustrates the internal conflict going on for myself at the moment! And as indecision means doing nothing, it seems waiting is the natural consequence. I know the instant I buy, I won't regret waiting. But I recognise the amount of time I've already wasted. The decision to buy an iMac was made in Decemberish time so its already been some time of twiddling my thumbs. Although, when I think of the Mac Mini crowd, I suppose I've waited no time at all relatively speaking!

I think one thing that is (almost) for sure is that the iMac will be getting upgraded soonish. It's just not clear whether it will be this Tuesday or this July. From Apple's general philosophy, I think some of the upgraded bits and pieces will be worth the wait. CPU bumps, DDR3 and bigger hard drives aren't even the main factors. I'm interested a 24" LED screen at the same price point. And if even if the wait is significant, if I end up buying with Snow Leopard (and perhaps even i7) I hopefully won't regret it.

In the meantime I'm left slightly crippled. I use an MSI Wind for 90% of my computing, and my trusty first gen MacBook... well ever since it got dropped down some stone steps, stood on, left outside in the rain and finally dropped on a wooden floor it's not been quite the same!

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: rikadik
Do I buy an iMac? (Total Votes: 69)
YES! Don't worry about updates, you'll have a great machine now rather than a marginally better one in 6 months time!
22 votes 31.88 (%)

NO! Wait until the updates come. They're inevitable and could include Core i7, LED, DDR3, nVidia Graphics.
23 votes 33.33 (%)

NO! Build a hackintosh instead. Spend your savings on beer.
16 votes 23.19 (%)

I like turtles.
8 votes 11.59 (%)


Thank-you for everyone's input. It looks like, by a margin of 1.45% Anandtech says I'm waiting at least a bit longer!

Seriously though, the discussion in this thread just illustrates the internal conflict going on for myself at the moment! And as indecision means doing nothing, it seems waiting is the natural consequence. I know the instant I buy, I won't regret waiting. But I recognise the amount of time I've already wasted. The decision to buy an iMac was made in Decemberish time so its already been some time of twiddling my thumbs. Although, when I think of the Mac Mini crowd, I suppose I've waited no time at all relatively speaking!

I think one thing that is (almost) for sure is that the iMac will be getting upgraded soonish. It's just not clear whether it will be this Tuesday or this July. From Apple's general philosophy, I think some of the upgraded bits and pieces will be worth the wait. CPU bumps, DDR3 and bigger hard drives aren't even the main factors. I'm interested a 24" LED screen at the same price point. And if even if the wait is significant, if I end up buying with Snow Leopard (and perhaps even i7) I hopefully won't regret it.

In the meantime I'm left slightly crippled. I use an MSI Wind for 90% of my computing, and my trusty first gen MacBook... well ever since it got dropped down some stone steps, stood on, left outside in the rain and finally dropped on a wooden floor it's not been quite the same!

Does your first gen macbook still work after all that? I mean, mine has been through some absolute hell, but that sounds even worse than mine.

 

[rikadik]

Originally posted by: TheStu
Does your first gen macbook still work after all that? I mean, mine has been through some absolute hell, but that sounds even worse than mine.

There is a big crack in the side, the screen has big patches of black and blue on it, have to use a USB mouse because the trackpad and button is a bit mental, it only runs off AC power (if you unplug it it shuts down instantly - not good when its MagSafe!) and most worryingly, the battery back has swelled up to form a bump on the bottom of the laptop.

But it still works!!!

It's still just within warranty, but I somehow doubt Apple would be that impressed if I sent them it!

I might even take some pictures this weekend for posterity before it dies.

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: rikadik

Originally posted by: TheStu
Does your first gen macbook still work after all that? I mean, mine has been through some absolute hell, but that sounds even worse than mine.

There is a big crack in the side, the screen has big patches of black and blue on it, have to use a USB mouse because the trackpad and button is a bit mental, it only runs off AC power (if you unplug it it shuts down instantly - not good when its MagSafe!) and most worryingly, the battery back has swelled up to form a bump on the bottom of the laptop.

But it still works!!!

It's still just within warranty, but I somehow doubt Apple would be that impressed if I sent them it!

I might even take some pictures this weekend for posterity before it dies.

Well.... you might be able to get the battery replaced within warranty, as for the rest... yea good luck convincing them to replace it.

 

[Kmax82]

Yea.. usually AppleCare is very strict in looking for what is "user damage". They almost didn't replace my LCD screen when it started displaying white highlights all over, because they thought I "flicked" the screen. Ridiculous! However, your case seems to be something they would definitely take offense to. I think the next laptop I buy, though, I will be getting damage insurance through a local agency, because if I were to drop this thing.. I wouldn't be able to easily replace it.