New iMac Soon or?

[SuperKid]

When do you think Apple will do an update on the iMac's because I really want to buy one but on the rumours site (http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/) it says not to buy it as updates are coming soon, I am just not sure on what I should do?

Matt.

[PyX]

There?s nothing to add to Macrumors? Buyers Guide really. it?s a very complete source. All we can do is make predictions based on history.

I say a new iMac is right around the corner, can launch any day now. It might as well launch January 19 at the event. They said "no new products", but the iMac is not a new product line, and while it is a new product, it has to do with education somehow because this is the computer schools choose when they switch to Macs. Just a quick 10 minutes announcement wouldn?t hurt if they have an hour and a half to speak. They won?t put it under the spotlight of the show though if it happens.

Otherwise, I give them a month after Jan. 19.

[SuperKid]

There?s nothing to add to Macrumors? Buyers Guide really. it?s a very complete source. All we can do is make predictions based on history.

I say a new iMac is right around the corner, can launch any day now. It might as well launch January 19 at the event. They said "no new products", but the iMac is not a new product line, and while it is a new product, it has to do with education somehow because this is the computer schools choose when they switch to Macs. Just a quick 10 minutes announcement wouldn?t hurt if they have an hour and a half to speak. They won?t put it under the spotlight of the show though if it happens.

Otherwise, I give them a month after Jan. 19.

Ah cool I wasn't planning on buying until sometime February anyway, So I am going to wait around a little and see what happens :) I am guessing USB 3.0 will be in the new iMac's and that is something really worth waiting for.

[PyX]

Now that I read about it, the articles phrase it this way : "no new hardware will be announced". Is an overhaul new hardware for them (for me, it is), or are they only speaking of new product lines ?

No matter what, you should have your answer about it by next week, and if you plan on buying it in February, it?s definitely worth the wait even if it?s not out in Feb. You?ll get a whole lot more for your buck. :)

[El Marto]

Ah cool I wasn't planning on buying until sometime February anyway, So I am going to wait around a little and see what happens :) I am guessing USB 3.0 will be in the new iMac's and that is something really worth waiting for.

I wouldnt count on USB 3.0. Maybe... but Apple are pushing thunderbolt instead so it looks unlikely.

[SuperKid]

Now that I read about it, the articles phrase it this way : "no new hardware will be announced". Is an overhaul new hardware for them (for me, it is), or are they only speaking of new product lines ?

No matter what, you should have your answer about it by next week, and if you plan on buying it in February, it?s definitely worth the wait even if it?s not out in Feb. You?ll get a whole lot more for your buck. :)

By February, I will purchase anyhow decided, can't really wait to get one, I am going with these spec iMac:

3.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7

4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB

1TB Serial ATA Drive + 256GB Solid State Drive

AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2GB GDDR5

Apple Magic Mouse + Magic Trackpad

Apple Wireless Keyboard (British) & User's Guide (English)

AppleCare Protection Plan for iMac/eMac

I believe the 3.4ghz i7 is the Sandybridge i7, which really can't get any better right now, so even if Apple did a refresh I don't think that would change? The only thing I would love to change is the ATI 6970 to a 7 series card if they did a refresh, also the memory I will upgrade myself to 16GB as I could probably get it cheaper than paying an extra ?480 for Apple to do it.

Also is AppleCare worth it when I am paying for this iMac? I mean if I don't have it and say my screen breaks in a years time, or I need something changed can It still be repaired / changed without AppleCare? The one thing I love about Mac & SSD is Application files are 1 file right? So I could throw other applications on the 1TB drive right?

Matt.

[the1himself]

I'm also considering purchasing an iMac and I'm curious, how do you think the AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2GB GDDR5 will hold up playing Starcraft 2 on high settings?

[Phantom Spaceman]

I'm also considering purchasing an iMac and I'm curious, how do you think the AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2GB GDDR5 will hold up playing Starcraft 2 on high settings?

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4340/27inch-apple-imac-review-2011/4

Here ya go scroll down a bit for some benchmarks

[BoneyardBrew Member]

I'm also considering purchasing an iMac and I'm curious, how do you think the AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2GB GDDR5 will hold up playing Starcraft 2 on high settings?

At native resolution you'll struggle a bit. If you knock it down to 1920x1080 you should be fine even on Ultra.

[Luis Mazza]

No new iMacs until Ivy Bridge is launched, sometime in April or May.

[benthebear]

...

I believe the 3.4ghz i7 is the Sandybridge i7, which really can't get any better right now, so even if Apple did a refresh I don't think that would change? The only thing I would love to change is the ATI 6970 to a 7 series card if they did a refresh, also the memory I will upgrade myself to 16GB as I could probably get it cheaper than paying an extra ?480 for Apple to do it.

Unless they do a complete refresh, the only thing that would really change are the specs. And when they do a refresh, it will most likely be the Ivy Bridge chips that others have mentioned. If we base the update cycle off of last year, the Macbook Pros will get a refresh first (Feb 2011), then the iMacs a few months later (May 2011). The bad thing is, that's just a guess so take it with a grain of salt because Apple seems to be shifting their releases around.

But what you plan on buying is a beast of a machine anyways, and it won't become obsolete for years to come. Since we can't bench the theoretical iMacs yet, we don't know if the update will be negligible or not.

Also is AppleCare worth it when I am paying for this iMac? I mean if I don't have it and say my screen breaks in a years time, or I need something changed can It still be repaired / changed without AppleCare? The one thing I love about Mac & SSD is Application files are 1 file right? So I could throw other applications on the 1TB drive right?

Matt.

Yes, you can get the screen replaced without AppleCare, but it will cost you.

In my experience, AppleCare is worth it. I've mentioned it on the board before, but I bought a G5 iMac in 2005, and several months after its one year warranty expired, it failed. I shopped around and I was quoted at about $1,000 to have it repaired by an authorized Apple technician. If I had extended AppleCare to three years, it wouldn't have cost anything because AppleCare would have covered it.

Opening up an iMac to change anything out (sans RAM) is a pain. I cracked that sucker wide open and broke all sorts of parts just to salvage the HDD and Super Drive, so having a trained tech doing the repair for virtually free has to be worth it.

[the1himself]

No new iMacs until Ivy Bridge is launched, sometime in April or May.

How much of a difference would the ivy bridge make? Is it worth waiting for or is the sandy bridge still adequate enough if I'm getting the top line iMac?

[DomZ]

How much of a difference would the ivy bridge make? Is it worth waiting for or is the sandy bridge still adequate enough if I'm getting the top line iMac?

You might want to bear in mind the design might change. Because of the delays with Ivy Bridge it's given Apple more time than usual, and there were rumours of all the product lines having redesigns this year.

[cyrl]

No new iMacs until Ivy Bridge is launched, sometime in April or May.

I was thinking the same thing. I think apple might hold a conference just to refresh their Mac products when ivy bridge is released. Mac products as in iMac,Mac pro,MacBook pro and air.

[cooky560 Veteran]

At native resolution you'll struggle a bit. If you knock it down to 1920x1080 you should be fine even on Ultra.

My mac has a worse graphics card than this is and it has no problems with Starfcraft II

[PyX]

I have the first 27 inch iMac from 2009 and I put SC2 at ultra and my resolution is 1080p.

[BoneyardBrew Member]

My mac has a worse graphics card than this is and it has no problems with Starfcraft II

Running on Ultra? I don't have a Mac, but just based on general computer knowledge I figured it'd struggle to a degree. Either way it'll definitely run.

I'll take your word for it though, considering you actually own one. :p

[DeadEndAccount]

Ah cool I wasn't planning on buying until sometime February anyway, So I am going to wait around a little and see what happens :) I am guessing USB 3.0 will be in the new iMac's and that is something really worth waiting for.

I know I'm late to the party but IMHO USB 3.0 is way overhyped - if you have a thumb flash drive you'll never flood the connection because the limitation will always be the controller, the flash chip itself, and the universally crappiness of USB. When it comes to external hard disks I've never seen something that'll flood the connection especially when it comes to a consistent speed - compare a Firewire 400 to a USB2 hard disk side by side and you'll find that burst throughput might be ok on a USB2 but it eventually splutters out with Firewire 400 having a consistent throughput without the massive peaks and troughs. If you really need to have the ability to cart around a hard disk then I'd suggest getting a Western Digital My Book Studio II which includes a eSATA/Firewire (400/800)/USB2 that'll gives you speed of Firewire but when you need universality of USB2 it is there as well.

If there is going to be a refresh (of which I'm sure there will be) we'll se a update of the GPU to the Radeon 7XXX and the CPU to the Ivy Bridge series which will be a lot more attractive than any sort of movement when it comes to USB2 -> USB3 - the number of times I've used my USB ports for more than my keyboard/EyeTV/iPod Synchronisation can be counted pretty easily.

[Rudy]

I've been waiting for the new iMacs for a while... can't wait :D

[the1himself]

Stil haven't decided whether its worth waiting for the refresh. The Apple Store guy said it probably isn't worth the wait because there's no point trying to keep up with Apple products: there's an update every year so I'll never really have the best Mac. I suppose if the iMac can handle what I need it to do then why wait for the refresh?

[SuperKid]

Stil haven't decided whether its worth waiting for the refresh. The Apple Store guy said it probably isn't worth the wait because there's no point trying to keep up with Apple products: there's an update every year so I'll never really have the best Mac. I suppose if the iMac can handle what I need it to do then why wait for the refresh?

True say really, I am going for it in about 2 weeks time and placing my order on Apple :)

[PyX]

You?re always better buying new Apple products when they?re freshly released. If you can get a Mac 20% more powerful for the same price, you get more for the buck. That has always been my philosophy with this company. Better wait and buy the best.

[SuperKid]

You?re always better buying new Apple products when they?re freshly released. If you can get a Mac 20% more powerful for the same price, you get more for the buck. That has always been my philosophy with this company. Better wait and buy the best.

Easy to say that when you already got a Mac to work with :p, I want to get one now!! :D

[PyX]

Easy to say that when you already got a Mac to work with :p, I want to get one now!! :D

I know what you feel, I waited about three months more than I thought before buying my first Mac ! But the pain paid me back because that?s when they released the 24-inch iMacs ! I was staggered when I saw that :woot:

[SuperKid]

Hi guys, I am getting my iMac ordered soon in about a week time, I was wondering, Where do I get iMac memory from? I am thinking of keeping the 4GB and buying memory and putting it in myself to get about 12GB of memory.