185 replies to this topic

[AussieMacGamer]

Mac's are expensive. You buy them. They get old and then eventually they're obsolete to the point that you have to strap them with C4 and blow them into infinity. I speak of course, of the decision as wether or not to jump on a new computer next month, or wait several for that inevitable iMac revision, bringing with it minute graphics and CPU upgrades that will make me go  

Macrumours buyers guide suggests "approaching end of cycle, buy only if you need it". Well... i don't need it, but i do want it.


Have ye any advice for a poor old lad like myself?

[Thain Esh Kelch]

"Do want" equals "Is disappointed, why didn't I wait" when the next release is out in ~2 months.

[the Battle Cat]

Wanting leads to grunting,  grunting leads to punting, grunting leads to bunting, and bunting leads to the dark side.

[Eric5h5]

AussieMacGamer, on 21 October 2011 - 07:26 AM, said:

Have ye any advice for a poor old lad like myself?

Break into tBC's house and steal his Mac Pro.

--Eric

[the Battle Cat]

Eric5h5, on 21 October 2011 - 10:06 AM, said:

Break into tBC's house and steal his Mac Pro.

--Eric

Breaking into tBC's house leads to the dead side.

[clocknova]

So, when exactly do we expect the next refresh to be?  I'm currently in the market for a new iMac, but I really should buy it before the end of the year; it's a business purchase and we need to spend some money before the next tax cycle.  However, if a refresh is just around the corner. . .  Sigh.

[Sneaky Snake]

to AMG, I'd wait. Unless you really need that iMac now.

to clocknova, I'd jump on it now, i'm pretty sure they won't get updated before the year is out, so i don't think your waiting will be worthwhile.

I expect the next iMac refresh (assuming it's in the spring) to bring a decent graphics update, and possibly Ivy Bridge processors. If your in the market for a MBP they were literally just updated today.

[AussieMacGamer]

Sneaky Snake, on 24 October 2011 - 07:55 PM, said:

I expect the next iMac refresh (assuming it's in the spring) to bring a decent graphics update, and possibly Ivy Bridge processors. If your in the market for a MBP they were literally just updated today.

When is the Ivy bridge jump actually happening, because todays MBP update seems like a likely candidate for the iMac too?

[teflon]

Ivy Bridge is meant to be March/April next year. So still 6 months away, really.

My philosophy is only to every buy Apple products on their day of release. It's what I did with my MBP, and what I did with my iPhone. It's awesome to be right at the front of the pack, and get the longest amount of "This is new!" as possible.

@Clocknova: We never really know when they'll release, but since you've got time constraints, I'd say to figure out the last possible moment you could buy and stay in the tax cycle. Then buy on that day, or the next time the line refreshes, whichever is sooner.

It's all a little bit of a game.

[AussieMacGamer]

Sandy Bridge was a pretty big leap forward though, will ivy bridge be more or less an incremental increase considering the time waited?

[Thain Esh Kelch]

I can't say that I've in any way been disappointed with the gaming capabilities of my top end iMac of the current generation. It is amazing.

The harddrive is quite slow though, but I will be getting an SSD in the future to change that. Then it will definitely scream.

[bobbob]

AussieMacGamer, on 21 October 2011 - 07:26 AM, said:

They get old and then eventually they're obsolete to the point that you have to strap them with C4 and blow them into infinity

People might pay more for tickets to watch that than their usually high resale value!

Quote

"Do want" equals "Is disappointed, why didn't I wait" when the next release is out in ~2 months

Sometimes you can be more wrong than others.

AussieMacGamer, on 26 October 2011 - 02:03 AM, said:

Sandy Bridge was a pretty big leap forward though, will ivy bridge be more or less an incremental increase considering the time waited?

It's lower power and has quite a bit faster integrated GPU. If you're buying a laptop it's probably worth waiting for.

[Sneaky Snake]

Ivy Bridge will be huge for laptops, you'll see battery life increases measured in hours, not minutes.

The graphics will be a bit quicker as well but nothing to spectacular. It'll probably put it on par with the 320M lol

[clocknova]

I think I'll hold out on that iMac until the very last minute, just in case there's a minor speed bump or something.  I just need to purchase it before Jan 1.

[AussieMacGamer]

I'm thinking i'll wait till i can actually afford one

[Luis20]

One of the Mac’s greatest strengths is its ease of use. A related, but not as widely touted benefit is that Macs are pretty easy to troubleshoot, especially when compared to Windows-based PCs. and to your point whether you must buy it or not just because of the fact that one day it will be obsolete,....then please tell me one thing that doesn't come to an end ...or become obsolete...???

[AussieMacGamer]

Luis20, on 28 October 2011 - 03:58 AM, said:

One of the Mac’s greatest strengths is its ease of use. A related, but not as widely touted benefit is that Macs are pretty easy to troubleshoot, especially when compared to Windows-based PCs. and to your point whether you must buy it or not just because of the fact that one day it will be obsolete,....then please tell me one thing that doesn't come to an end ...or become obsolete...???

Graphics chipsets aren't user upgradable, it makes a little more sense to buy a Macintosh at the beginning of it's product cycle so as to take advantage of any new performance increases that might be added to it. It all comes back down to that want/need logic. If i needed it i would buy it. I don't, i'll live till the next update.

[The Liberator]

AussieMacGamer, on 01 November 2011 - 07:20 PM, said:

Graphics chipsets aren't user upgradable, it makes a little more sense to buy a Macintosh at the beginning of it's product cycle so as to take advantage of any new performance increases that might be added to it. It all comes back down to that want/need logic. If i needed it i would buy it. I don't, i'll live till the next update.

For what I know (of previous context and discussions), I would wait too.

Lib.

[AussieMacGamer]

Intels detailed new chips and 79 series radeons are starting to roll out. Hopefully the new imac is within sight now

[Tetsuya]

my question would be:

do you find yourself buying 2 iMac's in a 3 1/2 - 4 year span?  

If the answer is yes?

Dont, next time, and buy a Pro instead.