iMac purchase???

G

gregnash

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Jun 8, 2005
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So with some money that will be coming to me in about 90 days my wife and I are planning on purchasing an iMac to replace our aging PC.

The question is, do I purchase now (either new or refurbished) or should I wait for the possible refresh that is being talked about that will include Sandy Bridge and Thunderbolt? :confused:

We both have iPhones, she has a Macbook Pro so this will be part of our final transition back to Macs. I am just not sure when to do the purchase. I have a rather larger (650gb) harddrive that I would like to hookup to a dock and then hook to the USB connection on our Airport Extreme but I will need to move some files over from the Windows PC to the new iMac (i.e. full iTunes library, photos, documents, videos, etc.). I am also probably going to have to purchase a whole new range of product for things like Office, MS Expressions, MS Visual Web Developer, and the variety of other programs that we have. Any suggestions on the best place to purchase such items (or similar) for a good price?
 
I'd wait. The current models only live about 1-2 years before crapping out on video/monitor. There's no support after the first year except for an $800 repair bill (or do it yourself at your own peril).
 
Seriously? The monitors have a tendency to crap out after only a couple years? I have been using the same 22" Dell monitor for at least 3 and it is still going strong?! That kinda makes me rethink the iMac..

EDIT: ok just did some quick research on it and as of about July last year the issues was "supposedly" fixed and more prevalent in the 27" than the 21.5". Doubt this changes my thinking much but would be a good indicator for the purchase of the extended warranty. From the looks of it the Mini should be getting a refresh as well, depending on what happens there I might pick one of those up as I really don't do that much "pc gaming" anymore (actually at all).
 
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I would say any 'crapping out' issues were exaggerated as most of these things are. For those that are really concerned and are looking to use their machines for several years, just get the Apple care warranty extended.

I would also recommend the wait, I don't think it will be too much longer.
 
UnknownSouljer said:
I would say any 'crapping out' issues were exaggerated as most of these things are.
Click to expand...
Correct. Reports of dying displays were not widespread. Yellowing was at one time more common but also resolved long ago and brightness flickering was resolved with a software update.
 
BBA said:
I'd wait. The current models only live about 1-2 years before crapping out on video/monitor. There's no support after the first year except for an $800 repair bill (or do it yourself at your own peril).
Click to expand...

WTF are you talking about?

Love my iMac. The video card died on it after 4 months and they just handed me a new one and sent me on my way. My suggestion is to buy AppleCare on it within the first year ($150) since it's not a commodity built system. A motherboard for one is like $1200 from Apple.

But like I said, I have a 27" i7 iMac and absolutely love it.
 
http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#iMac

if you can wait, you might be able to score a better deal. If not, I doubt you'd be upset with the one you got now. On a machine like the imac where you can't easily just open it up and drop in new parts, get the applecare.
 
NetJunkie said:
The video card died on it after 4 months and they just handed me a new one and sent me on my way. My suggestion is to buy AppleCare on it within the first year ($150) since it's not a commodity built system. A motherboard for one is like $1200 from Apple.

But like I said, I have a 27" i7 iMac and absolutely love it.
Click to expand...

What's your point then, are you verifying they are crap and if you don't buy the extended warranty in the first year you are screwed? (Sounds like you know what I am talking about.)

BTW: I have a 24" imac on the floor in front of me with a dead video card too. The Apple store said it was a bad logic board...which is BS as it boots fine and you can get to it remotely, just nothing on the monitor, internal or with external connected.

This is why I posted my thread on possible video card upgrades over the MXM G96 it has in it now (that's dead).
 
My suggestion was to buy AC because it's pricey to fix outside of warranty. Same as with a notebook. Simple as that. If something happened to my iMac I'd go buy another one tomorrow.
 
gregnash said:
Seriously? The monitors have a tendency to crap out after only a couple years? I have been using the same 22" Dell monitor for at least 3 and it is still going strong?! That kinda makes me rethink the iMac..
Click to expand...

I just swapped my 2006 iMac for a newer one, the display was just as good as day one. I have friends with older models too...

But some batches can always have more problems then others. I recommend getting Applecare whatever you end up doing (I would definitely wait for the refresh).
 
Ok so I am definitely waiting for the refresh.... Reading up on Sandy Bridge and what all the other things "should" be coming with them, I am looking forward to the hardware refresh..

So here is a question....
This computer gets most of the use from me... I do mostly surf the interweb, some photo editing, some video editing, some website design, and some graphic design. I used to play a lot of pc games but do not anymore. I do not do anything super impressive with design or editing (basically it is a hobby and I am a novice at best).

So should I really spend the extra money for the iMac (looking at the 21.5") with the IPS display and everything or will the Mac Mini suffice?
 
The iMac's display isn't exactly a designer's wet dream. It's color gamut isn't particularly great and is designed primarily just to 'look good'. In that respect, it's a great display, but don't think that it's only something that graphic designers and photo editors can benefit from — if you like good quality displays, you can probably justify the extra expense.

The mini will be refreshed eventually, but generally speaking, the mini isn't a very good value, even immediately after a refresh. I would expect that trend to continue. It's a bit more of a novelty machine than the iMac, which is generally a fair value.
 
as for the programs (where to buy)

DONT BUY FROM APPLE...lol, unless you want to pay alot.

For office or whatever your looking for....Id say find someone with an academic interest and get them to get them through their college bookstore or the like.

When I was in college, I used to buy older versions of programs I wanted like final cut pro off ebay....for a little bit of nothing...then just buy the upgrade for like 99 bucks.
Now work pays for them, but back then I bought like final cut pro for 100 bucks....and then the upgrade for 100 bucks, which still beat paying 999 for it through apple.
 
Just buy a refurbished 27" iMac directly from Apple then use the money you saved to get Apple Care. Refurbs from Apple are pretty much new items without the fancy box. Trust me... you will NOT be disappointed. As per waiting for Sandy Bridge CPUs that's up to you. Apple might refresh the line around the Aug/Sept time frame.
 
Ok so I think I came up with a true money saving schema that will work out here...
So my wife has her 2010 (bought Dec 2009) 13" Macbook Pro (base model) that she uses for work. Well since this year it got another hardware refresh she will get another one and then give the current one to me. So what I am thinking is scratch the iMac and Mini all together and instead by the connections for the MBP and just use that. Of course I would upgrade the ram but the C2D processor it has should be more than fine for what I am doing (I mean, really if my aging system in my sig can do Ok with the stuff I do then the MBP should do JUST FINE.

So I will need the following I am thinking:
- Mini Display Port to DVI connector or cable (Thinking this from Monoprice)
- Good wireless mouse and keyboard (does the MBP do better with bluetooth or getting an RF based combo?)
- Will connect to my network wirelessly
Anything I am forgetting? Thoughts?
 
I work with macs on a college and there is no worry about imac monitors. The best thing to do is get apple care. With any computer, chances of a component failure in four years is good. With apple care, they just fix it, and the cost of the mac care is well below the cost of repair.

I crack open macs to fix them, and it's a pain in the ass. It's worth it to have someone who has experience and the damn fiddly tools to do it right. So getting the parts to do your own repair doesn't work out unless it's an old mac and you got the room and the time to do it.
 
gregnash said:
Ok so I think I came up with a true money saving schema that will work out here...
So my wife has her 2010 (bought Dec 2009) 13" Macbook Pro (base model) that she uses for work. Well since this year it got another hardware refresh she will get another one and then give the current one to me. So what I am thinking is scratch the iMac and Mini all together and instead by the connections for the MBP and just use that. Of course I would upgrade the ram but the C2D processor it has should be more than fine for what I am doing (I mean, really if my aging system in my sig can do Ok with the stuff I do then the MBP should do JUST FINE.

So I will need the following I am thinking:
- Mini Display Port to DVI connector or cable (Thinking this from Monoprice)
- Good wireless mouse and keyboard (does the MBP do better with bluetooth or getting an RF based combo?)
- Will connect to my network wirelessly
Anything I am forgetting? Thoughts?
Click to expand...

- Monoprice does sell a MDP to DVI adapter so thats a good way to go.
- Since the 13" MBP only has 2 USB ports you should definitely go bluetooth with the external mouse/keyboard. Apple or Logitech is the way to go.
- If you're planning to connect the laptop to an external montior/mouse/kb then you might be interested in something like this: Book Arc
 
Wow.... ok damn bluetooth keyboard/mice are expensive!!! Any suggestions on something that is good and under $100?
 
I wouldn't really recommend the Apple Bluetooth keyboard anyway. Grab the $50 wired keyboard (or any other USB/Bluetooth keyboard — preferably a Logitech), since you get two USB ports with it. The Magic Mouse, however, is worth the price in my opinion.
 
phide said:
I wouldn't really recommend the Apple Bluetooth keyboard anyway. Grab the $50 wired keyboard (or any other USB/Bluetooth keyboard — preferably a Logitech), since you get two USB ports with it. The Magic Mouse, however, is worth the price in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Why don't you like the bluetooth keyboard? I love mine.
 
The lack of a numpad is a bit grating (though it depends on what your needs are) and it tends to not rest correctly on my desk, which I assume is possibly a bit warped. Essentially, the bottom left corner rests such that it isn't in contact with the desk and typing results in it bouncing up and down quite a bit. The wired one doesn't seem to have this problem.

This is probably easily fixed by adding some extra rubber pads to the bottom left and right corners, but it's a bit annoying that the thing would require such a fix on any imperfect surface.
 
Mine is straight and does not bounce. In theory it feels the same as my wired one, but in reality I do miss the numpad often too.
 
Ok so I should look for a good bluetooth keyboard that I like but go with the magic mouse? Damn I never realized how expensive bluetooth crap was, cheapest keyboard I have found is like $80?
 
I have a Magic Mouse and I would suggest getting something else (personal preference). It's a horrible mouse designed for the hands of a 12 year old girl. After some use, my hand starts to hurt. There's an ergonomic attachment thing I've seen sold online, can't remember name, but it's basically a foam piece you attach to the mouse so your wrist won't hurt.

Considering the design people they have at Apple, I'm surprised the Magic Mouse ever made it to production. (the gesture features are awesome, my gripe is with the ergonomics of the thing)
 
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Their mouse department is terrible. Remember this gem?

Apple_iMac_USB_mouse.jpg
 
gregnash said:
So with some money that will be coming to me in about 90 days my wife and I are planning on purchasing an iMac to replace our aging PC.

The question is, do I purchase now (either new or refurbished) or should I wait for the possible refresh that is being talked about that will include Sandy Bridge and Thunderbolt? :confused:

We both have iPhones, she has a Macbook Pro so this will be part of our final transition back to Macs. I am just not sure when to do the purchase. I have a rather larger (650gb) harddrive that I would like to hookup to a dock and then hook to the USB connection on our Airport Extreme but I will need to move some files over from the Windows PC to the new iMac (i.e. full iTunes library, photos, documents, videos, etc.). I am also probably going to have to purchase a whole new range of product for things like Office, MS Expressions, MS Visual Web Developer, and the variety of other programs that we have. Any suggestions on the best place to purchase such items (or similar) for a good price?
Click to expand...

did you ever think of just getting an apple cinema display? this way you can just plug in the macbook pro and maybe down the line pick up a mac mini for desktop use. this may be a better plan to maximize each components potential and versatility... :D and if you have a microcenter near you, go there b/c they sell apple products as a loss leader.
 
The IPS display, while nice, is not a necessity. And at $850 for a refurbished 27" I would rather spend half that and pick up an NEC IPS display that is just as good. For me the real seller is the integration of everything for the iMac. But with the way the job situation is going right now this is being pushed back by more than a few months.
 
Some people will adjust to the magic mouse, some will not. I loved it for the first 10 minutes, disliked it for the next 3 hours on it, hated it for a couple days, and now I love it. It's very different and you have to hold it differently. If you can adjust, the gestures are incredibly good, especially with better touch tool.

I say get the Apple BT keyboard. I love mine. I never need a ten key pad though. Mine sits perfectly flat and has no warping issues. It types nicely and it's small size is great when you have a lot of documents on the desk.
 
ryken said:
Some people will adjust to the magic mouse, some will not. I loved it for the first 10 minutes, disliked it for the next 3 hours on it, hated it for a couple days, and now I love it. It's very different and you have to hold it differently. If you can adjust, the gestures are incredibly good, especially with better touch tool.

I say get the Apple BT keyboard. I love mine. I never need a ten key pad though. Mine sits perfectly flat and has no warping issues. It types nicely and it's small size is great when you have a lot of documents on the desk.
Click to expand...

The magic mouse was a huge leap from the mighty mouse but the ergonomics aren't the best. Since OS X really shows it's finesse with touch based gesters I feel that the magic trackpad is the best input interface for the iMac.
 
dropadrop said:
Mine is straight and does not bounce.
Click to expand...
ryken said:
Mine sits perfectly flat and has no warping issues.
Click to expand...
In case I wasn't clear before, it's my desk I believe is warped — not the keyboard. I assume the keyboard was properly manufactured and there would be no issue if my desk weren't slightly warped. That's just my assumption, however, and the keyboard may be defective in some way.

I do believe, though, that there is something about the design that leads to this bouncing issue on imperfect surfaces. As I said, the full size wired version does not exhibit this issue. My advice to anyone looking at the Bluetooth keyboard is to examine their desk and make certain it's not going to cause a problem with it.

With respect to the Magic Mouse, if you have a 'claw grip', you won't have any ergonomic issues with the thing. With my claw grip, it's no more fatiguing or annoying than my more conventional mice. If you have a resting-type grip, then expect it to be uncomfortable, particularly with larger hands.
 
StryderxX said:
Since OS X really shows it's finesse with touch based gesters I feel that the magic trackpad is the best input interface for the iMac.
Click to expand...

Seconded. I have a Mac Mini doing all the home media library and iOS sync station duties and I use the wireless keyboard and trackpad with it.

I love my Razer Mamba on the PC for shooting people with but the trackpad is very well suited to OS X.
 
Finkus said:
Seconded. I have a Mac Mini doing all the home media library and iOS sync station duties and I use the wireless keyboard and trackpad with it.

I love my Razer Mamba on the PC for shooting people with but the trackpad is very well suited to OS X.
Click to expand...

Thirded. It's a nice, giant input device that you can operate on any surface at any angle (with tap to click enabled, anyway, when you're not on a flat surface). I dare say it's actually relaxing to use compared to a mouse where you have to aim your hand at a particular shape with a fixed set of buttons. The big flat surface area is easy to "mouse" around with, do gestures on, etc.

I use the hell out of the gestures. In a multitasking war using these trackpads on OS X, I can outdo using all the programmable buttons on Windows with my MX Revolution mouse.

I like to browse the refurb store. Every now and then I see them put on a 27" iMac for something like $1200 and it makes me wish it was payday, because it's usually gone by the time it is.
 
phide said:
With respect to the Magic Mouse, if you have a 'claw grip', you won't have any ergonomic issues with the thing. With my claw grip, it's no more fatiguing or annoying than my more conventional mice. If you have a resting-type grip, then expect it to be uncomfortable, particularly with larger hands.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I "palm" grip my G500, so going to the magic mouse took some adjustment. After some use though, I can switch back and forth without a problem.
 
StryderxX said:
The magic mouse was a huge leap from the mighty mouse but the ergonomics aren't the best. Since OS X really shows it's finesse with touch based gesters I feel that the magic trackpad is the best input interface for the iMac.
Click to expand...

I have a trackpad too, and a Logitech mouse. When I got the trackpad I adjusted to it immediately as I'm used to using one on my laptop, but my wife and kid did not. A month later it does seem the mouse is not touched by anyone any more (including the 6 year old).
 
Ok well since I will probably be getting the new Logitech MK550 Wave mouse keyboard combo I might pick up the trackpad as well.

Keep the input coming guys
 
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