iMac 17: Should I take the plunge?

Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
I am almost ready to buy my first Mac after more than a decade of being a PC user. No, I don?t hate windows (or MS or Bill Gates), and I don?t find it difficult to use. Anyway, the 17? iMac has definitely caught my eye. The problem is that it feels like an afterthought, nothing more than a stopgap machine. It was as if Steve Jobs was saying ?OK! OK! Now it has a bigger screen that the eMac so just shut up and buy it already!?



The iMac is crying out for a 1Gig processor that one can feel is just around the corner. And how much longer can the 100Mhz sys bus last? When these changes come along, what will that do to the resale value of the current iMac 17?



I would not mind buying the machine now if I thought I could get the legendary Apple resale value out of it six months down the road. But with such potential wholesale improvements practically within sight, how much of my initial investment will I be able to recoup? I am thinking that the new 17? iMac will drop significantly in value within the next three months. I have nothing more than a gut feeling to base this on.



I don?t want to be stuck with a stopgap unit, only to feel like a fool for buying it when the real update is released. Is this a valid concern? Can someone comment on the potential resale value in six months to a year? Does anyone else have the same concerns? Any and all responses are welcome.



[ 07-31-2002: Message edited by: Mac Voyer ]</p>

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 2
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    well, i sent an order in for one the day they were released for the computer lab here. i'll let you know what i think about it after i've had a bit more time with it. in the meantime, if you're looking to buy a machine i would think your major concern would be whether or not it can do what you want.



    if all you're worried about is what might come out some time down the road, then you're never going to be ready.



    if it'll do what you want, buy it. if it won't, wait.



    -alcimedes
  • Reply 2 of 2
    rodukroduk Posts: 706member
    I would never think of a computer as a financial investment, in terms of how much my investment might be worth at some point in the future. Whether you buy now, in six months time or a years time, Apple will inevitably bring out a machine thats better and cheaper soon afterwards. If this didn't happen, we would all still be using the original Mac, and paying large sums of money to buy one! To my mind, when a new machine is released, it doesn't affect an existing machine in terms of its usefulness, it will still be the same machine as when you bought it.

    Having said that, I think its inevitable that new PowerMacs will be released soon, and the existing iMacs will be speed bumped to 1GHz with a 133MHz bus. Whether this will happen at the same time, or a bit later to coincide with the Christmas buying season, I don't know. If you already have a PC and don't actually need a Mac right now, I'd be tempted to wait.



    [ 07-31-2002: Message edited by: RodUK ]</p>
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