So is there any advantage of paying the extra money for this new 'update'? Or would one be wise to buy an old stock iMac at a reduced price or a refurbished one? Are the improvements actually worth the extra $$$?
A clearance rather than refurbished sounds good if you got to have it now. I'll just keep waiting with my 20" white matte, who's screen is far better than the current 20" and it's 3 years old!
Seems like your typical Apple speed bump, I would've at least included the 9600M over the 9400M in the starter iMacs, but that's Apple for you.
Oddly enough, I do see the updated Mini as a slightly better value, yeah it's suffering a very slight bit in the CPU (BTO option for a 2.26 GHz C2D), but it still can use up to 4 GB of DDR3 and the Nvidia GPU.
Surprised at the lack of real differentiation between the $600 and $800 models too, as even with the Apple BTO pricing, I'd rather load up the $600 model with 4 GB of DDR3 and get that at $750 over the $800 version, that only has 2 GB and a 320 GB HD.
this is disappointing. apple is a company that prides themselves on their ability to to solve problems by innovating new ways to do old things, how could they not figure out a way to put some better internals in these computers? some of use still really do like desktop computers, i really do want an iMac, but this is is more of a stumble forward, tossing what they can in the box and calling it an update.
the price drop is great, but they could have done that 6 months ago and still been making a healthy product. they need to remake the iMac, soon. the design is old and outdated, it needs to be a bit thicker for room to cool todays more powerful and hot internals, and it just needs to be refreshed.
what are the chances of getting a real "new" iMac by the end of this year? or is the focus going to go back to the ipod/iphone/laptops? if so, then i'll likely not own another apple for the next several years, i need a replacement by December, if they cant give me a proper one then they have lost a customer... and judging by other comments its looked like they will be losing more than just the one.
this is disappointing. apple is a company that prides themselves on their ability to to solve problems by innovating new ways to do old things, how could they not figure out a way to put some better internals in these computers? some of use still really do like desktop computers, i really do want an iMac, but this is is more of a stumble forward, tossing what they can in the box and calling it an update.
the price drop is great, but they could have done that 6 months ago and still been making a healthy product. they need to remake the iMac, soon. the design is old and outdated, it needs to be a bit thicker for room to cool todays more powerful and hot internals, and it just needs to be refreshed.
what are the chances of getting a real "new" iMac by the end of this year? or is the focus going to go back to the ipod/iphone/laptops? if so, then i'll likely not own another apple for the next several years, i need a replacement by December, if they cant give me a proper one then they have lost a customer... and judging by other comments its looked like they will be losing more than just the one.
And how exactly does anything you mention erase the fact that's it's a FUGLY machine with its high gloss display, etc, etc?
It?s a beautiful machine, with an awesome glossy display that makes photos look better than on any other screen. We include the aluminum 24 inch in our living room as part of our furniture because it?s so beautiful, and the iLife suit is absolute perfection. Just installed iWeb 09 last night and it blows me away how powerful and easy to use it is. So if you don?t like it and think there are better products elsewhere then please go back to windowz where you belong. I?m sure Dell has a plastic monstrosity that will do you just fine.
These updates are really disappointing and tells me Apple is either playing it safe or has taken a financial hit. Worst of all none of these updates makes me want to upgrade and just stick with what I already have.
These updates are really disappointing and tells me Apple is either playing it safe or has taken a financial hit. Worst of all none of these updates makes me want to upgrade and just stick with what I already have.
It's the Al Gore-ing of the iMAc- the corrugated cardboard version is next.
lol. seriously, i like macs, but some of the poeple on this board are in need of some help, who buys a computer *just* because it looks good. hell i can find a pertty good looking dell now days, as good as an iMac? no, but good enough that people would ask where i got it (their all in one is a decent looking machine, not quite my style, but it looks nice)
there have been more than a few days that i question why i even come to these boards, because there are so many that bash on plastics and design, but when it comes down to it, thats not what a computer is about, i understanding wanting it to look good (as ive mentioned before, i feel the same way) but that should not be your main selling point.
also, no, the screens on the iMacs are NOT very good looking screens. you may think it looks good because of the whole package, but the quality is not as good as what you might get from a host of other monitors...
Let's put the intangible value of OS X off the table. Let's just look at straight up hardware. Can somebody please configure a comparable machine from Dell, HP, or whoever? Make something comparable to the new iMacs, and post the specs right here. Don't talk about making your own box, I'm talking about commercially available consumer desktops. I guarantee you'll find comparable prices on hardware. THEN we can throw in the intangible value of the OS (and bundled software) and the hardware design Apple is known for.
I'm sick of people complaining about a lack of value and things being overpriced. You'd think people on this site actually knew a thing or two about Apple computers besides their sticker price.
It is overpriced and I am quoting Dell's REGULAR prices (note that Dell's products are perpetually on "sale". It's really just a marketing strategy) here: http://tinyurl.com/5mc6mo. Let's compare the CAD$1299 machine with the new mainstream iMac. The dell not only carries a quad core Nehalem CPU, but also a Radeon HD 4670 512MB discrete graphics card (versus the iMac's slower, integrated card), 8GB memory (Double the iMac's), 1TB (Larger than the iMac's) hard drive. Throw in a $250 24" Dell monitor (which are far better than the iMac's LCD display) and we have a machine that's both cheaper and many times faster than the new iMac, with $250 to spare.
Of course, it's not as pretty as the iMac and not an all-in-one computer, but appearance is not important at all for a desktop: It's meant to be used in a private office, which means no one will ever see your computer and there is plenty of places to hide the mid-tower.
lol. seriously, i like macs, but some of the poeple on this board are in need of some help, who buys a computer *just* because it looks good. hell i can find a pertty good looking dell now days, as good as an iMac? no, but good enough that people would ask where i got it (their all in one is a decent looking machine, not quite my style, but it looks nice)
there have been more than a few days that i question why i even come to these boards, because there are so many that bash on plastics and design, but when it comes down to it, thats not what a computer is about, i understanding wanting it to look good (as ive mentioned before, i feel the same way) but that should not be your main selling point.
also, no, the screens on the iMacs are NOT very good looking screens. you may think it looks good because of the whole package, but the quality is not as good as what you might get from a host of other monitors...
That's my point - the old white iMac's matte screens were far better than these. This change 2 years ago for the worse is nothing more than the Al Gore-ing of the iMac so it disposes better in a land fill! Who buys thinking of how your going to dispose of it? I buy it with the intention that it's gonna last.
What a JOKE... a Wii, Xbox 360, or PlayStation can't match up to a Quad Core with ATI 4850. You can get so much better performance out of a good PC or Mac.
The Wii has similar specs probably to the AppleTV or the old Celeron based Xbox.
The Xbox 360 has 3 fairly limited cores and quite an older GPU. The total RAM of the system is only 512MB.
The PS3 which is theoretically the best still has a older GPU that is WORSE than the Xbox 360. Still limited to a total of 512RAM. The Cell Processor has yet to be conquered or proven that it has all this almighty power. Games still generally perform as good if not better on the Xbox 360.
So yes I will be buying a custom built quad core with ATI 4850 or 4870. If Apple had released a quad core I would have seriously considered it even though it probably would have cost alot more than what I plan on spending on my custom build.
But they look better on a huge HDTV, and they play just fine on either platform.
It is overpriced and I am quoting Dell's REGULAR prices (note that Dell's products are perpetually on "sale". It's really just a marketing strategy) here: http://tinyurl.com/5mc6mo. Let's compare the CAD$1299 machine with the new mainstream iMac. The dell not only carries a quad core Nehalem CPU, but also a Radeon HD 4670 512MB discrete graphics card (versus the iMac's slower, integrated card), 8GB memory (Double the iMac's), 1TB (Larger than the iMac's) hard drive. Throw in a $250 24" Dell monitor (which are far better than the iMac's LCD display) and we have a machine that's both cheaper and many times faster than the new iMac, with $250 to spare.
Of course, it's not as pretty as the iMac and not an all-in-one computer, but appearance is not important at all for a desktop: It's meant to be used in a private office, which means no one will ever see your computer and there is plenty of places to hide the mid-tower.
Yes, so can this computer be successfully hackintoshed?
It is ugly; it is a dell. Much better value if it can be hackintoshed. I couldn't stand to run windows and have pop up balloons flashing up in front of me, anti virus software asking me to update it every day and having a screen saver come on when watching a DVD. Clunky POS OS.
To summarise, the only way it can be better value is if it can run OS X.
the price drop is great, but they could have done that 6 months ago and still been making a healthy product. they need to remake the iMac, soon. the design is old and outdated, it needs to be a bit thicker for room to cool todays more powerful and hot internals, and it just needs to be refreshed.
The iMacs don't need to become thicker, they can simply use heat pipes to transfer all the heat to the aluminum enclosure, which will simply act as a large heat sink. I'm sure the 24" iMacs can easily accomodate 65W TDP and maybe even Bloomfield. They don't even need to incorporate a fan into the iMac, make it ultra-quiet and even thinner!
Comments
Agreed x2.
So is there any advantage of paying the extra money for this new 'update'? Or would one be wise to buy an old stock iMac at a reduced price or a refurbished one? Are the improvements actually worth the extra $$$?
A clearance rather than refurbished sounds good if you got to have it now. I'll just keep waiting with my 20" white matte, who's screen is far better than the current 20" and it's 3 years old!
Oddly enough, I do see the updated Mini as a slightly better value, yeah it's suffering a very slight bit in the CPU (BTO option for a 2.26 GHz C2D), but it still can use up to 4 GB of DDR3 and the Nvidia GPU.
Surprised at the lack of real differentiation between the $600 and $800 models too, as even with the Apple BTO pricing, I'd rather load up the $600 model with 4 GB of DDR3 and get that at $750 over the $800 version, that only has 2 GB and a 320 GB HD.
Is that a new keyboard?
I guess it's just the wireless one wired.
Truly a pathetic update, and it looks like I'll have to wait until the next update before potentially buying.
Is that a new keyboard?
What about the mouse, that abomination?
the price drop is great, but they could have done that 6 months ago and still been making a healthy product. they need to remake the iMac, soon. the design is old and outdated, it needs to be a bit thicker for room to cool todays more powerful and hot internals, and it just needs to be refreshed.
what are the chances of getting a real "new" iMac by the end of this year? or is the focus going to go back to the ipod/iphone/laptops? if so, then i'll likely not own another apple for the next several years, i need a replacement by December, if they cant give me a proper one then they have lost a customer... and judging by other comments its looked like they will be losing more than just the one.
the price drop is great, but they could have done that 6 months ago and still been making a healthy product. they need to remake the iMac, soon. the design is old and outdated, it needs to be a bit thicker for room to cool todays more powerful and hot internals, and it just needs to be refreshed.
what are the chances of getting a real "new" iMac by the end of this year? or is the focus going to go back to the ipod/iphone/laptops? if so, then i'll likely not own another apple for the next several years, i need a replacement by December, if they cant give me a proper one then they have lost a customer... and judging by other comments its looked like they will be losing more than just the one.
And how exactly does anything you mention erase the fact that's it's a FUGLY machine with its high gloss display, etc, etc?
It?s a beautiful machine, with an awesome glossy display that makes photos look better than on any other screen. We include the aluminum 24 inch in our living room as part of our furniture because it?s so beautiful, and the iLife suit is absolute perfection. Just installed iWeb 09 last night and it blows me away how powerful and easy to use it is. So if you don?t like it and think there are better products elsewhere then please go back to windowz where you belong. I?m sure Dell has a plastic monstrosity that will do you just fine.
We include the aluminum 24 inch in our living room as part of our furniture because it?s so beautiful, and the iLife suit is absolute perfection.
Do you sit on it?
These updates are really disappointing and tells me Apple is either playing it safe or has taken a financial hit. Worst of all none of these updates makes me want to upgrade and just stick with what I already have.
It's the Al Gore-ing of the iMAc- the corrugated cardboard version is next.
Do you sit on it?
lol. seriously, i like macs, but some of the poeple on this board are in need of some help, who buys a computer *just* because it looks good. hell i can find a pertty good looking dell now days, as good as an iMac? no, but good enough that people would ask where i got it (their all in one is a decent looking machine, not quite my style, but it looks nice)
there have been more than a few days that i question why i even come to these boards, because there are so many that bash on plastics and design, but when it comes down to it, thats not what a computer is about, i understanding wanting it to look good (as ive mentioned before, i feel the same way) but that should not be your main selling point.
also, no, the screens on the iMacs are NOT very good looking screens. you may think it looks good because of the whole package, but the quality is not as good as what you might get from a host of other monitors...
Let's put the intangible value of OS X off the table. Let's just look at straight up hardware. Can somebody please configure a comparable machine from Dell, HP, or whoever? Make something comparable to the new iMacs, and post the specs right here. Don't talk about making your own box, I'm talking about commercially available consumer desktops. I guarantee you'll find comparable prices on hardware. THEN we can throw in the intangible value of the OS (and bundled software) and the hardware design Apple is known for.
I'm sick of people complaining about a lack of value and things being overpriced. You'd think people on this site actually knew a thing or two about Apple computers besides their sticker price.
It is overpriced and I am quoting Dell's REGULAR prices (note that Dell's products are perpetually on "sale". It's really just a marketing strategy) here: http://tinyurl.com/5mc6mo. Let's compare the CAD$1299 machine with the new mainstream iMac. The dell not only carries a quad core Nehalem CPU, but also a Radeon HD 4670 512MB discrete graphics card (versus the iMac's slower, integrated card), 8GB memory (Double the iMac's), 1TB (Larger than the iMac's) hard drive. Throw in a $250 24" Dell monitor (which are far better than the iMac's LCD display) and we have a machine that's both cheaper and many times faster than the new iMac, with $250 to spare.
Of course, it's not as pretty as the iMac and not an all-in-one computer, but appearance is not important at all for a desktop: It's meant to be used in a private office, which means no one will ever see your computer and there is plenty of places to hide the mid-tower.
Just tell me if the mini display port is enabled for multichannel audio and all may not be lost.
lol. seriously, i like macs, but some of the poeple on this board are in need of some help, who buys a computer *just* because it looks good. hell i can find a pertty good looking dell now days, as good as an iMac? no, but good enough that people would ask where i got it (their all in one is a decent looking machine, not quite my style, but it looks nice)
there have been more than a few days that i question why i even come to these boards, because there are so many that bash on plastics and design, but when it comes down to it, thats not what a computer is about, i understanding wanting it to look good (as ive mentioned before, i feel the same way) but that should not be your main selling point.
also, no, the screens on the iMacs are NOT very good looking screens. you may think it looks good because of the whole package, but the quality is not as good as what you might get from a host of other monitors...
That's my point - the old white iMac's matte screens were far better than these. This change 2 years ago for the worse is nothing more than the Al Gore-ing of the iMac so it disposes better in a land fill! Who buys thinking of how your going to dispose of it? I buy it with the intention that it's gonna last.
What a JOKE... a Wii, Xbox 360, or PlayStation can't match up to a Quad Core with ATI 4850. You can get so much better performance out of a good PC or Mac.
The Wii has similar specs probably to the AppleTV or the old Celeron based Xbox.
The Xbox 360 has 3 fairly limited cores and quite an older GPU. The total RAM of the system is only 512MB.
The PS3 which is theoretically the best still has a older GPU that is WORSE than the Xbox 360. Still limited to a total of 512RAM. The Cell Processor has yet to be conquered or proven that it has all this almighty power. Games still generally perform as good if not better on the Xbox 360.
So yes I will be buying a custom built quad core with ATI 4850 or 4870. If Apple had released a quad core I would have seriously considered it even though it probably would have cost alot more than what I plan on spending on my custom build.
But they look better on a huge HDTV, and they play just fine on either platform.
It is overpriced and I am quoting Dell's REGULAR prices (note that Dell's products are perpetually on "sale". It's really just a marketing strategy) here: http://tinyurl.com/5mc6mo. Let's compare the CAD$1299 machine with the new mainstream iMac. The dell not only carries a quad core Nehalem CPU, but also a Radeon HD 4670 512MB discrete graphics card (versus the iMac's slower, integrated card), 8GB memory (Double the iMac's), 1TB (Larger than the iMac's) hard drive. Throw in a $250 24" Dell monitor (which are far better than the iMac's LCD display) and we have a machine that's both cheaper and many times faster than the new iMac, with $250 to spare.
Of course, it's not as pretty as the iMac and not an all-in-one computer, but appearance is not important at all for a desktop: It's meant to be used in a private office, which means no one will ever see your computer and there is plenty of places to hide the mid-tower.
Yes, so can this computer be successfully hackintoshed?
It is ugly; it is a dell. Much better value if it can be hackintoshed. I couldn't stand to run windows and have pop up balloons flashing up in front of me, anti virus software asking me to update it every day and having a screen saver come on when watching a DVD. Clunky POS OS.
To summarise, the only way it can be better value is if it can run OS X.
the price drop is great, but they could have done that 6 months ago and still been making a healthy product. they need to remake the iMac, soon. the design is old and outdated, it needs to be a bit thicker for room to cool todays more powerful and hot internals, and it just needs to be refreshed.
The iMacs don't need to become thicker, they can simply use heat pipes to transfer all the heat to the aluminum enclosure, which will simply act as a large heat sink. I'm sure the 24" iMacs can easily accomodate 65W TDP and maybe even Bloomfield. They don't even need to incorporate a fan into the iMac, make it ultra-quiet and even thinner!