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sliminfinite · Jun 28, 2003, 12:14 PM

Howdy y'all,

For some reason I assumed that when the G5s came out iMacs would get price discounts. That doesn't appear to be the case.

I'd like to get a 17" iMac in the next 6 months. I understand nobody knows for sure (except Steve) but does anyone think there's an imminent upgrade about to happen to the iMacs (bigger screens, lower prices, built-in coffee makers) that I'd be foolish to not wait for?

Since the 17" iMac suits my needs almost perfectly, I think I'll probably get one soon anyhow, but if there's an upgrade right about to happen I could probably control myself another month or two.

What does everyone think?

Thanks for your help!

Chris

Krusty · Jun 28, 2003, 05:36 PM

Originally posted by sliminfinite:
another month or two.

What does everyone think?

Thanks for your help!

Chris

Well, as you mentioned .. nobody knows for sure. But the iMac was last updated on Feb 4th .. so my money would be on an update within a month or two. May as well wait if you're not in a hurry ... they're only going to get faster and cheaper

im_noahselby · Jun 28, 2003, 08:21 PM

Just remember that the first rev's of imacs pretty much went without an update for over a year, so it's entirely possible that Apple is pleased with the machine right now and at the 1Ghz level.

It doesn't hurt to wait for Macworld, but if the machine suits your needs almost perfectly now, why not grab one and start enjoying it!

Noah

gthyb · Jun 29, 2003, 12:16 AM

don't listen to him! he's running 10.1.5!!

_______________________
iMac 800 / 10.3 / 60GB / 768RAM / Superdrive

Athens · Jun 29, 2003, 02:22 AM

Originally posted by gthyb:
don't listen to him! he's running 10.1.5!!

_______________________
iMac 800 / 10.3 / 60GB / 768RAM / Superdrive

WOW intelligence�s at its best HAHAHAHA now where do you get off telling some one not to listen to some one else because of the version of OS they use? That�s like me telling him not to listen to you based on your age which currently shows as a 10 year old or less. This has to be one of the most perfect examples of a useless post with absolutely nothing constructive, it doesn�t even fit in the category of chat its just a attack.

I see you are listed as 10.3 either you got your beta or you downloaded it from off the internet. Im going to guess you downloaded it.

My response DON�T LISTEN TO gthyb.

im_noahselby · Jun 29, 2003, 02:48 AM

Originally posted by gthyb:
don't listen to him! he's running 10.1.5!!

_______________________
iMac 800 / 10.3 / 60GB / 768RAM / Superdrive

Since when does which OS you have impair ones ability to discuss hardware?

For the record, I'm a student and cannot afford to upgrade every year like some people can. I made the decision to skip Jaguar and wait for Panther. This in no way entails my voice mute, but your attitude certainly makes you less of a person.

Noah

Athens · Jun 29, 2003, 02:51 AM

Touch� Noah, I would hate to see how he judges a mechanic for what year car he drives as a basis for competence and what level of car discussion the mechanic is entitled to.

I wounder though, did this kid get at WWDC or ahem download 10.3 since you can only get it at WWDC right now

im_noahselby · Jun 29, 2003, 02:52 AM

On a happier note, I'm now a senior member

Noah

vmarks · 12:32 PM

settle, settle.
No need to make something personal.

However, it is important to note that 10.1.5 lacks a lot of the performance gains of the 10.2 series. There was a huge performance gain on the g3/333mhz from the 10.1 series to the 10.2 series. The 10.2 series made the machine much more usable.

There is some value in considering what version of the OS a person is running when they make a comment about usability/performance.

If you want to continue the car analogy, a good example is this.

The 1995 Chevrolet Caprice came with two engines. One was a 265 cubic inch, and the other was a 350 cubic inch. The 350 was called the LT1 and was an iron version of the same engine used in Corvettes. The 265 was called the "baby LT1" and was a fuel injected version of the exact same engine used in the 1955 Chevrolet.

Now, if you asked someone how the Caprice was, and they said, "I have one, and it's no good- no performance at all!" - and someone else says, "Don't listen to him! He's got the 265 cubic inch engine!" - well, the second person has a vaild point.

If you buy OS X and install it on an iMac, you aren't going to be buying 10.1.5. You're going to get 10.2.6 and quite likely 10.3. These are a world apart, and something you should take into consideration.

----

Even more important- this thread wasn't asking about the differences between OS version levels - it simply asked, is now a good time to buy an iMac?

The answer is, yes, if you need or want one. Updates to the machines are hard to predict. iMacs usually get updated a little at MacWorld NY in July, but that's traditionally the time for new Powermacs. The LCD iMac was introduced at Macworld San Francisco, which is usually where Powerbooks are introduced.

The G5 was introduced at WWDC, where usually no new hardware is shown. So basically, any person claiming to be able to predict has a better crystal ball than you or I, and their advice should be taken with skepticism.

tikki · Jun 29, 2003, 01:59 PM

Buy it. It's plenty fast as is, and will last you a good while.

im_noahselby · Jun 30, 2003, 02:36 AM

Originally posted by vmarks:
Even more important- this thread wasn't asking about the differences between OS version levels - it simply asked, is now a good time to buy an iMac?

You know vmarks, I couldn't agree more with you, which is why I refrained from talking about OSX in my original post, and kept it strictly to hardware.

Originally posted by vmarks:
If you buy OS X and install it on an iMac, you aren't going to be buying 10.1.5. You're going to get 10.2.6 and quite likely 10.3. These are a world apart, and something you should take into consideration.

And it's not like I chose 10.1.5 over 10.2! 10.1.2 came installed on my machine. YES! I was an early adopter! And most importantly it has served it's purpose completey for a poor college student like myself. I'm very much aware of the performance gains in 10.2, yet I chose to wait for Panther... Not everyone has the money to upgrade every year. People here just don't seem to realize this...

Noah

Cortland · Jun 30, 2003, 09:19 AM

Yeah, I'm having a similar dilemma (referring to the original topic here). I'm definitely in the market for a Mac, my first one, and I'm struggling with a couple of things.

Should I go the iMac route, which has been my original plan for a couple of months now, or do I go the G5 route for a little more money, understanding that I can't afford an LCD monitor in that case (at least for a couple years)? I'll only be using it at home, and not for anything heavy duty, but I do want it to last awhile, and I'm a little nervous that the 64-bit G5 may render the 32-bit G4 obsolete sooner than I would like.

At this point, I'm leaning more towards the iMac. Also, any advice on the add-ons? I'll upgrade at least to 512 RAM, but is 1GB worth the additional $? And how about Bluetooth? If I don't make it a come-with, is it easy to add later?

gthyb · Jul 3, 2003, 04:02 PM

hahaha. wow guys. i was joking. i was just browsing the forums, made a comment, and left. didn't realize what i had spurred. anyway 10.3 is damned nice, and my "sig" wasn't even real. notice i have too many underscores above it.