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pk1 · Oct 5, 2007, 09:23 AM

I finally decided to buy an aluminum iMac, probably the 24" model (although I think of maybe opting for the 20" in the end). I am about to order it these days, so I have it sometime soon (in a week they told me).

Rumors are that Apple is going to have an event in the end of the month, probably to announce the new Leopard OS and maybe other stuff as well. My question is, is there a possibility that there will be announced something new for the aluminum iMac?

If all the news are about Leopard then I don't want to wait one more month, I'll buy the computer now and install Leopard sometime when it's out. But I fear the tiny possibility that something is about to change in the iMac - the price, the configuration? I don't know.

What do you people think? Should I buy it now or wait until the event?

I know it's not too long till the event, but I've been waiting for many months to get the iMac and I have projects that need it...

Thanks in advance

P · Oct 5, 2007, 09:37 AM

New iMac is extremely unlikely. It usually takes at least 6 months, often 9, after a revision as major as the last one before they're refreshed again. New BTO options is a maybe, but I think that even Macworld is too soon for a change.

bearcatrp · Oct 5, 2007, 10:29 AM

Wait for leopard. It could be possible for a different graphics card being added to the options for iMacs but who knows. You will definately save money by waiting. Only problem I see is any new OS has bugs and I like to wait for the 1st update before buying.
Randy

larkost · Oct 5, 2007, 10:32 AM

I would also go for the 24" rather than the 20", and not just because of the size difference. There have been a number of reports that the screen on the 24" is much better quality than that on the 20". Apparently they used a lower quality (price) panel for the 20".

Cold Warrior · Oct 5, 2007, 11:03 AM

There have been some ugly freezing bugs with the new iMacs. See MacFixIt for more. I'd wait one more month for Leopard *and* for Apple to fix the freezing bug.

iREZ · Oct 5, 2007, 04:34 PM

wait till leopard...i know i would

FireWire · Oct 5, 2007, 07:59 PM

I think you should wait. I wanted to wait too but I had no choice but to buy before Sept. 16th in order to benefit from a special offer for students (free iPod and free printer), but without that, I would have waited until Leopard. And I highly doubt the iMac line will get updated in a near future.

HazMacFan · Oct 6, 2007, 01:20 AM

I jumped in last month and picked a 24" 2.8 Extreme and I love it. I have mulitple Macs so I am planning on getting the family pack so waiting for Leopard didn't make that much sense for my needs. You mileage may vary.

AC Rempt · Oct 6, 2007, 01:29 AM

It won't be too much longer, if the rumor sites can be believed/trusted/whatever they should be. Apple has said Leopard is coming this month, and the sites are all saying around the 26th. If you can wit 20 days, you'll save $129. If not, you might just get some sort of up-to-date discount.

funkboy · Oct 6, 2007, 02:41 AM

Wait.

pk1 · Oct 6, 2007, 11:29 AM

Thank you all for your replies. I was about to go order the 24" iMac on Monday, but since so many people believe I should wait, then maybe I should... the bad thing is that I''ll have to wait for about 1.5 months, first for Leopard to get announced and then another couple of weeks to get the computer. I hope the waiting will be worth it, although I sense that the only new thing will be Leopard (which I hope will not be too buggy in it's first version!).

Thanks again

0157988944 · Oct 6, 2007, 12:09 PM

It's a $129 savings. It's worth a month.

Macvoid · 01:37 PM

Hello Pk1. I remember your previous posts concerning your distaste for the glossy screens. What changed?

Also, I agree with your last comment. Why wait six weeks to save $130? I too came from a G4. Buy it now and start enjoying your new computer.

In my case, everthing is working perfectly right now. I will upgrade the OS after the new year.

pk1 · Oct 6, 2007, 01:41 PM

Originally Posted by Macvoid

Hello Pk1. I remember your previous posts concerning your distaste for the glossy screens. What changed?

Hello there.

Nothing changed, simply there is no other option for me since I can't afford a Mac Pro, I couldn't work seriously with a Mini and the previous iMacs are either not for sale or they're more expensive than the new ones (and I don't like giving more money for an older model, even if it's screen is better).

If there was an option for a matte screen I'd go for it, and honestly I hope there will be one, but I doubt it. So I'll go with the aluminum iMac and it's glossy screen since I have no other choice. Luckily, the positioning of my office is in such a way so there will be no windows or other light sources behind me, so I hope the glossy won't be an issue.

That is the answer to your question. I hope this thread won't become another matte vs. glossy debate

Originally Posted by Macvoid

Also, I agree with your last comment. Why wait six weeks to save $130? I too came from a G4. Buy it now and start enjoying your new computer.

In my case, everthing is working perfectly right now. I will upgrade the OS after the new year.

Yes that's my point. I've been waiting for so long already. If I let another month or two pass then I may start considering to wait for Macworld, and this will go ad infinitum... it's true that I can save the money I'll give for Leopard (which according to my local Mac supplier will be 40 euros as an upgrade kit) but if all that's going to change is the OS, I'd rather not wait anymore.

On the other hand, everyone here said they'd wait. I'm do divided!

.Neo · Oct 6, 2007, 02:42 PM

I'd say if you want a new iMac just get it now. It will probably take another month before most software is updated for Mac OS X Leopard anyway.

0157988944 · Oct 6, 2007, 03:15 PM

"Updated for leopard?"

Pretty much every program that works on Tiger will work on Leopard. Just like Win2000 programs for the most part work on XP, and XP programs on VIsta.

experimental · Oct 6, 2007, 09:27 PM

Buy it.
OS X 10.4 is a very good system. Why wait when you need it.
You can upgrade when you have time, and with your discount it'll cost less than a night on the town. Nothing is going to change on the iMac so soon, that would just annoy customers even further. Re iPhone.

bearcatrp · Oct 6, 2007, 10:47 PM

If you don't like the newer iMacs screens, watch apples refurb store. Just saw a 24 inch 1st generation for 1469.00. Still comes with one year warrenty just as if you bought new. I bought a mac pro this way and saved 400 bucks. Works like a charm. Then upgrade to leopard early next year. By then the bugs should be ironed out.
Randy

iREZ · Oct 6, 2007, 11:48 PM

also take into consideration the imac freezing problem right now. maybe an internal hardware adjustment might be made to fix the new imacs that wont be noticed by the avg user :shrug:

pk1 · Oct 7, 2007, 04:28 AM

Originally Posted by bearcatrp

If you don't like the newer iMacs screens, watch apples refurb store.

Unfortunately there is no such thing in Greece, as we have no Apple store. We get our Macs from a network of companies that import Apple products and they offer no refurbished products.

Originally Posted by iREZ

also take into consideration the imac freezing problem right now. maybe an internal hardware adjustment might be made to fix the new imacs that wont be noticed by the avg user :shrug:

Now that's one thing I fear. Perhaps it would be easier to make a hardware fix "silently" that admitting it as a hardware error and have to fix thousands of computers for free.

Originally Posted by experimental

Nothing is going to change on the iMac so soon, that would just annoy customers even further. Re iPhone.

Early iPhone customers would also think that nothing would change on their phones so soon. Indeed, nothing changed but the price! For a company that believes that "we sell you products, then soon enough we sell them cheaper (or even alter them?), this is technology and that's how it works", I don't find it that impossible to make a hardware alteration only 2 months after the launch of the new iMacs.

Again, thank you all for you replies

.Neo · Oct 7, 2007, 06:04 AM

Originally Posted by adamfishercox

"Updated for leopard?"

Pretty much every program that works on Tiger will work on Leopard. Just like Win2000 programs for the most part work on XP, and XP programs on VIsta.

Adobe for starters officially stated that their CS3 suite doesn't work properly on Mac OS X Leopard. Such support usually comes in the form of software updates, hence "updated for Mac OS X Leopard".

I remember that burning software like Toast initially didn't work properly either when Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger was released.

0157988944 · Oct 7, 2007, 08:53 AM

"Pretty much every program."

Adobe was a shoo in for having an app that would break with an OS update. All the crap they leave around the system can't possibly work on both OSes. But most "all in one" apps will work.

.Neo · Oct 7, 2007, 09:18 AM

Originally Posted by adamfishercox

"Pretty much every program."

Adobe was a shoo in for having an app that would break with an OS update. All the crap they leave around the system can't possibly work on both OSes. But most "all in one" apps will work.

Overal that really depends on what frameworks they rely. During the transition to Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger I remember Transit and Acquisition having connectivity issues, Toast would launch but was unable to burn data to discs and right now Microsoft Messenger (among some other apps) is having issues with the new WebKit version in Mac OS X Leopard.

There's always something wrong.

nat · Oct 8, 2007, 02:32 PM

Originally Posted by adamfishercox

"Updated for leopard?"

Pretty much every program that works on Tiger will work on Leopard. Just like Win2000 programs for the most part work on XP, and XP programs on VIsta.

Where on earth did you hear that? My experience has been a lot of programs don't work with Vista, not to mention that not long ago - haven't checked for awhile - there were only like 150 actually certified of which about 50 were MS products.

0157988944 · Oct 8, 2007, 03:13 PM

Yeah, I probably shouldn't have included Vista in there.... but up until Vista, backwards compatibility was great on Windows.

luvosx · 03:42 PM

I suggest you wait - I know the last few days are the most excruciating (I am with you there, buddy !) - but I can't help but think about Microsoft - They automatically announce a free upgrade when their **** is delayed. Regardless of how bad the evil empire is - I do appreciate that particular attitude. Take Office2008 for example.

niceday12 · Oct 9, 2007, 03:39 AM

I think if I were you I will jsut wait for the Leopard .

pk1 · Oct 11, 2007, 12:49 PM

After a week's (or more) thinking, I decided not to wait and ordered an 24" iMac yesterday. It should arrive next Friday, with a slight chance of arriving tomorrow (!!!). After reading all of the users' comments here and doing some rumor research, I concluded that there is not going to be any hardware revision in the aluminum iMacs anytime soon, so the only thing that will have changed a month by now will be Leopard - and that's if it's not delayed again.

Since I'm not in a rush to update to Leopard (I can live with Tiger) and there are rumors that I can get an upgrade with 40 euros, I don't see any reason for waiting anymore. I'm willing to sacrifice the 40 euros since I'm pretty busy at work and need the iMac to boost my productivity (I'm working on a 12" G5 1.5GHz Powerbook now - you can imagine the difference!).

Once again, thank you all for taking the time to reply to my initial concern.

.Neo · Oct 11, 2007, 01:34 PM

I think you mean a G4 PowerBook.

Anyway, good choice. The new 24" iMac is a great machine. Not to mention sexy looking.

pk1 · Oct 11, 2007, 01:38 PM

I think you mean a G4 PowerBook.

Anyway, good choice. The new 24" iMac is a great machine. Not to mention sexy looking.

Lol, yes it's a G4! I'm sorry, that was a spelling mistake

Thanks, I can't wait till it gets in my office!