Contrary to all that I’\ve posted in recent times about new macs, it’s looking like I will be buying a new iMac later this year, most likely July time. It pains me (financially and ethically) to do it, but I just can’t find a suitably priced 2nd hand alternative; I need at least 2015 or newer, and these are fetching well over the grand mark, and I’m not spending a grand on 2nd hand!
I’m hearing rumours that a new iMac is expected this summer, anyone here able to add fuel to that fire? I know there are a few fanboys about this place ;-)
My thinking is in the run-up to the new one, or upon release, local retailers might be reducing the price of the older model, so I might at least only have to take a smaller rogering, not a full-length balls deep one.
Thoughts? (On the new iMac, not the rogering).
:-)
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Might be something here that’s helpful? https://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#iMac
I’d always buy from John Lewis FWIW, for the slight price reductions and the two year warranty.
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Oh, has it already been updated?
Mac updates don’t get the fanfare they used to!
Do Apple even do hardware anymore? Maybe Netflix will release a Mac clone? World has gone even madder this week.
Once they’ve spunk a few billion up the wall on their failed new service, making and streaming sterile TV shows and movies to a few thousand fanboys, they’ll be running back to hardware.
Would you pay to watch anything with Tim Cook in the ultimate producers chair? Hell no. The man makes drying paint seem interesting.
Doesn’t appear to be any worthwhile deals on the 2017 model. Most don’t even seem to have it in stock.
So looks like it’s going to have to be the new 2019 one, at £1750. OUCH!
Suppose if I get the same nine years out of it though that I’ve got out of my current 2010 version, in real terms it’s less than £200 a year.
Still painful though.
The new models still use very slow hd with 5.400. So you should get one with SSD.
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Local shop advertising it with a 1tb Fusion drive. Is that not an ssd?
That’s a combi HDD with a SDD part (maybe you find specs how large that part is, maybe 10%), which acts as cache, and a normal HDD part.
I still would go full SSD.
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I think that upgraded machines are only available from Apple, and as ever they shaft you senseless for basic “upgrades”. £270 to switch to a 500gb ssd! I can buy the same from Amazon for £50.
But, good advice to look into the size of the ssd in a fusion drive… It’s 24gb!
So now the machine is well over the £2k mark, plus having to pay for a proper warranty (Apple care).
In a word… Fuksake. I could just about accept having to pay £1750 for the machine, I’m not going more, that’s insane.
EDIT: I can get a used 2013 model off Ebay for £500. Pull the screen, stick in a ssd, max the ram… £650 max spend. Putting aside the obvious risks to 2nd hand, what’s the shelf life of a 2013 model?
(I feel like I’m going round in circles here!).
Assuming the process fo the new 2019 is the same as the older slim models, it’s easy enough. When I was set on a used machine I looked into it and even saw one done. Carefully does it but no real bother. I’ve been taking apart and upgrading iMacs (and iPhones*) since forever.
Problem is, on a new machine, it invalidates the warranty.
*My girls have iPhones and are forever breaking the screens.
You have to take off the glass display :)
Ya, you just use the separator tools, maybe a bit of heat and an awful lot of careful time and patience. A lifetime of working of delicate high end bikes with stupidly fragile parts has taught me over the years to have a good “feel” when it comes to these sorts of thing. Pulling the screen doesn’t bother me, it would be the invalidating of the warranty that rules it out.
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my next machine will be a hackintosh. building PCs is kind of fun and none of the new apple hardware turns me on.
although a mac mini + external thunderbolt PCI box is a close second.
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I second the SSD - currently using one for the first time - ridiculously fast!
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I know, my main iMac, MBP and MBA all have one.
Apple will switch CPU to one of their own designs. So I think a Hackintosh might not be useable in the long run… and I am curious about the upcoming modular concept…
if an imac with an intel processor continues to run macOS – then a hackintosh with the same processor should too, all other things being equal – of course there is no doubt that apple is always trying to make hackintosh users go away, so there are plenty of other possible apple changes that would render it useless.
but the bonus of a hackintosh is that it will always be usable in the long run, because it will run linux and windows very well. not everyone has a use for those things, but linux is my preferred development platform and my kids use windows for gaming. generic PC hardware is guaranteed to have a nice long life in my house.
that said i have three totally functional imacs in my house that have become practically useless as apple as EOL’d their year. this despite being newer than most of the other hardware i own. very frustrating.
judging by my own purchases, all-in-one desktop machines age very quickly. i won’t ever buy one again if i can help it.
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@steveb Dont forget to consider the Mac Mini - far more flexible and with the correct machine as powerful as you need
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