View Full Version : New MacBook and iMac -- Advice Please
My brother and I are planning to finally switch over to Mac. My brother is looking to purchase a black MacBook in the next few weeks for school (and to take advantage of the free iPod deal) and I figure since the new MacBooks have just been released it would be safe to purchase. I, on the other hand, am looking at the 20 inch iMac and have a few questions.
Should I wait until at least the Developers Conference in August or Mac World in January before purchasing? Being new to the Apple Universe I don't know if the iMacs (or all Macs for that matter) have some sort of normal product lifespan. The iMacs got the Intel upgrade at Mac World this past year and I don't know if I should expect a major iMac change this year. I know most of you here say if you can wait, then do so, I just don't want to wait forever here. Any information you can provide will help me out -- and anything I might not be thinking of as well. Thanks guys.
Hi and welcome!
http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/ should be of use - it details the average cycle before an update, and tells you how far into it the product is.
Update: It says you should buy only if you need and the iMac is approaching the end of a cycle. It might be best to wait until August.
Thanks for that site. Thats a pretty neat source of information. Looks like I'll wait till August at least.
Engine Joe
2006-06-06, 17:17
Thing is, now that we're on Intel chips instead of PPC, the macrumors buyer's guide is of questionable utility. We don't yet have an educated base on which to make educated guesses re: how often Apple will update their machines. Indeed, there will be competitive reasons to expect that updates will be more frequent now.
But we don't know. Take that link with a large grain of salt. You had to take it with a grain of salt before, anyway.
Good point re: the buyer's guide and the Intel timelines. What do you think the chances the new Core Duo 2 chips could be placed in MacBooks or iMacs -- or are they just going to target the Pro and new tower models?
defaultmike
2006-06-07, 01:05
iMacs should be updated soon, August would be a good guess. I'm still wondering why they haven't gotten the faster 2.16GHz chips in them...
Thing is, now that we're on Intel chips instead of PPC, the macrumors buyer's guide is of questionable utility. We don't yet have an educated base on which to make educated guesses re: how often Apple will update their machines. Indeed, there will be competitive reasons to expect that updates will be more frequent now.
But we don't know. Take that link with a large grain of salt. You had to take it with a grain of salt before, anyway.
In which case, waiting would be the best idea anyway. The iMacs are due for an update, I think the buyers guide is pretty clear on that. They've been inaccurate about the notebooks but I can't see any reason why Apple won't update their iMacs before August.
iMacs should be updated soon, August would be a good guess. I'm still wondering why they haven't gotten the faster 2.16GHz chips in them...
At a guess because they want a faster clock speed in the upper-end of the Pro line (MBP 15.4" 2.16 & 17" 2.16)? As and when Core 2 Duo comes out perhaps they'll put the 2.16GHZ Core Duo's in iMacs & Macbooks and bump the MBPs. Idle speculation, I love thee.
toyotaco01
2006-06-07, 02:37
Pardon my ignorance, and to continue with the speculation...
When we say the iMacs are due for an update probably in August, would that update me of the same Intel Duo core processor with a faster clock, or do you think they will put the Core 2 Duo in them by August? From what I've read, the Core 2 Duo will have a 4MB cache (2x larger than current) and 667FSB. I'm not sure what the FSB is on the current intel iMac, but the 4MB cache is certainly nice.
Also, since we're on the topic of the iMac, what do you think are the chances of seeing an update to the superdrive?
Again, please pardon my ignorance. I'm a current pc owner to be future Apple owner and am trying to learn what I can. Thanks!
So everyone seems to be in agreement that waiting until at least August would be the way to go. Like I said earlier, I am new the the Mac world though I have followed Mac World announcements the last two years and know that is a spring board for new products and updates. Is the Developers Conference the same type of thing or is it more of a "here's what we're working on" type deal? ie if no new iMac comes out after the Developers Conference, should I still wait for Mac World?
WWDC is focussed on software, but it occasionally has been the scene of hardware announcements as well. I would strongly expect the Intel Powermac to be launched then, if it hasn't been launched already.
As for the iMac and MacBook… who can say? Perhaps Apple will choose to roll out the Core 2 Duo to several machines at once, in which case it might happen at WWDC.
Pardon my ignorance, and to continue with the speculation...
When we say the iMacs are due for an update probably in August, would that update me of the same Intel Duo core processor with a faster clock, or do you think they will put the Core 2 Duo in them by August? From what I've read, the Core 2 Duo will have a 4MB cache (2x larger than current) and 667FSB. I'm not sure what the FSB is on the current intel iMac, but the 4MB cache is certainly nice.
Also, since we're on the topic of the iMac, what do you think are the chances of seeing an update to the superdrive?
Again, please pardon my ignorance. I'm a current pc owner to be future Apple owner and am trying to learn what I can. Thanks!
Nobody is ignorant when it comes to speculation, in my experience :) I think we can only wait and see with the processors: I don't know what the Intel roadmap for the Core Duo is after the Core 2 Duo is released, but if that will significantly dent the clock speed bumps they can make with the Core Duo I would imagine they will switch. If the Core Duo line is going to be viable for a steady stream of bumps over a few years then I would imagine they will keep that and use Core 2 Duo in their Pro portables.
Dno, though. Will be interesting. Re: Superdrive, I can see that happening fo' sho'.
vBulletin® v3.6.4, Copyright ©2000-2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.