I am shortly going to upgrade to an iMac and dump the old PC (Yay - finally). However, it seems that with the latest iMac update, many people seem to be ignoring one of the major costs that everyone will face by upgrading now versus early next year.

It's called Leopard and iLife. If you buy now you effectively lose money because Apple always makes you pay for an OS upgrade. Instead, you can wait for an iMac with the new apps preinstalled. Add to that a new version of iWork - another useful app - and it just doesn't seem to be a wise financial move. The price tradeoff between a computer now versus the extras available in about 6 months don't seem to justify the purchase - in my opinion anyway - though who knows what the software upgrade prices will be?

Additionally, as much as I would like to buy the 24" iMac, I can only justify the expense of the 20". However, the graphics card is crap and hasn't been updated in line with the rest of the system. It's obvious that Apple are going to change the graphics system (as evidenced by the 24"). It makes sense to wait for the app ugrades and not buy until the graphics card spec is increased so that you can be sure to take advantage of their requirements. Not to mention that the 2.33GHz chip will become standard as soon as production ramps up.

As always, the trouble with computer purchases is this - Where in the production cycle do you take the plunge so that you maximise the value of your hard earned dollars? At the moment, if you've got the flexibility, waiting another 6 months seems better then paying now.

Then again, I might win Lotto next week and can give into those consumerist impulses )

Anyway, Let the opinions commence. . .

Leopard is still a while away (more than 6 months), granted, iLife '07 will probably be out early Jan at MacWorld SF '07. It's not like the computer you'll buy now will stop working when new ones come out :P

If you can hold off, may as well I guess, but if you need a new computer, now is a great time to buy

So many problems with your assumptions -

1) Apple does not make you pay, and you certainly don't lose money. You already have extremely advanced versions of iLife and OS X running on the iMacs currently available.

2) The differences between Tiger and Leopard and iLife 06 and iLife 07 may be novel, but unless there's a particular feature that is make or break for you (and there rarely are between any two susequent versions) then you're really not going to have any different an experience or use any different functionality on one that you wouldn't have on the other.

3) The depreciation of the computer and its useful value to you over the next (at least three) months before you can get your hands on Leopard or iLife 07 more than amortizes any 'financial loss' you would suffer at having to pay for the apps when they become available separately.

4) The price of hardware is always in a downward spiral, but there are points in their cycles when they are overpriced for a time. This is not one of them. All of the iMacs are extremely competitively priced (I remember when a 17 inch iMac G4 used to cost over $3k). You're getting extremely good value on all of the models, and though that will improve over time, it will only do so marginally, and not a rate at which your current investment would outweigh its useful value to you over the time it would've taken to wait for a newer, cheaper model.

5) You're going to get an extrenely marginal performance gain going from 2.16 to 2.33. By the time 'production' ramps up, they'll be looking at th next gen chips too (perhaps even Quad Core) - and at the rate intel is going, it's likely they won't upgrade the processors until the new chips come out, as they did with Core 1.

6) Although the 24 inch has a superior graphics card unless you really are playing high demanding games, it's real world difference to you is going to be minimal - and it certainly won't stop you from playing those games (or doing anything else), you'll simply have a performance hit. Get the 256MB x1600 at the very least if it's that important. Otherwise, perhaps a Mac is not for you - a kitted out beige box for gaming might be a better choice.

I'm even thinking of getting a Core 1 iMac right now as they clear them out, given the marginal difference between the two and the slight savings gained.

Bottom line - you shouldn't think of a computer as an investment - it loses value the moment you hand over the cash. And the longer you wait for one, the less useful time you're getting with it. In short - if you need it now, buy it now. If not, then stop torturing yourself waiting, think about something else, and consider again when you do need it.

hear hear!

I knew of the consequences of getting a powerbook g4 in june last year, with the newer intel versions coming out within 12 months after that. but I needed to get a new laptop, and fast for the job/tasks I have at hand.

Beauty about macs, is that they seem to perform the same the day you pull it out of the box, 12 months later!

Granted there's major differences with a cpu that is around 1-3 years old to the current chipsets. At the end of the day if it does the task at hand nicely? and it'll never progress to anything more demanding as such? then your laughing.

but again I could be wrong :P

As you mentioned there needs to be a point where you catch up. Whilst my original 1 ghz 17" powerbook is not useless. I have been holding off for about six months. I do want USB 2 and a much bigger harddrive, so now seems about the right time for me. I could be waithing forever as there is always something around the corner (the next six months). I did manage to hold out for the 64 bit chip. I am also waiting to upgrade from a 3rd Gen ipod, There always seems to be some reason to hold off there to. As you say Lotto wins would help.

Buy it now.. you won't regret it. They are a beautiful machine. Why wait.. when you can enjoy MAC now?


And ozimac is spot on with his/ her points.. in particular point 6.

there is a lot of truth in the words in the above posts, i have a late model 15"PB and a new 17"MBP, to be perfectly honest for most of the tasks i perform on them i cant tell the difference! we all get so sucked into to thinking newer and faster is better but for the average user the impact is marginal.

it is why i find it so amusing that people hold of from buying a perfectly good computer for their needs - in case an even better one comes along.

If you want the computer, buy it now.

If you wait for leopard to come out, by that time there will be another feature that you want to wait for, and then another... You'll never get your new computer.

Is six or more months of the joy of having a new computer worth less to you than that cost of the upgrade ($199?) when it becomes available?

I know what I would choose.

Cheers,

Likkie.

Extremely well put Likkie - what a superb 10th post.

Where have you been all this time?

I agree with the above posts. Buy now.

I switched from PC to mac in February this year and bought a 17" imac. Yea, I paid more for it than the current price, but the productivity and enjoyment I have had since that time far outweighs the extra couple of hundred bucks! You need a computer so just do it.

Just do it, mate, yo won't regret it!!

Cheers
Hollyfish.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(OziMac @ Sep 22 2006, 09:54 AM) [snapback]216847[/snapback]</div>Why thank you

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(OziMac @ Sep 22 2006, 09:54 AM) [snapback]216847[/snapback]</div>Well if I wasn't sleeping, I was probably buying a new computer (That's the on topic bit)

Cheers,

Likkie

6 months = .75% of your life mate.
(maybe even 1% if you spend it on windows )

Wasting .001% of my morning on windows makes feel a little ill.

Buy Now and enjoy

I'm wanting to upgrade to a 24" iMac but I think I'll be waiting, not for Leopard though. When iTV is launched Apple will need to at least officially support 802.11a or offer some pre-802.11n flavour.

I think it's worth holding out for 11n

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MightyAtom @ Sep 22 2006, 12:35 PM) [snapback]216919[/snapback]</div>We can all wait for better options.... but ilifes to short... *boom tish*

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MightyAtom @ Sep 22 2006, 12:35 PM) [snapback]216919[/snapback]</div>Maybe your prayers have been answered. Check out this article at TUAW.

Cheers,

Likkie.