Should I Buy a New iMac

I was wondering if I need to upgrade my Mac to a newer model. I have an early 2006 iMac 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo 2GB of Ram its the 17 inch model. I have OSX 10.6.8 installed on a 250GB HDD. I was looking at the new Macs and none of them have a SuperDrive thats is one of the biggest downsides I see ( and I am looking for a Desktop not a MBP, a Mac Mini might work). But recently my Mac has been sluggish opening simple apllications such as Chrome, iTunes, iPhoto and some others. I dont do much on the machine because I really cant. I cant update to Mavericks or even Lion and I am stuck with 2GB of RAM, most of the AppStore apps need 10.7 or newer or a 64bit processer, Snow Leoprard is almost 5 years old now and Apple will probably end support soon if its not already there. I have an iPhone 5s and I fear in the coming years or months I will update the iOS on it and it will no longer work with my computer. I see the Beachball every so often and opening apps is getting slower with every update to the different progams specially Google Chrome and iTunes, prettiy much all I use the Mac for now is those two programs, I would like to do more. the Microphone is dead so I cant video chat if i wanted to. should I just upgrade to a Mac mini or stick it out untill it dies. I have a Windows 8 laptop but iTunes chashes randonly so I cant sync my iPod Classic or iPhone to it smetimes it wont open at all I tried running it in compadibility mode with Windows 7 and XP but the Store wont work. It was cheap anyway its a Pentium HP laptop it about a Year old,

Mac Minis do not have a optical CD/DVD drive anymore, either. So, with a brand new iMac or Mini, you would still need to purchase an external optical drive, if you need one.
With a Mac Mini, you would,also, need to purchase an external monitor. iMac is an all in one computer.
The Mac Mini uses integrated Graphics processing that is integrated with the CPU.
iMacs have discrete graphics processor chip. Discrete GPUs are better.
The new base model 21 inch screen iMacs are completely sealed up. So, you have to order everything you think you need for the future at the time of initial purchase. You can't upgrade anything later. So, with the 21 inch screen iMac models, you would need to, al least get the full 16 GBs of RAM up frontm at time of purchase.
The 21 inch screen iMacs are like a sealed up computing appliance, now.
The 21 inch screen iMacs use slower 5400 RPM hard drives.
The Mac Mini uses the same 5400 RPM drives, too!
Tthe 27 inch screen iMacs still have desktop speed 7200 RPM drives and still have user upgradeable RAM that can be expended to 32 GBs of RAM.
The Mini has user upgradable RAM up to 16 GBs of RAM.
Both iMac and Mac Mini have the option for using internal Fusion Drive (SSD/standard hard drive combo ) storage units.
Whether you purchase an iMac or Mac Mini, get the fastest CPU you can afford.
For both the Mac Mini and 21 inch screen iMacs, I would go for the quad-core i7 CPUs. They are the fastest CPU available for these Mac models.
Here links to both for comparison.
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/mac-mini
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/imac

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DVD drive problems : should I buy the new iMac ?

Hello, being new to these discussions, I don't know if this question was answered before.
My last iMac's DVD drive stopped working after 3 years use. And from reading the discussions, this problem seemed quite common.
But 3 years is not bad, considering the posts talking about the DVD drive not working on NEW iMacs.
Does anybody know if Apple is going to do something about this soon ? My computer is a working tool, and I cannot spend time or money on repairs all the time.
Thank you.
A Mac user since 1985

+"Well, since nobody has an answer, I suppose I will wait until I no longer see the DVD drive problems on the discussions."+
That might be a while. I bought my iMac Oct. 15 and the DVD drive is already not responding. Backing up files, I had burned 2 DVDs from the same package, Toast says this one is a CD-RW and unwritable, and makes a noise like it's trying to eject it but nothing happens. Disk utility says the DVD drive is empty and nothing shows up in the Finder. Using Terminal (drutil eject) and starting up with the mouse button held down makes the same noise as trying to eject it in Toast, with the same results - nothing.
Still trying to find the receipt to take it back & get it repaired. I sure miss the hole for the paper clip.

Should I buy the new imac or?

My lease has expired on my G4 Dual 1.25 ghz, 1MB SDRAM and (2) 180GB harddrives and multiple LaCie external Firewire drives and 20" display. I primarily use Final Cut Pro, Motion, Live Type and DVD studio Pro and have not had many issues regarding RT processing and speed. But it is time to upgrade. Would I be well served going to a maxed out imac 20" core duo' 2MB SDRAM, 256MB Vram, 500GB hard Drive or go to a G5 tower and spend a lot more money? I am thinking I would see a substantial improvement over what I am using now with the souped up imac. Any thoughts? Thanks.

Allegedly, Universal versions of the software you're using (at least the Apple apps like Final Cut Pro) are due out in March, but if you're not sure you can wait that long, you might want to go ahead with the G5 tower; I'm thinking they won't switch the towers to Intel until they have relatively bug-free versions of the Pro products out there, and possibly not till Adobe gets off their posterior and gets out new Universal versions of their software (I'm a little ticked off at Adobe right now, can't you tell?), meaning probably not till Q3 perhaps.
Or can you extend your lease on the G4 for another 6 months, to see what's happening with the Universal update on your software?

Hi, I am going to buy a new iMac desktop. I am going for the 3.4GHz Quad-Core Intel i7, 16 GB RAM and 2TB ATA Drive. I want to know whether I should go for the dual drives option i.e including the 256 GB SSD. I do a lot of 'heavy' media work. Brian

Hi, I am going to buy a new iMac desktop. I am going for the 3.4GHz Quad-Core Intel i7, 16 GB RAM and 2TB ATA Drive. I want to know whether I should go for the dual drives option i.e including the 256 GB SSD. I do a lot of 'heavy' media work.

by looking at the specs the laptop is better but if your not a gamer or graphics designer then you most likly wont notice a difference in the performance at all so with that said a few downsides
the processor is i5 the i7 processor is the better processor the graphics card has half the dedicated memory that the laptop has and the hdd compared to the solid state is not much of a difference unless you wanna move your computer all the time you wont need a solid state drive
but like i said before if your not a gamer or graphics designer on your computer you will not notice the difference most likely

Ok, so i bought a imac 27 about 4 months ago, and now they release a new one! ****... So my question is, should I sell this one (which by the way is the i5 2.8 with 1 gb 5750 and 4gb ram) and buy the new imac 27 i5,or keep the one i have and buy more ram

ok, so i bought a imac 27 about 4 months ago, and now they release a new one! ****... So my question is, should I sell this one (which by the way is the i5 2.8 with 1 gb 5750 and 4gb ram) and buy the new imac 27 i5,or keep the one i have and buy more ram. I mostly use my computer for photoshop cs5 and illustrator cs5 for graphics out put as well as surfing the web and music.
Please give me you thoughts on what I should do!! Thanks lot!

The new iMac is about 25% or so faster than your current iMac(comparable model would be the 3.1ghz version). There are a couple of things that you will benefit from such as the dual Thunderbolt/Mini Display ports/ which may help with multitasking. The video card in the new iMac again the comparable model being the 3.1ghz is a lotttttttt better than the current one that you have. So thinking of the long run those few things may be beneficial for you to upgrade(but it depends on what is important to you).
I had the 2.93ghz i7 version that I just bought in March this year and I turned around and sold it about a week before the new iMac's were announced. I got about $1600 for it, yeah I took a loss but to me it was worth it because my new iMac performs that much better. Now keep in mind I went from i7 to i7...3.4ghz i7 with the 2gb video card. Now I have dual thuderbolt/mini display ports. I have noticed significant gains in my video editing and also in my gaming. So to me it was definitely worth the upgrade!
One last thing, I would not have sold my 2.93 i7 and then bought the 3.1ghz i5, the big reason is because HT(hyper threading), it's only on the i7 model(3.4ghz)... If you take a look at some of the bench marks on engadget, maclife, macrumors, macworld, ****Barefeats.com(they really get into benchmarking)*** you will see charts that will help you make a better decision.
In closing I would say look into it, if you can get a good price out of your current iMac to put toward a new iMac then do it. Like others have mentioned to you, tech changes and Apple will change the tech in these machines next year or do a speed bump later this year or so. One last thing if you go from the 2.8 i5 up to the 3.4 i7, you would definitely see the difference (HT is a must especially for programs that utilize it. You can go to my youtube channel(mob1278) and take a look at my geekbench results.... my 2.93 i7 scored around 10500-11000(8gb ram)...my 3.4 i7 scores from 12700-13000 with 4gb ram....so yeah as you can see big difference. Basically the 3.4 i7 would perform similar or just under a 2.4ghz 8core 2010 Mac Pro which runs you about $3500 with no monitor.... it's your money spend it how you want....and Lion is only going to push it even more when it is released!

I am looking to buy a new iMac....help please.

I am looking to buy a new iMac, and I started a search on Craigslist for fun, and it seems as if some people have some really good deals on the model mb325ll/a. It is the 2.8 ghz version with 2 gigs of ram and a 320gb hard drive.
This is not a model sold in the Apple Retail store, so I am a little hesitant, but the guy said it is the business model. Is this true?
What kind of warranty would it come with if I am an individual user and not a business? Do I miss out on anything? Please give any advice you may have. Thanks.

There is no such thing as a "business" Mac, versus one for an individual consumers. You should look at this list, and find your model and complete specifications.
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/index-imac.html
Based on the information you provided, it sounds like this one
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/stats/imac-core-2-duo-2.8-24-inch-alu minum-early-2008-penryn-specs.html
which is last year's (early 2008) model, not the current model (early 2009).
If it is being sold as used, the standard warranty is in effect for one year after its original sale. If it is being sold as new, the standard warranty is for one year. You can check the warranty status using the iMac's serial number.
You can also compare the price to the same iMac model on Apple's +Special Deals+ (refurb) page. It happens to be available currently as a refurb, if this is the same model.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB325LL/A?mco=MjE0NDk5Mw
Apple certified refurbished Macs have the same warranty as new. From my experience, they look and operate like new.

Buying a new iMac - can you use an external SSD drive as boot drive?

Here is the question: Can you attach an external SSD and use that as your boot drive accompanying an iMac? This way all the Apple warranties stay valid but I am not saddled with the expense of the Apple installed SSD price?
Now for some background ...
I am looking to buy a new iMac replacing my loved but woefully underpowered Mac Mini. In a perfect world I would like the following set-up based on how today's iMacs can be configured:
Processor: 3.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
Memory: 16GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 4x4GB
Hard Drive: 1TB Serial ATA Drive + 256GB Solid State Drive
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2GB GDDR5
Optical Drive: 8x double-layer SuperDrive
The problem is I'd rather not spend $3200+. I would imagine most people plug something similar in and then begin to ID must vs. nice to haves. So, here are my must haves:
Memory: Minimum 16GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 4x4GB (I was thinking of starting with minimum and then purchase the right RAM and installing myself)
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 1GB
Hard Drive: 256GB Solid State Drive
I like to work the graphics side and have a media library of almost 1TB (uploading, downloading, converting, editing, etc.). With my existing setup I have 3+TB of external storage but again, am suffering massively in the horsepower department as it takes hours for me to do what I believe a new iMac can help me accomplish in a fraction of that time. This is not my profession so while I looked at the towers I still need this computer to serve as a family computer as well. Appreciate your thoughts and feedback.
Cheers,
-Jim

Ok this is great as we are progressing through.
So yes it can be done but there's the caveat of the "pipes" once you go external. The only option for an external SSD Drive with thunderbolt that I know of is LaCie's 240 GB version ... Priced at $800.
I think what I will need to do is suck it up. The new MacBooks have the core technology I'd like but we really want the larger screen.
Last question - should I wait/when might we expect an updated line of iMacs? In a few months or not for a while? That answer may provide some direction if it is anticipated to be sooner vs later.
Thank you!

"Error code 0xc000035a Attempting to load a 64-bit application, however this cpu is not compatible with 64-bit mode" when I load Windows 7 [64bit] on an older iMac(with Parallels 6)? Any solutions that don't mean buying a new iMac?

"Error code 0xc000035a Attempting to load a 64-bit application, however this cpu is not compatible with 64-bit mode"
when I load Windows 7 [64bit] on an older iMac(with Parallels 6)? Any solutions that don't mean buying a new iMac?

You should probably post your question on the Parallels forums: http://forums.parallels.com

Will Apple discount Leopard if I buy a new iMac today??

I think with the delay of Leopard, Apple should offer some incentive for people to get off the fence that want to buy an iMac. We know that the release date for Leopard will be sometime in October. So, why would I buy an iMac today, then spend the $125-$200 price to upgrade?
Anybody have any idea how this will work? Apple store telling me I'd have to pay full price, which I think is BS.

I'm in the same boat as you, just ready to buy a new iMac but pondering waiting for Leopard. In one of these forums somewhere, though, earlier this week I read a post that made a lot of sense to me. I really don't want to have Leopard ".0" version. Historically, the first major releases have had quite a few glitches and gotchas, and who knows how third-party software compatibility will be at first.
I think I'd be much happier running the now very mature 10.4.10 for a while and let braver souls work with the initial Leopard releases. So my plan is now to go ahead and buy a 24" iMac, perhaps as early as today. And then, when I need to, I'll upgrade to Leopard once it's mature. I just want to use the apps, not experiment with them.
Good luck with your decision.

Shall I buy a new imac sometime?

I have one of the 2006 imac's that had a problem with the vertical. That is fixed now and I am minus 600 dollars. But at least it works.
Because of the new Mountain Lion operating system and because the Tiger I have on this one will not take the newer browsers and newer software, I am considering at some point getting a new iMac. But I was wondering if Apple has made the screens on the new 2012 iMac's so they do not have that problem with the screens.

Keeps coming up, those vertical lines. One more problem Apple have failed to solve.
I think you should wait before buying the new iMac. In fact if you must have a new machine i would advise buying the recent one or at least let the new one bed down and prove itself via the experience of others.
Even Mountain Lion has not received general plaudits, it has almost a resigned acceptance. Wait and see, Gloria.

I copied all of my CD's onto my iMac's hard drive. Now I'd like to buy a new iMac and am wondering how to transfer the music I have loaded on my iMac from CD's on to my new computer w/o going through the process of loading them into my iTunes Library.

I have copied all of my CD's, probably over 100, on to my iMac, through iTunes and now am considering buying a new iMac. Would like to be able to transfer what's in my music library w/o having to recopy all of the CD's. Any thoughts? Can I do it throught the iCloud or do I need to buy and external storage device?
Thanks Brenda

When you buy your new iMac you will be able to have the installation process transfer all your applications, data (including music, pictures, documents, etc) and settings to your new computer. In the past that was done via Firewire. I'm not entirely sure of the process with the new iMacs that don't have firewire. I think it can be done via ethernet and probably via tha thunderbolt cord using a firewire adapter but you'll want to check that out.
    With the your new computer properly connected to your old computer, the initial booting of the new computer will include the ability to move everything over.
    If for some reason you don't want to do that (smart if you have some horrible software issue that is causing problems) you can connect your old computer to the new one and start it in Target Disk mode where it will be seen as a hard drive. You can then manually copy over all your music and import that into iTunes (and any other data you want).
    Somebody here will surely point you to directions for connecting an older iMac with no Thunderbolt to a newer iMac with no Firewire.

If i have a macbook pro from 2008 should i buy a new apple laptop?

I need help should i buy a new laptop or should i just stick with my apple macbook from 2008?

if you're happy with your Mac, and it's running like it should, keep using it.
On the other hand, the new Mac OS X Mavericks is due out sometime this fall. If you're thinking of a new Mac you may want to wait until you can purchase one with Mavericks pre installed.
Apple - OS X Mavericks - Do even more with new apps and features.

Should I buy the new MacBook Air or a MacBook Pro

Should I buy the new MacBook Air or the MacBook Pro?

it really depends what you are going to be doing, if you are going to be video editing and doing intensive stuff the Macbook Pro.
if you are going to be just browsing the web and doing lite video editing and not that intensive stuff than you should go with the Macbook Air.
Also if you want a cheaper computer than you should get the Macbook Air. By cheap, I mean less expensive.

I bought my first iMac 27" i5 in November 2011 last year. Do you think there would be a update that will Features a Retina Display, Siri etc ?? So my iMac will be the same as the new one that will be released this year, Or will I have to buy a new iMac t

I bought my first iMac 27" i5 in November 2011 last year.
Do you think there would be a update that will Features a Retina Display, Siri etc ??
So my iMac will be the same as the new one that will be released this year,
Or will I have to buy a new iMac to get all these new updates ??
It would be a shame if I did because my iMac is only 6months old if that ..
Kind regards Simon Trott Apple user and proud of it

We're not allowed to speculate on future or rumoured Apple products, but we all know there'll always be newer tech coming along.
The iMac you have is an excellent machine, be happy with it and get a good few years use out of it. By the time your machine is slowing down, whatever comes next will have been updated numerous times.
I had the 2011 i5 27" delivered about 3 weeks ago. It's a cracking machine

When should I buy a new battery?

I've had my macbook for 8 months, I'm just wondering when should I buy a new battery?
The cycle count is 310, and checking System Profiler, the battery full charge is 5143.
Should I buy a new battery in a now, or should I not worry about buying a new battery, because I heard 310 cycles was a lot.

The question really isn't how many cycles your battery has, it is how long your full charge is lasting on a calibrated battery. If you've calibrated your battery within the last 60 days and you are getting less than 2 to 2 1/2 hours on a full charge then it is time to get a new battery. If you are getting 3 to 3 1/2 hours you are fine, regardless of your cycles. If you are in between decide if the $125 or so is well spent to get 4 hours or so.

Should I Buy a New iMac

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