Good point...I have tried to find one since January but my usual retailers do not have any.H20nly wrote:hey Pasha one last thought... you sound as though you're thinking this iMac thing through pretty heavy;
the model i have is the mid 2011 i5. looking at the specs of the 2013 (which is an education only model)... i see that it has only a 5400 rpm drive and is missing a lot of the previously included features like the 2012 and the 2011 models that have 7200 rpm drives. you can still find those available through resellers. mine was brand new out of the box in September. the mid 2011 models have firewire, thunderbolt and an optical drive (CD/DVD), plus a SATA connector that will power an SSD expansion (the 2012/13 models don't seem to support this)
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/i ... -imac.html
the new iMacs seem to be doing the "Apple says you don't need that any more" thing... but like i mentioned... the slightly older ones are still on the market, in the box, with unused parts... just an older (and arguably better) design. it's something to think about... you can't get one from the Apple store, but you can still get one... and you can always get Apple care up to 90 days after the purchase.
Moreover no refurbished.. this means that people are not buying the new ones..and for a good reason.
In the end I can have a very solid machine if I say goodbye to iMac and switch to Mac Mini. I can have a stock i7 Quad at 2.3Ghz and fill the mini with one of the beefy options (FD or SSD) and add some external fast solution (smaller SSD or USB 3 drive at 7200 RPM) for the rest. This without breaking the bank. I like the all in one concept but Apple is pushing me away..I can revert to a 27" stock iMac 2.9 i5 and 1TB 7200 RPM Drive, maybe with a kind of partial financing. That is still a possibility, albeit costly.
Thanks again for all the good suggestions! Now I have so many inputs that will sure help my decision.
Best
Pasha