Thinking of a new iMac

[Alanw]

I currently have an 8 year old 20" IMac which is getting a bit tired. Recently upgraded to Yosemite, but seems very slow with beachballs galore. Done the usual housekeeping, uninstalled unused applications etc. etc. Well, I think I will bite the bullet and go for a new 27" iMac with 3.2GHz. I want to obviously migrate all my present files and applications and my question is twofold.
a) Having never restored anything using Time Machine (It's up to date ), what would I have to do once I set up the new machine?
b) Does Time Machine back up non Apple apps? For example, I have Adobe Lightroom loaded. Would I have to reload the software or would that happen with Time Machine? I don't have the discs for LR as I purchased it and some other Apps online. It would be a pain if I had to download again as our broadband here is pretty slow.
I would appreciate any help and advice.

Alan

 

[ryeh20]

I went through the exact same process, model for model. Get the 27" Retina display it is worth the extra dollars. My units starts up in 12 seconds ready to use, and the speed from there on is just as fast.
As far as the transition, Migration Assistant will walk you through everything. The best part is the new unit comes with Apple Care and an expert is a phone call away to help you start to finish.
Enjoy the upgrade, you are going to love it!

P.S.
The setup assistant that first boots up will also transfer your data from one machine to the other. As for the non-Apple stuff, that is where the Apple Care team may help, or one of the experienced people here.

 

[Zurfyvision]

I recently went through this myself. I purchased a new 13" MBPr. It was so easy to just use Time Machine to transfer everything over. Time Machine backups everything. You can choose to restore it all or parts of it.

If you are purchasing from an Apple store, they will offer to help you setup your new Mac, including transferring files and apps from your old machine. If not, the Migration Assistant is very intuitive.

Congrats on your new future Mac!

 

[Alanw]

Thanks Guys. It sounds like it's not going to be as difficult as I thought.