2012 iMac VESA mounting?

Good question

I'm wondering the exact same thing. I have my early 2009 iMac mounted on a VESA arm, and I'd love to do the same thing with the new iMac. Guess we'll have to wait until people get their hands on them.

VESA Mount NOT compatible with late 2012 iMac

The tiny print under compatibility on the apple VESA mount page confirms that the new 2012 iMac is not compatible.

http://store.apple.com/us/product/M...imac-andled-cinemaor-applethunderbolt-display

waiting for a year no f'n vesa are you kidding me! they WILL make one right? the stand, the back look the same.

oh yeah bought the arms already. double (

check this out guys:

hi all,

so the backs ARE NOT the same at all. FYI- the "stand" or please give me another word for it is at least 70% thinner than the old iMac.. plus not even sure the 27 inch one will be removable - the 20 inch stand imac is NOT removable, nor was it last one apple told me..

BUT I FOUND THIS:

http://www.ergomart.com/LCD-LED-mounts-accessories/iMac-VESA-Adapter.htm

it's not sexy but it might work

They should. iMacs have been using the exact same arm for 8 years.

BitterCreek said:

They should. iMacs have been using the exact same arm for 8 years.

Image

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Look more closely. They're clearly not the same arm.

BitterCreek said:

They should. iMacs have been using the exact same arm for 8 years.

Image

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I still love that 2002 iMac. Truly innovative and beautiful.

100% not the same arm as previous years

FYI they are NOT the same arm. i saw them side by side in the Apple store today. The new arm is at least 30% thinner - possibly even 50% where it " enters" the back of the mac, thus the "hole" is smaller as well. The Apple store guys said they are certainly not the same. sorry to nerd out on this one!

never thought i'd be talking about mac's holes before

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http://www.imacmount.com/imac-vesa-adapter.html

looking at the tear down of the 21.5 you can clearly see the screws just above the vent were the stand attaches, do you think the 27" will come off?

VESA Mounting - 27"

I have chatted four times with Apple Specialists through the online Store. One said, they did not know, another said yes and a third said to wait and see and the fourth was clueless.

No reviews have revealed if the 27" can be mounted. No pictures show the 27" tilted forward to expose the hinge mechanism.

I plan to hit an Apple Store this week to see for myself.

If Apple chose form over function and eliminated the feature from the 27", I guess I will look toward the speedy little Mac mini - I have been setting one up and using one for two weeks for a friend, it's much faster than my Early 2011 MBP, it even plays Guild Wars 2 better.

I will post again after my visit.

I talked to the editor of cnet and they have a 27" in their office. He tried the card trick on the back to expose the screws and he said it would NOT work. read my exchange. WTF

https://twitter.com/richbcnet/status/275646541019115520

Theories on why mount incompatible and options

I too had been planning to arm mount my new 27" 2012 iMac after having my 2007 24" sitting on a dictionary for years and not being able to adjust it for various members of our family. Once I saw the fine print added to the VESA bracket's page on the Apple Store, I started looking for alternatives. One was as noted above at Ergomart, and another can be found at imacmount.com. Theoretically, either approach could be a solution for the 27", but the manufacturers will need to wait to get measurements of the 2012's leg. I emailed the guy who runs imacmount and he seemed interested in providing a model that would work once he has access to one to test out.

As to why the 2012's can't use the Apple bracket I have a few theories (and it may be a combination of the issues), which I am sure fellow forum users can debate. See the photo at AnandTech for reference:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6402/up-close-with-the-new-27inch-imacs-user-serviceable-memory-panel

1. I think the back of the new iMacs have a compound curve on the back, so the VESA bracket would not have a flat surface for its top and bottom parts to rest against.
2. Having the access plate for the RAM on the back might weaken that area of the case and make it less suitable for the bracket to rest against.
3. The bracket seemed to bisect the vent on the previous generation of iMacs and maybe Apple decided they didn't want (or couldn't allow) airflow to be restricted. (Actually, on the older iMacs this may have been an intake, as those Macs still had a slit at the top for venting, right? Can any 2011 owners confirm this?)
4. The volume required for the release mechanism might be too large in this new thin form factor.
5. The thickness of the aluminum case might have been reduced in the 2012's, again reducing strength for alternate mounting. (Did you notice they weight 20 lbs. instead of 30 now?)

Let's hope they just will be coming out with a different kind of bracket, but I think the chances are as slim as the edge of one of these machines...

--JV

Oh man... that's no good news!!!

If I have to saw off that damn kickstand and weld my iMac to an arm mount, I will. I'm not going to be told how to use my own computer.

Clocknova said:

If I have to saw off that damn kickstand and weld my iMac to an arm mount, I will. I'm not going to be told how to use my own computer.

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More power to you just don't expect Apple to honor your warranty.

The stand is removable, it's just a matter of how. Will it require a full dissassembly or will the external removal still exist. I can see a business model where you could send your new iMac in to some company and have a VESA plate installed if a full teardown is required. iFixit, are you listening?

chukronos said:

I still love that 2002 iMac. Truly innovative and beautiful.

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Funny you mentioned! I just bought an mint condition 17" 1.25Ghz model. (last/best model ever made). I order 2GB of RAM from OWC.

It's on it's way (ebay). The iMac was $150 dollars (inc. $80 international shipping). Ram was another $60.

It's just for fun!

I have one of these machines (lower specs) up until 2 years ago. I was the original owner. I want one back again. I just want one around, I guess.

Any news on the VESA mount for the 2012 iMac?

Hopefully it is applicable to the 27" model.

Hexley said:

Any news on the VESA mount for the 2012 iMac?

Hopefully it is applicable to the 27" model.

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I was on the phone with Apple customer support 4 days ago for another issue, and I asked about VESA mounting the new 27" iMac. She wasn't able to find any new information, so the answer was still "don't know".

Received 2012 iMac 27 inch today and tried.....

I tried to unhook the stand from the 27 inch but NO LUCK. I did it for my wife on her old iMac without any problems. Let me know what anyone finds.

jantevy said:

I tried to unhook the stand from the 27 inch but NO LUCK. I did it for my wife on her old iMac without any problems. Let me know what anyone finds.

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Keep watching this site:

http://www.imacmount.com/

Might end up being only solution for 27" now, the way it used to be for all the smaller screen iMacs.

JVo said:

Keep watching this site:

http://www.imacmount.com/

Might end up being only solution for 27" now, the way it used to be for all the smaller screen iMacs.

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Plus you get a nifty shelf directly below your screen.

You could use the shelf as a clipboard

According to this teardown, which seems to be the very first of a 27" iMac, there is no standard VESA mounting and to remove the stand you have to take the whole thing apart.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1507713/

It would mean that it's possible, but would require a custom bracket, which seems like a waste of money and a PITA. I am not sure what Apple were thinking here, but it looks like another example of form over function.