No reason why it can't be both:
Yeah, that's literally what I'm saying: It looks ****.
Exactly. Apple products literally in the museum of modern art.
I'm kinda with you... My problem is right NOW there's no clear alternative to a 27" inch Imac. I really want an Apple Silicon desktop but I'm completely turned off by the stupid color scheme/white bezels of the 24" imac (and I don't want to go down in screen real estate). I know the Mac Studio is way more than I need but there's no clear alternative to the 2020 Intel Imac now... I'm still inclined to keep my base Studio order (even though I know it's more than I need) as I plan on keeping this thing for 5-7 years.
If they released a 27" iMac in a few months there would be a lot of very angry customers who paid way too much for this combo, which is likely more than they'll ever need. I may end up buying this, but would be very upset if a 27" iMac came out for under 3k in the near future, or a Mac Mini came out with a new processor that made it somewhat comparable to the Studio for most users needs for half the price. I don't want to keep waiting but very confused what to get with their current lineup.
I
1000% this... They've put a lot of us in a funky spot... I think they will update the Mac Mini this year but I don't know how much...
There’ll be a new Mac Mini, probably with the same form factor, with an M2 chip and probably configurable with up to 32GB RAM by Spring 2023 at the latest. Such a Mac Mini (512GB SSD and 32GB RAM) would likely cost £1499 based on current upgrade costing across models. The entry level Mac Studio with M1 Max is £1999 and will likely be a chunk faster than the M2 in multi core stuff but slower in single thread stuff. I doubt you’re going to regret getting a Mac Studio now if such an M2 comes out in 6-12 months.
If the next Mac mini matches the current prices with a newer processor, such as an M2 or whatever they are going to call it, it's quite likely that for all practical purposes most entry to semi-pro users who aren't doing intensive video or graphics work won't be able to tell any difference in performance between that and the Mac Studio M1-Max. Many won't even be able to tell the difference between the current Mac mini and the Studio, but I imagine the next one would narrow the gap even more. Someone on a budget could pair that with a nice 4k 27 or 32 inch monitor and get a very nice setup for around $1200-1500. Now combine the new mini internals with a studio display and you have a iMac 27" for around $2500-2800. Both would be great options that people like me would jump on in a heartbeat, instead of sitting here scratching my head on whether I should wait for a computer I don't even know will exist, or overspend on something that's overkill for me right now, or buy a 2 year old Mac mini that may be replaced any day now, or possibly 6+ months from now.
Based on their current pricing, an M2 Mac Mini with 32GB RAM and a 512GB SSD would likely end up being $1499. You're not going to be getting a 'very nice' setup with 32GB of RAM and a monitor included for $1200. If you don't need 32GB of RAM then there's no reason not to go for the current $1099 Mac Mini model with 16GB. The 'premium' for going for a Mac Studio entry level model over such a hypothetical Mac Mini model would be $500. If you need something now, then just get a Mac Studio and sell it if/when an M2 Mac Mini comes out. Your cost of ownership over 6-12 months in terms of depreciation would probably be something like $300 at most. I'd be absolutely shocked if the Mac Studio is replaced with a new model *before* the Mac Mini gets an update, so at that point you'd still have a 'current' model.
