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Apple Discontinues 27-Inch iMac
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I sure hope you're right. My late 2013 27" has served me well, and I'm not at all fond of the current replacement options.
There are a fair number of current 27" iMac customers that refuse to be "forced' into anything. I am among that group. While there are a lot of people within the Apple community that believe the world revolves around Apple, the exact opposite of that is just as true.
Hey Apple, Most of your iMac base does NOT care about M2, M3, M4.. We don't want 18% better CPU performance. We DON'T care. The M1 is more than sufficient. We want a bigger display in a slick package. Delaying its release for years and years to provide cycles that most of the market will never use is idiotic.
Following the launch of the new Mac Studio and Studio Display, Apple has discontinued the 27-inch iMac.
The 27-inch iMac had remained in the iMac line alongside the smaller 24-inch iMac with Apple silicon and was one of just a few Macs that still featured an Intel processor.
Now with the 27-inch Studio Display that can be connected to any Mac, Apple has seemingly felt there is no need for a large-sized all-in-one desktop computer. The 24-inch iMac is now the only all-in-one desktop computer offered by Apple.
Article Link: Apple Discontinues 27-Inch iMac
Much agreed. I want the 5K display, but don't want to spend $3600 for the performance of a Mac Studio with the 27" panel. I know they can do an M2 27" iMac for $2499. They just choose not to.
My guess is that we will see the M2 iMac 24" launch this Fall (likely aside an M2 Mac mini in the new chassis).
I would project a $2299 price for the 8C/10G SoC, 24GB RAM and 512GB SSD.
I would project a $2299 price for the 8C/10G SoC, 24GB RAM and 512GB SSD.
Don’t want a 24” screen. I’m a previous iMac 27” user. I’ve already purchased a Mac Studio but I am not happy with the need to spend another $1500 to match my iMac 27” display. Not truly happy with the external monitor I purchased. It simply doesn’t scale well. Apple and their need to be proprietary have made it a PITA.
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I expect to get a few more years out of my 2020 iMac 5K, but after that I have resigned myself to eventually buying a Mac Studio and whatever the 27" MiniLED display is called (Apple Studio Display Pro / Pro Display XDR 27" Edition).
It isn't really Apple's fault that no other company makes a decent 5K display. Hell, Apple even showed LG how to do it, and gave the market away, but had to come back.
Not sure I agree with that. Apple is the only one that I know of that uses the screen resolution the way they do. Sure it looks fantastic but it limits you in direct compatibility with other manufacturers. I’d prefer an industry standard where I don’t need to spend thousands to get a compatible screen.
Sadly, not quite. I have a 27" iMac paired with an external 28" Samsung and a 32" Samsung. The Mac Studio comes with no monitor of its own, so upgrading to it leaves me with 2 displays instead of 3. I don't fault Apple for making this choice - clearly their sales and marketing teams understand the market better than I do - but it's still sad. Another reason: Price+options. The low-end Studio is half the price of the high end Ultra, but there is no optional add-on for increasing CPU cores, only the GPU cores.
I saw the demo unit packed up on the table at my local Apple store last Saturday. I still maintain hope they will release 32 inch mini LED with M2 Pro next year. But I suspect it’s likely gonna be a successor to the iMac Pro more than the standard 27 iMac; commanding a higher starting price. Think 2,999 for the base.
I am in total shock and horrified! I have waiting and waiting for the new 27" iMac to be launched and I must have been living under a rock, because I had no clue about this. So what do we iMac devotees and those who won't work with anything smaller than a 27" monitor do?
Following the launch of the new Mac Studio and Studio Display, Apple has discontinued the 27-inch iMac.
The 27-inch iMac had remained in the iMac line alongside the smaller 24-inch iMac with Apple silicon and was one of just a few Macs that still featured an Intel processor.
Now with the 27-inch Studio Display that can be connected to any Mac, Apple has seemingly felt there is no need for a large-sized all-in-one desktop computer. The 24-inch iMac is now the only all-in-one desktop computer offered by Apple.
Article Link: Apple Discontinues 27-Inch iMac
Buy an M1 Mac mini or a Mac Studio and an Apple Studio display.
Or wait for an M2 Mac mini.
I was in the same boat, I went from a cheesegrater Mac Pro to an iMac in 2011, replaced it with another iMac in 2017 and now I've swapped that for a Studio/Studio display combo.
Yeah, what @Yebubbleman said. You've got two hopes.
Best bet is to go with a Mac mini and an external monitor at this point. If you need something more powerful incorporate a MacBook Pro and external monitor or a Mac Studio. No other options for us 27" users at this point unfortunately.
such and interesting discussion and one that has me scratching my head!
I've just drowned my MBP, and someone in another thread, suggested getting a powerful replacement, but using it in a dock (clamshell) to replace my ageing iMac, as this will mean only having to buy one capable machine. Solid Theory, but when it comes to a monitor you're totally screwed, you either have to bite the bullet and buy a very expensive Studio display, or settle for a less than perfect third-party solution. I believe this is why professionals like myself, always went for the 27" iMac, as you could run an inferior monitor next to it for pallets and emails – a perfect set up. So the 27" in their range is going to be very much missed.
For myself, this is where my head scratching starts... there really is no simple (or cost-effective) way for me to upgrade. I could get a 14" MBP, with 32GB UM and 1TB SSD, but i'll most likley have to drop another £1500 on a monitor. If I go the Apple strategy it will be a Mac studio and Studio monitor but i'll not have the portability, so will still end up having to buy a laptop.
I wasn't planning on upgrading my iMac, but everyone has a plan until they are punched in the face, so i'm aware I might be forced into this sooner rather than later and I don't want to buy now, and end up regretting it in the future...
Currently writing this on a late 2013, 27" which I upgraded last year to run off a fast external SSD.
I've just drowned my MBP, and someone in another thread, suggested getting a powerful replacement, but using it in a dock (clamshell) to replace my ageing iMac, as this will mean only having to buy one capable machine. Solid Theory, but when it comes to a monitor you're totally screwed, you either have to bite the bullet and buy a very expensive Studio display, or settle for a less than perfect third-party solution. I believe this is why professionals like myself, always went for the 27" iMac, as you could run an inferior monitor next to it for pallets and emails – a perfect set up. So the 27" in their range is going to be very much missed.
For myself, this is where my head scratching starts... there really is no simple (or cost-effective) way for me to upgrade. I could get a 14" MBP, with 32GB UM and 1TB SSD, but i'll most likley have to drop another £1500 on a monitor. If I go the Apple strategy it will be a Mac studio and Studio monitor but i'll not have the portability, so will still end up having to buy a laptop.
I wasn't planning on upgrading my iMac, but everyone has a plan until they are punched in the face, so i'm aware I might be forced into this sooner rather than later and I don't want to buy now, and end up regretting it in the future...
Currently writing this on a late 2013, 27" which I upgraded last year to run off a fast external SSD.
Same situation, and this is where I ended up after completed head-scratching. (But with 4 TB, and two Studio Displays.)
Two issues for me:
- The 14" is too big to comfortably fit in a Tom Bihn Synik 22
- The vents on the sides are sharp and makes the 14" uncomfortable to carry
I'm gutted, because I only work part time at this point and the Mac Studio is really out of my budget, but it will be hard to go back to a smaller 24" after having used this larger monitor for the past seven years.
Following the launch of the new Mac Studio and Studio Display, Apple has discontinued the 27-inch iMac.
The 27-inch iMac had remained in the iMac line alongside the smaller 24-inch iMac with Apple silicon and was one of just a few Macs that still featured an Intel processor.
Now with the 27-inch Studio Display that can be connected to any Mac, Apple has seemingly felt there is no need for a large-sized all-in-one desktop computer. The 24-inch iMac is now the only all-in-one desktop computer offered by Apple.
Article Link: Apple Discontinues 27-Inch iMac
Sure - IF you can afford it! It's very pricey for anyone who is not working as a designer/digital artist full time. I am semi-retired, but when I do get projects I want to work on a large monitor. However, if your income from what you did is no longer what it was, the studio is not a faesible answer.
No need to go full Studio!
Purchasing the cheapest possible config Mac mini, Studio Display, Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard comes to $2476.
Compared to the last Intel iMac, you get the same 256 GB of storage, the same RAM (arguably less since it is now shared with graphics, the base iMac had an additional 4 GB on the Radeon Pro 5300) and the lowest-end M1 chip available in a desktop Mac, for $700 more. Although this is a 42% price increase, in what some would consider a less elegant package, I still think it should be possible for anyone seriously considering a new 27” iMac to stomach.
I still believe the Studio is a stop-gap product. The market for the 27” iMac was so big, I can’t see why Apple would abandon it. It was popular even in offices for users who didn’t need a lot of compute power, but just wanted that large display in a clean setup.
The next question then is what 27" monitor would work well? I actually just need this one for internet and streaming movies.
I was just looking on eBay and can get a used 27" 2021 iMac for around a $1000. That is a decent possible solution.