Apple Discontinues 27-Inch iMac

[Nebula29]

Apparently Hollywood loved it as well It was the computer of choice on the desk of many a character both on the big screen and television. I really hope they change their minds about this. I can hold on with my late 2015 iMac for a wee bit longer, but will have to change it at some point in the probably not too distant future. If by next year there is no change of heart from Apple, then I might just have to accept it and go back to a 24". Perish the thought.

 

[Nermal]

I was just looking on eBay and can get a used 27" 2021 iMac for around a $1000. That is a decent possible solution.

There was no 27" 2021 iMac, so check the listing carefully and make sure you know what you're getting.

 

[ambientdaw]

There was no 27" 2021 iMac, so check the listing carefully and make sure you know what you're getting.

Thanks, I thought my present one was a 2021 but it is a 2020. Good to know! I would never buy a Mac from eBay for professional use but this would be for casual use. I would much rather buy a 2022 M1 27" but Apple is predicatably troublesome with their Mac product line!

 

[Blackstick]

Thanks, I thought my present one was a 2021 but it is a 2020. Good to know! I would never buy a Mac from eBay for professional use but this would be for casual use. I would much rather buy a 2022 M1 27" but Apple is predicatably troublesome with their Mac product line!

Unfortunately it’s of course an Intel product. Work issues me an M1 Pro MacBook Pro. Not even a M1 Max… and it makes my intel Mac feel like a sluggish dinosaur in every task.

I wouldn’t buy a Mac right now, nearly 2 years into their Apple silicon transition, new or otherwise, with an Intel chip onboard.

 

[ambientdaw]

Unfortunately it’s of course an Intel product. Work issues me an M1 Pro MacBook Pro. Not even a M1 Max… and it makes my intel Mac feel like a sluggish dinosaur in every task.

I wouldn’t buy a Mac right now, nearly 2 years into their Apple silicon transition, new or otherwise, with an Intel chip onboard.

Wow that is a great review of the M1, go Apple! And still two years later many proprietary audio VST's are still not fully compatible. And your point bringa me back to my frustration; my best use of money would be to upgrade my pro setup to an M1 27" iMac and use this Intel for casual use. But I guess Apple doesn't care about the best use of my money.

 

[Nebula29]

Unfortunately it’s of course an Intel product. Work issues me an M1 Pro MacBook Pro. Not even a M1 Max… and it makes my intel Mac feel like a sluggish dinosaur in every task.

I wouldn’t buy a Mac right now, nearly 2 years into their Apple silicon transition, new or otherwise, with an Intel chip onboard.

I took a little trot into the Apple store yesterday. Started comparing the Mac Studio with the 24" iMac. They both come with 1TB of storage which of course today is minimal, but still equal for both machines. I don't do "gaming" and work with Photoshop, Illustrator and SketchUp, so the specs on the iMac 24" good enough for me. The monitor seemed visually not that different other than that the studio's monitor is wider. So... bottom line - the 24" is not that bad and I am probably going to go with that, and before Apple decides to dump this one as well!

 

[Bodhitree]

Sad to see the 27” iMac go, it was the right computer at the right price point for a lot of people. The studio display is just ridiculously priced for what you get, imho.

 

[gulliver]

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

Really dissapointed, I as planning to replace my 27" iMac from 2017 this fall :-(

 

[SeenJeen]

If the Studio Display was $999, the death of the 27" iMac wouldn't be so painful.

 

[Blackstick]

If the Studio Display was $999, the death of the 27" iMac wouldn't be so painful.

Much agreed. At this point, I'm waiting to see an M2 (M3?) update to the 24"... I've actually been on my MacBook Pro a lot more, so it'd be for my wife.

 

[ArkSingularity]

If the Studio Display was $999, the death of the 27" iMac wouldn't be so painful.

I'm curious to see if Apple will drop the price eventually. They usually price products at a very high price point for the first year or two of their release and then reduce them over time. The original MacBook Air, for example, was $1700 and now it's $999 and $1199.

$1600 just doesn't feel worth it to me for a display. It definitely is for some, but I could buy an entire 14" Macbook Pro for that price on a good sale. Different use cases for different folks I suppose.

 

[HazardousT]

I'm curious to see if Apple will drop the price eventually. They usually price products at a very high price point for the first year or two of their release and then reduce them over time. The original MacBook Air, for example, was $1700 and now it's $999 and $1199.

$1600 just doesn't feel worth it to me for a display. It definitely is for some, but I could buy an entire 14" Macbook Pro for that price on a good sale. Different use cases for different folks I suppose.

With inflation being what it is and the cost of everything going up I don't see this as likely happening in the near future unfortunately.

 

[ArkSingularity]

With inflation being what it is and the cost of everything going up I don't see this as likely happening in the near future unfortunately.

Yeah, you're right about that. Inflation has made the markets much more unpredictable than they have been in the past. As far as I can tell, Apple seems to have resisted raising the prices on existing products so far (the MacBook Air's price at $1199 isn't unprecedented, the 2018 Air was the same price before dropping back down after the old generation was discontinued). Most of their other products are in roughly the same price bracket.

My guess is that their new products seem to be where they are raising most of their prices to compensate. That's fair enough IMO (and it's been a nice gesture to their customers of existing devices that didn't receive too many price hikes). These prices are ultimately determined by supply and demand in the end, but I'm definitely very curious to see what they will end up doing with the 14" MacBooks that have been on very frequent sales lately.

 

[Ojiisan]

I've owned a 2011 27" iMac and currently have a 2019 Retina 5K 27 inch with intel core. Was planning on getting another 27" in a few years. Love the larger screen. Oh well maybe Apple will decide to bring the 27" back by then🤞🏻

 

[sanch3z_77]

I really should have upgraded my iMac when I had the chance. Mine run Catolina and struggles to talk to other macs on the network. Not sure what i'm going to do now...?

 

[imdog]

The lack of a higher end (& larger) iMac is hilarious at this point
I've switched to a M1 Pro MBP & StudioDisplay and couldn't be happier though. Probably won't ever buy an iMac again, I always assumed Apple All-in-ones would just be more seamless and "just work". Perhaps other branded external displays aren't as seamless but sometimes I forget that I'm not using an iMac, StudioDisplay is great.

 

[sanch3z_77]

The lack of a higher end (& larger) iMac is hilarious at this point
I've switched to a M1 Pro MBP & StudioDisplay and couldn't be happier though. Probably won't ever buy an iMac again, I always assumed Apple All-in-ones would just be more seamless and "just work". Perhaps other branded external displays aren't as seamless but sometimes I forget that I'm not using an iMac, StudioDisplay is great.

I similaraly stumped up for the following when I killed my old MBP:

• 14" M1 Pro
• 10 cores
• 16GB
• 1TB

So this is clearly a capable machine. Now i'm questioining if it's powerful enough to become my main workhorse in a dock? I will need a studio display, and ability to run another 27" screen. I would want to run my laptop closed, in clamshell mode. I did run this way years ago and it was ok, but preferred the 27" iMac.

 

[Arctic Moose]

Now i'm questioining if it's powerful enough to become my main workhorse in a dock? I will need a studio display, and ability to run another 27" screen. I would want to run my laptop closed, in clamshell mode. I did run this way years ago and it was ok, but preferred the 27" iMac.

I replaced my 5K iMac (64 GB, 2 TB, 4.2 GHz i7) with a 14" (32 GB, 4 TB, M1 Max) and two Studio Displays, which was a significant improvement.

The single major complaint I have (compared to the iMac) is that there is no way to turn on a powered off system without crawling under the desk and opening the clam-shelled laptop.

Improvements include that the fans rarely spin up audibly at all, and when they do they are under the desk and not right in front of my face, performance is way better, wake from sleep is faster and that there is less bulk (no chin) on my desk.

 

[sanch3z_77]

I replaced my 5K iMac (64 GB, 2 TB, 4.2 GHz i7) with a 14" (32 GB, 4 TB, M1 Max) and two Studio Displays, which was a significant improvement.

The single major complaint I have (compared to the iMac) is that there is no way to turn on a powered off system without crawling under the desk and opening the clam-shelled laptop.

Improvements include that the fans rarely spin up audibly at all, and when they do they are under the desk and not right in front of my face, performance is way better, wake from sleep is faster and that there is less bulk (no chin) on my desk.

that's very interesting. I'm wondering if 16GB will be punchy enough? I have 32GB on my old 2013 27" iMac. I know all things aren't equal so perhaps it is?

Also as I tend to do a bit of motion graphic work I would need to figure out storage/scratch disc...

Would be interested to see your set-up. I don't tend to power my systems down, they just go to sleep so as long as they wake with the tap of a key or mouse on my desk, that would be good.

 

[Arctic Moose]

I'm wondering if 16GB will be punchy enough? I have 32GB on my old 2013 27" iMac. I know all things aren't equal so perhaps it is?

Under normal circumstances I never use more than 16 GB. If I needed to be conscious of cost I would not hesitate to choose 16 GB or even 8 GB.

Memory pressure does reach 24 GB when running Stable Diffusion, but I have never been able to max out 32 GB.

(Not sure why I have 6 GB swap when there is 6 GB free.)

Also as I tend to do a bit of motion graphic work I would need to figure out storage/scratch disc...

A Samsung X5 is plenty fast, and should be fine for both storage and scratch.

Would be interested to see your set-up. I don't tend to power my systems down, they just go to sleep so as long as they wake with the tap of a key or mouse on my desk, that would be good.

This is under the desk. (During testing, I have cleaned it up since.)

 

[sanch3z_77]

Under normal circumstances I never use more than 16 GB. If I needed to be conscious of cost I would not hesitate to choose 16 GB or even 8 GB.

Memory pressure does reach 24 GB when running Stable Diffusion, but I have never been able to max out 32 GB.

View attachment 2121545



A Samsung X5 is plenty fast, and should be fine for both storage and scratch.

This is under the desk. (During testing, I have cleaned it up since.)

Like an iceberg! Apprecaite your cube, I have a pair of LS Wireless II on my desk. Seem like similar taste. Looks decent tbf. I think I would look for an integrated dock that could sit on my desk but you've certainlly got me thinking now.

I should run some after effects tests on my MBP, and see how it performs, there's a very good chance it wont struggle. Would love a couple of those studio displays but the price is crazy...

 

[k27]

This is under the desk. (During testing, I have cleaned it up since.)

- The cooling from the MacBook will probably be worse when closed
- You can't use the third monitor (OK, if two monitors are enough for you)
- It's awkward to climb under the table if you want to take the MacBook Pro with you

=> Why no Mac Studio?

 

[sanch3z_77]

- The cooling from the MacBook will probably be worse when closed
- You can't use the third monitor (OK, if two monitors are enough for you)
- It's awkward to climb under the table if you want to take the MacBook Pro with you

I'm ok with dual monitors, currently run a 23" NEC thing next to my 27" iMac. It's plenty. Yup, don't fancy climbing under the desk each day, would prefer to have a sturdy dock with cables hardwired in. Will need to do some research.

 

[Basic75]

Under normal circumstances I never use more than 16 GB. If I needed to be conscious of cost I would not hesitate to choose 16 GB or even 8 GB.

8GB can easily fill up with a couple of light office applications. Everything is just written like **** nowadays. There used to be a time when 8MB of RAM could run an entire system with office applications etc. open.

 

[Basic75]

I replaced my 5K iMac (64 GB, 2 TB, 4.2 GHz i7) with a 14" (32 GB, 4 TB, M1 Max) and two Studio Displays, which was a significant improvement.

Do you also have the issue of macOS occasionally mixing up the order of the displays or does that only happen with non-Apple display setups?