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Apple Not Planning to Launch Larger-Screened iMac
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The “pro imac” always seemed like a waste to me. The computer always becomes obsolete before the monitor. Much better to seperate them for “pros”.
What about people who just want an all-in-one with a large screen?
Plus, the 27-inch iMac sold for $1,799. Now, if you want a screen larger than the 24-inch iMac, and stay within the Apple ecosystem, you will have to pay a minimum of $2,496.
It’s great for a small desk in a kids room or for a small desk near the kitchen etc.
Basically for those who need a fixed screen for letters/homework/bills etc and don’t have the space/need for extra clutter of separate components.
For everyone else, using a Mac Mini, MacBook Air etc, along with a separate monitor will probably be better off in the long run.
Options are always good though.
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if not already said by many people
M1 Pro and M1 Max will come to 24" iMac if thermals allow (and to the higher priced model)
27" iMac is heavy at a time - when it needs service (I have seen people carrying in and out of apple store, Portland, or; it is very big machine)
Apple knows the sales numbers of 27" iMac compared to other Macs - mostly not doing volume sales as apple hoped for
Unlike Intel era apple not limited by Chip's cost or perceived value (they can put any M1 Pro/Max/Ultra chip where ever they see it fits)
They could also wait and see how the Mac Studio sells (to reevaluate 27" iMac) and once Mac Mini is updated to include Pro/Max/Ultra - that might cover the larger base
one thing though - Cost concise buyer never buy display from Apple, there is always alternate like Dell, Samsung, LG and so on...
my personal wish they bring back smaller iMac - 21.5"/22" - not sure 4k possible or not - most likely this is not happening as well.
what we are seeing is - transition in motion, please wait for 6 months - everything will make sense.
long live 27" iMac - you have served well.
M1 Pro and M1 Max will come to 24" iMac if thermals allow (and to the higher priced model)
27" iMac is heavy at a time - when it needs service (I have seen people carrying in and out of apple store, Portland, or; it is very big machine)
Apple knows the sales numbers of 27" iMac compared to other Macs - mostly not doing volume sales as apple hoped for
Unlike Intel era apple not limited by Chip's cost or perceived value (they can put any M1 Pro/Max/Ultra chip where ever they see it fits)
They could also wait and see how the Mac Studio sells (to reevaluate 27" iMac) and once Mac Mini is updated to include Pro/Max/Ultra - that might cover the larger base
one thing though - Cost concise buyer never buy display from Apple, there is always alternate like Dell, Samsung, LG and so on...
my personal wish they bring back smaller iMac - 21.5"/22" - not sure 4k possible or not - most likely this is not happening as well.
what we are seeing is - transition in motion, please wait for 6 months - everything will make sense.
long live 27" iMac - you have served well.
Price and convenience. If you do not care about either, then the iMac is not for you. But I suppose price and convenience are both very important to most people.
That's exactly why it doesn't make sense for them to sell a larger iMac–it cuts into the sales of their pro lineup. My advice to you personally would be just get a M1 Mac of some kind and a third-party monitor. All-in-ones are a trap.
Maybe I’m overly optimistic + overly simplistic , but it seems a 27” (**MAYBE a bit larger, 30-32”) iMac Pro makes perfect sense. M1 Pro + Max options, just like 14” and 16” MBP. Might not materialize until M2 generation, but this seems very obviously a gap they will fill.
Sure, a Mac Mini might have M1 Pro (and possibly Max) option, but the all-in-one iMac still makes sense.
Sure, a Mac Mini might have M1 Pro (and possibly Max) option, but the all-in-one iMac still makes sense.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
First you don't have to stay within Apple ecosystem. Even this monitor is simply branded by Apple. Another monitor maker makes it for Apple. There are plenty of monitor makers.
But, pairing cheapest Mini with this Apple monitor will involve spending more than iMac this time. Step forward a few years when the tech guts are dying or macOS updates have your Mini "long in tooth" and you can then recoup the extra you spent in 2022 by having to buy only a new Mini instead of all of it (screen too) again.
And monitor lives being what they are, you can probably do that again 2 generations from now turning the whole thing into a sizable savings for you vs. buying THREE $1799 iMacs back to back to back.
$1800 for each iMac times 3 purchases = $5400. $1600 for this monitor in 2022 vs. $5400 leaves $3800. If the monitor could last indefinitely, how many $700 new Minis could $3800 buy when each old Mini is dying or obsoleted by macOS? Or, another way of saying that, how many 3-year cycle Mac Mini upgrades fit into each $3800?
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Well, I do not need a Mac. I prefer Windows over macOS, I prefer Edge over Safari, and I much prefer the Windows version of Office over the Mac version or iWork. What attracts me is Apple's hardware, not software. I like the quality of the iMac screen. I like the fact that it is beautiful, elegant, and convenient.
I am not going to buy a Mac Mini with a third-party monitor. If I am buying a third-party monitor, I will buy a PC instead. And, if Apple is forcing me to spend much more money to buy similar (although upgraded) hardware, then I will buy a PC as well.
The real reason Apple killed the 27", unfortunately.
I'm honestly surprised with the reaction. The iMac Pro was an abomination in terms of product fit and branding. I sense that by the time the Apple Silicon transition is complete, the product like will make pretty clear sense for the first time since the days of iBook/PowerBook and iMac/PowerMac.
All-in-ones are realistically good for exactly two things:
1. Simplicity of setup / lack of cables.
2. They look clean.
If you're my dad and you're going to own a single computer for years, this is great. If you're someone who upgrades with any kind of regularity and is technical enough to know the difference between your "computer" and your "monitor" aside from the aesthetic, what's the advantage?
I have a 27" 5K iMac right now. It's way faster than most of the laptops and afforded me a second 5K display. That's nice. The only reasons I bought it were it was used and a really good deal from a friend and because Apple's desktop offers were between underpowered (Mac mini at the time) and way overpowered/overpriced (the Mac Pro).
The Mac Studio and, I'm guessing about the future, a beefed up Mac mini with an MX Pro fill that gap nicely. (Heck, if you make the new mini able to run of USB-C power, you even cut down on the cables.)
The 27" iMac has sort of existed as long as it has because there were other options. The middle tier offering has been an all-in-one which kinda sucks because if my current iMac was a computer and a 5K display, the display would be staying once I upgrade. This display will likely still be quite nice when the rest of the machine is no longer viable. (The 5Ks don't even support Target Display mode.)
A Studio or a mini offer so much more flexibility than an iMac and now that Apple is back to making displays, the last reason I can think of for an iMac is gone.
I wouldn't mind seeing a 27" iMac return as nothing more than a bigger version of the current 24", but with the current product offerings (especially if the MX Pro mini becomes reality) I cannot see why pretty much anyone remotely technical would take an iMac over those offerings.
All-in-ones are realistically good for exactly two things:
1. Simplicity of setup / lack of cables.
2. They look clean.
If you're my dad and you're going to own a single computer for years, this is great. If you're someone who upgrades with any kind of regularity and is technical enough to know the difference between your "computer" and your "monitor" aside from the aesthetic, what's the advantage?
I have a 27" 5K iMac right now. It's way faster than most of the laptops and afforded me a second 5K display. That's nice. The only reasons I bought it were it was used and a really good deal from a friend and because Apple's desktop offers were between underpowered (Mac mini at the time) and way overpowered/overpriced (the Mac Pro).
The Mac Studio and, I'm guessing about the future, a beefed up Mac mini with an MX Pro fill that gap nicely. (Heck, if you make the new mini able to run of USB-C power, you even cut down on the cables.)
The 27" iMac has sort of existed as long as it has because there were other options. The middle tier offering has been an all-in-one which kinda sucks because if my current iMac was a computer and a 5K display, the display would be staying once I upgrade. This display will likely still be quite nice when the rest of the machine is no longer viable. (The 5Ks don't even support Target Display mode.)
A Studio or a mini offer so much more flexibility than an iMac and now that Apple is back to making displays, the last reason I can think of for an iMac is gone.
I wouldn't mind seeing a 27" iMac return as nothing more than a bigger version of the current 24", but with the current product offerings (especially if the MX Pro mini becomes reality) I cannot see why pretty much anyone remotely technical would take an iMac over those offerings.
Same people that fell for the junk that Apple was peddling years ago with the base MacBook airs coming out with only 2gb of ram and apple said that macOS would somehow magically make it feel like 4gb.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
No, if this was the rationale, Apple could have rolled out iMac Pro for a much higher price than traditional iMac 27". What did Intel iMac Pro start at? Was it $4499? Introducing the new iMac Pro with M1 MAX starting at only $4499.
That may be more profitable to Apple than selling Studio... certainly in the longer run when the tech guts die or macOS updates can't be installed on it and the WHOLE thing needs to be re-purchased even if the monitor part is still working just fine.
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The 27” iMac sold for $1,799.
Now you get just the monitor for $1,599.
Progress.
Now you get just the monitor for $1,599.
Progress.
I bought my first 5K within a week of its release to pair with a 2016 MacBook Pro. This thing has some warts, but still works and is still the nicest panel I have ever used. I ended up buying a second when Apple was running that very un-Apple discount on Thunderbolt gear. I figured it would be a long time before I'd see a 5K monitor for under $1,000.00.
I was more right than I care to be. I cannot believe there's basically no other 5K options at this point. You cannot go back once you get used to 5K, lol. It's the same issue as when I first got my 27" LED Cinema Display. Going back to 1080p after using 1440p was a big nope.
I'm thrilled there's an Apple branded monitor again (although the price hurts me).
Is the XB2779QQS even available anymore? Even Dell stopped selling their 5K.
I think an iMac 24 with M1 Pro/Max option and a space gray color option would be big seller.
1. Wait for a larger iMac. I wanted a new larger iMac as well (mine is from 2009), so yeah, I know how you feel.
2. It's a display! There's absolutely no reason you have to buy an Apple display to "stay within the Apple ecosystem". That's just ridiculous. What do you think most people with Mac minis use? If Apple didn't release the Studio Display no one would consider to be an issue at all. Now Apple has a new display and all of a sudden you HAVE TO BUY IT in order to retain your pure-breed status?
Apple didn't EOL the i5/i7 Mac Mini, so there's still a massive gap to fill between the M1 Mini and the Studio with an M1 Pro / Max / M2 Mac Mini. Hopefully they reboot the larger iMac someday, but it's not like people haven't been asking for more / better discrete desktop Macs.
One annoying thing about having a separate monitor with a Mac is the lack of volume control from the keyboard without using 3rd party software. At least an iMac didn’t have that problem.
Just a thought for you. Look at the cooling system in the Mac studio and ask yourself how Apple can fix that into the very thin body of the iMac and iMac Pro.
Time to move to windows Hareware
Apple has no plans to release a larger-screened iMac, according to a new report from 9to5Mac. Citing unspecified sources with knowledge of Apple's product pipeline, the site says that Apple will not be introducing a bigger iMac "in the near future."
With the launch of the Mac Studio, Apple discontinued the Intel-based 27-inch iMac, creating some confusion about the future of the iMac line. Apple confirmed to Ars Technica that the 27-inch iMac "has reached end of life," indicating the company has no intention of releasing a refreshed 27-inch model to go along with the 24-inch iMac.
Despite the discontinuation of the 27-inch iMac, there have been rumors of a larger-screened iMac Pro that could be in development, but at least some of those rumors may have been mixed up with the Studio Display. Display analyst Ross Young this week said that what his sources thought might be an iMac Pro was actually a "Studio Display Pro" that's coming later in the year, perhaps alongside the Mac Pro.
Young no longer believes that an iMac Pro is coming this summer, and 9to5Mac's information seems to agree with that take. The site says that Apple "currently has no plans to release new high-end versions of its all-in-one desktop for now," though there is a 24-inch M2 version of the iMac that's set to come out in 2023.
Other sources continue to suggest that we might see an iMac Pro at some point. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said last Sunday that an iMac Pro would come out in 2023, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claims that Apple is still developing an iMac Pro.
It is not clear how an iMac Pro would fit into the Mac lineup now that the more powerful Mac Studio exists, and it's looking more and more like we might not be seeing a new larger-screened iMac in 2022. For now, Apple suggests that customers who want a powerful desktop machine invest in the Mac Studio, which is priced stating at $1,999, while those who want an all-in-one machine can opt for the 24-inch iMac.
Article Link: Apple Not Planning to Launch Larger-Screened iMac
