Apple Says There Won't Be a 27-Inch iMac With Apple Silicon

[Bigalig2003]

I've been using Mac since the early 90's (and have been a keen Apple watcher and purchaser since then) and I seem to have settled on my 27" iMac as a standard base model along with iPhones and iPads ad nauseam etc. Reading this article, so if I want to replace my 2020 27" iMac (I do) which cost me approx £2K here in the UK - I then maxed out the memory to 128gb and added a 4Tb ext ssd for £290 so probably all in all total costs approx 2.5 K - Apple suggests indirectly that a 24" iMac would just be the job for me but with a max memory of 24gb (lol) at a cost of £2,528 here in the UK. Why on Earth would I downsize? Using a rather bad analogy, It would be like giving up my Audi A7 for an Audi A3 if you get my drift - Why, Why, Why!

I could consider a Mac Studio Ultra (not sure I need all those cores) with 128Gb Ram at £4,999 without a display - with a display, If I chose a studio that would be an extra £1500 approx or the Pro Display XDR at £4,600 - yes I know there are cheaper alternatives - I could choose a Mac mini for example with the highest memory configuration of 32Gb at £1799. I could choose a MacBook Pro - 16" with 64Gb memory at £4,200 and add an external monitor and on and on it goes - the combinations are endless!

Apple I just don't want a fragmented desktop - the beauty and elegance of the all in one cannot be overstated (ignoring the current 24" model - that chin yuk!)! I just don't understand Apple's thinking here, unless of course there's a 30+ model waiting in the wings somewhere? I've lost hope.

Can someone give me a compelling reason to buy anything that Apple is currently offering that matches anything approaching my original spec (different chips of course)? obviously the costs would be different so add another 1K. Until I get a compelling reason I guess unfortunately for Apple I'll keep just using my 2020 iMac for a few more years.

 

[Imperial926]

I think it's interesting to note what people ask for compared to what companies produce. They somehow sidestep the customers' needs so things work out in favour of the bottom line. Yesterday I was shot down here for defending the 27" iMac but I still feel it would have been the best option for many people. Apart from anything else, 4K displays don't sit perfectly with Apple desktops due to the scaling issues.
Yes, many will have now stretched their budgets to buy the Studio Display paired a Mini or Studio but in many cases that will be Apple's enforcement, not the customer's ideal preference.

More and more, I feel tech companies manipulate our choices in the ways that suit them. Once you think about it, it would be quite possible for Apple to produce a fully repairable and upgradeable 27" iMac that would serve families and more casual but affluent consumers much better. They, and others, choose not to do that - the customer always comes a distant second however they like to sell it.

 

[MacGizmo]

...Yesterday I was shot down here for defending the 27" iMac but I still feel it would have been the best option for many people.

I mostly agree. I LOVED the 27" iMacs I've had, they were awesome machines. And I think a lot of "consumer-level" buyers would prefer to have a larger screen if all other things were equal.

But the tech industry as a whole has fallen into two distinct categories in the last dozen or so years: the ultra-low-end user, and the ultra-high-end user. There just isn't that "tweener" level consumer anymore (not in any volume, anyway). This is of course my opinion, but I arrived at that opinion based on my work with tech companies, sitting in meetings, and listening to their discussions.

The problem is with the higher-end user. You just can't give them a product they're 100% happy with. It's not that they're asking for pie-in-the-sky features, they just can't accept that they are outnumbered (by FAR) by users at the other end of the spectrum and most companies just can't produce one product that works for everyone.

We (the members of this forum) sit at the end that just can't be pleased. Sucks to be us!

Sure, the Mac Studio and Studio Display are obscenely overpriced... but only when you compare them to low-end products they aren't meant to compete against to begin with. People looking to save money aren't going to buy them, but they probably weren't going to buy a 27" iMac either. They're most likely looking for something in the price range and specs of... wait for it, the 24" iMac. And people who would buy a 27" iMac Pro are MUCH happier with a Mac Studio that offers them more flexibility with the display, ports, etc.

We all want a fancy new Sports car with all the bells & whistles... but we want to be able to work on it like it's a 1978 Chevy pickup truck. That world simply no longer exists, and it's never coming back no matter how much we bark at the moon about it.

 

[Bodhitree]

Yes, my stepfather, who was a professional illustrator, was the classic 27” iMac purchaser. He wanted a machine with a high quality screen but couldn’t afford an iMac Pro. The 27” iMac was the right machine for him, it was a quality solution at that in-between price point.

The thing is, I find the Studio Display hard to justify as a purchase, and even coupled with a Mac Mini the setup is going to run you to two and a half grand. It’s a lot for a computer. After all it is not a car.

 

[zombierunner]

I think it's interesting to note what people ask for compared to what companies produce. They somehow sidestep the customers' needs so things work out in favour of the bottom line. Yesterday I was shot down here for defending the 27" iMac but I still feel it would have been the best option for many people. Apart from anything else, 4K displays don't sit perfectly with Apple desktops due to the scaling issues.
Yes, many will have now stretched their budgets to buy the Studio Display paired a Mini or Studio but in many cases that will be Apple's enforcement, not the customer's ideal preference.

More and more, I feel tech companies manipulate our choices in the ways that suit them. Once you think about it, it would be quite possible for Apple to produce a fully repairable and upgradeable 27" iMac that would serve families and more casual but affluent consumers much better. They, and others, choose not to do that - the customer always comes a distant second however they like to sell it.

very true .. the 27 inch imac provided too much of a value proposition for the consumer and that was unacceptable to Apple. why would they make a 27 inch imac now for around 2k when they'd rather you buy a display for 1500 plus mac studio for 2k

 

[Warped9]

“I’m not getting what I want so there must be a an agenda, a conspiracy to deny me what I want.” 😆

Joking aside I can understand this feeling. I hate how modern cars are designed. Infotainment panels are now so prominent they’re literally replacing dashboards and instrument binnacles. It’s cheaper and easier for them to slap an oversized tablet behind the steering wheel then to design and build a nice looking dash and instrument binnacle.

And you can’t opt out of this crap—you’re stuck with this ugly and unnecessarily overcomplicated garbage. And it’s not going to get any better, but worse.

 

[ric22]

I think it's interesting to note what people ask for compared to what companies produce. They somehow sidestep the customers' needs so things work out in favour of the bottom line. Yesterday I was shot down here for defending the 27" iMac but I still feel it would have been the best option for many people. Apart from anything else, 4K displays don't sit perfectly with Apple desktops due to the scaling issues.
Yes, many will have now stretched their budgets to buy the Studio Display paired a Mini or Studio but in many cases that will be Apple's enforcement, not the customer's ideal preference.

More and more, I feel tech companies manipulate our choices in the ways that suit them. Once you think about it, it would be quite possible for Apple to produce a fully repairable and upgradeable 27" iMac that would serve families and more casual but affluent consumers much better. They, and others, choose not to do that - the customer always comes a distant second however they like to sell it.

The only hope for this is right to repair legislation. De-soldering storage would be a great way to start...

 

[Abazigal]

I think it's interesting to note what people ask for compared to what companies produce. They somehow sidestep the customers' needs so things work out in favour of the bottom line. Yesterday I was shot down here for defending the 27" iMac but I still feel it would have been the best option for many people. Apart from anything else, 4K displays don't sit perfectly with Apple desktops due to the scaling issues.
Yes, many will have now stretched their budgets to buy the Studio Display paired a Mini or Studio but in many cases that will be Apple's enforcement, not the customer's ideal preference.

More and more, I feel tech companies manipulate our choices in the ways that suit them. Once you think about it, it would be quite possible for Apple to produce a fully repairable and upgradeable 27" iMac that would serve families and more casual but affluent consumers much better. They, and others, choose not to do that - the customer always comes a distant second however they like to sell it.

It’s business 101. You won’t run a successful enterprise by giving consumers everything they want because like you said, people will always want more for less (money).

 

[Imperial926]

Sure, the Mac Studio and Studio Display are obscenely overpriced... but only when you compare them to low-end products they aren't meant to compete against to begin with. People looking to save money aren't going to buy them, but they probably weren't going to buy a 27" iMac either. They're most likely looking for something in the price range and specs of... wait for it, the 24" iMac. And people who would buy a 27" iMac Pro are MUCH happier with a Mac Studio that offers them more flexibility with the display, ports, etc.

We all want a fancy new Sports car with all the bells & whistles... but we want to be able to work on it like it's a 1978 Chevy pickup truck. That world simply no longer exists, and it's never coming back no matter how much we bark at the moon about it.

Thank you for your excellent comment which is a far more helpful observation than I received yesterday! I agree with everything you say. I probably have been expecting something that just couldn't happen. I see myself generally as an early adopter but my fingers keep getting burnt!

My response to the changing scene has been to use an older MacBook Pro for casual work. I also bought a M1 Mini during Covid and added that to a Windows PC desktop setup I built myself. I rebuilt the PC into the largest available Fractal case during one of the lockdowns so that it could run cool and very quiet. I can switch seamlessly between Mac Mini and PC feeding into the same Dell Ultrasharp monitor. I would say that the M1 Mini is probably the best value product I have ever bought.

Nevertheless, my concerns around Apple began when I took my 2016 MacBook Pro into a Genius Bar to have the battery replaced. I had made the appointment and knew roughly the cost. I thought it would be done while I went for a coffee - silly me - £200 and 2 weeks they said and no guarantee that they wouldn't charge more for anything else they found.

At that moment my relationship with Apple changed. Yes, I can't see anything better out there but I am no longer going to throw vast sums of money at expendable kit that can't be repaired quickly and at reasonable cost. A battery should be an on-site repair.

I have 4 MacBook Pros sitting here that look immaculate. The oldest 2 from 2011 both suffered the premature infamous GPU failure when Apple had a recall but only put the same flawed Nvidia GPUs back in to fail again! The 2016 has the awful butterfly keyboard and a battery that failed after just 320 cycles. The only one working perfectly is my wife's 2018 model. All these models had high specs but that's the lesson I've learnt - if I buy an M3 it will be 16/512Gb.

Changes are coming via the EU in terms of repairability. It will be interesting to see Apple's response. We now have USB-C after all and some thought that would never happen!

 

[Warped9]

My biggest beef with Apple’s desktop options, beyond the iMac, is that all you get is the computer, no keyboard and mouse included. Thats unarguably absurd at that price point when every mainstream PC tower comes with a keyboard and mouse.

Their big laptops are also not above reproach. A 16in. laptop and it’s stuck with the keyboard of a 13-14in. Meanwhile every other mainstream 15in. laptop comes with a fullsize keyboard with numeric keypad. It’s positively stupid and no one will convince me otherwise.

 

[H_D]

A 16in. laptop and it’s stuck with the keyboard of a 13-14in.

this is why the 16 feels clumsy compar to the 14, the ages-old design with the large speakers and the smallish keyboard lacks elegance

 

[eropko]

It’s positively stupid and no one will convince me otherwise.

Not many people are using numpad actually. If you throw in "keyboard must have numpad" in any keyboard community they will stomp you in 0.0000003 seconds.

 

[2pacjeeman]

Buuu!!! Give me 27-inch iMac now!

 

[Warped9]

Not many people are using numpad actually. If you throw in "keyboard must have numpad" in any keyboard community they will stomp you in 0.0000003 seconds.

If these laptops are indeed being used for video editing and 3D modelling as well as any work requiring lots of numerical input then not having a numeric keypad is stupid. Period.

And lots of people are using the number pad. Lots.

This is a case of nickel-and-diming your customers no different than over-charging for RAM and storage upgrades. How much better value would a base MacBook Air look if it came standard with 12/512 rather than 8/256 at its price point? Cost wise it wouldn’t make a dent to include a Magic Mouse and keyboard with a Mac Mini or Mac Studio or even Mac Pro. The biggest change would be different packaging.

 

[bluecoast]

I can see that there's a few people here who are saying:

'It's OK, as they are building a 32 inch iMac Pro'.

I'm not sure about that.

The audience for a neat powerful big all in one will be small. Especially when looking at the price that it will cost.

And especially when Apple can achieve this by iterating on the various displays that they already have and the Mac Studio (or Mac mini).

Or by putting all of that power in the MPB with Mx Pro or Max and hooking it up to an external monitor.

You then get a much more component based approach, where these nice displays can be used for 5+ years on a variety of different computers.

The iMac I think, is only there as there as:

• There still seems to be a market for those of us who are ummm 'more traditional' and who just want a new iMac (I like the iMac, I owned two but I don't see myself getting a new one)
• And as a fancy stylish computer in upscale hotels and businesses etc. etc.

You have to think that the market for these is very small.

And Apple doesn't tend to serve small markets, unless there is a very good reason for it (the margins are super high and they want to ensure that creatives/scientists will create content and apps for their other more affordable consumer products - see the MBP Max).

I suspect that the iMac still only exists as it's essentially the MBA in a larger chassis, so the development cost isn't too high.

It'll be interesting to see which disappears first - the iMac or the Mac Pro.

 

[eropko]

If these laptops are indeed being used for video editing and 3D modelling as well as any work requiring lots of numerical input then not having a numeric keypad is stupid. Period.

And lots of people are using the number pad. Lots.

As I've already said, keyboard communities will oppose your opinion.
As touch typing becomes more and more popular many settle down on 68-key layout even for desktop use.

 

[Bigalig2003]

I think it's interesting to note what people ask for compared to what companies produce. They somehow sidestep the customers' needs so things work out in favour of the bottom line. Yesterday I was shot down here for defending the 27" iMac but I still feel it would have been the best option for many people. Apart from anything else, 4K displays don't sit perfectly with Apple desktops due to the scaling issues.
Yes, many will have now stretched their budgets to buy the Studio Display paired a Mini or Studio but in many cases that will be Apple's enforcement, not the customer's ideal preference.

More and more, I feel tech companies manipulate our choices in the ways that suit them. Once you think about it, it would be quite possible for Apple to produce a fully repairable and upgradeable 27" iMac that would serve families and more casual but affluent consumers much better. They, and others, choose not to do that - the customer always comes a distant second however they like to sell it.

I agree with you here and I think there's still a large market for Apple to tap into i.e. the larger iMac - for me personally, the attitude that Apple is demonstrating is one of utter contempt! it hurts me to say that after being a completely loyal Customer for over 30 years. Not so sure this would have happened under Steve Jobs but as we know the reason why Ive left was because Tim was less interested in design and boy does that show - to the point now we have so much fragmentation its a headache. Lets hope Cooke's replacement will come to realise that design is just as important the bottom line - I won't hold my breath though.

 

[Warped9]

As I've already said, keyboard communities will oppose your opinion.
As touch typing becomes more and more popular many settle down on 68-key layout even for desktop use.

I have already asserted you won’t convince me otherwise. It’s stupid—period.

Mind you I don’t like laptops anyway. I always feel awkward using them.

 

[Codestud]

For pros and prosumers who want an iMac Pro, well, Apple has made it very clear where to go. The iconic iMac is now just a toy computer for a child's bedroom.

 

[Warped9]

For pros and prosumers who want an iMac Pro, well, Apple has made it very clear where to go. The iconic iMac is now just a toy computer for a child's bedroom.

Like needlessly insulting much?

 

[ric22]

The only hope for this is right to repair legislation. De-soldering storage would be a great way to start...

@Chuckeee Why the dislike? Why wouldn't you want user replaceable storage? Apple shareholder? The MacBook Pros are undoubtably thick enough to accommodate it.

 

[Spike1999]

Yeah it does. Considerably so. Since most people already got their own monitors it's considerably cheaper to just buy Mac Minis instead, and even then buying a M2 Mac Mini and a third party monitor is still cheaper than the iMac.

It's just the nature of the PC industry now. All in ones are considerably niche and hardly anyone makes them anymore. Don't get me wrong, I love the design of the iMac. It's absolutely stunning and there's no other computer with a design like it. But it's just not selling compared to the other Macs.

This explains why they released the Mac Studio, which was marketed unofficially as the more beefy Mac Mini and ditched the iMac Pro.

 

[Zest28]

When you look at what Apple has been doing lately, it's aggressive segmentation everywhere. You can say a Studio Display and Mac Studio is more expensive, and Apple is fine with that, because they know consumers who care about that level of performance will buy it anyway.

In other words, get over it.

That is not true at all. The iMac Pro started at $4999, while the Apple Studio Display + Mac Studio is $3600. Apple is saving you alot of money.

 

[Zest28]

kinda surprises me they're being this direct about it, but I guess they have to since they're the ones that end up catching bad rep because of promises they never made that come from "leakers" on twitter/youtube

It's good Apple is straight forward about it, because MR won't listen. There is the Apple Studio Display if you need a 27" iMac.

 

[bobcomer]

I understand the hatred of cable clutter that you get with the desktop and separate monitor.

It's more than cable clutter, it's displays that just work, no video cable and monitor lottery. Mac's have gotten downright picky about monitors and cables, some combos just don't work well and you wont know it until you already purchased them. With Windows it's a bit different, monitors usually just work with a decent cable. It's weird for me to say that as I got into Macs because of how well they handled displays and scaling on monitors so many years ago.

Computers are getting so expensive now, that it is imo just a better proposition to have the display separate from the computer. Hopefully with Apple Silicon, we see a solid 8 to 10 years of security updates, to keep the e-waste down.

So many have said that around here but I disagree vehemently. And besides, it's 50/50 whether a monitor is going to work for 10 years -- I have to replace them at work more often than that because of failures.