Apple Still Developing Bigger iMac With Over 30-Inch Display

[nt5672]

I've had exactly one iMac and never again. It is now obsolete and the display still works great.

Also it does not have any ports on the front. So whenever I want to use the ports I have to move the iMac on the desktop so I can see the ports. What a stupid design it is to limit functionality to satisfy someone's idea of clean modern design.

This is expectably problematic because it has that stupid bottom case below the display that looks so 1950's. To me the iMac is and always has been an abomination.

 

[bradman83]

The only reason I've bought iMacs is that for many years, they were the best desktop computers Apple had (with the exception of the occasional Mac Pro).

I've been saying this for ages. The 27" iMac was the only viable desktop option for most users. The Mac Mini used clock-limited B-series Intel chips and weak integrated graphics, and the Mac Pro was increasingly priced out of reach of consumers because Apple exclusively used Xeon chips in those machines. If you wanted a regular high performing i7/i9 K-series chip and discrete graphics the iMac was literally your only choice.

With Apple Silicon the Mac Mini, especially with a Pro series chip is a much more viable option for most consumers and the Mac Studio fills in the gaps in the prosumer/professional market.

 

[aries81]

27inch display was perfect though.

 

[nt5672]

Don't forget the M4 allows them to make it as thin as the iPad Pro.

Desktops don't need to be thin, unless of course you care more about how your desktop looks than getting work done.

 

[bradman83]

Just get the Dell UltraSharp 32 6K Monitor - U3224KB and connect it to any computer/laptop.

Dell UltraSharp 32 Inch 6K Monitor U3224KB - Computer Monitors | Dell USA

Dell UltraSharp 32-inch 6K Monitor with IPS Black panel technology featuring exceptional color, contrast & detail across a wide viewing angle. View on Dell.com.

www.dell.com

Feature-wise it's a fantastic monitor but good lord it's a hideous design. Some monitors still have huge chins but this one's got a forehead!

 

[Ctrlos]

Desktops don't need to be thin, unless of course you care more about how your desktop looks than getting work done.

Well, yeah

Isn't this why we buy Apple devices: they look good whilst getting things done?

 

[Chuckeee]

I would guess an XDR display update is under development, someone saw it and restarted this whole 32” iMac Pro rumors again.

 

[Oestreich Dieter]

What does this mean: "Then in November 2023, Apple put paid to hopes..."

 

[HouseLannister]

What does this mean: "Then in November 2023, Apple put paid to hopes..."

I think they meant to type "put to bed hopes" as in they made a statement that they were not working on larger iMacs to stop the rumors from slowing down potential sales of other products like the Mac mini and Mac Studio.

 

[rp2011]

With the rate of development of chips, it seems insane for Apple or consumers to even consider such an albatross. I cannot see such a preposterous product on the market. For whom? People longing for expensive E-waste?

 

[deconstruct60]

Apple is still working on a larger iMac with over a 30-inch display, but the development stage and potential release schedule for the all-in-one computer still remains largely unknown.
....

As the rumors indicate, the actual size of the bigger iMac that Apple is working on is still unclear, but the display is surely going to be over 30 inches.

Surely???? The primary 'news' here is that it isn't a definate product. So how does the screen size fit into the guaranteed , 'surely' , status?

Very likely part of the problem here is Apple settling on a screen panel that fits they needs on cost and longevity. (e.g, if Apple is going to switch to tandem OLED for this .. for how many years at what price will it cost.). If > 30" costs too much for Apple, then it likely won't make the cut.

The only things in the 'surely' status is that it will be using a Apple SoC ( something in some Mn series) and it will have a large profit margin on it along with an Apple Logo somewhere. It would be > 24" since Apple already has one of those.

There are lots of assumptions that Apple could take a next gen XDR panel and wrap an iMac around that. But that is not a 'sure thing'. A relatively very expensive iMac may not shift economy of scale numbers for the XDR panels that much larger. Most of the discussions on these forums about an 'large screen iMac' are from folks looking for approximately the same legacy prices of the non-Pro version.

Pretty good chance that the Studio Display is substantively outselling the XDR at this point. If larger screen iMac was going to 'couple' to an Apple panel that has higher numbers, then there is decent chance it would be the SD; not XDR. The lower SD panel cost would help drive higher larger iMac sales ( because the iMac would have a lower price. Hence a larger target market).

If the larger iMac gets its own panel ( decoupled from both SD and XDR), then it doesn't necessarily need to take XDR size features either.

Apple may need a large screen iMac to prop up next gen XDR panel numbers. (e.g., XDR loosing traction in target market. ). So it could happen. It may likely happen (if that is the context), but not a 100% sure thing.


P.S.

Apple plans to update its 24-inch iMac to an M4 processor later this year,

I wouldn't bet on that one either. Apple let the iMac drift for well over a year. M1-> M3. They could do the same thing this year and into next M3 -> M5. It isn't a strategic product. MBA's can wait for a M4 until 2025 ... so easily could the iMac.

 

[tenthousandthings]

The only real change here is Gurman hedging his bet on its size, from 32" to 30+"

I’ll take this as confirmation that the obvious sweet spot of a 30" 3240p (3x1080p) display = precisely 218 dpi (= Retina) is in play, for a Studio Display revision if not an iMac revision.

The other thing nobody has pointed out is the possibility of the 24" receiving a new panel and a new design at the same time. M6 in October 2026 would be about right for that, I’ll guess…

The return of target display mode would also be a requirement for this, I would expect.

 

[Ojiisan]

Great news.. Currently have a 2019 27" Intel iMac.

 

[ttyRazor]

I think there’s definitely a market for it, but personally I like the Mac mini better. I hate throwing away those beautiful displays when the iMacs get obsolete.

the only reason people have been clamoring for a new high end iMac is that the intel iMacs had grown into a significant bargain for a high end display that had a pretty decently specced Mac stuck inside

 

[spcopsmac21]

I think there’s definitely a market for it, but personally I like the Mac mini better. I hate throwing away those beautiful displays when the iMacs get obsolete.

There are people who manufacture new internal driver boards that allow you to turn your old iMac into an external display.

 

[Dan From Canada]

Until Apple can produce an iMac that is credit card thin it isn't happening.

 

[Hopefully Smarter]

iMacs are landfill nightmares.

 

[brofkand]

I am still using a 27 iMac of 2012, with some upgrades like a ssd drive it is running very good for that age.

In my line of work that's simply not an option. I'm getting rid of 2017 iMacs now. Once they stop getting security patches, they're off to the recyclers.

 

[trusso]

*gasp*

Could it be? Is this... *wipes eyes* ...a Mac rumor?

 

[ttyRazor]

One way I see this happening is if it’s their way to getting a 6k HDR ProMotion display out there. The original 5k iMac came to be since a single DisplayPort cable at the time couldn’t drive a 5k display, so they used two connections internally. Thunderbolt 3/4 is already pushing the limit and needs display stream compression for the 6k XDR and anything more than USB2 speeds for peripherals connected to it, but Thunderbolt 5 should have more than enough bandwidth to handle it, especially the mode where one of its channels can be reversed from input to output for 40/120 Gbps.

The only other reason for this I see is it’s just another upsized consumer option like the 15” MacBook Air, and it’d only get the base M4 or M5 and no high refresh.

 

[deconstruct60]

The other thing nobody has pointed out is the possibility of the 24" receiving a new panel and a new design at the same time. M6 in October 2026 would be about right for that, I’ll guess…

Apple was reported evolving to micro-LEDs for line up and now isn't. If the 24" is waiting on new screen panel tech then the larger screen iMac would likely be in the same queue. (e.g., tandem OLED).

The return of target display mode would also be a requirement for this, I would expect.

TDM is likely not more a requirement than modular DIMM RAM sockets are. There is a external faction that want the feature, but Apple has other design priorities. The output for the embedded display comes from the Apple SoC. Gets even more proprietary if Apple's chosen display has some custom display controller.

If Apple simply allowed a dedicated input port there would be no need for TDM. But their monitors much have one , and only one, port (and no physical monitor control buttons ). So have that self imposed constraint.

For an even larger iMac there would be even more room for a video iMac socket somewhere on the chassis. TDM why????? If want an input socket, then just put it on the system. It would/could be just that simple/straightforward.

Apple's dogma of avoid that simplicity is the likely blocker.



P.S. Gurman has a long track record of "large screen iMac" just around the corner sighting for last 4 years. It isn't so much covering his bets with 30+ ... the whole concept ... " see it was coming years ago like I said" covering his predictions. ( he let go of the 'half sized' Mac Pro thing. But until it is conclusive that it isn't right he likely will just keep recycling it. )

 

[madmin]

Much as I have loved my iMacs, they have always been a wasteful solution.

The first iMac was a wonderful bright and revolutionary design to kick start iCEO Steve Jobs' new Apple in the late 1990s…

The all in one design has outlived its usefulness — unless the display can be shown to have a useful life after the Mac part of it dies.

Give us a Mac in a box and external displays.

Of course the display could have a useful afterlife if they'd just bring back target display mode

I'd agree wholeheartedly with you if there were more third party displays with high pixel density

I don't like the Apple Studio Display for various reasons

 

[Velli]

Put a TV tuner in it you cowards!

Welcome to 2012.

 

[Velli]

Apple is still working on a larger iMac with over a 30-inch display, but the development stage and potential release schedule for the all-in-one computer still remains largely unknown.

Translated: This product may never see the light of day.

With the new Mac Mini, a lineup with the small iMac for "casual users", and a larger display option for Mac Mini/Studio users makes a lot more sense than an iMac Pro.

 

[maczaddy]

Only makes sense if it can be used as a standalone monitor after the computer reaches EOL.

Otherwise it's a waste of a good screen long-term (and not exactly A+ green credibility).

I agree 1000% I have a beautiful iMac just sitting there Apple at one point was giving me $25 bucks to recycle it now it’s just free recycling but it’s a shame because I could to use it for a second monitor I feel terrible just tossing it. The tech at the Apple Store said if I swap out the hard drive for a solid state drive I should see it go faster but I don’t think it’s worth the hassle. I have no space to do these repairs.