Apple Still Developing Bigger iMac With Over 30-Inch Display

[Velli]

Sadly, for a lot of people, yes. It used to be that Apple products were simply the best available. Not so any more.

I think the argument that people are buying Apple just because they look good is highly exaggerated. Certainly "performance" in the traditional sense is less important for Apple, but this is because it is largely less relevant for most users, as long as it is "fast enough". The aim for Apple is the overall user experience, which is a combination of factors.

Aesthetics is important yes, but not just in hardware design, also in software and consistency. You couldn't pay me to use Google Maps rather than Apple Maps, simply because I find the interface ugly, even though I don't think I can tell you why. There are lots of hardware products that look as good or better than Apple's, but don't have the same overall user experience, or sense of connection between hardware and software design, and between devices.

My point is, Apple may not be number one anymore in terms of performance per dollar. But I do feel strongly that they are number one in terms of user experience per dollar.

 

[npmacuser5]

Apple needs an upgrade path when the EOL for the system happens and the display etc functional. Swappable system board maybe. Could even be customer swappable. Never going to happen. Nonetheless a good solution.

 

[HouseLannister]

Didn’t MacRumors recently publish a piece on how to connect an iMac monitor to another Mac? It was my hope to one day connect my 27” 2020 iMac monitor to a Mac Mini.

You have options. You can use Duet Display or Luna Display or Sidecar or Airplay. But these all mean your 2020 iMac is still a computer, not just a dumb monitor. You will see need to have a working SSD and an OS you will need to update. At a certain age, this becomes a security concern.

 

[skaertus]

2020 27-inch iMac (the last one) starts at $1,799.00.

Current M3 24-inch iMac starts at $1299.00.

Forthcoming large-screen iMac: $1,999 for the Mac Studio + $4,999 for the 32-inch Pro XDR Display + $999.00 for the Pro Stand + $149.00 for the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID + $79.00 for the Magic Mouse = 32-inch iMac Pro starts at $8,225.00.

I wonder if this would be the case.

 

[citysnaps]

My point is, Apple may not be number one anymore in terms of performance per dollar. But I do feel strongly that they are number one in terms of user experience per dollar.

Spot-on. It has always been that way. If one wants raw performance there are lots of choices.

What Apple offers is a far superior user experience. And is why Apple is one of the most successful tech companies in the world. With a billion active customers. And manufacturing/selling 600,000 iPhones every day of the year.

 

[Velin]

No longer interested. Mac mini and Mac Studio have shown the superiority of a small desktop computer. And a larger separate monitor that can be upgraded independently. Currently, OLED TVs at 42 inches make amazing OSX monitors, and there are smaller OLEDS as well.

 

[BrightDarkSky]

Did this may never happen but I can still smell the crippling decisions coming from the marketing team right now.

Will it be lack of ports? Will it be reduced performance course? Will it be useless GPU course that don't change any real performance or capability? What's going to be the limits on that big screen? Will it even come with a keyboard and mouse, because this is Apple we're talking about? Will the screen still be blocked from the ability to use it as a monitor? Well that last one is for sure..

Major question is though..will it come with 12 GB of RAM and 256 hard drive that is single lane i it's base model?

I won't be getting popcorn for this. There will be shenanigans if this DreamBox ever came out.

My 3 TB hybrid drive iMac 2013 fully loaded model is still putting in work to this day. One can only dream of a popular placement that doesn't include a half solution that doesn't come with a keyboard or mouse or monitor.

 

[mevans7]

Too late.

 

[BrightDarkSky]

No longer interested. Mac mini and Mac Studio have shown the superiority of a small desktop computer. And a larger separate monitor that can be upgraded independently. Currently, OLED TVs at 42 inches make amazing OSX monitors, and there are smaller OLEDS as well.

If you're using the OLED as a computer monitor, especially a TV, super asking for trouble. Your money do what you got to do. But that doesn't sound like a good idea at all.

Unless you use it for a very quick presentations without the UI being a big factor, not a great idea IMHO.

 

[Taipan]

After all these years, if it’s only 30 inch and not at least 32 then it’s dead in the water

I don‘t agree with everyone asking for such huge displays. Are you really using displays of those sizes on a desktop? Do you have such bad vision and don’t mind constantly turning your head, or just very long arms?

 

[VisceralRealist]

Eh, I know this is like the #1 product this forum wants to see, but I'm not that interested in it. I'd rather see a mini-LED monitor, either of 27" or 30"+ size. I'd like to see an update to the Pro Display, as well as the Studio Display. The iPad has moved to OLED, microLED is in all the rumors, why is the Studio Display still 60 Hz? I think there's more they can do in the desktop space besides releasing an expensive all-in-one that can't be upgraded in any way.

 

[hsotnicam8002]

It’ll be for lease only. Or should that be called ‘mortgage’?

 

[ennisw]

What I thought about iMac is that, the era of whole family sharing one desktop computer to browse internet has gone. And that's the original targeting market of the iMac.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I'll believe it when I see it
This could just as easily be planted BS to keep people from leaving the ecosystem

"Coming soon!" ...
"Hey, maybe buy a Mini or Studio + display to hold you over?!"
-Tim

 

[Lioness~]

Some people just wan't to get away with paying less than buying a MacStudio/MacMini and separate Display(s), that's all.
So this rumor is fed once in a while - but there's an 23" iMac, we don't see any larger iMac.
If we will be something larger, it might be a 30"-ish Studio Display one day.

 

[Realityck]

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.

Apple has enough resources to work on many things at once, and there is diffidently a market for a larger iMac.

Previous article

Larger iMac With Around 32-Inch Display Reportedly in Early Testing

Apple is experimenting with larger iMacs, including a model with around a 32-inch display, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his latest...

www.macrumors.com

 

[SousVide]

Long-term iMac user here. When it was last time to upgrade, I knew for certain that I no longer wanted another "throw baby out with the bathwater" iMac (guts die or are made obsolete by corporate choice means a perfectly good monitor/speakers/etc must get tossed too), so I shopped around and came upon a 40" 5K2K Ultra-wide from Dell. To my perfectly-fine eyes, resolution is just as good as my former iMac 27"... EXCEPT now there is substantially more horizontal R.E. for windows/apps. I could never go back to any 16:10 screen now: 27" or 32".

Separates addresses the "throw baby out" problem when AAPL obsoletes the Silicon Mac currently attached to it. Having multiple inputs solves the "no more bootcamp" issues too by attaching a Mac Mini-like PC to input #2 (no, ARM Windows is not full Windows). And instead of coming with only a couple of ports of 1 type, this one comes with a substantial hub of many common use (in 2024) ports...

Anyone interested in a hypothetical iMac ultra-wide but going the separates way should give it a look. There's some good reviews on YouTube and similar and it costs less than ASD with stand option.

The native resolution of this Dell 5k2k display is 5120x2160. Do you use it at that resolution, i.e., no scaling with your Mac? If so, isn’t everything on your screen, from UI elements to text, too small for comfortable viewing? Or do you apply scaling for a more comfortable picture?

 

[nt5672]

It still comes down to use case. There are some terrific Windows Laptops out there and even some Android Tablets have upped their game. Apple products still being me joy though; they'd have to do something really daft to make me bin the Mac.

It seems to me that by not fixing long standing bugs, they are working really hard to make Windows and Android look appealing.

 

[theluggage]

Meanwhile, "let's kick the Mac guts OUT of the new iMac 27, rebrand it ASD and leave the price the same as historical iMac 27" pricing and see if they'll pay."

The idea that the Studio Display started life as an iMac really doesn't hold water.

Yes - it's got fans. That's because it contains a hefty (whatever the display needs plus 96W) PSU and super-bright backlights - but the fans are nowhere near the CPU area. If it was designed as an iMac/iMac Pro the cooling system would be designed around the CPU. The LG Ultrafine 5k had a fan as well.

Yes - it's got a computer and SSD in it - an iPhone-surplus A-series SoC. Pretty much any modern display has a powerful microcontroller in it, most receive firmware updates. Again, the LG has a microcontroller and a signal processor for the camera etc. Driving the fancy virtual-surround speakers, webcam etc. is bread and butter for an A-series chip, and Apple happen to know these guys who can give them a good deal on an A-series chip.

Yes - it's running iOS. Or, at least, something with the same build number of iOS (no indication that it has full iOS). Again - a no-brainer, since the driver software for webcam and surround speakers is most likely a close cousin existing drivers for iDevices and HomePod. If not, they'd have to license a third party microcontroller OS or re-write their drivers for bare metal - again, like most other higher-end displays.

I think what it does prove is that you can't tell the difference between a future iMac and a Studio Display based on a sketchy leaked photo or two.

The Studio display was a test to see if they could get away with selling a 27-inch iMac without the Mac!

The Studio Display was likely a deliberate move to get out of the shrinking iMac market and instead make a single product that could be sold to users of MacBooks, Mac Minis, Mac Studios and Mac Pros.

The whole desktop Mac market is likely being decimated now that most of the performance advantage over laptops has gone. All those people who once bought an iMac for heavy lifting and a MBA/MBP for use "on the road" now just need the laptop and a large screen - and Apple would like the Studio Display to be that large screen. Many of its features - particularly that expensive, slim-line power supply - look designed to make it the ultimate MBP dock as much as a display for a desktop Mac.

The M1 24" iMac was also a huge improvement over the old 21.5" iMac (well, objectively - personally I think it's hideous) which was also going to take a huge bite out of lower-end 5k iMac sales.

The bargain $1800 i5 iMac may have been cheaper than a Studio Display/Mac Mini combo, but the Mini was always more powerful and once you get to the Mx Mini+SD versus the i7 iMac, the prices are pretty comparable. The fully tricked-out top end i9 iMac cost about the same as a comparably powerful Studio Max + Studio Display (by the time you upgrade the iMac to 32GB at Apple Prices). YMMV as to whether you "need" to buy the Magic peripherals... personally, I can't stand 'em and would have to replace them or use old kit anyway.

...and all that is ignoring the option of buying a 3rd party 4k or 5k display with a lot more choice of formats and significantly lower prices.

 

[Darajavahus]

Ridiculous how long, it's the single only apple product that has not been completely copied. It's iconic, how could they let it die

 

[Matrix1776]

When I think of Apple, the iMac comes to mind. The G3 changed the landscape from boring towers to a fun AIO. The 27" gave users an amazing, large, All-in-one, 5K computer.

 

[bcvthul]

I can start dreaming again!

(Although i also say: mine 10 year old iMac is still functioning flawlessly….)

 

[revenire]

Take my money please.

 

[mrhick01]

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.

...but you don't have to throw them away, they can be converted into monitors with a board.

 

[ignatius345]

Didn’t MacRumors recently publish a piece on how to connect an iMac monitor to another Mac? It was my hope to one day connect my 27” 2020 iMac monitor to a Mac Mini.

There are some threads about it on these forums. It's inexpensive, but a fair bit of work from what I've read.

...but you don't have to throw them away, they can be converted into monitors with a board.

For sure. But the caveat, if I recall, is that you don't get to use the speakers, mics or webcam from the iMac -- so you have to buy and hook up that stuff separately.