It's become quite obvious that Apple doesn't care about displays or display mounting anymore. I finally had to bite the bullet and buy a 4 year old Thunderbolt Display because they refuse to update it. They'd rather give you a USB-C to HDMI adapter to use non-Apple displays. Paying a shop to do the install may be the best option. Check out this place if you're interested in a more elegant solution: http://www.monitorsinmotion.com/store/large_monitors
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Best Arm Options For New 27" iMac
- Thread starter bobob
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Best Arm Options For New 27" iMac
You can get the bracket that mounts the whole machine like I did. I had no other options, and from a warranty/resale perspective there was no way I was going to have vesa retrofitted.
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I don't keep macs past apple care so I will be selling mine in a few months to replace with a 32 inch 4k monitor. When the time comes I will post the bracket up here for sale at a very reasonable price.
You can get the bracket that mounts the whole machine like I did. I had no other options, and from a warranty/resale perspective there was no way I was going to have vesa retrofitted.
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I don't keep macs past apple care so I will be selling mine in a few months to replace with a 32 inch 4k monitor. When the time comes I will post the bracket up here for sale at a very reasonable price.
As a veteran from the iMac arm trenches, I was overjoyed to discover that new iMacs are now available with a built-in VESA mount direct from Apple.
...and conveniently, The Wirecutter has recently produced one of its exemplary comparison buying guides for the best of currently available monitor arms.
...and conveniently, The Wirecutter has recently produced one of its exemplary comparison buying guides for the best of currently available monitor arms.
That is a great option and I was considering it but I really want to retain the tilt adjustment of my existing Monitors in Motion Double Boa and Single Boa arms with a 2011 iMac and two Thunderbolt Displays. I'll be getting one of these installed on my new 2017 iMac as soon as the repair shop has the Apple-approved tape to reattach the 2017 display.
http://www.monitorsinmotion.com/27-imac-adapter-new-late-2012/
HA! Gee, if only I waited 4 years I could have not only had a faster computer but save $1,000 of extra headache! Oh well....glad to see they finally offer VESA direct!
This is not new. They have offered the VESA models for a long time ... they're just very hidden in the purchase process. And, of course, having to choose between a non-VESA or a VESA model is very restrictive / confining.
Restrictive / confining? Hidden? How about plain non-existant 4 years ago when I joined this thread and shared my pain with others regarding my all-in-one iMac?
Doesn't matter now, water under the bridge.
I'm a arm-mounted iMac fanboy (albeit still enjoying my original stalwart 2009 model), and yet the little known fact that Apple was directly selling VESA mount iMacs even eluded me. It would have been much more helpful if you had posted that in this thread back when they started quietly offering them in 2013.
Well, can't keep on top of all the threads all the time.
I don't know the timelines of everyone doing whatever they were doing here on this thread ... I think there was a small gap where VESA mount options were not available ... but certainly relative to now the build to order option has been in place (albeit very hidden) for around 3 years or so.
Personally, I think that "The Wirecutter" contributors are a bunch of shills. Relevant case in point here, I have on my desk a Herman-Miller Flo Dual for my two BenQ 27" displays and a Flo Plus with a VESA laptop mount for my rMBP that will be holding my new VESA 27" iMac when it gets here.
Nitpicks with The Wirecutter's "recommendations":
Nitpick #1 - the architectural supply company that sells them locally discounts the arms 20-40%, I've never paid close to retail - I paid $160 for the Flo Dual delivered, $40 less than the single arm Flo they cited. Nitpick #2 - the mounting plate is metal and not plastic, as are all of the components of the arm and mount; only the organizers and mount cover are plastic, and they are attractive and complementary in appearance. Nitpick #3 - I have all three arms mounted to an unfinished wood tabletop, and have had zero issues with stability. I own/run a small company, and there's maybe 40 of these arms in my offices with 24"-to-32" displays attached and we've never had an issue with stability with any of the arms or mounts, ever, going back to 2010
. And, Nitpick #4 - their statement "and doesn’t provide an option for very tall people" - I'm frickin' 6'8" in my shoes and standing on a pad at my standing desk, and the top of my portrait 27" BenQ (Flo, home) or 27" Dell (Flo, work) and rMBP (Flo Plus, home) can put the top of the displays over my head; I'm 4" taller than the tallest goombas in their "evaluation"; the same can be offered by me at sitting desks in my offices.The "but we don’t trust this mount with a valuable monitor" bit just doesn't fly with me. I've got more than $30k of Eizo/BenQ/Dell displays on H-M arms with no issues whatsoever. I'm not picking nits with you, nor am I extolling the purchase of the H-M Flo arms over another brand (with a caveat, to follow), but I've seen too many "reviews" by The Wirecutter that recommend crap with Amazon links, products that are "the best" that I've owned and grenaded, I just don't trust any product they recommend.
Now, my nitpick with the quote. Arms like the Flo Plus are designed for heavier objects, which is why I purchased the Flo Plus for my VESA iMac. The Flo is designed for displays/tablets (up to 20 lbs±) while the Flo Plus is designed for 21-40 lbs. I have 7 VESA iMacs in my offices on Flo Plus arms - again, with zero/nada stability issues. Cheers.
Despite the ever looming spectre of frickin' 6'8" Herman-Miller proponents (), if I were buying an iMac arm today I would personally go with the $99 AmazonBasics model recommended by The Wirecutter as the optimal quality/value choice.
), if I were buying an iMac arm today I would personally go with the $99 AmazonBasics model recommended by The Wirecutter as the optimal quality/value choice.
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
The new iMac Pro has gone back to the old VESA Mount Adapter Kit (VMAK - now in Space Gray, naturally).
Perhaps Apple has determined that the primary type of Pro buyer of their all-in-one will be looking to use it as a machine that is easily transportable around a production jobsite, and those that want an arm-mounted screen will wait for their upcoming modular Mac Pro. Additionally, one of the cost advantages of the iMac Pro in terms of not interrupting billable hours, is quick swappability for a replacement machine if the original is down for repairs.
Not that the old VMAK was the end of the world, but it was a rather fiddly procedure to get the stand off and on the back of the iMac.
Perhaps Apple has determined that the primary type of Pro buyer of their all-in-one will be looking to use it as a machine that is easily transportable around a production jobsite, and those that want an arm-mounted screen will wait for their upcoming modular Mac Pro. Additionally, one of the cost advantages of the iMac Pro in terms of not interrupting billable hours, is quick swappability for a replacement machine if the original is down for repairs.
Not that the old VMAK was the end of the world, but it was a rather fiddly procedure to get the stand off and on the back of the iMac.
...and now for you Emerald level members of the iMac Arm Connoisseur Club, there arrives a new choice in 2020:
Apple's own Pro Stand!
Sure, it's been ridiculed by every known form of social media, but you can't deny the engineering!
The Pro Stand is the $999 accessory originally designed for Apple's new Pro Display XR monitor, but it is also entirely compatible with the good old 27" iMac - - the subject of this very thread.
Of course, you will need to add the $199 VESA Mount Adapter to dock with your brand new 27-inch iMac with Built-in VESA Mount Adapter (now also available built-in for the 21.5-inch iMac and the iMac Pro).
But I'm not joking about the engineering. Go down to your local Apple Store and feel the quality of the Pro Stand for yourself...
...and seriously, watch Apple's own Pro Stand launch video (4:11 - 4:34) again right now...
If money were no object, then I would love to have something this finely engineered and machined on my desk.
But it's not about the money for me, as noted earlier in the thread, I am simply a fan of longer arms.
So for now I can only dream of the future multi-articulated version of the Pro Stand (with two or more extended and interconnected middle sections of the current Pro Stand).
I eagerly await the launch of the Pro Stand Pro.
Apple's own Pro Stand!
Sure, it's been ridiculed by every known form of social media, but you can't deny the engineering!
The Pro Stand is the $999 accessory originally designed for Apple's new Pro Display XR monitor, but it is also entirely compatible with the good old 27" iMac - - the subject of this very thread.
Of course, you will need to add the $199 VESA Mount Adapter to dock with your brand new 27-inch iMac with Built-in VESA Mount Adapter (now also available built-in for the 21.5-inch iMac and the iMac Pro).
But I'm not joking about the engineering. Go down to your local Apple Store and feel the quality of the Pro Stand for yourself...
...and seriously, watch Apple's own Pro Stand launch video (4:11 - 4:34) again right now...
If money were no object, then I would love to have something this finely engineered and machined on my desk.
But it's not about the money for me, as noted earlier in the thread, I am simply a fan of longer arms.
So for now I can only dream of the future multi-articulated version of the Pro Stand (with two or more extended and interconnected middle sections of the current Pro Stand).
I eagerly await the launch of the Pro Stand Pro.
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Oh man, I've given up on arms. The long arm I bought was ultimately a bust - despite spending close to $1K, and promises that the cylinder would last, it started getting weak within months and ultimately ended up useless.
These days the iMacs are much lighter which should expand the options considerably as far as length is concerned, but I see little in the way of truly long arms and have basically given up following the field.
As happens, I'm slowly looking around for my next iMac - I'm still on my original late 2009 27" one I bought back in Feb of 2010 - so that's an even 10 years. Amazing! It was top of the line back then, and still serves me well (I did have to have the HDD replaced several times under Apple Care). The CD player hasn't worked for years, but I guess it's no longer relevant, and the few times I've needed it, I just use an external USB CD-drive.
However, my iMac is now too old to get the latest MacOS and so at some point I'll have to buy a new one. Then again, I tend to be pretty slow with OS moves too - I stayed on Snow Leopard forever, and at this point I'm on High Sierra which is how high it'll go on this late 2009 iMac. Honestly, I'm not super excited by the latest and greatest MacOS, because I have not seen anything revolutionary that's a "must" update. In fact, rather the opposite - from what I understand the latest OS has dropped Dashboard, and I use Dashboard daily dozens and dozens of times. I have found no substitute for Dashboard in my workflow despite trying hard (Notification Center is an atrocity).
But I would look forward to getting something faster than a spinning HDD, and something that doesn't quite kick up the fans as often. These days, my iMac feels a bit slow - launching apps, startup and shutdown and so on. Plus, I have 12 external drives hooked up to my iMac for a total of some 80TB of storage - but again, that's with poky old USB. Not only is it slow, but soon it'll be obsolete.
For all these reasons, I'll have to move to a new iMac. That means that there's an opportunity, at least theoretically, for a new long arm. But guess what, I'm over it. If the iMacs are truly light, then it's less hassle to move them around, removing part of the reason for the arm. And I completely lost faith in any arm that depends on air cylinders, which pretty much eliminates long ones. Hence - I'm no longer in the market for it.
I am in the market for a new iMac - but the options at this point don't excite me... seems like yesterday's technology. I was hoping for some juicy updates this year, maybe a re-design, but it looks bleak - apparently Intel has nothing until next year at the earliest, so even that's a bust.
I think I can last another year or maybe even two with this iMac, so I'm not in a huge hurry. And no more arms for me. YMMV.
These days the iMacs are much lighter which should expand the options considerably as far as length is concerned, but I see little in the way of truly long arms and have basically given up following the field.
As happens, I'm slowly looking around for my next iMac - I'm still on my original late 2009 27" one I bought back in Feb of 2010 - so that's an even 10 years. Amazing! It was top of the line back then, and still serves me well (I did have to have the HDD replaced several times under Apple Care). The CD player hasn't worked for years, but I guess it's no longer relevant, and the few times I've needed it, I just use an external USB CD-drive.
However, my iMac is now too old to get the latest MacOS and so at some point I'll have to buy a new one. Then again, I tend to be pretty slow with OS moves too - I stayed on Snow Leopard forever, and at this point I'm on High Sierra which is how high it'll go on this late 2009 iMac. Honestly, I'm not super excited by the latest and greatest MacOS, because I have not seen anything revolutionary that's a "must" update. In fact, rather the opposite - from what I understand the latest OS has dropped Dashboard, and I use Dashboard daily dozens and dozens of times. I have found no substitute for Dashboard in my workflow despite trying hard (Notification Center is an atrocity).
But I would look forward to getting something faster than a spinning HDD, and something that doesn't quite kick up the fans as often. These days, my iMac feels a bit slow - launching apps, startup and shutdown and so on. Plus, I have 12 external drives hooked up to my iMac for a total of some 80TB of storage - but again, that's with poky old USB. Not only is it slow, but soon it'll be obsolete.
For all these reasons, I'll have to move to a new iMac. That means that there's an opportunity, at least theoretically, for a new long arm. But guess what, I'm over it. If the iMacs are truly light, then it's less hassle to move them around, removing part of the reason for the arm. And I completely lost faith in any arm that depends on air cylinders, which pretty much eliminates long ones. Hence - I'm no longer in the market for it.
I am in the market for a new iMac - but the options at this point don't excite me... seems like yesterday's technology. I was hoping for some juicy updates this year, maybe a re-design, but it looks bleak - apparently Intel has nothing until next year at the earliest, so even that's a bust.
I think I can last another year or maybe even two with this iMac, so I'm not in a huge hurry. And no more arms for me. YMMV.
Resurrecting this old thread because I keep getting conflicting info. The flo monitor arm seems to hold a 27" monitor just fine, but will it hold a 32" display? Herman Miller site's product page has a Q and A section where they state it only holds up to 24" displays. I emailed Colebrook Bosson Saunders and got zero response after a month of trying to contact them. Any thoughts on why this arm wouldn't be able to support a larger display?Personally, I think that "The Wirecutter" contributors are a bunch of shills. Relevant case in point here, I have on my desk a Herman-Miller Flo Dual for my two BenQ 27" displays and a Flo Plus with a VESA laptop mount for my rMBP that will be holding my new VESA 27" iMac when it gets here.
Nitpicks with The Wirecutter's "recommendations":
Nitpick #1 - the architectural supply company that sells them locally discounts the arms 20-40%, I've never paid close to retail - I paid $160 for the Flo Dual delivered, $40 less than the single arm Flo they cited. Nitpick #2 - the mounting plate is metal and not plastic, as are all of the components of the arm and mount; only the organizers and mount cover are plastic, and they are attractive and complementary in appearance. Nitpick #3 - I have all three arms mounted to an unfinished wood tabletop, and have had zero issues with stability. I own/run a small company, and there's maybe 40 of these arms in my offices with 24"-to-32" displays attached and we've never had an issue with stability with any of the arms or mounts, ever, going back to 2010
The "but we don’t trust this mount with a valuable monitor" bit just doesn't fly with me. I've got more than $30k of Eizo/BenQ/Dell displays on H-M arms with no issues whatsoever. I'm not picking nits with you, nor am I extolling the purchase of the H-M Flo arms over another brand (with a caveat, to follow), but I've seen too many "reviews" by The Wirecutter that recommend crap with Amazon links, products that are "the best" that I've owned and grenaded, I just don't trust any product they recommend.
Now, my nitpick with the quote. Arms like the Flo Plus are designed for heavier objects, which is why I purchased the Flo Plus for my VESA iMac. The Flo is designed for displays/tablets (up to 20 lbs±) while the Flo Plus is designed for 21-40 lbs. I have 7 VESA iMacs in my offices on Flo Plus arms - again, with zero/nada stability issues. Cheers.
