Ex-iMac users - happy you switched?

[Geoff777]

I think there are likely to be a lot of iMac users who felt pushed to getting a Studio - I did.
I was waiting for a 27" version of the iMac with Apple silicon to be released but gave up in the end.
The 24" just doesn't cut it for me.
My 2017 5k iMac was starting to show signs of age, funny little things happening (or expected things not) and then not being able to properly switch to Sonoma made me decide it was time to move on.
The Studio (Max) and Studio display cost me about 1.7 times what I paid for my iMac - I could have saved by getting a different monitor for sure. A big chunk of change.
Anyway, it's done now, and I'm happy as Larry! Using Final Cut Pro is like a brand new experience, I'm stunned!

Apparently Studios only make up 1% of Macs and 4% of desktop sales, which is a surprise to me. Thought it would have been more popular with the power, form factor and expanded connection slots.
But I'd love to know how the rest of you that moved feel.

 

[b17777]

Before I vote, Who's Larry ?

 

[Geoff777]

Before I vote, Who's Larry ?

🤣 Not sure! https://www.theguardian.com/notesan...ey was an australian,hence as happy as Larry".

 

[CWallace]

Yes I am happier with my Mac Studio than my 2020 iMac 5K. I have a 1100+ zone 32" MiniLED 144Hz 4K as my primary display and while it is not Retina, it does have exceptional text clarity and the extra screen real-estate at the same 2560x1440 resolution is most-welcome.

 

[LeeW]

To be fair, I still miss my iMac, but I have since gotten used to selecting my own monitor, keyboard, and mouse. If they brought back a larger iMac, would I buy one? Maybe. Chances of it actually happening and us seeing a new iMac in a larger format? Slim to none.

 

[Feek]

My Studio is mounted under my desk so I don't even really see it. With a couple of ASDs on the desk, to all intents and purposes, it looks like I have an iMac.

So no, I don't regret it. It was an expensive purchase but it means that when I replace it (in another five years, maybe), I won't need to buy any new displays.

 

[ondioline]

I'm extremely happy. Coming up on a year and I haven't had a SINGLE issue with this machine. Rock solid, silent, fast.

 

[Feek]

I'm extremely happy. Coming up on a year and I haven't had a SINGLE issue with this machine. Rock solid, silent, fast.

Oh, neofetch is pretty.

 

[SpecFoto]

Love my MacStudio M2 Max with 64GB and 1TB, which I have had for 4 months. I am using a 27" ASD with an old Apple 27" LED Cinema Display as the 2nd screen, as I was doing on my 2019 27" iMac. Plan to upgrade the 2nd display to a ASD.

The Mac Studio is better in so many ways, it:
Starts up and shuts down WAY faster,
Runs cooler and is much quieter, haven't heard any fans noise yet, where it was almost a daily occurrence with the iMac.
Heavy PS/LR tasks are at least 50 % faster, transcoding time is 50% shorter.
Has 4 TB ports, one I use for the 4TB NVMe startup enclosure along with 3 others all in use, and was able to get rid of my external TB3 dock.

10 outa 10 for me, could not be happier!

 

[Mac Hammer Fan]

I have a Mac Studio M1 Max 32 GPU and a Dell Ultrasharp 32" monitor. I am happy with the larger screen.

 

[PhoenixDown]

I don't have a studio but in general, I prefer having the display and the machine separate. Its easier to upgrade the mac and keep using the display. That said, my iMac was stupid cheap compared to just a solid 5k monitor which is why I bought it in the first place.

 

[Velin]

M2 Max Studio. Love it, it has been absolutely rock solid, silent, fast, and am much happier with this versus an iMac. Running it with an LG C3 42-inch OLED monitor/TV, CODE white-backlit 104 keyboard, G502 mouse, and desktop speakers along with headphones.

Two key things. First, after you use a 42-inch OLED monitor -- or any OLED monitor larger than 27 inches, you're never going back to a 27" IPS display in a desktop machine. Even a minor power user will prefer selecting the best monitor, the best keyboard, the best mouse for their needs. Also prefer selecting my own webcam.

Second, the Mac Studio form factor is vastly superior to the iMac. All the ports are right where you need them, and it's a breeze swapping things because the Studio is a simple cube, meaning it's sturdy and easy to plug-and-play. The SD card slot is very useful for all kinds of file swapping and media sharing, I use it constantly, which was a surprise.

Much prefer all of this to the iMac. Not going back even if they do release a new iMac.

 

[Luis Glez]

I'm still on a M1 Max Studio and it's the best Mac I've ever used. As others have mentioned, it's fast, silent and rock solid. Capable of doing intensive 3D work that would make the iMac fans spin like crazy. I'm very happy with it, and waiting for the next -Ultra model.

 

[theluggage]

I think there are likely to be a lot of iMac users who felt pushed to getting a Studio - I did.

In 2017 I felt pushed into getting an iMac - the alternatives then were the worst-ever 2014 Mac Mini or the already-announced-as-a-flop Trashcan - I was already using a Hackintosh and my real dilemma was whether to sink money into upgrading that and cross my fingers every time an OS update came out, and I was a hair's-breadth away from switching back to Windows. The iMac screen was - and still is - incredible - if a 27" 5k display was exactly what you wanted - but I really wanted a dual 4k display setup & always used the iMac with a second mismatched display. Now I've got a M1 Max Studio with a pair of Huawai 3:2 4k+ displays, and although they'd come second in a side-to-side comparison with a 5k iMac or ASD, in practical terms they are much closer to what I want.

The main thing I miss about the 5k iMac is the combo of glossy finish and anti-reflective coating. (IMHO if you have lights or windows reflecting in your screen then that's the problem you need to solve - a matte screen is the equivalent of sweeping dirt under the carpet until the carpet gets all lumpy - or, in this case, you can't see the reflection but you've lost all the contrast on the screen).

I think it also depends on which iMac you're coming from - the lower-end, sub-$2k 5k iMacs were an absolute steal compared to the modern equivalent of a Mac Mini + Studio Display - but I guess that was unsustainable for Apple too, since 5k failed to take off with the wider PC world, the panels have probably stayed rather expensive. However, at launch the Mac Studio Max CPU/GPU/IO/RAM specs were really in top-end i9 iMac or base iMac Pro territory. If you compare the old price of a i9/1TB SSD iMac with Studio Max + ASD combo then the price difference basically comes down to whether you paid Apple for a 32GB RAM iMac upgrade or got a cheap 3rd party one - an option which would have doubtless been taken away with any hypothetical Apple Silicon 27" iMac.

Also, now Apple have published repair manuals, the internal construction of the Studio does actually look better than the Mini - with most of the ports etc. that might break on replaceable modules and the SSD at least replaceable even if Apple won't sell you an upgrade.

 

[UnifiedMelody]

have a m2 max mac studio with 64GB/2TB more than happy. plugged in external 4K monitor 27" from asus. not the most compatible with apple studio display as an example but it seems fine for me i havent ran into any issues yet
barely can hear the fans [which my PC is fc*kng notorious for even under simple browsing] = pumped a lot of heat for no reason. Mac is more power efficient yet 4x faster than my current pc...

now to find macbook pro lol im itching due to the M3 Max/M4 performance lol haha those forecasts are promising

edit: best part the mac studio is a cute little box that can sit on the top of my desk... my pc tower is ridiculously heavy and has to sit on the floor

 

[Phil77354]

I gave up waiting for a new large display iMac last November and purchased a new Studio Mac (64BGB/2TB) plus Studio Display, and I haven't regretted it for a minute.

I still have my old (late 2014) iMac sitting to the side of my desk, and the Studio Display is so much more elegant in appearance; the poor iMac instantly became dated the minute I unboxed the new display and placed it on my desk.

I also like the small footprint of the Studio Mac. I have it on my desktop just behind the display, and access to ports front and back is great. External storage (Samsung SSDs) sits next to it - everything is right there and takes up very little space.

Most importantly, performance-wise the Studio Mac is of course far faster booting up, opening applications, everything. For my needs, it's over-kill, but I plan to keep this computer for as many years as possible, and since my iMac lasted over 9 years with everyday usage, I am sure this will be even better.

Bottom line is that I'm not looking back! The only thing I might consider doing at some point would be adding a second Studio Display, but for my purposes it really isn't necessary.

 

[MisterSavage]

Well, I was waiting for a 27" iMac but ended up getting a Macbook instead.

 

[Arctic Moose]

I have had a string of 5K iMacs since 2015. I sold the last one when the 14” was released, and got two ASD to go with it.

I am definitely happy, this is the solution I would have preferred from the start.

The MacBook sits on a shelf under the desk and out of sight, so it’s like having a slimmer, more powerful and quieter iMac with no chin, and a matching second monitor.

Plus, it has a built-in UPS, and I can unplug it and chuck it in my backpack, so happy to only have a single computer now.

(Not voting though, since I didn’t actually switch to a Studio.)

 

[Jay6821]

I loved my 27" iMac.

Now I love my Mac Studio and Studio Display even more. There is no going back.

 

[zedsdead]

For Pros/Prosumers the Mac Studio is amazing and makes more sense since each component can be upgraded separately.

I have a lot of family members with Intel 27” iMac’s that would be much happier with the all in one and colors, but don’t want to downgrade in display size. For one family member since she is big into photo editing I did convince her to get a Studio Display + MacBook Pro and she is very happy since that also gives her a mobile solution. The laptop + studio Display option is something more and more people are doing since Apple Silicon (even someone like Marco Arment now prefers this).

 

[Ledgem]

Yes, happy I switched. I prefer a more modular system and while the Apple system-on-chip doesn't allow me to tinker with anything inside of the system like we used to be able to, I can keep using my nice monitors and not feel like they're going to waste each time I upgrade the system. I had a 2015 5K iMac that I went for because I no longer needed a portable system but none of the other desktop options from Apple fit my performance needs, or my price needs. The Mac Studio is the "xMac" that a lot of us were requesting for years, and my M1 Max system continues to deliver. If we get eGPU support and perhaps the ability to upgrade the SSD and RAM like we used to, then it'll be absolutely perfect. (That first option might be a realistic thing, but the latter two are unlikely to happen, I know.)

 

[Eduardot]

I came from Windows to Mac ecosystem in 2012, with an iMac. I was able to switch to Mac Mini M1, after recuperating from Covid. And very happy with the Ecosystem, I am currently waiting for my Mac Studio.

 

[Geoff777]

Well, the poll closed and the results were 37:1 to happy with the switch.
Thanks to everyone that contributed.

After using the Studio for a while now, I too wouldn't go back to a 27"+ iMac unless there was a really compelling reason to do so.

I started my Mac journey with separate computer and monitor, switched to the early iMac for convenience and cost, went back to the 2 unit system for a while, then back to iMac when the 27" came out.

I prefer the separate system for several reasons, and I'm happy as Larry with the Studio. 😆

 

[Coltaine]

I came from a 2015 27“ iMac and switched to an Mac Studio M1 Max and an Apple Studio display in 2022, which I plan to keep until at least 2029 (I am usually on a seven-year replacement cycle with my desktop computers).
I have never regretted going for a Mac Studio, but if they manufactured a really great all-in-one Mac with a big display, I would consider going back.

 

[MacGizmo]

I used 27" iMacs for years, the iMac Pro was the last. Because I knew they were never going to make another large-screen high-end iMac, I bought the Mac Studio and haven't regretted it since.

I have an Apple 27" Studio Display and an LG 34" 5k/2k ultrawide (which I will eventually replace with another Apple Studio Display).

For the very first time in my Mac-using life I have more I/O ports than I need.