Guess Larger than iMac 27" M3 Starting Price

[Chuckeee]

What is your guess for lowest entry level large screen M3 iMac assuming:
Smallest Screen that is 27” or larger
For US purchase
US cost in $
No discounts
Available to general public
No trade-in
Lowest level M3 processor to be offered with a large screen
Smallest RAM & SSD to be offered (even if you think it is impractical)
No additional, optional or upgraded peripherals

If you want include what you think this offer would consist of and when it would be available

 

[CarnelianClout]

I am guessing it will be in the $2000-$2500 range.

 

[picpicmac]

I expect it to be priced, if made, at just slightly less than an equally spec'd Mac Mini + ASD. I think around $2800 or $2900.

Now whether Apple makes such a thing is a good question.

I'm of a mind that Apple may want to bring back the 21.5" at a lower cost than the current 24", to cater to education budgets. Then add a 27" to cater to enthusiast budgets.

 

[sack_peak]

Many on MR think of the worse when a iMac 30" 5.5K or 32" 6K comes out.

I doubt that the $4999 2017 iMac Pro Xeon starting price point for a non-M3 Ultra chip will ever happen.

I created a small & big iMac table with their MSRPs so others can be more optimistic with the future larger screen iMac.

iMac Pro was created as a stop gap for between the 2013 & 2019 Mac Pro. It likely sold as many Mac Pros and far less than any Mac Studio. Its return as it was previously positioned is highly doubtful. The name may return but would likely have a new meaning.

2019 iMac 21.5" 4K Intel 14nm	Price	2021 iMac 24" 4.5K M1 5nm
iMac "Core i3" 3.6 21.5"	$1,299	iMac "M1" 8 CPU/7 GPU/2 Ports 24"
iMac "Core i5" 3.0 21.5"	$1,499	iMac "M1" 8 CPU/8 GPU/4 Ports 24"
iMac "Core i7" 3.2 21.5"	$1,599	N/A
iMac "Core i7" 3.2 21.5"	$1,699	iMac "M1" 8 CPU/8 GPU/4 Ports 24"
2020 iMac 27" 5K Intel 14nm	Price	2024 iMac M3/M3 Pro/M3 Max 3nm
iMac "Core i5" 3.1 27"	$1,799	M3
iMac "Core i5" 3.3 27"	$1,999	M3
iMac "Core i7" 3.8 27"	$2,299	M3 Pro
iMac "Core i9" 3.6 27"	$2,499	M3 Max
iMac "Core i7" 3.8 27"; 5700/XT	$2,599	M3 Pro
iMac "Core i9" 3.6 27"	$2,699	M3 Max
iMac "Core i7" 3.8 27"; 5700/XT	$2,799	M3 Pro
iMac "Core i9" 3.6 27"; 5700/XT	$2,999	M3 Max
iMac "Core i9" 3.6 27"; 5700/XT	$3,199	M3 Max
2017 iMac Pro 27" 5K Xeon 14nm	Price	2024 iMac M3 Ultra 3nm
iMac Pro "8-Core" 3.2 27"	$4,999	M3 Ultra
iMac Pro "10-Core" 3.0 27"	$5,799	M3 Ultra
iMac Pro "14-Core" 2.5 27"	$6,999	M3 Ultra
iMac Pro "18-Core" 2.3 27"	$7,399	M3 Ultra

Intel chips & their Apple Silicon equivalent

- Core i5 = M3
- Core i7 = M3 Pro
- Core i9 = M3 Max
- Xeon = M3 Ultra

Many suggest as an alternative that we buy a separte dispaly + Mac mini/Mac Studio as they expect iMac users to replace every 3-6 years. iMac users tend to keep theirs for a decade. Once the final Security Update is released they go with the next iMac model after then keep it for another decade.

This is alien concept for anyone who has frequently changing computing requirement but if you own a AIO you tend to change less frequently.

I have a theory why Apple did not include a iMac 27" 5K replacement in 2021 with the iMac 24" 4.5K.

The 3 year delay is likely caused by price of components to allow for a starting price of $1799.

iMac 24" 4.5K replaces the iMac 21.5" 4K at the same price points.

Smaller iMac	2019 Intel	2021 M1
Chip die shrink	14nm	5nm
Dimensions	45.0 cm, 52.8 cm, 17.5 cm	46.1 cm, 54.7 cm, 14.7 cm
Avg Weight	5.66 kg	4.46 kg
Display	21.5" 4K	24" 4.5K
RAM type & speed	2666 MHz PC4-21300 DDR4	LPDDR4X-4266MHz
Power Consumption	166W	80-84W

Rumor points a larger than iMac 27" appearing in late 2024, 12 months from now.

 

[svish]

Would love to see it at $1799. But Apple can easily charge a minimum of $1999

 

[sack_peak]

Would love to see it at $1799. But Apple can easily charge a minimum of $1999

I believe that the $1799 starting price will hold for the lowest binned M3 chip.

 

[TechRunner]

30" screen, 16/512 base, M3? $2799 is my completely unsupported-by-facts-or-knowledge guess.

 

[sack_peak]

30" screen, 16/512 base, M3? $2799 is my completely unsupported-by-facts-or-knowledge guess.

Ever wonder why Apple did not include a iMac 27" 5K replacement in 2021 with the iMac 24" 4.5K?

The 3 year delay is likely caused by price of components to allow for a starting price of $1799.

iMac 24" 4.5K substitutes the iMac 21.5" 4K at the same price points.

Smaller iMac	2019 Intel	2021 M1
Chip die shrink	14nm	5nm
Dimensions	45.0 cm, 52.8 cm, 17.5 cm	46.1 cm, 54.7 cm, 14.7 cm
Avg Weight	5.66 kg	4.46 kg
Display	21.5" 4K	24" 4.5K
RAM type & speed	2666 MHz PC4-21300 DDR4	LPDDR4X-4266MHz
Power Consumption	166W	80-84W

Rumor points a larger than iMac 27" appearing in late 2024, 12 months from now.

 

[picpicmac]

5nm

Just to be clear, the marketing speak does not relate to the actual device size. "5nm" chips have physical devices on them around no smaller than around 30 actual nanometers.

"3nm" chips will have gates on them just a little smaller than the "5nm" chips.

 

[sack_peak]

Just to be clear, the marketing speak does not relate to the actual device size. "5nm" chips have physical devices on them around no smaller than around 30 actual nanometers.

"3nm" chips will have gates on them just a little smaller than the "5nm" chips.

If I am not mistake I was explicit when I wrote "Chip die shrink"

The thread of conversation you are heading towards isn't something almost everyone would be interested in pursuing for reasons that it is heavy on citations that many wouldn't understand.

Apple's marketing does not bother with clock speeds as it does not effectively communicate raw performance.

They point to

- die shrinks
- core counts
- GB memory
- GB/TB storage
- GB/s sequential read/write data throughput
- other metrics that provides a more direct 'apples to apples' comparison

 

[picpicmac]

The thread of conversation you are heading towards isn't something almost everyone would be interested in pursuing for reasons that it is heavy on citations that many wouldn't understand.

Granted.

I just lament that an entire industry segment now uses the techno-equivalent of double-speak, all for marketing sleight-of-hand.

 

[sack_peak]

Granted.

I just lament that an entire industry segment now uses the techno-equivalent of double-speak, all for marketing sleight-of-hand.

Were we actually on 4nm with A16 Bionic?