Does Apple make more money if I buy a MacMini and a third party screen, than by selling me a 27" iMac? I am totally dumbfounded by the logic behind discontinuing the 27" iMac unless it is more profitable for them to sell a MacMini than the iMac.
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I am confused...
- Thread starter JW Pepper
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Maybe they'll be releasing a 27" iMac in 2023.
They're not done transitioning over to the ARM processor, so I think its too soon to say that the 27" iMac is dead
They're not done transitioning over to the ARM processor, so I think its too soon to say that the 27" iMac is dead
I think the profit is in the fact that you try to use the third party screen with your MacMini, then you find out that macOS support for 3rd party screens is terrible and broken, and then finally you give up and spend $1600+ on the Studio Display.
It’s entirely possible that an inexpensive source of 5K panels dried up and creating a new 5K 27” iMac would be too expensive to sell in enough quantities to be profitable.
Bear in mind the 24" is still available.
I guess they speculated that iMac Pro users would migrate to a Mac Studio + Studio Display.
But yes they IMO left a hole once filled by the base-model iMacs, which is currently only filled by a Mac Mini and a third-party display.
I guess they speculated that iMac Pro users would migrate to a Mac Studio + Studio Display.
But yes they IMO left a hole once filled by the base-model iMacs, which is currently only filled by a Mac Mini and a third-party display.
Mac Studio plus Studio Display looks to be the successor of the 27" iMac.
I bet they make a huge profit margin on the Mac Mini. It is just a little metal box with a bunch of electronics in it. Compare this to a complete iMac with display panel, keyboard, mouse, etc.
Mac Studio plus Studio Display is the replacement for the iMacPRO it is way overkill for t a bottom of the range iMac with 27" screen and over double the price.
Which is why Apple wants it to be the replacement. If you think Studio plus Studio is a replacement for the iMac Pro there's always the Mac mini plus Studio Display combination.
We have two users with MacMini and the Huawei MateVIEW, it is the same width as a 27" iMac but vertically has screen where the chin is. The down side is it does not have a camera(bad for zoom), the speakers are poor not that matters in too much for business but it is not a retina display and has a matt finish. Working at the screens produces a mixed response.
The size is so much better than an iMac screen(I think Apple should adopt this ratio) but the lack of camera is a pain because we have so many online meetings. The screen is not as clear. We are not experiencing any issues with this setup.
If this is as good as it gets we will have to roll with it, but I would prefer a 27" iMac, I just can't see how Apple is better off driving me and users like me down this route.
There are lots of 3rd party monitors that work just fine with Macs. The last Apple monitor I owned was a 30" Cinema Display; and it is more than likely the last one I will ever own. Currently my main monitor is a Ultrawide Dell @ 3840x1600.
I think the problem is we all got used to the 27" iMac including a nearly free 5K display. It was such a good deal for so long that Apple couldn't help but disappoint us when it ended. I think they've tried to stop it from affecting new 27" iMac sales by not offering one for a few years, so we'll all give up and move up to Studio+Studio Display or down to 24" iMac. Sucks for photographers like me, though. We bought the late 2014 and subsequently the 2020 27" iMac because it is hard to beat the 5K display for photo editing! I just can't expect the 2020 to continue getting updates as long as the 2014 did.
I’ve got a 3rd party monitor (iiyama) and with the right cable had no issues whatsoever.
What issues have you had?
Yeah, and for folks who want just a monitor, you can get the LG for just at 1000USD if you time it right. What does the studio offer for 600 more? Not enough. The LG is overpriced as well, but apple is just relying on people wanting a matching display for their computer. The aesthetics aren’t really enough to make the value. Discontinuing the iMac 27 was a terrible decision from a customer’s point of view, but I suppose Apple must be raking in the cash on the new arrangement.
There's gotta be some kind of outside issue to why the 27 inch iMac got discontinued. The chip shortage, production issues, corporate politics, and more. There's rumors they're going to rerelease the 27 inch iMac as an iMac Pro with the M2 Max chip. We'll just have to wait and see.
I have 2 non-Apple monitors both of them are poor on MacOS, while they work fantastically on Windows.
My 4k Dell monitor won't use RGB and ends up using YPbPr which makes the colours look terrible. Also I can't update the firmware from MacOS, nor can I use the Dell software that lets me change the settings.
Then I have a 42" LG C2 which is incredibly laggy for some reason on my mac despite being an incredibly fast display. It also looks awful and the Mac doesn't support HDMI 2.1 so I can't get full 120Hz 4k. Also for some reason when I plug it in to my Mac's HDMI port the audio starts glitching even just using my AirPods.
Also there is the way that scaling works on MacOS that means 4k looks blurry while 5k looks super-sharp.
Meanwhile I haven't had a single issue with my Apple screens.
Yeah, I'm disappointed they no longer offer a 27" iMac (aside from refurbished ones). If they don't have a 27" or larger iMac by the time I'm ready to replace my 2019 one, I'm really not sure what I'll do. I'd like to get the nano-texture Studio Display + Mac Studio, but even with the base Studio we're talking about $4000 for that package. Just 1 bump upgrade for processor/memory/storage, and now we're at about $5000. Ouch. Hopefully there will be better options available by that time.
At double+ the price. No thanks.
I'm in-between views when it comes to the 27" iMac. My first iMac was a base 2012 27" iMac, I'm not even close to a power user but I really enjoyed having a large screen. It lasted me until 2021 when I upgraded to the 24" iMac (even the M1 is overkill for my use). Now I find the 24" is the sweet spot and I prefer it over the 27" and 21.5" iMacs of the past.
I feel like for Apple now, anything larger than the 24" iMac is now targeting the true pro and power user crowds, hence the price. Seems like they save their larger screens for more powerful computers like the larger MBPs.
I've yet to meet someone who is a heavy Mac user who doesn't have either a 27" iMac (or a larger 3rd party) or a 16" MBP. Everyone I know who just needs a computer for a computer has either the 21.5" iMac or MBA. Although this is all anecdotal.
I feel like for Apple now, anything larger than the 24" iMac is now targeting the true pro and power user crowds, hence the price. Seems like they save their larger screens for more powerful computers like the larger MBPs.
I've yet to meet someone who is a heavy Mac user who doesn't have either a 27" iMac (or a larger 3rd party) or a 16" MBP. Everyone I know who just needs a computer for a computer has either the 21.5" iMac or MBA. Although this is all anecdotal.
The supply of 5K panels is probably limited, and Apple likely makes more money by putting them in the Studio Display than in an iMac.
There was a pandemic and people started working more from home. Sales of 27" iMacs were never going to be returning to pre-pandemic levels.
I think Apple wants you to buy a Mac Mini and a Studio Display.
Those two together have a 2.3k base price. Didn't the 27" iMac have a 2k base price? Considering inflation that sounds pretty comparable to me in terms of price.
Sure you loose the sleek all in one, but you gain some additional modularity for future upgrades.