iMac Last Updated 602 Days Ago, Longest Span Ever Between Updates

I don't understand why Apple doesn't at least do a simple spec bump once a year on every model. Toss in a slightly faster processor, more RAM and / or more storage and keep the price the same. Is it really that hard? It doesn't have to be a massive event worthy update every single time.

Even a website refresh would be enough. Like the 2018 MacBook Pros getting Vega 20. :D
 
Intel has been shipping 8th generation desktop CPU for awhile now (source: MacRumors from April 3, 2018).

It is quite possible that Apple is planning more substantial iMac upgrade, similar to Mac mini. Apple kept Mac mini in the line up for 4 years without updating, with 4th generation CPU. Perhaps not every generation of CPUs from Intel are suitable for Macs. But by all indication, current 8th generation CPU offers enough benefits (faster 4K, lower energy use, six core).

This is how they’re able to claim 600% faster when compared to previous generation. I don’t mind 12-18 month updates, but 4 years is crazy.
Sometimes Intel is to blame, but in many cases it seems like Apple doesn’t care or is under-resourced to keep up.
 
I don't understand why Apple doesn't at least do a simple spec bump once a year on every model. Toss in a slightly faster processor, more RAM and / or more storage and keep the price the same. Is it really that hard? It doesn't have to be a massive event worthy update every single time.

That’s a good point, but it de-standardizes the whole lineup. If there are just a few models then the software can be written to ensure greater compatibility with every upgrade to OSX. This can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on who you are.

The “I love Apple cuz I plug it in and it ‘just works!’” crowd, which is a lot of Apple users, probably don’t realize there’s a cost to this. The bleeding edge spec obsessed, likewise, will always be pissed off with apple products. When external GPU’s were first being made to work with laptops, watching all the Apple faithful crawling out of their holes asking “So... what can I do with a fast GPU?” was a surreal event to watch.

If you want the absolute latest, you wanted it yesterday, and you don’t want to pay a big premium, why abuse yourself with Apple computers? But if you can relax and deal with some spinning windmills and occasional period where you’re forgot about as a customer, Apple makes the best hardware and generally guarantees a long shelf life too.

I fall into both camps, and don’t care much about one over the other—but for people who do—they should perhaps reevaluate things.
 
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This is how they’re able to claim 600% faster when compared to previous generation. I don’t mind 12-18 month updates, but 4 years is crazy.
Sometimes Intel is to blame, but in many cases it seems like Apple doesn’t care or is under-resourced to keep up.

Redesigns take time, specially considering the Mac is 10% of Apple's revenue and Mac desktops are probably a 10% of all Mac sales.
 
I'd be keen on a 6 core hyper threaded i7 model to replace my late quad core 2014 4.0Ghz i7.
Are there any recent 8 core chips by Intel, or are 6 core chips more likely in the next upgrade?
I hit the CPU limit of my machine running Cubase and VST instruments fairly easily.
 
Eh, the 2014 reset shouldn't count as a clock reset as Apple only introduced a single new higher tier 5K Retina option... sort of like a mini version of the iMac Pro intro. Neither option replaced any of the existing iMac offerings when introduced.

As a result the 2017 is currently tied with the Late 2013 models at 602 days before anything was replaced, and the Late 2013's still hold the record at 749 days before a full iMac lineup replacement.

So. 2014, no iMacs replaced*. 2016, no iMacs replaced. 2018, no iMacs replaced. This is starting to look like a long term pattern.

*excluding the mid 2014 replacement of the early 2013 education model.
 
Good, they’re 600$ overpriced and have the same specs as ur average 700$ budget pc. Comes with a 1950 hard drive too

A $700 computer includes a 27" 5K IPS display?
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in the meantime my i9 9900K Mac Pro Hackintosh runs circles around my 2014 iMac 5K. Thanks Apple for saving me a ton of money.

What was the final price after adding a 5K display and a keyboard and trackpad and speakers?
 
Please. The new chipsets are well known and a machine can be built with the new chips in relatively quick order. Especially since Apple has lots of talent and resources. Heck, Intel is nearby and they will help since it means selling more of their chips.
 
They just need to allow their OS to run on x86 machines and walk away. It's clear they aren't behind desktops anymore... and I have an iMac, have for years, but not for the machine so much as the OS. Mac OS is still light years ahead of Windows.

I have Mac OS running on a $300 HP laptop. Aside from the half day I had to put into the initial install, it works great.
 



As noted in the MacRumors Buyer's Guide and discussed in the MacRumors forums, it has now been 602 days since Apple last updated its iMac lineup, a new record for the longest span between iMac refreshes ever. The previous record was 601 days between October 2015 and June 2017 refreshes.

imac-buyers-guide-2019-800x565.jpg

In fairness, the iMac Pro was released in December 2017, but standard 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac models have not been updated in over a year and a half. Since the original iMac launched in 1998, the computer has typically been updated at least once per year, with the sole exceptions being 2016 and 2018.

The iMac is not alone. The 12-inch MacBook and Mac Pro have also set record-long spans of 602 days and 1,866 days and counting respectively since their last refreshes. Apple has at least promised to release an all-new Mac Pro with a "modular" design at some point in 2019, but has yet to share additional details.

As for the iMac and MacBook, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple was likely to debut refreshed models at its October 2018 event, but only the MacBook Air and Mac mini were updated. Kuo expects both the iMac and MacBook lines to receive faster processors, and the iMac to receive "significant" display improvements.

Apple has hosted a March event in three out of the past four years, so perhaps we'll see new iMacs and MacBooks at a March 2019 event. Other items on the agenda could include new iPad and iPad mini models, a new iPod touch, new AirPods, and the long-awaited AirPower mat if production rumors were true.

Article Link: iMac Last Updated 602 Days Ago, Longest Span Ever Between Updates
[doublepost=1548739979][/doublepost]602 Magical, Amazing, Genius days. The company is going down the drain. They have neglected the Mac with the excuse of forcing the iPad down our throats as a viable computing platform; Steve Jobs stubborn vision. Nobody wants to work on a plattform where the apps you can install must be authorized by Apple. I want to run whatever I want on my device! They neglected the mac (sales down), doubled down on iOS (sales down too). Wake up! or it will be a repeat of what happened in the early 90s!
 
They're still developing that x86 emulation layer for the ARM system. Must be taking a while :p
 
I'd be keen on a 6 core hyper threaded i7 model to replace my late quad core 2014 4.0Ghz i7.
Are there any recent 8 core chips by Intel, or are 6 core chips more likely in the next upgrade?
I hit the CPU limit of my machine running Cubase and VST instruments fairly easily.

My 6 core 2013 Mac Pro is still a beast for music production- Logic. And I run massive projects. Rarely struggles.
 
Apple stopped being a computer company A LONG TIME AGO. Remember when that overrated salesman/neglectful father Steve Jobs dropped "Computer" from Apple Computer? He depreciated Final Cut, Aperture, iMovie, Pages. Tim Cook and Sir Jony Ive are merely fulfilling Steve Jobs's vision. But most people have long known that if you want a REAL computer to do REAL work, nothing beats a Windows PC. Having a device with the Apple logo no longer carries social currency. As I have long known being the smart cookie that I am, the iPod would usher in the death of Apple. One time, Apple sorta kinda maybe made good computer-like things. Now it's nothing more than Fisher-Price.
And what is real work? 8k video editing and VFX. Dude if that’s what u think go get a life. The difference between Apple and the competition is that the latter just throws stuff out while apple waits but refines it. Keep in mind a product schedule is in the works. Prob waiting for back to school. No all in one and many desktops for productivity. That includes good drivers colour accuracy and ppi and whether the graphics can do 10 bit with thunderbolt is better than a iMac. Stop with this ******** Apple is done. Give valid criticism. They are not perfect so attack their shortcomings
 
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Eventually, Apple will not be making MscOS devices and will just be an iOS device maker. If you haven't figured that out yet, you aren't paying attention. This is why they announced the iPads last at the event in October. Years ago, the Macs were always last to be announced at the events because they were the big events.
 
I imagine the current line up is perfectly fine for most people and let’s be honest. Computer improvements aren’t really game changers st the moment.

Also the people complaining on here represent a tiny percentage of apples business or are talk and unlikely to buy a new machine anyways
 
I am sure they won't release the i9 9900k on a regular iMac, it would close the gap between iMac and iMac Pro, but I still hope for it!
 
I've spent so many years of my life holding off on buying new Apple gear because i've been waiting for an update. They think they are being clever by selling last generation intel hardware for next years prices but i'm sure i'm not alone and there must be millions of us. Imagine how much potential profit is lost because so many people out there are trying to extend the life of their old devices because they don't want to purchase a brand new machine with outdated tech.
 
No, I meant the iPod, that overpriced stupid toy MP3 player. Let's not forget MacRumors' reaction to the original iPod. You mocked us. In the end we got the last laugh. WHERE IS THE iPOD NOW? Exactly. It was garbage.

So let me get this straight; you're claiming the iPod was ultimately a failure? Riiiiiiiight...


For CHRISSAKES, Macs don't even have a right-click! WHY?

Except Macs do have a right click.

Thanks mate, it's been a while since I laughed this hard.
 
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