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Is this the replacement for the 27" iMac?

Ivabign

Ivabign

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 27, 2011
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Almost makes sense to buy a 2020 iMac 27" i7 refurb for $1799 and buy the Studio and you have.... 2 computers. Ugh. But you can use the screen for both computers :) Just $1599 for the screen only is quite the price. The screen on the later iMacs are really excellent. I have a late 2015 iMac and have been waiting on the new 27" iMac. I wonder if Apple just came out with it. $3700 is a bag of money.
 
I think the consumer 27” iMac is done, but I do think Apple still plans to announce an iMac Pro. Because they don’t sell an iMac Pro anymore, this product isn’t considered part of the transition (why they said the Mac Pro was the only Mac left to transition).
 
Who knows with Apple!

Personally I don't think we'll see an iMac Pro for a while but it might come back in a couple of years time? Will there be a demand for it though? I'm not sure given the pricing and performance of the new kit they announced yesterday.

The Studio has quite a large case and big fans to keep the Max and Ultra SOCs cooled and working efficiently, so how would that translate in to a thin iMac screen where the computer is in the chin? Looking at the new display, they seem to be standardising on how their displays look, so I'm wondering if the more powerful SOCs just won't work in such a thin unit?
 
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My feeling is the basic thinking is that the Studio display + Mac mini will fit the bill for the lower end 27", with the Studio sitting in the space that was the iMac Pro, and realistically, a lot of the sorts of tasks people might stretch to the lower end Mac Pro for. My thinking is if they really went with this concept, they could have made something more impressive. The display itself has a full SoC in it, and has a power supply able to provide 96 W of power.

Suppose they did the following: Start with a Mac mini, remove the PSU, network and some of the IO from it, and reduce the form factor. Use the display's power supply and SoC to provide these features built into the display, with a single connector/cable to the "compute module". Note that the Mac mini has a maximum power draw of 150 W, and the USB C spec supports up to 240 W, so the capability to run something as powerful as a Mac mini with no external power supply is already possible. They could even have some sort of mounting bracket to attach the compute module to the back of the display. Then you have something that has the look-and-feel of the 27" iMac, but with the benefit that when newer chips and other hardware come along, you just swap out the compute module for a new one.
 
I think the Studio is basically the new iMac Pro.

The iMac may get a 27” at some point but not for a while, probably not until it refreshes to M2.
 
Ivabign said:
Almost makes sense to buy a 2020 iMac 27" i7 refurb for $1799 and buy the Studio and you have.... 2 computers. Ugh. But you can use the screen for both computers :) Just $1599 for the screen only is quite the price. The screen on the later iMacs are really excellent. I have a late 2015 iMac and have been waiting on the new 27" iMac. I wonder if Apple just came out with it. $3700 is a bag of money.
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The issue with this plan is that you can’t use the 2020 iMac 27” as an external monitor.

At least I think that’s the case. I’m still working with the late 2014 5K iMac (and am now scrambling to figure out where to go from here), but my understanding is that once the 5K iMacs were introduced, they could no longer be used as external monitors. Look into this before you go forward.
 
Who knows what Apple's product matrix roadmap really looks like, but it's fun to imagine that they might see a more streamlined / profitable upgrade path on the desktop side of things with this:

Introduction to Macs: Mac Mini - you can use it with your existing peripherals!

Next upgrade: Studio Display - it works great with your Mac Mini!

Next upgrade: Mac Studio - it fits perfectly under your Studio display!

Next upgrade: Pro Display XDR (or its future replacement) - even better image quality for your Mac Studio! Keep the Studio Display for more desktop space!

Next upgrade: Mac Pro - the perfect match for your Apple displays!

Next Upgrade: Another Pro Display XDR - because your Studio Display's getting old and / or the image doesn't quite match your XDR.

...plus, sprinkle Apple peripherals in there wherever.

Not everyone will start at the beginning or go all the way through the funnel of course, but it's there to allow for upward momentum.

The iMac's available for the person who wants to keep things simple. I know that's why the iMac was my first Mac way back when.
 
Matt Leaf said:
I think the Studio is basically the new iMac Pro.

The iMac may get a 27” at some point but not for a while, probably not until it refreshes to M2.
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I think the opposite. They discontinued the 27” iMac. Rumors have said they likely have an iMac Pro coming down the pipeline. If apple was still planning on updating the 27” then John wouldn’t have said Mac Pro was the last Intel left.
 
Good riddance to the 27” iMac.
My bet is it’s gone for good.
iMac has been delegated to the colorful 24” models which is where it belongs.
 
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In my opinion I think: yes, this is the replacement for the 27" iMac.

I suspect that the rumor mill has been mostly accurate leading up yesterday's event, but that there's been a tinge of overlap or mistaking one product's features belonging to another's.

For example, the rumor about a 27" mini LED 120Hz display is likely now a mash up of the two displays we'll see in 2022: the next generation Pro Display XDR and the just announced Studio Display -- but not for the display in a future iMac, as the 27" as we known it has been discontinued. I also feel that the iMac Pro won't be resurrected again, as this was a stop-gap machine to fill the void after the Mac Pro trashcan's shortcomings and Apple's "we're fixing it!" PR stuff they had done.

With the Studio Display specs now known, perhaps the future Pro Display XDR is what's getting Pro Motion and mini LED treatment? I have no idea about this and the technical limitations and connection bandwidth and all that jazz - just a making educated guesses. This is similar in some regards to the overlap of rumors about a new high end Mac mini and "smaller" Mac Pro. Turns out, the rumors were referencing the same product.
 
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Yes, I think so! Ming-Chi Kuo said the new Mac Pro or iMac Pro is supposed to come out in 2023. But during the keynote they said there is only one additional product coming for the transition to Apple Silicon... the Mac Pro!
 
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No, the new iMac is supposed to arrive in 2023, likely with some M2-based chip.

Why was it discontinued?

Apple can’t justify keeping the 27” iMac because it had the slowest chip in the new lineup. If you saw the M1 Ultra benchmarks shown during the presentation, there was no reason to buy the iMac. Based on the performance, unless Apple cut the price by 2/3, the iMac has no reason to exist.
 
One more Mac, the Mac Pro. The Studio + Studio display replace the 27" iMac (Max chip) and iMac Pro (Ultra chip). That's why the rumors were a bit all over the place and no one got this particular one right. Perfect for me because I don't want/need an additional monitor right now, I have speakers, but want a much more powerful desktop. Going to have to work out webcam and Mic though.
 
smartbot said:
Yes, I think so! Ming-Chi Kuo said the new Mac Pro or iMac Pro is supposed to come out in 2023. But during the keynote they said there is only one additional product coming for the transition to Apple Silicon... the Mac Pro!
Click to expand...

The language they used was weird. There's "only one additional product". This presumably means one additional existing product that currently uses Intel. Any replacement for the 27" iMac (perhaps with a different screen size, or a new name - perhaps iMac Pro Ultra Max Pro Pro Max Studio Max?) counts as a new product, hence isn't included in the list of computers that need to transition.

At least, I hope so. I'm a bit disappointed if the iMac 27" isn't going to be replaced. The Mac Studio plus monitor is a lot more expensive than my iMac 27" was back in 2017. And I know that aesthetics aren't important for many, but it's a bit of a weird looking thing. Its large forehead reminds me of a beluga whale.
 
Septercius said:
The language they used was weird. There's "only one additional product". This presumably means one additional existing product that currently uses Intel. Any replacement for the 27" iMac (perhaps with a different screen size, or a new name - perhaps iMac Pro Ultra Max Pro Pro Max Studio Max?) counts as a new product, hence isn't included in the list of computers that need to transition.

At least, I hope so. I'm a bit disappointed if the iMac 27" isn't going to be replaced. The Mac Studio plus monitor is a lot more expensive than my iMac 27" was back in 2017. And I know that aesthetics aren't important for many, but it's a bit of a weird looking thing. Its large forehead reminds me of a beluga whale.
Click to expand...

People are taking the marketing language too literally. Apple has transitioned MacBook, Mac mini, and iMac. Only Mac Pro remains. It doesn't mean Apple won't release a new 27" iMac.
 
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JPack said:
People are taking the marketing language too literally. Apple has transitioned MacBook, Mac mini, and iMac. Only Mac Pro remains. It doesn't mean Apple won't release a new 27" iMac.
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I doesn't mean they will either. If they do, it might just end up being a larger version of the 24".
 
LurkingWithANametag said:
The issue with this plan is that you can’t use the 2020 iMac 27” as an external monitor.

At least I think that’s the case. I’m still working with the late 2014 5K iMac (and am now scrambling to figure out where to go from here), but my understanding is that once the 5K iMacs were introduced, they could no longer be used as external monitors. Look into this before you go forward.
Click to expand...
You are correct. If you want an external monitor better to see the iMac and buy the 27" Studio monitor which comes with a number of iMac like features.
 
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Apple is probably not selling that many average level iMacs these days so its a niche audience. I prefer to have a MacBook and apple display for portable and desk convenience.
 
Jorbanead said:
I think the consumer 27” iMac is done, but I do think Apple still plans to announce an iMac Pro. Because they don’t sell an iMac Pro anymore, this product isn’t considered part of the transition (why they said the Mac Pro was the only Mac left to transition).
Click to expand...
I disagree. If you look at the pricing, it seems that the Mac Studio + Display is more or less the same price as the discontinued iMac Pro.


Mac Studio + Display seems to be the iMac Pro replacement, not the consumer iMac replacement.
 
Indeed.

iMac / Mac Mini = M1

Mac Studio = Max / Ultra

There’s currently no desktop option at the Pro / Max level.

That will be the next iMac 27” - discontinued for now to drive sales to the Studio. So smart.
 
arvinsim said:
I disagree. If you look at the pricing, it seems that the Mac Studio + Display is more or less the same price as the discontinued iMac Pro.

Mac Studio + Display seems to be the iMac Pro replacement, not the consumer iMac replacement.
Click to expand...
That doesn’t really mean much to be honest. They could sell an iMac Pro for cheaper.
 
For a long time, the iMac (in all its iterations) and the MacBook Pro were "the anchors" in Apple's Mac lineup. At the same time the Mini and Mac Pro, as "standalone, desktop" units, were "on the sidelines".

But things may be changing.

The MacBook Pro/MacBook models have become "the heavyweight" in the lineup as the iMac "all-in-one" paradigm has faded somewhat.

Perhaps Apple is looking to make a "form factor shift", away from the all-in-one concept, for whatever reason.

We shall see.
 
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