Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Lower-Priced 23-Inch iMac and 11-Inch iPad Models Rumored to Launch in Second Half of 2020
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Bought an iMac Pro, 8 Cores, 64 GB for 3.000 today, still in warranty. I can wait 
Hope we get a real iMac re-design with no more spinning drives, FaceID, T2 chip, and improved cooling design borrowed from the Pro.
If all they do is change the size of the screen and update the specs, that would kind of suck.
If all they do is change the size of the screen and update the specs, that would kind of suck.
Last edited:
I'd say that a 23-24" panel is going to appeal to the people who think 21.5" is too small regardless of the high resolution panel that Apple put in the 4k retina models.
It would be interesting to see if an 'iMac Air' had better VESA mounting options by design too.
No touch for macOS though
Heh, heh, heh...
Azrael.
[automerge]1587489126[/automerge]
Amen to that.
Azrael.
This 11” iPad Air is intriguing. Does this rumor suggest that iPhone 12 may also get in-display Touch ID and updated Face ID as has been rumored before? Also, I wonder if this 11” uses the same body as the 11” Pro while ditching Face ID, quad speakers, and 120 Hz refresh, and probably will have an A13 in it. That would be a compelling device for a lot of people. I also wonder if that 11” iPad Air design confirms a new iPad Pro design to follow? Perhaps slimmer bezels with the upgrade Face ID system from iPhone 12, A14X, Mini LED? Lots of questions from this rumor.
You've got a point there. I owned the 24 inch iMac. It was a beauty! Perfect screen size.
The current 21 incher is too small, really. Should be 24/27 and 32. From Consumer to Prosumer to PRO. Simples.
A 24 incher with 4k would be
)) Price it at £999 with(!) SSD and a 580 (low end Radeon) and it will fly off the shelves.As for the 29 inch idea. I'm all for larger. We might not think so. But even my 27 inch iMac seems squashed at times. (That said, I don't have the 5k version just the late 2012 one...) So I'd plump for a 32 incher at 4k. There's a nice BenQ monitor that is around 32inches with portrait turn mode. Be nice if the iMac could innovate it's position and rotation a bit more. It's limited in that regard.
Azrael.
Got the calculator out and beneath 4.6K 24" (4608x2592) at 219ppi there's the following alternative resolutions for a 23" display - depending on how Apple slice the definition of 23":
Apple could choose: 4480x2520, 4352x2448, or 4224x2376 resolutions - the former two being the most likely to fit a 23" screen size.
So a 23" display could be 4.3K or 4.4K resolution.
A reminder that the 21.5" iMac 4k is actually 4096x2304 resolution at 219ppi.
Apple could choose: 4480x2520, 4352x2448, or 4224x2376 resolutions - the former two being the most likely to fit a 23" screen size.
So a 23" display could be 4.3K or 4.4K resolution.
A reminder that the 21.5" iMac 4k is actually 4096x2304 resolution at 219ppi.
Actually, that's a good point. There's at least two inches in bezels from diagonal to diagonal. *nods.
The base model should be, at a bare minimum, 256 gigs SSD for the boot drive. WITH upgradeable RAM.
It's about time a trillion dollar company shipped with 16 gigs of ram. Even the iPad's memory is breathing down the mini and iMac's neck.
Azrael.
New 2020 iMac review: They replaced the hard disk drive with a cassette tape to save cost...
I got a theory just for the fun of it:
Remember when the 10.5 iPad Pro? The 11 iPad Pro ended up replacing it and the 10.5 became part of Air series.
What if this supposed “11 iPad Air/Low-cost” ends up replacing the current 10.5 iPad Air and they discontinue the 11 iPad Pro.
Now here’s where it gets cool. This would only leave the 12.9 iPad Pro in “Pro” lineup thus they could release a larger 15”-16” iPad Pro 🤯🤯🤯
If you think about it, it would sort of mimic/reflect their MacBook Pro lineups. 🤷🏽♂️
Just a fun thought.
Remember when the 10.5 iPad Pro? The 11 iPad Pro ended up replacing it and the 10.5 became part of Air series.
What if this supposed “11 iPad Air/Low-cost” ends up replacing the current 10.5 iPad Air and they discontinue the 11 iPad Pro.
Now here’s where it gets cool. This would only leave the 12.9 iPad Pro in “Pro” lineup thus they could release a larger 15”-16” iPad Pro 🤯🤯🤯
If you think about it, it would sort of mimic/reflect their MacBook Pro lineups. 🤷🏽♂️
Just a fun thought.
I hear what you're saying. I bought the iPad 3. (*Winces.) Great screen but specs couldn't push it. At all. Then the '4' released that fall. Talk about a kick to the nads.
I think it's about time to reforge the 'Air' as 'THEE' iPad at £450. 11 inches. Promotion. A12 'Z' (heh.)
I want the iPad Pro 12.9 but is it worth £969 ie over twice the price for those extra two inches? (No jokes, please.)
iPads have got comparatively expensive here in the UK after a good start by Apple when launched. The 12.9 used to be as low as £565 or some such.
Azrael.
More important is making Retina standard across the lineup and lowering prices. $1099 gets you an outdated machine with a dual core mobile CPU paired with a HDD. In 2020. WHY??? Many people who buy an iMac have no need for a Radeon GPU, even a low end 580. If they used a good iGPU such as those on the Ryzen APUs and Ice Lake CPUs, they could save power, money, and make it thinner.You've got a point there. I owned the 24 inch iMac. It was a beauty! Perfect screen size.
The current 21 incher is too small, really. Should be 24/27 and 32. From Consumer to Prosumer to PRO. Simples.
A 24 incher with 4k would be
As for the 29 inch idea. I'm all for larger. We might not think so. But even my 27 inch iMac seems squashed at times. (That said, I don't have the 5k version just the late 2012 one...) So I'd plump for a 32 incher at 4k. There's a nice BenQ monitor that is around 32inches with portrait turn mode. Be nice if the iMac could innovate it's position and rotation a bit more. It's limited in that regard.
Azrael.
They offer a 5400 spinner as the base for the 21.5" iMac. You don’t even get a crappy fusion.
[automerge]1587489831[/automerge]
Keep in mind the LG monitor sold in Apple stores is 23.7” and 4K.
4.5K is completely unnecessary for a 23” monitor, in my opinion.
Last edited:
Apple clearly think there's a certain GPU requirement required to drive larger retina displays to an acceptable performance standard. Unless you're running a Mac mini - but let's not go there
It would be very easy for them to bump that 21.5" by discontinuing the non retina model and shuffling the higher models into the lower price points (or at least discounting them).
A 23" Retina display will definitely need a GPU if you look at how Apple drive the 4k models. And they can make the 23" iMac thinner by getting rid of HDD, going with 45w H class CPU, and mobile AMD RDNA class (5300m/5500m) GPU. Effectively make it a MacBook Pro 16" with a bigger screen...
Call it an iMac Air to head off the performance seekers off at the pass.
Would be very excited for an iMac redesign. I bought the newly redesigned 2012 when it was released, and have been using it ever since. It's been very solid for my uses - even with a 1 TB Fusion Drive. I really want to do a retina upgrade, but have been holding out for a redesign. Love the sound of this 23" option!
I think you need to clarify that a single 1-2TB disk in a computer doesn’t need to be mechanical.
I know you can’t be suggesting that the <checks notes> ~37 TB of mechanical storage I have in my office could reasonably be replaced by SSDs.
That 'entry' iMac with duo cpu and spinner has no right being in Apple's line up. It's a disgrace.
I think the time is right to consolidate the 'cheaper' option to 23 inches at 4k. Modest graphics eg. 580 polaris. 256 SSD boot drive.
If Apple can't offer that for £999 here in the UK then there's something wrong with them. Because all those components are dirt cheap. Cheaper for 'supply chain' Apple.
Given the current crisis in the world, if apple wants to sell anything, how about they feel our pain. There's alot of unemployed people out there through no fault of their own. Apple have had a good run and have ridden up prices and upsell alot since the last crash of 2008 (when they put up the price of the entry iMac from £675 to £999.)
We'll see how much Apple feels our pain.
Plenty of Apple's stuff lacks value, is out of date and offers insulting specs which 'force' you upsell to a decent spec. Instead of just outright offering you a 'good' entry deal and if you want the best spec, the option of buying that.
I remember buying my 24 inch iMac in a sale for around £1200. It was a good deal.
That's what consumers want.
Azrael.
All these rumors are making me reconsider my purchase of an 11 inch iPad Pro. I realize technology marches on but an update to the machine I bought 6 or 7 months ago would make for a poor value. I made the mistake of buying the iPad 3 when it came out and two years later it was so laggy as to be unusable. Ah well, life is short and I can just deal with the problem when it arises I guess and enjoy what I have for now.
That's the way to go. That's what I'd want. A substantial boost to both iMacs.
That would be be a great line up. We're long over due for it.
24 inch monitors don't cost that much. 32 inch ones like the delightful BenQ 4k 32 incher about £500. So it's about time Apple offered a true boost to the iMac which is, design wise, about the screen real estate.
Long overdue.
Azrael.
“Native” retina on a 4K 24” is pushing the bounds of ideal font sizing and heading distinctly into “this is a computer or a my first words picture book”
of course they may do what they do on the mbp15 (and maybe 16?) and use a different default scaling factor.
Good post, Spock.
I'd like Apple to go back to pre-2008. You know, when you could get desktop Macs with a screen and k/b for less than £1000. There were at least two sub £999 models.
They may shave the £1099 price to £999 and include the 256 gig SSD and better GPU with 23 inch screen.
They've been sitting on old tech for a while. The R&D return must have been absorbed years ago.
Smaller bezels and they can use the same body.
Azrael.
it all depends how it scales and what the native resolution of the panel is.
If it’s running at straight 2x scaling, even a Mac Mini igpu is sufficient. But if the panel is only 4K at 24” that’s going to make for some noticeably larger-than-other-macs text