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Lower-Priced 23-Inch iMac and 11-Inch iPad Models Rumored to Launch in Second Half of 2020
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The new Apple products are mostly overpriced with very little improvement in innovation and more troublesome than you can wish for better features.
Particularly that chin on the iMac makes it look like Santa.
The current Air has just an A12 so it would make sense for an A14 (no X) to be applied to the next Air to give some differentiation to the Pros. Especially if orders for iPhones are likely to be down. The Mini could go that way too while the regular iPad could get the A13 as it's going to be mass produced for the SE - it would be a major upgrade since it only got refreshed in September with the same A10. Or could it get the A12 from the lines that no longer produce the current Air and Mini?
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Exactly! My desk has a shelf over the top and the 21.5” I got this month fits perfectly! Stops me cooking the battery in my 15” 2013 rMBP as well.
On the subject of screen, I like the 23” idea but would prefer it to not be an edge to edge display. Some bezel (see, 16” MBP) would be more to my taste!
I’d still give it a go in the store though, but that form factor is just perfect
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A slimmer chin, maybe? It’s a design quirk I’m quite fond of! But that does seem to be the direction products are going, I remember when the retina Macbook Pro’s came out and the ‘MacBook Pro’ lettering disappeared. That felt much the same, at the time.
-ANS
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Is this the new no notch in screen touchID iPad there were rumors about?! I doubt it, they just updated the iPad Air like 6months ago.
Tim Apple believes he reached the magnus opus of design, it can no longer look better or be more perfect, the iMac, iPhone, iPad, MacMini and Macbook Pro will forever look the same.
Tim Apple believes he reached the magnus opus of design, it can no longer look better or be more perfect, the iMac, iPhone, iPad, MacMini and Macbook Pro will forever look the same.
True, but still, if he did believe Apple had reached the "Magnus opus of design" with the iMac, they wouldn't have actually photoshopped its display on their own website promo shots. Even if the file just slipped past an editor, the moment it became public, it should have been taken down. When I pointed it out to Schiller last year, he blocked me for the courtesy instead. That's just so pathetically low.
The thing with Tim Apple is that he himself is the Magnus opus of "good enough". He's not a designer or engineer, never designed anything himself, doesn't care about the details, there's no "love" in design for him and no bigger cohesive vision either; instead he iterates Steve & Ive's designs to the end of times. If it still sells, it's good enough. He pushes a timed iteration to the market, sometimes with the minimum possible update effort (Watch 5, iPhone XS, iPad Pro 2020) and "hopes we're gonna love it" because it's "the best one yet". No more risk taking or new tooling, and if the risk doesn't pay off, it takes years of pressure by customers/media followed by some small corrective actions (see: trashcan Mac Pro, iPhone battery health indicator after class action lawsuits, butterfly keyboards) or stopgap releases (iMac Pro).
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Jon Prosser reported a few hours ago that:
"The iMac was already supposed to happen, but was delayed. Mostly ready to ship. Could be released literally at any time."
This ties in with the CoinX leak which suggested new iMac and Mini soon - and the '2020' Mac mini was released days later while the iMac has been curiously left untouched for over a month since the Mini got its update.
It's important to note that the Mac mini 'update' was merely a spec bump using existing parts.
The simplest refresh of the iMac would involve Apple making the existing iMacs 'better value' using just whatever is currently in the parts bin - a straight price cut would only be a last resort.
Regardless of any design considerations this pretty much rules out Comet Lake CPUs unless there are manufacturing delays due to Corona Virus and Intel are late in delivery of parts (they have been trying to rush Comet Lake parts out because of the threat of Ryzen). It could also be prevarication on the part of the Apple leadership team on timing. Or perhaps AMD's ongoing issues with drivers for their RDNA graphics parts may be causing delays if it's a bigger refresh.
Prosser could be referring to the 23" iMac (which is slated for Q3 this year) or refreshes of existing models. Either way Comet Lake S CPUs aren't currently available and you'd imagine that Apple would save the Comet Lake CPUs for a full redesign.
"The iMac was already supposed to happen, but was delayed. Mostly ready to ship. Could be released literally at any time."
This ties in with the CoinX leak which suggested new iMac and Mini soon - and the '2020' Mac mini was released days later while the iMac has been curiously left untouched for over a month since the Mini got its update.
It's important to note that the Mac mini 'update' was merely a spec bump using existing parts.
The simplest refresh of the iMac would involve Apple making the existing iMacs 'better value' using just whatever is currently in the parts bin - a straight price cut would only be a last resort.
Regardless of any design considerations this pretty much rules out Comet Lake CPUs unless there are manufacturing delays due to Corona Virus and Intel are late in delivery of parts (they have been trying to rush Comet Lake parts out because of the threat of Ryzen). It could also be prevarication on the part of the Apple leadership team on timing. Or perhaps AMD's ongoing issues with drivers for their RDNA graphics parts may be causing delays if it's a bigger refresh.
Prosser could be referring to the 23" iMac (which is slated for Q3 this year) or refreshes of existing models. Either way Comet Lake S CPUs aren't currently available and you'd imagine that Apple would save the Comet Lake CPUs for a full redesign.
I'd take an updated iMac. Although there's nothing wrong with the Late 2013 one I'm working on. 23 or 24 inch screen would be nice.
Some interesting points.
I'd be more than ok with a 'classic' 4k resolution on the 23 inch iMac. 'Retina.' Classic 4k is close enough. And far exceeds my current late 2012's resolution which is and always has been 'eye pulling.' So a 4k (or above) resolution is going to be a big upgrade and perfect for me.
I wasn't aware they sold a 23.7 inch (nearly 24 inch...) display on Apple's store. When the price differential is nominal between it and the 21 inch (low end tech' tends to flatten over time...) they may server the customer (and still themselves...) better. Apple won't be paying £629 for it. Even the difference between 128 and 256 gig SSDs has flattened to the point where even Apple(!) have offered 256 gig as standard on the Mac Mini.
RX 5600M on the entry 23.7 inch. I have no idea what the RX5600M performs like but it would have to go some to be worst than the Mini's trash iG. AMD's low end GPUs aren't too bad. Better than my NV 680M, I should imagine.
As long as it can drive the 4k display and run hi-def games then you have a nice machine. eg. 4k, 6 core, rx5600M, 256 SSD (and hopefully) 16 gigs of ram? You've got a decent machine for £999.Apple could drop in nominal spec increases for the iMac. I wouldn't put it past them. But the time is over ripe for something more significant....if not life changing.
Azrael.
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I also just got a 32in 4K monitor, so it would be strange to have a ‘tiny’ 27in iMac....
Heh, heh, heh...*walks with a limp...you got me real good there.
(My next iMac is having a 32 inch BenQ 'portrait' capable 4k sitting next to it whether it wants it there or not...)
Azrael.
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Well. Yes. 'Revolution.' It was the most innovative computer design ever. I think Apple lost their nerve. Or pulled back because of 'margins.'
The current design seemed like a backward steps in many ways. *Again points to the Surface 2 desktop from M$. Ultimate display flexibility with display you can draw on.
I think if I was paying £3500 on an iMac Pro...I'd prefer to put the money down on the Surface 2. (The latest iteration has better, if not bleeding edge...specs.)
Azrael.
Yes, yes, yes. We know.
But I find the bigger size (for a given resolution) lets my eyes breath better. Classic '4k' for the 23.7 inch iMac would be an improvement in my view. The 21 inch always felt pokey. Having had the 24 inch iMac...it always felt goldilocks 'just right.'
Mind you. Any resolution above my late 2012 iMac 27 inch would be significant. The 5k is impressive. And (nods, slowly) you get room for the interface elements in eg Final Cut Pro as well as displaying 4k footage.
As for the 27 inch. A 6k resolution at 32 inches would be very nice. A significant improvement for pro' apps.
Design wise, it would look stunning as a 'new' iMac.
I do wonder if we'll get the 'iMac Pro' coming down into the 27 inch's price range or slightly higher? £1750-£3250 to justify the more premium screen and to consolidate both lines.
And, like some have suggested an 'iMac Air' at £999-£1500. I could see that making sense.
When we consider the eGaming iMac rumours and the cheaper iMac rumours at face value...it suggests a redefining of the two iMac ranges and give them clear 'bondi' blue water between them.
Azrael.
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Ouch. Body blow.
Azrael.
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Same boat. But my late 2012 iMac is 'dead' as a Mac. (GPU fried under nominal load...) I didn't even use the thing for 16 hours a day.
So I want to see what Apple do next for the iMac.
I'll be tempted to buy one at launch.
As for the Mac Mini. Disappointing 'update.' A 'mini' update for sure. At least put a decent iG option in it. Pathetic IG. No right being in any 'desktop' product. But no. Apple being Apple force you to buy an eGPU solution to get something that would be quite cheap for them to add making a budget machine no longer budget for the consumer that wants 'decent' graphics.
Azrael.
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Ripe for a refresh. *nods. Sure thing.
Yes. Those RDNA2 will cause the tide to rise and lift all gpu boats. That's why I hoped my iMac would have lasted until the end of the year. But the top end RDNA2 will probably be £399/599 and £999 gpus over a 3 product range. It's been a while since Apple put the latest and greatest GPU in their products.
Anything should be an improvement on the current line up. 8 core Comet Lake as standard, 16 gigs of Ram, a 512 gig SSD and Radeon 5700XT class gpu (no RDNA2, then...) would have my attention for a 32 inch iMac. Prices may go up slightly but that depends if we're getting a proper redesign and spec boost with better cooling.
Azrael.
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Cheaper.
They bumped the price of the iPads up for the last several years with each of the last round or two (!) of updates.
Given the current climate I'd like a price cut.
Azrael.
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How they can still sell that piece of (fill in blank) with a straight face...
No hybrid drive *(stamps up and down on the fusion drive until it twitches no longer.) SSDs are dirt cheap now.
Your 23 incher iMac seems reasonable. £999. Better iG. 256 gigs SSD. 23 inch screen. 16 gigs of ram.
'Deal.'
Azrael.
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*believes.
**HDDs. A 1 trillion company still offers those? How cheap can they be at the customer's expense?
Azrael.
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That's a good question. Ray tracing has been 'a thing' for the Nvidia cards for a year now. And Radeon are scrambling to catch up with an October back end 2020 RDNA2 launch that may include hardware Ray Tracing support. The RDNA tech' is in the PS5 and that offers Ray Tracing.
How that connects to Apple's Metal api? I don't know. Anybody got any answers on that one?
Azrael.
I don't know what apple is doing here. They are releasing an AR headset in a few years, which will presumably require XCode to develop on. However, none of their machines except the Mac Pro and the iMac Pro (niche devices) can run a VR or AR setup. The second they release an up to date iMac that can handle basic VR/AR requirements (maybe with some headroom), I'll buy it. Before then, I'm not buying anything. I built a machine 5 years ago at this point that could do this. Why are apple prosumer machines more than 5 years out of date? This is a joke and it's costing them money. Prosumers are, across the board in my professional circle, abandoning apple.
Whoever buys the 2020 iPad Pro is pretty much accepts to buy a 2018 ipad in 2020, so there has to be “real” refresh, sooner than the usual cycle. My parents have 9.7 ipad, certainly the screen could be bigger..
At the least, can't they use the iMac Pro body and put improved specs in it and have the superior cooling? The crap cooling fries the iMacs under load. It's just not good enough. I've had too of them and they run very hot when you do anything under nominal load.
I'm convinced the iMac will get a dark grey paint job. The borders have to go. Way too dated. But the rumours of eGaming iMac and a cheaper iMac hint at more dramatic changes. But I won't get my hopes up too high.
But it's really over due for a damn shake. By the scruff of the neck inside and out. They got really show up by M$ on that Surface 2 desktop studio set up. It's a thing of beauty. I just thought, 'Why are apple stuck on a ten year design with a blue plastic cog inside to adjust the display in a very limited way..?' And m$ can give their customers that. We're not talking about beige computers anymore. When we were? Apple gave teh world the Bondi iMac. How times have changed.
But it's been ten years. I'd rather a more dramatic change. eg. Mac Pro display style. That thing is a beauty and would tie in with the 32 inch rumours.
Azrael.
What would make the pro pro then? I am wondering. Really there is a need for a new iPad Pro with A14X and mini LED, then the ”new” 2020 iPad Pro could become the new air.
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Time to put the camera to the horizontal top center..
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Completely 100% agree, would be terrible.. like you needed to buy the bigger iPhone to get better camera, silly..
Sarah Spock. You've summed it up.
I can only put it down to hubris. And the bigger a company gets the slower they get. And now Apple isn't really run by product guys.
Steve Jobs left Apple a debt free company with plenty of cash in the bank.
Now they give dividends, do share holder buy backs, nickle and dime upsell with basic products being gimped to push you higher up the upsell to the next product which is gimped and pushes you further up the greed chain.
If they made the product basically good. And offered the next tier which was better. And made the best product 'best.'
But that Apple is long gone.
I've been a Mac person since 1997. Back when PPC and Apple did towers. I had one. Great machine. Gradually, they have offered less, sealed the machines, made each machine something less capable, out of date and used the gpu to beat you up the upsell. It's now a premium to get in and even more premium to get a better deal out of them.
It's got to the point where I'm going dual Mac / PC now. I'm going to build a PC/Hack' dual boot. I'll probably get the new iMac. But my days of Mac exclusivity are coming to an end. And yes, I don't like Windows. At all. But you can get a 12 core/16-32 gigs of Ram with Radeon 580 gpu WITH SDDs for around £1200. Sure, no display. But a 32 inch BenQ is around 450-£500. So for £1600 you have a machine that will spank the iMac. And I can quite easily add a Radeon 5700XT if I want to without having to go Mac Pro to get one.
The trailing of Mac to PC has got worse in terms of value. And you rightly points out it affects things like VR/AR. So you have to pay £5000-£6000 just to get started on those things on the Mac platform by what you're saying.
It's not like £1500 or £2500 are cheap price points. But Apple used to offer decent towers at those price points with the option of the latest NV or ATI card.
That's what happens when you put profits, shareholders ahead of products and customers.
You wait for a Mac Mini update two years later? They give you an SSD spec bump and nothign else and it still have teh crap out of date iG.
You wait 6 years for a Mac Tower? Sure. But it will cost you twice the old £2500 price plus a further slap of £1000.
iMac. You can buy one. But it's a year out of date and expensive for dated components. It wasn't a great update last year either. The bare minimum effort.
Azrael.
Indeed, makes no sense unless they replace 11” pro with air.. I hope there will be a 11 pro, or 11.5? Let’s see, but screen update is the most exciting feature since we use the screen all the time, not like back camera 🤪
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I hope all apple products finally come with usb c including iPhone 12.. btw I spent quite some money on dongles (usb a, sd, vga, hdmi), usb c can ease this inconvenience.. btw I also hope for 2 usb c ports..
I'd be quite happy to simply the iPad lines.
Cheap. £199. 11 inch. Non-Laminated. A10.
Air. 8 & 11 inch. £299-£399. (Back to it's original 'cheap' price.) Laminated. Pro-motion. A12z.
iPad Pro 12.9 + 16 inch. £599+. Pro-motion. A14x. (When it arrives.)
The current line up is a mess. Simplify it. Make each one a 'good deal.' They got too greedy inflated the price for the word 'pro.' An obvious ploy to raise prices from what they were.
Azrael.
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While I like the 11 inch model it would be nice if apple released a 7 inch pro version.
Apple plans to introduce a 23-inch iMac in the second half of 2020, with mass production set to begin in the third or fourth quarter, according to a China Times report spotted by Mac Otakara. Apple could likely achieve this display size by simply reducing the thickness of the bezels on the current 21.5-inch iMac.
The report claims that the new iMac will be one of several lower-priced products that Apple introduces this year, including the new iPhone SE and a forthcoming 11-inch iPad, also expected in the second half of 2020. Apple currently offers 21.5-inch and 27-inch versions of the iMac, which was last updated in March 2019 with up to 8-core 9th-generation Intel processors and Radeon Pro Vega graphics options.
iMac pricing currently starts at $1,099, although it costs an additional $200 to upgrade from a spinning hard drive to an SSD.
As for the 11-inch iPad, it is not entirely clear if the report is referring to a new version of the 10.2-inch iPad or the 10.5-inch iPad Air. Last month, the anonymous Twitter account "L0vetodream" claimed that Apple is developing a new 11-inch iPad Air with Touch ID under the display, allowing for a nearly full screen, notch-less design.
That leak said the 11-inch iPad Air will have a Mini-LED backlit display. Apple is developing at least six other products with Mini-LED displays for release by the end of 2021, including a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, a 27-inch iMac Pro, a 14-inch MacBook Pro, a 16-inch ?MacBook Pro?, a 10.2-inch iPad, and a 7.9-inch ?iPad? mini, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Kuo has previously said that Mini-LED backlit displays will allow for thinner and lighter product designs, while offering many of the same benefits of OLED displays used on the latest iPhones, including good wide color gamut performance, high contrast and dynamic range, and local dimming for truer blacks.
Mass production of Mini-LED products could be delayed until 2021, according to the China Times.
Article Link: Lower-Priced 23-Inch iMac and 11-Inch iPad Models Rumored to Launch in Second Half of 2020
I think it's a general tech premise. The day you buy something? Something else newer and better could be released at any moment or the next day. I think there is a lot of value to buying older generation stuff too though. Last year, I snagged a robot vacuum cleaner for $100 and it does a decent job. Better than paying $800 for the latest tech that I won't use. I personally wouldn't mind trading up my current 6th gen iPad for a 2018 Pro if the price were right.
Interesting idea to give a13(non X since that would have been in the iPad Pro 2020) to the 11” air, makes sense if the a14x pro is out in the same time WITH mini LED...
Right, the thing is though, if they had say a 24" panel but at say 4608x2592, they'd maintain a ~220 ppi image, at a 16:9 ratio. You selecting a slightly lower "looks like" resolution (e.g. looks like 1920x1080) (compared to a 'default' of 2304x129) is going to result in a better picture quality for you (admittedly possibly not discernible to some) and for those who use the 'default'.
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Or indeed, for a 23" 4416x2454, and a default 'looks like' of 2208x1227
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