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Do you know how many iMac M1 or now M3 I got? Zero, because they don’t make sense to my needs. What did I upgrade to then? Mac Studio + two Studio Display, because it made much more sense than sticking to the iMac line. How many lines of text did I spend complaining or having an opinion about that? Zero.
No wonder you’re not complaining when you have $1,999 + 2× $1,599 available to build around Apple’s hole in the lineup. 😂
 
I can't understand the economics of having two different motherboards in production, one with 4 ports and one with only two. Seems like it actually costs Apple more to have a crippled iMac rather than just standardizing on the same board for every machine. Same with the power brick: one with Ethernet and one without. Why manage production of two different versions of the same thing when the actual production cost difference must be pennies?

Cost must also be driven up by having so darned many colour choices. The iPhone, which sells two orders of magnitude more units, comes with fewer colour choices than the iMac. Ridiculous!

Bottom Line: the M series iMac offers too many silly choices while not offering useful choices like screen size and processor. Clearly Apple considers it a toy for people who care more about the colour of the box than what's inside it.
 
Bottom Line: the M series iMac offers too many silly choices while not offering useful choices like screen size and processor. Clearly Apple considers it a toy for people who care more about the colour of the box than what's inside it.
And yet what’s inside is so much better than what was in all those silver iMacs for all those years.

EDIT: What we really need is emojis in all seven colors. Stop the silver-supremacy racism! 🖥️
 
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I found it pathetic when they tried to sell the 24-inch as better than the previous 27-inch and they've zoomed in the screen trying to make it big.. for real?!
Here I sit with a 27" 5K iMac 1 TB drive and 16 B of ram and I watched the presentation and decided nope not for me and I take a pass on the 24" hobbled iMac. I just keep my 6 year old iMac .
 
Probably the best new computer announced. Such a great design. Apples desktops are a lot better value over their laptops these days. The Studio is definitely a lot better value If you already have a screen.
 
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I know Mac is basically good for browsing only, majority of software runs only on x86 but jeeez who's buying computer with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD for over 2000€ ? What are you doing with it besides browsing ?
 
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Nice move for Apple, less for customers. They integrated the M3 chip as soon as they could (great tech achievement), and said: "Wait! We sell them as is with M3 and a price hike, and couple of years later, if there's a demand we upgrade the rest (screen size, decent memory, USB-C) with another price bump". Maybe they no longer believe in iMacs vs standalone display?
 
Seems like it actually costs Apple more to have a crippled iMac rather than just standardizing on the same board for every machine.
No.

Every single piece put into a product costs money. And Apple will charge 5x-10x what their wholesale costs are, for any single piece.

Believe it or not, Apple is practicing good engineering.

And when you make a product by the millions, every penny per item adds up to something significant of the life cycle of said product.
 
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Apple's 24-inch iMac has been updated with the new M3 chip that offers notable speed improvements over the prior M1, but as it has not been refreshed since 2021, there are also a few other new features.

iMac-M3-Blue-Feature.jpg

The machine's design has not been updated, and it comes in the same colors, but the more advanced M3 chip allows the 24-inch iMac to be outfitted with up to 24GB Unified Memory, up from the 16GB maximum in the M1 version.

Apple has also added Wi-Fi 6E support to allow the iMac to connect to 6GHz networks, and it supports the Bluetooth 5.3 protocol for improved connectivity and range.

The M3 iMac still comes in two-port and four-port varieties with the latter featuring an extra two USB 3 ports. The two-port model has an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU, while the four-port model has an 8-core GPU and 10-core GPU. The version with more ports also supports up to 2TB of storage, while the two-port model is limited to 1TB.

Pricing on the M3 iMac starts at $1,299 for the two Thunderbolt port model, while the model with two Thunderbolt ports and two USB 3 ports is priced starting at $1,499. Apple is accepting orders today, with the new machines set to arrive to customers next week.

Article Link: M3 iMac Gains More Maximum Memory, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3
Idea, what if they increased minimum memory instead of maximum memory.
 
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Not impressed with the iMac M3. Base configuration is a crime. Adding memory and storage makes the iMac too expensive. No USB-C accessories is also a no go. I'm tempted to buy a used M1 with 16GB and 1TB for half the price of the M3.
 
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This is a serious disappointment for those waiting for an updated iMac.

1. Identical in appearance to the previous generation.
2. Peripherals not upgraded in either appearance or function (bottom charging mouse and lightning cables).
3. Identical screen size with no larger option.
4. Very expensive.
5. Memory limited to 24GB (why not 32 or 64 GB?).
6. 2TB limit for main storage.

They are definitely trying to push their old high end Intel 27” customers to the Studio and keeping this machine as a lower spec/performance everyday domestic machine. What makes it sting even more is that the trade in on the old machine is ludicrousy low. My 1TB 2021 machine maxed out for all other specs is worth $500 (before tax) on a machine that cost ~$2,500 in July 2021. So there is zero incentive to upgrade. There is no way I am going to be paying out for a spec bump in CPU performance of around $2000 (after trade in) for an otherwise identical machine. I am guessing we will be keeping our 24” iMac until it dies (it functions as our music server and occasional miscellaneous email and minor photo editing machine due to its small screen). And that is not necessarily a bad thing since we won’t be wasting resources.
 
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The iMac should be discontinued altogether. It's an outdated product.
Once the screen has a crack, you have to replace the whole computer unit.
Once the computer unit is outdated or damaged, you have to replace the whole screen along with it, even if it's working perfectly fine.
In times when we should be more economical with our resources, such a product is problematic. Apple should know better, claiming to be a "green" company.
 
The iMac should be discontinued altogether. It's an outdated product.
Once the screen has a crack, you have to replace the whole computer unit.
Once the computer unit is outdated or damaged, you have to replace the whole screen along with it, even if it's working perfectly fine.
In times when we should be more economical with our resources, such a product is problematic. Apple should know better, claiming to be a "green" company.
Fair point. All your observations are correct, but the all in one is very convenient and my iMacs last me around 6 to 7 years after which I give them to schools or people who need a basic computer, if after 6 or 7 years I need to upgrade for a funcional purpose. Also, the older machines were more repairable. The current iMac is a terrible design, providing no upgrade path or easy repair options, so your point is becoming even more valid. But I still like the idea of a slab of glass with a built in processor and wireless peripherals.
 
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