MacStudio or wait for a new iMac

[DaveM77]

My 27" 2013 iMac is still chugging away bless it but getting further and further behind the curve.

I can't bring myself to downsize the screen (even though the resolution is so much higher) to a 24" iMac especially with less RAM than I currently have. But the more I keep reading a larger screen iMac is likely to be a pro version and hella expensive.

Should I bite the bullet now on a suitably specced Studio and a Studio display for ~£4000, a studio and larger 3rd party monitor or wait another year for the possibility that a larger screen imac lands that isn't north of £5000?

 

[designerdave72]

My 27" 2013 iMac is still chugging away bless it but getting further and further behind the curve.

I can't bring myself to downsize the screen (even though the resolution is so much higher) to a 24" iMac especially with less RAM than I currently have. But the more I keep reading a larger screen iMac is likely to be a pro version and hella expensive.

Should I bite the bullet now on a suitably specced Studio and a Studio display for ~£4000, a studio and larger 3rd party monitor or wait another year for the possibility that a larger screen imac lands that isn't north of £5000?

I was in this exact predicament with my late 2014, top spec iMac and have just pushed the button on an M1 Max 10-core CPU, 32-core GPU with 64gb and 1TB pairing it with a tilt and height adjustable Studio Display.

In desperation I had tried a couple of refurb iMacs after finding out they’d been pulled from the Apple Store after the Keynote but none of them were any good.

It took me days and lots of research into deciding what was the best configuration and price. The urge was to buy the Ultra with 128gb but I couldn't justify spending the ridiculous amount of £4700 on just the Ultra.

Hopefully I’ve made the right decision to replicate my older iMac set up but ultimately I also know that the new tech will be more powerful than what I’ve been using for the past 8 years.

 

[dizmonk]

I kinda explained my experience in another thread but let me apply it here. I sold my 2020 Imac when the Mac Studio was released and I regret it. The iMac was fine but after getting an M1 MBA I really wanted Apple Silicon on a desktop. I did and still think the 24" Imac is not intended for the 27" iMac users.

After getting the Studio, I purchased a 32" Dell curved 4k monitor and some decent desktop speakers. The Studio is fine but my overall setup kinda sucks now. I was unaware of how much of a downgrade a) not having an All-in-One was and b) and going from 5K 27" screen to 4k plastic... (😢😢😢😢😢).

If I had to do it all over... I would have held onto the 2020 Imac and waited until Apple released another version larger than 24"...

 

[DaveM77]

I was in this exact predicament with my late 2014, top spec iMac and have just pushed the button on an M1 Max 10-core CPU, 32-core GPU with 64gb and 1TB pairing it with a tilt and height adjustable Studio Display.

In desperation I had tried a couple of refurb iMacs after finding out they’d been pulled from the Apple Store after the Keynote but none of them were any good.

It took me days and lots of research into deciding what was the best configuration and price. The urge was to buy the Ultra with 128gb but I could justify spending the ridiculous amount of £4700 on just the Ultra.

Hopefully I’ve made the right decision to replicate my older iMac set up but ultimately I also know that the new tech will be more powerful than what I’ve been using for the past 8 years.

Sounds like you're in a very similar boat as me. I just don't want to regret the decision like dizmonk has. Although I would go with a premium monitor even if it wasn't the Studio display.

I'd likely go with the same as you albeit the 24 core GPU and not bother with the height adjustment on the Studio display.

If only there were some concrete information about what 2023 might hold. My other concern is I can afford it now. With the way things are going maybe that changes next year!

 

[SalisburySam]

My 27" 2013 iMac is still chugging away bless it but getting further and further behind the curve.

I can't bring myself to downsize the screen (even though the resolution is so much higher) to a 24" iMac especially with less RAM than I currently have. But the more I keep reading a larger screen iMac is likely to be a pro version and hella expensive.

Should I bite the bullet now on a suitably specced Studio and a Studio display for ~£4000, a studio and larger 3rd party monitor or wait another year for the possibility that a larger screen imac lands that isn't north of £5000?

You can still update your system to a 7-year-newer August 2020 27” Intel iMac from Apple’s refurbished store, costing from $1450 - $5700 as of yesterday. That would give you one heck of a machine, although you don’t state your uses. Such a machine would give you an instant performance increase on a machine you’re familiar with, plus it would buy you several years to wait for Apple’s 27” iMac should that ever appear (not looking good so far).

For me, I’d only consider the Studio stuff if my workflows actually needed it…and they do not. Still using my 2017 27” iMac and loving it for all that I do.

 

[DaveM77]

You can still update your system to a 7-year-newer August 2020 27” Intel iMac from Apple’s refurbished store, costing from $1450 - $5700 as of yesterday. That would give you one heck of a machine, although you don’t state your uses.

I'd never get that signed off by the wife - all that money for something that looks the same as the old one

Based on the UK refurb site I'd be paying £3500 GBP or buying a model from elsewhere. I don't think I want to stay on intel but I see your reasoning.

 

[JaredJenkinsDesign]

I think it depends on how badly you need the power and software compatibility of a new M1/M2 Mac and if you're willing to gamble on Apple releasing a consumer-friendly 27" iMac again in 2023. I've been following the rumors and it's still up in the air whether the upcoming 27" iMac Pro will be closer to the $1800-$2000 range or closer to the $5,000 range.

Also, the next earliest Apple Event is likely in March and based off rumors, it seems like it's going to be focused on potentially new MacBook Pros, Mac Pro and Mac Mini. You might have to wait until WWDC in June or even longer for a potential iMac announcement.

I don't know what you do and what your power needs are but the potential M2 Pro Mac Mini in March could be a pretty good value and worth waiting instead of going for the Mac Studio now, especially since your iMac is still working fine at the moment.

 

[DaveM77]

I think it depends on how badly you need the power and software compatibility of a new M1/M2 Mac and if you're willing to gamble on Apple releasing a consumer-friendly 27" iMac again in 2023. I've been following the rumors and it's still up in the air whether the upcoming 27" iMac Pro will be closer to the $1800-$2000 range or closer to the $5,000 range.

Also, the next earliest Apple Event is likely in March and based off rumors, it seems like it's going to be focused on potentially new MacBook Pros, Mac Pro and Mac Mini. You might have to wait until WWDC in June or even longer for a potential iMac announcement.

I don't know what you do and what your power needs are but the potential M2 Pro Mac Mini in March could be a pretty good value and worth waiting instead of going for the Mac Studio now, especially since your iMac is still working fine at the moment.

In all honesty that’s probably what I’ll end up doing. Give it 9 more months and go with whatever best suits then.

 

[designerdave72]

I think it depends on how badly you need the power and software compatibility of a new M1/M2 Mac and if you're willing to gamble on Apple releasing a consumer-friendly 27" iMac again in 2023. I've been following the rumors and it's still up in the air whether the upcoming 27" iMac Pro will be closer to the $1800-$2000 range or closer to the $5,000 range.

Also, the next earliest Apple Event is likely in March and based off rumors, it seems like it's going to be focused on potentially new MacBook Pros, Mac Pro and Mac Mini. You might have to wait until WWDC in June or even longer for a potential iMac announcement.

I don't know what you do and what your power needs are but the potential M2 Pro Mac Mini in March could be a pretty good value and worth waiting instead of going for the Mac Studio now, especially since your iMac is still working fine at the moment.

I got sick of waiting for Apple and their 'what if's' and that's how I was in this quandary. Waiting for the March Keynote to see if there would be a new iMac and then the Studio appeared. By which time is was way too late to order the last 2020 iMac speed bump units on their website. The last thing announced at that Keynote about the Mac Pro ('and that's for another day') was disappointing not to be this year. I think you're right about March announcing M2 MacBook Pros, Mac Pro and Mac Mini. These year old Studios will still run on M1 as they're powerful enough not to be upgraded to M2 yet. I could be wrong.

 

[dizmonk]

The real problem Apple has created for users... is that there is a buying base who wants/needs something bigger than a 24" iMac. I have a feeling that we're not going to see that. IF they reintroduce a new All-In-One that's 27" or 32", it obscures the need for the Studio Display. They've created a dependency (which is what strong/good/monopolistic companies do) for a product (e.g., Studio Display) for those of us who want a powerful Apple desktop option.
It's a good business move for Apple - bad for us... I hope I'm wrong though.

 

[SalisburySam]

@dizmonk I don’t think you are wrong. I’d love an Apple Silicon 27” iMac but have seen nothing that would give any hope it will come.

 

[B.A.T]

Buy what you need when you need it. I recently upgraded to a studio from the same 27" 2013 iMac. The iMac still works great but Adobe updates and other photo software I use don't support Catalina. I use DXO Pure Raw and what took 4 minutes on the iMac now takes 14 seconds plus my wife got the iMac so its kind of a win win in our house.
Depending on what you are doing with the iMac you may be just fine right now. Only you can tell, but if you no longer get software updates I'd recommend buying now.

 

[MacGizmo]

I was in a similar situation. I needed to replace an aging iMac and MacBook Pro combo. I love the iMac, and thought I would be upgrading to a 27" M1 iMac that would surely be coming shortly after the 24" M1 iMac was announced. Obviously, that never happened.

I ended up ordering the Mac Studio the morning it was announced. I love the fact that I could get more RAM and storage than either the iMac or the MBPro and more ports for different connections than the iMac's limited 4 USB-C ports. The problem became what display to get. I thought, like so many others, that I would have to spend the money on Apple's ridiculously overpriced Studio Display. Thankfully I didn't have to.

What I ended up getting was a 34" 5k/2k screen. This gave me the ability to actually use the full 5120 pixel width resolution without the GUI being too small to read like it is on the 27" iMac. The color fidelity and sharpness is just short of retina quality (NOTHING beats Apple's display quality), but it's close enough that I have no problem with it at all (and I'm a graphic designer, so a quality display matters to me).

For $1,199, I got a larger screen with the highest resolution possible, a stand that allows for height, tilt and pivot adjustment (extra cost for the Apple display), HDMI, Display Port and Thunderbolt connection ports for connecting to the Mac, and extra USB-A ports for older peripherals. As a bonus, I don't have to deal with having a completely separate OS to update just to view the screen! The Apple screen literally has no benefit to me.

As far as speakers, a cheap pair of $20 speakers from BestBuy gives me better sound than Apple's built-in speakers on the Studio Display.

The plastic vs. aluminum body is of no consequence to me. It's a 34" display, I'm not throwing it in a bag and carrying it around. While the unibody design of the Apple displays are nice, they mean nothing to me in day-to-day use. I'm not so vain that I have to have the display match the computer color.

I don't expect Apple will be shipping another iMac Pro. That Mac was made to temporarily replace the cancelled trashcan Mac Pro. I do think Apple will eventually make a larger iMac, but it won't be as flexible or as powerful as the Mac Studio (if they're running the same processor). So it really comes down to what you're going to use the Mac for as to whether it's worth waiting for an iMac.

 

[dizmonk]

I was in a similar situation. I needed to replace an aging iMac and MacBook Pro combo. I love the iMac, and thought I would be upgrading to a 27" M1 iMac that would surely be coming shortly after the 24" M1 iMac was announced. Obviously, that never happened.

I ended up ordering the Mac Studio the morning it was announced. I love the fact that I could get more RAM and storage than either the iMac or the MBPro and more ports for different connections than the iMac's limited 4 USB-C ports. The problem became what display to get. I thought, like so many others, that I would have to spend the money on Apple's ridiculously overpriced Studio Display. Thankfully I didn't have to.

What I ended up getting was a 34" 5k/2k screen. This gave me the ability to actually use the full 5120 pixel width resolution without the GUI being too small to read like it is on the 27" iMac. The color fidelity and sharpness is just short of retina quality (NOTHING beats Apple's display quality), but it's close enough that I have no problem with it at all (and I'm a graphic designer, so a quality display matters to me).

For $1,199, I got a larger screen with the highest resolution possible, a stand that allows for height, tilt and pivot adjustment (extra cost for the Apple display), HDMI, Display Port and Thunderbolt connection ports for connecting to the Mac, and extra USB-A ports for older peripherals. As a bonus, I don't have to deal with having a completely separate OS to update just to view the screen! The Apple screen literally has no benefit to me.

As far as speakers, a cheap pair of $20 speakers from BestBuy gives me better sound than Apple's built-in speakers on the Studio Display.

The plastic vs. aluminum body is of no consequence to me. It's a 34" display, I'm not throwing it in a bag and carrying it around. While the unibody design of the Apple displays are nice, they mean nothing to me in day-to-day use. I'm not so vain that I have to have the display match the computer color.

I don't expect Apple will be shipping another iMac Pro. That Mac was made to temporarily replace the cancelled trashcan Mac Pro. I do think Apple will eventually make a larger iMac, but it won't be as flexible or as powerful as the Mac Studio (if they're running the same processor). So it really comes down to what you're going to use the Mac for as to whether it's worth waiting for an iMac.

Which monitor did you get? Can you control volume and brightness through bluetooth with it?

 

[MacGizmo]

I got the LG 34WK95U-W 34" Ultrawide 5k/2k display. Many 3rd part displays don't work with Apple's built-in keys to control brightness and volume, and this display is one of them. BUT, MonitorControl (FREE) brings those capabilities back for any display/keyboard combo, and a little more.

Overall, I LOVE this display. Being able to actually use the full 5k (5120x2160) resolution and still be able to read the text on the screen is awesome (you simply can't do that on a 27" 5k display from any vendor, including Apple.

The fact that there are more connections available on the back is a bonus (Thunderbolt, HDMI, Display Port for connection, plus a few extra USB-A ports), on top of the ability to adjust the stand height. The display doesn't "wiggle/shake" when adjusting the height like some cheaper displays - probably due to the heavy metal base it comes with.

It is NOT a "beautiful" piece of kit. Unlike Apple's Studio Display, it's not a sleek unibody aluminum case that perfectly matches the Mac. The LG uses a black plastic case all around except the back, which is white - there is no LG logo on the front like many of their other displays. But unless you're REALLY superficial about it, this shouldn't matter at all.

What it doesn't have:

• No webcam built in. I got a perfectly usable Logitech webcam that works just as well (perhaps even better) as the one in the Apple Studio Display (which is one of the biggest complaints about their expensive monitor).
• The speakers pretty much suck. They're fine for video conferencing/audio calls, but I wouldn't consider using them for listening to music or watching movies. They're just average-at-best. I just got a cheap pair of Insignia speakers from BestBuy that work just fine for that.

 

[Boidem]

But the more I keep reading a larger screen iMac is likely to be a pro version and hella expensive.

But how reliable is the stuff you're reading? None of it is anything more than guesswork and rumour. Now, given the Mac product line up history, it is likely that a new, larger iMac will probably appear in the next year or so. I can't imagine Apple will want to lose sales in a very competitive sector, £2000-3000, and the Studio is a significantly more expensive option once you factor in your upgrades and peripherals etc. I'm thinking a new larger iMac would come in around £2500, but that's pure speculation. I would be very surprised i they don't release a product to fill that particular gap though.

I held off buying a new iMac for well over 2 years, as I wanted something that suited my needs. Once the new M1 iMacs were announced, I decided to hang on, as rumours indicated a new iMac on the horizon. It did come, eventually, but for me it was well worth the wait. Had something like the MacStudio comeout before, then I'd have been tempted to spend a lot more on a computer that was way overkill, so I'm glad the product release schedule worked out in my favour. I'd bea bit annoyed if I'd have spent so much then the best computer for my needs was introduced, at a much lower price.

You have to ask yourself how much you need a new Mac, right now. If you can hang on, then there's a good chance sometihng that suits your needs will come along. Then again, it might not, so you'll have to buy a maxed out Studio and dsiplay...

 

[pshufd]

My approach was to keep my 2014 iMac 27 and use it with an M1 mini. I bought a base Studio several weeks ago and am migrating my applications and files from the mini to the Studio. The plan is to use the 2014 iMac 27 for office stuff because of the screen and use the Studio with Dell Ultrasharp 27 inch 4k monitors (3 of them). Yes, it's plastic but it gets the job done but I also get to enjoy my old iMac. I run stuff that requires performance on the Studio and office stuff on the iMac. It also gives me a total of 64 GB of RAM which is nice. You could also use 5k iMacs as screens. I plan to do an experiment on that in the future to try a 5k iMac as a monitor for the Studio but it would require an Apple TB cable and an Apple TB2 to TB3 adapter. This would give me networkspeeds of 10 gbps so that I could screen share between the systems using a virtual display. I have gotten this running over GB Ethernet with a bunch of other Mac combinations but would need more than GB Ethernet for a 5k monitor.

I like the idea of an Apple Silicon 5k iMac but, even if they did do it, it would still be a problem if you wanted an all-aluminum look for external displays unless you want to get additional Studio Displays.

 

[transphasic]

You can still update your system to a 7-year-newer August 2020 27” Intel iMac from Apple’s refurbished store, costing from $1450 - $5700 as of yesterday. That would give you one heck of a machine, although you don’t state your uses. Such a machine would give you an instant performance increase on a machine you’re familiar with, plus it would buy you several years to wait for Apple’s 27” iMac should that ever appear (not looking good so far).

For me, I’d only consider the Studio stuff if my workflows actually needed it…and they do not. Still using my 2017 27” iMac and loving it for all that I do.

I so loved my 27 inch iMac, esp the screen that I bought the ASD. That screen is incomparable, as someone staring at the monitor for 16 hours/day I needed it to be very clear and comfortable.

 

[hpucker99]

I have a 27" 2013 iMac also. Been waiting on an updated 27" but with the Apple Studio and Display combo, I don't think one is ever going to come. An update Mini M2 (Pro?) with the Studio display will be about $3000 ($1200 for the Mini and $1600 for the Display. The starting price for the Studio and Display is $3600, not much room to fit a 27" iMac in. A more expensive iMac will conflict the upper end Studio Max/Ultra.

Started looking at the Studio and Display; the Max with 10/32 cores, 32GB RAM and 2TB storage. Been watching the Refurbished store but this combo hasn't appeared yet. Right now B&H has $100 on the Display and Adorama has $150 off using an AppleInsider coupon. Will decide on Black Friday and use Apple Pay to spread out the pain.

 

[designerdave72]

My orders have arrived. This weekend I’ll be setting up and migrating. Good bye 27” iMac - you will be sorely missed.

 

[profcutter]

My orders have arrived. This weekend I’ll be setting up and migrating. Good bye 27” iMac - you will be sorely missed.

To be fair, once you get the new setup going, I’m pretty sure the old one won’t actually be missed.

 

[designerdave72]

Set up complete. Just need to migrate now 👍🏻

 

[transphasic]

My orders have arrived. This weekend I’ll be setting up and migrating. Good bye 27” iMac - you will be sorely missed.

You won't miss it, the ASD is a precise, if not improved, version of the iMac/27. I just hope that it will last for at least 10-12 years, at a minimum.

 

[eyoungren]

Set up complete. Just need to migrate now 👍🏻

Ha, found you Dave!

Cool setup!

 

[designerdave72]

Ha, found you Dave!

Cool setup!

Cheers Erik 👍🏻