New iMac Not Expected to Launch Until Late 2023 at Earliest

[Warped9]

When you don’t know someone else’s job and everything involved with it it’s easy to critcize.

When you go to the doctor’s office or hospital you see firsthand the other patients waiting and the nurses, doctors and technicians going about their business. But when you’re at home waiting for the test results you don’t see any of that and wonder, “What the hell is going on? Whats taking so long?”

 

[TrenttonY]

This will be my dream machine.

I will be going from a Late 2013 rMBP to a M3 iMac, how big a difference do you think it’ll be? 🤣

 

[citysnaps]

That makes sense. I'm sure it will be an outstanding desktop computer.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

I don’t know why I thought once they controlled the processor chips upgrades would be smoother and more timely like iPhones.

It's not an issue with chips.

Apple simply likes to strategically space out releases to keep sales higher altogether and moving away from Intel doesn't change this: Spec bumping and revamping designs of every Mac all at once every single year would have consumers only buying some machines and completely ditching others.

By teasing out the release of an iMac Pro and Mac Pro now, many are opting for minis and MacBooks simply to have a new Mac altogether instead of sitting on an old Intel model for 1-2 years more.

Then when M3 drops sometime in 2023-2024, possibly in a Mac Pro or iMac with a fantastic display with an amazing webcam(possibly FaceID), most M2 buyers will feel like their M2 Macs look boring.

It's about creating demand and giving better reasons to upgrade than just a new SoC generation.

 

[Tagbert]

Belgium

mini specs
949 EUR - Mac mini with ram upgrade to 16 GB
1.779 EUR - studio display (all standard specs)
320 EUR numeric keyboard w Touch ID + Magic Trackpad

total is 3.048 EUR

iMac specs
2.029 EUR - midrange model (256 GB storage) with ram upgrade to 16 GB
85 EUR magic trackpad upgrade (instead of the mouse)
26 EUR - keyboard upgrade to include numeric

total = 2.105 EUR

thats still nearly 1.000 EUR difference for
* some ports i’ll never use
* a 3.5 inches bigger display
* 5K vs 4.5 K

I think mini makes sense if you have your own display and such but if you go all Apple it’s a different story. Problem is the studio display is about 20% overpriced + iMac already includes keyboard and mouse or trackpad

If you are in Belgium then you have the added problem of the large drop in exchange rates between USD and the Euro over that last year or so. Hopefully the new Samsung S9 5K display prices are good and maybe that will be a good solution for you. Or we may get a miracle and Apple may bring out a 27”+ iMac 🤞

 

[dai613-2]

I thought the whole idea of ditching Intel was to avoid the constant disruption to the product refresh cycle due to not having updated chips. Between the MacPro, Mac Studio and iMac, still feels like we are always waiting for a refresh.

 

[nihil0]

If you feel the Studio Display is overpriced there are alternatives. Also if you are looking to save money, that base 27" iMac is now available for $1,169.00 from the Apple refurb store. That's cheaper than the M1 iMac.

Serious question: what are the alternatives? Because I don't know about any. They either lack in screen resolution (going from iMac 5K to 1440p monitor to have 110 ppi is a huge downgrade) or outright display wrong scaling (eg. 27-inch 4K display). There is no 5K alternative to Studio Display right now apart from LG 5K display which is basically Studio Display sans solid camera and speakers. And it is not that cheaper.

 

[SactoGuy18]

This actually makes sense. Reason: With the likely cooler running M3 SoC even in 24 GB RAM form, they can keep the same form factor as the current 24" iMac, including the fan cooling system.

 

[DavidSchaub]

Serious question: what are the alternatives? Because I don't know about any. They either lack in screen resolution (going from iMac 5K to 1440p monitor to have 110 ppi is a huge downgrade) or outright display wrong scaling (eg. 27-inch 4K display). There is no 5K alternative to Studio Display right now apart from LG 5K display which is basically Studio Display sans solid camera and speakers. And it is not that cheaper.

For some people, running at 110 DPI is fine or they don't mind the 160 DPI scaling. Nothing is wrong with those people, they win by enjoying those screens.

As for 220 DPI screens, we'll see how Sony's and Samsung's CES announced monitors go.

 

[jimbobb24]

It's not an issue with chips.

Apple simply likes to strategically space out releases to keep sales higher altogether and moving away from Intel doesn't change this: Spec bumping and revamping designs of every Mac all at once every single year would have consumers only buying some machines and completely ditching others.

By teasing out the release of an iMac Pro and Mac Pro now, many are opting for minis and MacBooks simply to have a new Mac altogether instead of sitting on an old Intel model for 1-2 years more.

Then when M3 drops sometime in 2023-2024, possibly in a Mac Pro or iMac with a fantastic display with an amazing webcam(possibly FaceID), most M2 buyers will feel like their M2 Macs look boring.

It's about creating demand and giving better reasons to upgrade than just a new SoC generation.

Who has the disposable income to treat their computers this way? When I buy a home mac then I plan to have it for 7 years. No updates can change that plan because of the cost. So what I see is that its hard to know what's the best option right now going into the market and when I get to the point of replacing my current mac in 5 years it will be a mess and not clear what to buy.

 

[acrakes]

I guess they don't plan on releasing a larger one. Too bad, was a great machine and 24" is too small.

There's such a nice gradation from Mini to Studio to Pro, clear spec ladder with iPads, iPhones, and laptops, too. But they've cut it to one 24" iMac maxing out at 16GB of RAM. Even the MBAir goes to 24GB..

27 or 30/32 inch iMacs, 6-8 USB ports, jack up the max RAM. Call it an iMac Studio..

 

[maverick100]

Fire Cook today. 24"iMac; worst iMac ever, ethernet port in the power cord(really).
OSX updates every year are a total disaster (so many issues that never get fixed). Ethernet problems with the mini; noise with the Studio; video problems everywhere. I have been a Mac user since the Motorola days; never seen such a mess. Mac users are what make Apple; we are the ones who kept you alive; so that you could do their iPhone, iPads, etc. Without us you would not be doing those iPhones. Apple remember what users put you where your are. Quit your abandonment of the Mac users!!!!! Put your Mac users back at the top!

 

[cote32mt]

If you liked the 27" iMac, the 27" Studio Display hooked up to a Mac mini will give you pretty much the same experience.

At double the cost.

 

[macduke]

Apple makes their own chips now and yet can't push out a simple update to swap out the chip. Pathetic, honestly.

 

[clunkmess]

Decided to do the Apple Studio Display and M2 Mac Mini instead of waiting!

 

[Johnny907]

Maybe if they release them in adult colors they'd sell better?
Funny coincidence: my mom has a 27" late 2012 iMac that she'd been considering replacing. I upgraded it for Christmas, swapping the low end i5 with an i7-3770, bumped the RAM to 16GB because I had the sticks laying around anyway, replaced the old spinning drive with a combo of 256GB SSD Blade for the OS and apps and a 512GB Samsung 2.5" SSD for all of her media (she's a grandma, she has a stupid amount of photos and videos so this made sense) and finished it off with a fresh install of Catalina. Thing runs like new and for her purposes as snappy as anything else, all for about 130 bucks worth of parts and a couple hours of my time. At the rate tech goes, I added another 5 years to this thing's lifespan. Gotta wonder how many of these things will still be in normal use 10-15 years from now seeing how none of the above is possible with everything built soldered on now.

 

[Ubele]

I’ve just added a Crucial X8 2TB portable SSD drive to my Late 2017 27” iMac with 40GB of RAM and it’s given it a new lease of life. Flying now and not seen the beach ball swirling once which was a daily occurrence with the internal Fusion Drive. Don’t want to drop to a 24” screen and mini plus new display too expensive really.

What size Fusion Drive did you have? I recall that the 1 TB version had a 32 GB SSD, whereas the 2 TB version had a 128 GB SSD. I have an early 2019 27" i5 iMac with a 2 TB Fusion Drive and 24 GB of RAM. I get the spinning beach ball sometimes, especially with Adobe CC and photo-editing apps. I wonder if replacing the Fusion Drive with an SSD would make much of a difference. You say "portable SSD drive," so I assume you're booting from an external drive, as opposed to having replaced the internal drive. While my iMac is far from unusable, I'm debating between selling it while it still has some resale value and keeping it until the bitter end. In either case, I plan to get a refurbished M1 MBP later this year. If I sell the iMac, I'd eventually get an external monitor for it.

 

[snipper]

Serious question: what are the alternatives? Because I don't know about any. They either lack in screen resolution (going from iMac 5K to 1440p monitor to have 110 ppi is a huge downgrade) or outright display wrong scaling (eg. 27-inch 4K display). There is no 5K alternative to Studio Display right now apart from LG 5K display which is basically Studio Display sans solid camera and speakers. And it is not that cheaper.

I didn't check what is available today, but about 5 years ago, I bought a 4K, 40 inch Philips display. It's 110 ppi, 60 Hz, 4 ms and it has visible ghosting with really fast video scenes, sure, but like a lot of people, I don't even notice it, because I use it for graphic / web design, scrolling down websites, read my mail, do my administration, some photoshopping, etc. Also, it has a slight curve, which is a benefit for large monitors.

By the way, 110 is really not that bad. 72 was the standard for decades and back then, we were also sitting much closer to the screen.

A 5K screen is great, but imho at 27 inch, the screen estate is too small to optimally benefit from the resolution. I rather have a 4K screen for 1/2 or 1/3 the price at 40 ~ 45 inch and sit slightly further away from it. Better for my eyes too.

 

[aibo]

At double the cost.

I bit the bullet. It’s more expensive right now, but presumably I can stay with the same Studio Display down the road and just replace the Mini to recoup some cost.

 

[GermanSuplex]

By far the best all in one I’ve owned. My needs have gone down drastically over the years to pretty much only needing a PC to handle audio and video transcoding. I don’t do enough to warrant an expensive machine. The speed of the M1 iMac over its previous iterations is a hell of a jump from me. I was using a 2015 MBP as my daily driver.

Can’t see myself upgrading, but it’s a solid machine out of the box if you’re more than a casual user but not a “power” user, whatever that means these days.

 

[tubular]

There's such a nice gradation from Mini to Studio to Pro, clear spec ladder with iPads, iPhones, and laptops, too. But they've cut it to one 24" iMac maxing out at 16GB of RAM. Even the MBAir goes to 24GB..

27 or 30/32 inch iMacs, 6-8 USB ports, jack up the max RAM. Call it an iMac Studio..

It's an interesting inversion. Half a decade ago it was the headless desktop line that was a smoking ruin while the iMac got all the love.

 

[macfacts]

Just on inflation alone, that 2020 27” iMac at $1799 would cost $2034, this year. Was that $1799 iMac the one with SSD or did it have spinning discs? Apple was still selling HD-based iMacs on the lower end in 2020.

i hope that Apple does bring out a larger iMac but I’m not holding my breath on that. Perhaps if the new Samsung 5K 27” is cheaper that might bring the Mini+Monitor package more in line with your budget.

Why do ppl try to justify a purchase by calculating the inflation value? But don't take into account tech is suppose to get cheaper over time? My first cd writer was $400 but my last one was $30.

 

[ian87w]

I agree it's likely that sales of the current iMac are poor.
I've no data to back it up but I've yet to see one in the wild in the UK, whereas the previous iMacs are ubiquitous.
The solution then is to make a better value iMac.
8GB has been the standard Ram in iMacs since 2012, so it should be more a decade later.
And 256GB of storage in 2023...well even my 2018 phone has more storage than that!
If the iMac is selling poorly, it'd be better to address the cause rather than simply try and sell them something else.
It's just indicative of everything wrong with Apple at the moment.
In the past there was a small premium for buying Apple compared to windows computers, but Macs still represented good value for money based on what they offered - that's just not the case anymore.
Apple bleed their customers dry with petty practices such as removing an ethernet port and user expandability and shipping Macs with pitiful amounts of storage and then charging extortionate amounts to upgrade (which now HAS to be done at the point of purchase).
If you want an iMac with 16GB RAM and 1TB storage (which IMO is a standard configuration) it increases the cost of the iMac by almost 50%!!!!
I think even the 2019 Mac Pro shipped with only 256GB of storage and that started at $5999!
A 1TB NVME can be purchased from Amazon for $50 for crying out loud, so Apple charging $400 for it in an iMac is taking the piss.
AND remember this MUST be done at the point of purchase too. No option to buy the base model and add more internal storage or RAM at a later date...not even via Apple.
The thing is it's ultimately counter productive. You alienate a loyal customer base and sell fewer computers too.
You may make better margins on the Macs you sell, but you'll be less likely to get repeat purchasers the next time.
People can only fleeced for so long before disappointment turns into distain.
Respect is a two way thing. If Apple don't respect their customers, their customers will no longer respect Apple.
And if a customer feels wronged...well there's a strong likelihood you'll lose that customer forever and Apple has been treading this line precariously for the last decade or so and is probably the wrong side of it now.

I understand your frustrations. Today's Apple incessant desire for upselling and margins are quite abhorrent. Them cutting corners by using less NAND chips (halving the SSD speed) even on their premium Pro laptop is a clear indication that the main focus towards profit is just sickening.

However, imo iMac is not selling is more due to majority of consumers today simply gravitates towards laptops for their computer of choice. I doubt that the sales would differ much even if Apple made the iMac configurations more appealing for the money.

 

[ian87w]

It's an interesting inversion. Half a decade ago it was the headless desktop line that was a smoking ruin while the iMac got all the love.

Imo it's simply Apple is now prioritizing more on sales volumes in their business strategy. Apple probably saw that All in one desktops are simply not selling as well anymore. Consumers prefer laptops, while Pros prefer headless units with monitors of their choice. Thus the decision for (surprisingly) reviving the Mac mini to be more compelling (putting an M2 Pro in it).

The iMac imo will simply be a product token only, the image for Apple consumer desktop, but it will get the step child treatment in terms of refreshes.

The only place I've seen these new iMac in the wild is as a point of sales computer in a fancy restaurant. 😆

 

[ADGrant]

At double the cost.

The base Mac mini costs 599. The Studio Display 1599. That's not double the cost of a base 2020 iMac