New iMac Reportedly in Advanced Stage of Development

[Contact_Feanor]

In the ~25 years that iMac has been around, the current model is the longest that one has ever been sold (734 days and counting) without an update. Regardless of whether you think the next one will have any design tweaks, going this long without an update is not "completely in line with what they've been doing". Perhaps the delay is a new normal or something boring, but we'll see how it goes.

You're certainly right about that, but I specifically responded to (and quoted) "Selling performance these days is a tough cookie when the latest version is just a spec bump and doesn’t look any different from the models it replaces."
Spec bumps and using a design for a couple of generations is not new.

 

[Warped9]

I suspect if/when iMac does get M3 the performance bump will be distinctly more significant than if it got M2.

 

[DaveM77]

Finally gave up. Am now typing this on an M2 Max Studio with a Studio Display.

To be fair I have been on the verge of upgrading for a year before Apple Silicon first arrived. Managed to get a couple hundred off the Studio and 100 off the display but still spent well over £3K.

In other news the old 2013 iMac (albeit with an SSD and 24GB RAM) has been wiped and rebuilt with Ventura with OpenCore Legacy Patcher and is running really well. It's a shame apple doesn't think the device is up to the task when it clearly is. Appreciate the standard device with a HDD and 8GB might not.

 

[ambientdaw]

Finally gave up. Am now typing this on an M2 Max Studio with a Studio Display.

To be fair I have been on the verge of upgrading for a year before Apple Silicon first arrived. Managed to get a couple hundred off the Studio and 100 off the display but still spent well over £3K.

In other news the old 2013 iMac (albeit with an SSD and 24GB RAM) has been wiped and rebuilt with Ventura with OpenCore Legacy Patcher and is running really well. It's a shame apple doesn't think the device is up to the task when it clearly is. Appreciate the standard device with a HDD and 8GB might not.

Is your new setup 100% silent like iMac's are ( 99% of the time at least, for me)?

 

[sack_peak]

Many on MR think of the worse when a iMac 30" 5.5K or 32" 6K comes out.

I doubt that the $4999 2017 iMac Pro Xeon starting price point for a non-M3 Ultra chip will ever happen.

I created a small & big iMac table with their MSRPs so others can be more optimistic with the future larger screen iMac.

iMac Pro was created as a stop gap for between the 2013 & 2019 Mac Pro. It likely sold as many Mac Pros and far less than any Mac Studio. Its return as it was previously positioned is highly doubtful. The name may return but would likely have a new meaning.

2019 iMac 21.5" 4K Intel 14nm	Price	2021 iMac 24" 4.5K M1 5nm
iMac "Core i3" 3.6 21.5"	$1,299	iMac "M1" 8 CPU/7 GPU/2 Ports 24"
iMac "Core i5" 3.0 21.5"	$1,499	iMac "M1" 8 CPU/8 GPU/4 Ports 24"
iMac "Core i7" 3.2 21.5"	$1,599	N/A
iMac "Core i7" 3.2 21.5"	$1,699	iMac "M1" 8 CPU/8 GPU/4 Ports 24"
2020 iMac 27" 5K Intel 14nm	Price	2024 iMac M3/M3 Pro/M3 Max 3nm
iMac "Core i5" 3.1 27"	$1,799	M3
iMac "Core i5" 3.3 27"	$1,999	M3
iMac "Core i7" 3.8 27"	$2,299	M3 Pro
iMac "Core i9" 3.6 27"	$2,499	M3 Max
iMac "Core i7" 3.8 27"; 5700/XT	$2,599	M3 Pro
iMac "Core i9" 3.6 27"	$2,699	M3 Max
iMac "Core i7" 3.8 27"; 5700/XT	$2,799	M3 Pro
iMac "Core i9" 3.6 27"; 5700/XT	$2,999	M3 Max
iMac "Core i9" 3.6 27"; 5700/XT	$3,199	M3 Max
2017 iMac Pro 27" 5K Xeon 14nm	Price	2024 iMac M3 Ultra 3nm
iMac Pro "8-Core" 3.2 27"	$4,999	M3 Ultra
iMac Pro "10-Core" 3.0 27"	$5,799	M3 Ultra
iMac Pro "14-Core" 2.5 27"	$6,999	M3 Ultra
iMac Pro "18-Core" 2.3 27"	$7,399	M3 Ultra

Intel chips & their Apple Silicon equivalent

- Core i5 = M3
- Core i7 = M3 Pro
- Core i9 = M3 Max
- Xeon = M3 Ultra

Many suggest as an alternative that we buy a separte dispaly + Mac mini/Mac Studio as they expect iMac users to replace every 3-6 years. iMac users tend to keep theirs for a decade. Once the final Security Update is released they go with the next iMac model after then keep it for another decade.

This is alien concept for anyone who has frequently changing computing requirement but if you own a AIO you tend to change less frequently.

I have a theory why Apple did not include a iMac 27" 5K replacement in 2021 with the iMac 24" 4.5K.

The 3 year delay is likely caused by price of components to allow for a starting price of $1799.

iMac 24" 4.5K replaces the iMac 21.5" 4K at the same price points.

Smaller iMac	2019 Intel	2021 M1
Chip die shrink	14nm	5nm
Dimensions	45.0 cm, 52.8 cm, 17.5 cm	46.1 cm, 54.7 cm, 14.7 cm
Avg Weight	5.66 kg	4.46 kg
Display	21.5" 4K	24" 4.5K
RAM type & speed	2666 MHz PC4-21300 DDR4	LPDDR4X-4266MHz
Power Consumption	166W	80-84W

Rumor points a larger than iMac 27" appearing in late 2024, 12 months from now.

 

[DaveM77]

Is your new setup 100% silent like iMac's are ( 99% of the time at least, for me)?

In my office I certainly can't hear it as there is other ambient noise. Even in the living room when I was setting it all up (the iMac was on the desk) I can't say I ever noticed any sound