No larger or more powerfu iMac today

[krspkbl]

was disappointed too. the MBPs are nice machines but i'm not a laptop person. the current iMac is perfect for me EXCEPT that the display is too small. i need 27" minimum.

 

[Juuro]

Big iMac will come in configurations with one 16GB M1 Pro at the lower end, 32GB M1 Pro and 64GB M1 Max in the middle, and 128GB Jade2c at the top end

That would make sense and would be a nice lineup for the bigger iMac. But will they release the iMac with the Jade 2C together with the M1 Pro/Max iMacs or will the top configuration come later in the year together with the Mac Pro?

 

[Shivetya]

Like the 24 was meant to replace both the 21 and 27 in the consumer space which means any 27 and greater will be a Pro version priced accordingly.

my concern is the die size of the m1max is very large and I am doubtful the 5nm process can create much larger efficiently so we either get more performance from higher clocked pieces or they find a way to have a discreet GPU which does not preclude some GPU units on the processor die where it invokes the discreet system as needed

 

[CWallace]

I'm not sure about the M1 Pro configuration after the latest ProMotion rumor. The M1 Pro MBP only supports two external monitors, or three displays in total. A 5k display at 120 Hz requires twice as much bandwidth, leaving only one slot for external monitors. Even the M1 Max would only support two external monitors (or one external 5k ProMotion monitor).

Apple would probably be okay with the base iMac 5K being able to support just one Apple Thunderbolt Display 5K.

Want to support more screens? Choose the more powerful SoCs (MAX / Jade2C-Die).

That would make sense and would be a nice lineup for the bigger iMac. But will they release the iMac with the Jade 2C together with the M1 Pro/Max iMacs or will the top configuration come later in the year together with the Mac Pro?

I could see Apple holding the "Mac mini Pro", iMac 5K, Mac Pro and Thunderbolt Display until WWDC and announce them all together as a family of "pro" machines escalating in performance and capability. Apple could then introduce Jade2C-Die and Jade4C-Die for at least the Mac Pro and perhaps the iMac (2C-Die).

Like the 24 was meant to replace both the 21 and 27 in the consumer space which means any 27 and greater will be a Pro version priced accordingly.

Yes I could see Apple naming this new iMac 5K as the "iMac Pro" and start it at $2499 with M1 Pro, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD. That equals the price of the current Intel iMac 5K with the i7/16GB/512GB/5500XT.

 

[kvic]

That would make sense and would be a nice lineup for the bigger iMac. But will they release the iMac with the Jade 2C together with the M1 Pro/Max iMacs or will the top configuration come later in the year together with the Mac Pro?

When Apple releases Big iMac with Jade 2C, officially they won't tell you it's Jade 2C and neither will tell you it's going to be used in half sized Mac Pro. So I don't feel like it's a huge problem.

I'm not very up to speed with rumors. Was it mentioned by some prominent leakers Half-sized Mac Pro will be released towards the end of next year? I've always had the impression and I feel it's so logical to introduce it in 22H1, perhaps in Q2 after the Big iMac. That'll allow Supreme Leader Cook to announce the closure of 2-year transition in WWDC22.

my concern is the die size of the m1max is very large and I am doubtful the 5nm process can create much larger efficiently so we either get more performance from higher clocked pieces or they find a way to have a discreet GPU which does not preclude some GPU units on the processor die where it invokes the discreet system as needed

It's not sustainable with a single die. I'm pretty sure Apple is going to use TSMC's or a modification of TSMC's glueing technologies to stitch multiple M1 Pro or M1 Max together on a single module which will look like bigger CPUs in the PC world.

So it's also possible these bigger Apple silicons will be "socketed" in Big iMac and Half-sized Mac Pro for easier manufacturing and better serviceability for repair (and some fun for after-market upgraders).

 

[Juuro]

When Apple releases Big iMac with Jade 2C, officially they won't tell you it's Jade 2C and neither will tell you it's going to be used in half sized Mac Pro. So I don't feel like it's a huge problem.

Of course they won't call it Jade 2C. Maybe they call it M1 Extreme or simply "we put 2 M1 Max in there". But I don't really care what they call it. I just wan't to know if there is a bigger iMac when they release the iMac. 🙂 I don't want end up getting a M1 Max iMac in the spring just to realise there is a faster one a couple of months later.

I'm not very up to speed with rumors. Was it mentioned by some prominent leakers Half-sized Mac Pro will be released towards the end of next year? I've always had the impression and I feel it's so logical to introduce it in 22H1, perhaps in Q2 after the Big iMac. That'll allow Supreme Leader Cook to announce the closure of 2-year transition in WWDC22.

No, there only was a rumour that there will be a 27" iMac in Q1. But looking at how the transition panned out so far I think Apple would be fast to release the new Mac Pro at WWDC. But maybe they preview it there for a release in autumn.

So it's also possible these bigger Apple silicons will be "socketed" in Big iMac and Half-sized Mac Pro for easier manufacturing and better serviceability for repair (and some fun for after-market upgraders).

That would be nice. But I don't know if Apple want's to sell Apple Silicon chips seperately. There would of course be people who will try to put them in hackintoshs and overclock them and what not. Apple wouldn't like that.

 

[James Godfrey]

I expect the larger iMac will probably launch at WWDC 2022, now I know it’s the age old Apple don’t release hardware at WWDC debate.. but historically their super high end products have got released or at least announced at WWDC in the past.

I expect a new chip probably called M1 Pro Max and launching in a larger sized iMac Pro and Mac Pro… I think the high end Mac Mini will probably launch via a site refresh between now and then also with the M1 Pro and M1 Max options.

This makes perfect sense as the two year transition was announced at WWDC 2020, so WWDC 2022 marks the completion of this transition and will give Tim Apple time to flex at WWDC.

Once all this is done I think Apple will then move onto M2 launching in the MBA, base Mac Mini and the iPad Pro in late 2022, I don’t think Apple will launch M2 whilst the M1 roll out is still going as releasing anything M2 between now and WWDC is likely going to confuse consumers as what chip is better etc…

I also have a feeling we may not see refreshes to the Mac or iPad Pro line up as quickly going forward, I expect 24 month refresh cycles for these products…

M1 Pro Max - WWDC 2022
iMac Pro, Mac Pro

M2 - Late 2022
iMac, MacBook Air, Mac Mini Entry, iPad Pro

M2 Pro / Max - Late 2023
MacBook Pro, Mac Mini High End

M2 Pro Max - WWDC 2024
iMac Pro, Mac Pro

M3 - Late 2024
iMac, MacBook Air, Mac Mini Entry, iPad Pro

M3 Pro / Max - Late 2025
MacBook Pro, Mac Mini High End

And so on…