No TrueTone in iMac 2019? And what more is wrong

[mortenjensen]

I really need to express my take on Apple's announcement today. To me, it communicates a total lack of commitment to the Mac lineup. As if they have moved all gifted engineers to their "incredible new products" they are working on.

Here is what I would have earned my respect:
- updated design, bezels like something from this decade (!), smaller footprint on the table.
- TrueTone: I cannot find info stating it is incorporated. I have so hard time imagining that this should be the case, so I must be wrong.
- incorporated VESA option (like the iMac pro). Unbelievable that you are forced to decide for good and limited in flexibility.

Speed bump is just - well - inevitable. I would be ready to believe that they had to make this speed bump in order not to pay more for old processors!

Morten

 

[fokmik]

No true tone
No faceId
No thermal design change inside so expect throttle for every 6 cores and 8 cores
[doublepost=1553008589][/doublepost]I really think/hope apple will introduce the new design era for the imac 31.5” at WWDC along side the new Apple display

 

[mortenjensen]

No true tone
No faceId
No thermal design change inside so expect throttle for every 6 cores and 8 cores
[doublepost=1553008589][/doublepost]I really think/hope apple will introduce the new design era for the imac 31.5” at WWDC along side the new Apple display

Well, if you consider the price increase this time (the entry confit is still 8th gen!), I cannot even imagine the price tag for any new iMac.

Morten

 

[CWallace]

Isn't TrueTone just the DCI-P3 Wide Color Gamut? The iMac 5K has had that since the initial model.

FaceID needs a T2 chip and the T2 chip does not work with Fusion Drives. So until the iMac sheds the spinning disk option...

And while I would love to see the iMac adopt the iMac Pro's thermal system, that would mean no more (easily) user-replaceable RAM and this forum would go up like a supernova if that happened.

As for a 31.6" iMac launching at WWDC - that idea died this morning.

 

[dspdoc]

No true tone
No faceId
No thermal design change inside so expect throttle for every 6 cores and 8 cores
[doublepost=1553008589][/doublepost]I really think/hope apple will introduce the new design era for the imac 31.5” at WWDC along side the new Apple display

How do we know that they didn't do anything differently with the thermals inside? We don't know this yet. We are going to have to wait until someone opens one up.

 

[nutmac]

iMac feels strangely more outdated than many of its peers. I expected iMac to minimally catch up to Mac mini, but it falls behind in many respect.

• No True Tone
• 64 GB RAM only on higher priced CPU options (Mac mini supports 64 GB even on entry level)
• Slower SSD
• 2 USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports + 4 USB-A ports
• No T2 processor (e.g., secure boot, FaceTime HD processing)
• Bluetooth 4.2
• No Space Gray option

Unless you must have Apple-designed display, faster GPU, and need and want 9th generation CPU, I think Mac mini is the way to go.

 

[dumastudetto]

iMac feels strangely more outdated than many of its peers. I expected iMac to minimally catch up to Mac mini, but it falls behind in many respect.

• No True Tone
• 64 GB RAM only on higher priced CPU options (Mac mini supports 64 GB even on entry level)
• Slower SSD
• 2 USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports + 4 USB-A ports
• No T2 processor (e.g., secure boot, FaceTime HD processing)
• Bluetooth 4.2
• No Space Gray option

Unless you must have Apple-designed display, faster GPU, and need and want 9th generation CPU, I think Mac mini is the way to go.

That gorgeous industry-leading display is one of the very best features of the iMac.

 

[nutmac]

That gorgeous industry-leading display is one of the very best features of the iMac.

While the display is physically gorgeous, one of few 5K displays out there, and the price difference between iMac 5K and Mac mini with 3rd party display is extremely compelling, I wouldn't go as far as as say its industry leading.

• No HDR support
• About twice as slow response time than more modern displays

 

[StellarVixen]

Out of all of this, the only legit complaint is lack of proper thermals and using mechanical storage drives in 2019.


Who cares about gimmicks such as Tru Tone on a desktop? Just set the color temperature via F.lux and enjoy. It's not like you are carrying the iMac around so that it needs to adjust the screen temperature based on surrounding.

Thinner bezels? Meh! FaceID? Again, it is a desktop.

 

[WilliamG]

This is a massively disappointing iMac refresh. I’m on my 2014, and I think I’ll wait for the next proper “I give a crap” update. First the iPads, now the iMacs. Such disappointment.

 

[dspdoc]

Out of all of this, the only legit complaint is lack of proper thermals and using mechanical storage drives in 2019.


Who cares about gimmicks such as Tru Tone on a desktop? Just set the color temperature via F.lux and enjoy. It's not like you are carrying the iMac around so that it needs to adjust the screen temperature based on surrounding.

Thinner bezels? Meh! FaceID? Again, it is a desktop.

But we know nothing about the thermals of this machine yet. Apple may have changed something. We won't know until someone opens the case. Fingers crossed.

 

[WilliamG]

Out of all of this, the only legit complaint is lack of proper thermals and using mechanical storage drives in 2019.


Who cares about gimmicks such as Tru Tone on a desktop? Just set the color temperature via F.lux and enjoy. It's not like you are carrying the iMac around so that it needs to adjust the screen temperature based on surrounding.

Thinner bezels? Meh! FaceID? Again, it is a desktop.

You’re entitled to these thoughts. I’d love to be able to sit in front of system and it just unlock. Apple Watch unlock isn’t reliable 100% of the time, and not all of us even have Apple Watches. Second, light changes throughout the day, and True Tone for many would be very welcome. And last, thinner bezels is just a product of redesign. Let’s be honest - this is lazy.

And the thermals are likely going to be a joke.

 

[StellarVixen]

But we know nothing about the thermals of this machine yet. Apple may have changed something. We won't know until someone opens the case. Fingers crossed.

I guess you're right.

 

[Apple Mac Daz]

Rollon a ifixit tear down

 

[StellarVixen]

You’re entitled to these thoughts.

That's probably what Apple said too.

 

[Jorbanead]

Hmm... this is disappointing to say the least. I’m glad I went with a spec’d out Mac mini rather than waiting for a refresh.

Just speculation here, but the iMac Pro needs to be updated first before a complete redesign. My guess is they will release a new 31.5” Cinema HDR Display with smaller bezels later this year. A new iMac Pro with the same display in December, and then finally the 31.5” iMac next spring.

 

[russofris]

This is a monumental disappointment for me.

Base config has a 1.5 year old CPU, and a 2 year old GPU
To get a modern CPU and a 1 year old GPU is a $950 premium.
The modern GPU (V48) is a cut down version of a $350 V56 that they charge $450 for.
No T2
6 year old display
Default fusion disk with a $100 premium charged to downgrade to a less expensive SSD.

It's as if the high-end $2300+$1000-options model is what the low end $1800 should be, and there is no high end model offered.

Dear Apple,

 

[faraway52]

We got two iMac 2017 two weeks ago and regret nothing. The improvements of the iMac 2019 are not important to us and the hoped for/expected enhancements did not happen.
- lots of RAM close to market price
- lots of SSD space close to market price
It is a tiny step really not worth a more impressive marketing show.

 

[redheeler]

The display is still the best one available in any all-in-one currently on the market at any price point. Not a legitimate criticism in my opinion, at least for the time being.

 

[fathergll]

The elephant in the room to me is the memory card options;

I assume 580X is the same as the 580 in the 2017 iMac and the Vega 48 is some lower version of the Vega 56 but they are asking a pretty hefty $450 tax. I'd be really curious to see benchmarks on this.


Radeon Pro 580X with 8GB of GDDR5 memory

Radeon Pro Vega 48 with 8GB of HBM2 memory +450

 

[redheeler]

6 year old display

The 5K display was introduced in 2014, but improved in 2015 with 500nits and the P3 color gamut. I wouldn't call it a 6-year-old display.

However, I would call the display in the 2018 MacBook Air a 6-year-old display, as the specs are almost identical to the display in the Late 2012 13" MacBook Pro. The $999 pre-Retina MacBook Air that Apple is still selling has a display straight out of 2010.

2010 to 2012 is a funny way to justify a $200 price increase in 2018.

 

[ThisBougieLife]

Yes, I was hoping for a bigger update. The iMac has no biometrics, so no Apple Pay. Still 720p webcam (iMac Pro has 1080p webcam, was hoping for an upgrade), 10-year-old front design (I don't agree with shrinking bezels for the sake of shrinking bezels but I think there is room for improvement), no backlit keyboard, no TrueTone, no improved thermals, etc.

I'd wait for the Mac Pro but I feel like it's going to have a price of $9999 including the monitor, so hard to think it will be a real alternative.

 

[russofris]

The 5K display was introduced in 2014, but improved in 2015 with 500nits and the P3 color gamut. I wouldn't call it a 6-year-old display.

Released "by Apple"... By your reasoning, the i5 8600 and Vega 48 that they're now using are brand new.

 

[fokmik]

But we know nothing about the thermals of this machine yet. Apple may have changed something. We won't know until someone opens the case. Fingers crossed.

Since apple did not add Gib ethernet or even BT 5.0 and we have still have 4.2 , same speakers its clear that, thermal is the same...the inside is untouched , just specs bump without a brain or tests probably

 

[minik]

This is a massively disappointing iMac refresh. I’m on my 2014, and I think I’ll wait for the next proper “I give a crap” update. First the iPads, now the iMacs. Such disappointment.

I have the late 2014 model at work and late 2015 model at home, they still run well but missing USB-C/TB3 ports. At first I thought SSD across the line in this refresh, not. Meanwhile, the iPad Air and iPad mini refresh yesterday were great IMHO.