Pro Display XDR 2 and Larger iMac: Here's What the Latest Rumors Say

[fathergll]

Sure, they aren’t just in the monitor business and they had been fully out of that business but in 2019 they got back in. Regardless, having good monitors adds value to their MacBooks and others in the Mac line. I don’t think that Apple is missing any margin on the Studio Display and I doubt that their margin on a cheaper XDR would fall below their typical margin once they ramped up production.

Right they are not missing any margin on 27" Studio Display because how expensive it is for what it is. It's just that there are a lot more people that can afford that price even if it's expensive. They are basically charging the price of an iMac for a monitor that's pretty similar to the tech from 10 years ago on a 5k display.

The question would become what panel tech would they use for a hypothetical 32" display and how much is that costing them. Whatever it is the Apple tax will be very high as they are not trying to sell monitors at competitive prices to compete with Korea/China companies which you can never win. They want lower volume, high margins higher quality.

 

[fathergll]

Which 3rd party 32” 6K HDR monitor do you suggest?

At this point I would wait on the 32" Asus 6k monitor to come out.

 

[Makosuke]

If you are going to buy a high quality, large display, you are probably going to be using heavy duty software with it, which means you need a fairly good Mac behind it... So putting it in an iMac means replacing that very expensive display every 3-4 years, even though it is working fine, because the iMac part of the equation has become to slow, it needs to be upgraded.

This is kind of tolerable in consumer use, where people likely either use the computer until it dies (I know several people with >10-year-old Macs still in use) or hand it down.

But for places like where I work, it REALLY hurts, and is why the purchasing folks functionally banned iMacs a while ago.

We have a relatively modest computing budget and try to refresh user workstations about every 6 years, so we’ve had to get rid of a fairly large number of perfectly decent 27” monitors—nicer than a lot of the Dell stuff on desks—because of the ancient computer attached to it.

We’re just now approaching the point of having to start tossing 5K monitors because the computer built into them is no longer sufficient. Given how expensive those remain even today, and how much better they are than literally every other monitor in the building apart from a lone Studio Display, that’s really painful.

To be fair, the 27” iMacs were often a great deal when you factored in the price of the monitor, especially the early 5K ones, but down the line it still hurts.

 

[mansplains]

I'd just like to remind you YT influencers get paid magnitudes more for posting nonsense.

Not to be pedantic, but they’re paid for drawing viewers to posting nonsense. Stop engaging with it if you’re disinterested.

 

[Alameda]

Not to be pedantic, but they’re paid for drawing viewers to posting nonsense. Stop engaging with it if you’re disinterested.

The Apple Studio Display was discounted to $1,299 at my Best Buy this week. It was discounted on Amazon too. So there’s a good chance it’s being replaced.

 

[Jumpthesnark]

It garnered your click and your comment. That’s engagement which equals money.

It’s worth it to them.

Glad I work somewhere with higher standards for editorial content than "clicks good."

 

[TVreporter]

I’ll take a discounted ASD while you guys spend two arms on a new one.

 

[Adelphos33]

Apple should continue to hold back and not release a larger iMac. The reason for this is that it is not logical to include screen and chip in the same form factor and the 27" high quality screen of an iMac is so much value in the screen. Yes, Apple has made these and sold these and folks have liked them. But they have also ended up with lots of nice screens that still have life in them being thrown out because the CPU in the machine is outdated. The mini exists and is small and excellent. The Mac Studio now exists and is relatively small and also powerful. Apple should continue to guide purchasers back to the desktop and screen being two devices. The initial leap for your first set up is going to cost more than the iMac. But replacing the mini is then cheap. The leap pays off in time.

As a side note, it would be fairly trivial to mount the current mini form factor behind a screen creating basically the same look as an iMac if the back of your screen faces a wall (which is a very typical desk set up).

By this logic, should Apple also discontinue the 24 inch iMac?

 

[MacGizmo]

The Apple Studio Display was discounted to $1,299 at my Best Buy this week. It was discounted on Amazon too. So there’s a good chance it’s being replaced.

They discount it down to that price every other month or so. That's what I paid for my first Studio Display a year ago. Then I paid $1,399 a few months later for my second one. Keep an eye out for the sale(s) at Best Buy and on Amazon... they're almost always on sale at one of them (if you're in the market, that is).

 

[Big_D]

By this logic, should Apple also discontinue the 24 inch iMac?

Yes and no... The 24" iMac is used mainly as an item to display style and sobriety in reception areas etc., from what I see. It is used to register people, view email and calendar information etc. They can run for years in such a situation (5-10 years).

The 27" is a high end display, which will probably be used to high end tasks, that means having a high-end Mac under the hood for video editing, photo editing, design etc. Those will quickly run out of horse power and need to be replaced to keep the user productive. Again, they look stunning, but at the price, replacing them every 2-4 years is not economical. The 27" display could be used for a good 10 years and it would still be a stunning display, but who is still going to be able to do 8K video editing on a 10 year old iMac? Fewer people than would be using the 24" model for their email and calendar...

Also, the market for a 24" iMac isn't big, but it is probably many times the size of the 27" iMac, is it even economical for Apple to develop a 27" model?

(Over the last 10 years, I've seen 1 iMac Pro running in a photo shop, the owner has a Studio out back, but won't sully the customer area with the extra "cables" and a second box, instead he just curses about how slow it has become! On the other hand my local doctor's practice has 24" iMacs at reception (3), plus one in every consultation room - although they all seem to use RDP to talk to a central Windows Terminal Server, so they were just chosen for show. I don't know anyone who has an iMac at home, if they have a Mac at home it is generally either a mini or a MacBook Pro, with the odd Air thrown in.)

 

[thefrost]

A 32 inch iMac would be nice. It will probably never happen though.

Will a larger iMac ever make a comeback? Gurman today merely said that Apple will "probably eventually get around" to it.

Don't get your hopes up.

 

[TallManNY]

By this logic, should Apple also discontinue the 24 inch iMac?

Not entirely. They should limit it to the cheapest setup though; just the 24" and the base least powerful chips. This creates a cheap computer for simple home, office, and work set ups. This allows people to set up Macs but doesn't pair high power equipment into not upgradeable systems.

 

[drrich2]

By this logic, should Apple also discontinue the 24 inch iMac?

The all-in-one 'buy it and done' simplicity may appeal to some people who prefer a minimalist aesthetic or are or buying for somewhat unsophisticated users (people who don't agonize over whether the Logitech MX mouse is worth the upcharge over a $20 mouse or 2.4-GHz wireless receiver performance is significantly better than Bluetooth, or membrane vs. mechanical keyboards, etc...). And a 24" screen is at least smaller and less wasteful to toss out because you replace the computer.

Here's a question...I don't want to over-generalize and risk insulting Apple Silicon-based 24" iMac users, so to be clear I'm speaking to possible general trends, not every user. My question is this...what is the average lifespan of a 24" iMac in use likely to be?

In other words, let's say you get a fairly undemanding family member a 2024 24" iMac for general home computing use. This person probably won't be running Blender or Photoshop, etc... How many years is such a user like to stick with that iMac as their main system before it's time to toss it?

If 3-4 years, yeah, sounds wasteful. 8-Years maybe no big deal.

P.S.: When you buy a desktop computer, you need the option to buy a complete system with display, and the Apple Studio Display is way too expensive for many people. Unless Apple cares to play storefront for other companies, the iMac has a place.

 

[MacGizmo]

If 3-4 years, yeah, sounds wasteful. 8-Years maybe no big deal.

My parents have had their 27" iMac for 10 years. Email, web browsing, Photos and a minimal word processing stuff is all they use it for. The iMac was my hand-me-down, so it's probably closer to 12-13 years old.

 

[Adelphos33]

My parents have had their 27" iMac for 10 years. Email, web browsing, Photos and a minimal word processing stuff is all they use it for. The iMac was my hand-me-down, so it's probably closer to 12-13 years old.

The all-in-one 'buy it and done' simplicity may appeal to some people who prefer a minimalist aesthetic or are or buying for somewhat unsophisticated users (people who don't agonize over whether the Logitech MX mouse is worth the upcharge over a $20 mouse or 2.4-GHz wireless receiver performance is significantly better than Bluetooth, or membrane vs. mechanical keyboards, etc...). And a 24" screen is at least smaller and less wasteful to toss out because you replace the computer.

Here's a question...I don't want to over-generalize and risk insulting Apple Silicon-based 24" iMac users, so to be clear I'm speaking to possible general trends, not every user. My question is this...what is the average lifespan of a 24" iMac in use likely to be?

In other words, let's say you get a fairly undemanding family member a 2024 24" iMac for general home computing use. This person probably won't be running Blender or Photoshop, etc... How many years is such a user like to stick with that iMac as their main system before it's time to toss it?

If 3-4 years, yeah, sounds wasteful. 8-Years maybe no big deal.

P.S.: When you buy a desktop computer, you need the option to buy a complete system with display, and the Apple Studio Display is way too expensive for many people. Unless Apple cares to play storefront for other companies, the iMac has a place.

1) I think the issue many of the M series iMacs will face is that a lot of them were sold with 8GB of RAM. Those computers may be looking slow in a couple of years

2) The M4 iMacs, with 16GB of RAM and light use, can probably last for a long time (5-8 years or more).

Honestly I think computer longevity in the Apple silicon era is TBD - we still need to see.

 

[joecomo]

You want a larger iMac but are also prepared to to use as a monitor as well, so would be attaching a mini later on to the iMac so would be running a Monitor and Mini/Studio/MBA/MBP. I am presuming here that not looking to share with a PC like I share my screen between Studio and PC.

At which point you throw the aesthetic argument for an AIO out the window. You are willing LATER to have the cables and computer alongside what is essentially become a monitor.
In which case how come not willing to do so NOW.

Apple are not going to sell a larger iMac for less then they would sell an equivalent Studio Display, especially if the iMac worked in Target Mode.

I get that the 27” iMac was cheaper then the ASD and Mini however that won’t convince Apple especially when they can sell the ASD to Mini, Studio buyers and also as a Dock Monitor to the laptop buyers as well.

This sums up exactly where Apple come to dropping the larger iMacs. You are telling Apple that you are Ok with the cables from display to a computer, hence from Apples perspective why do they need the larger AIO if a person will deal with the extra cabling and the Studio Display is more flexible in terms of sales.

this is to ensure it has still a use-case 10 years from now.

I currently have a late24 Retina iMac27, that could still have an extended life as a monitor.
The display is not much different from the one currently deployed in the StudioDisplay -
but has only junk value, as there is now way to plugin a HDMI/Display Port cable.

 

[mcnallym]

this is to ensure it has still a use-case 10 years from now.

I currently have a late24 Retina iMac27, that could still have an extended life as a monitor.
The display is not much different from the one currently deployed in the StudioDisplay -
but has only junk value, as there is now way to plugin a HDMI/Display Port cable.

So why is that prepared to have a seperate in 10 years time, but not now.

This is the whole point that was making

If buy the ASD which is pretty much the same screen and then put whatever Mini,Studio to meet the processing requirements then you can swap out the Mini,Studio and keep using the ASD or whatever screen you go with until it breaks beyond feasible repair.

My Dell 3008WFP started off on a Windows Game Rig, then made its way with a Mac Pro, a Hackintosh and then my Studio before finally broke in 2024.

If going to use the iMac as a monitor later then you are saying to Apple that you are OK with the aesthetic of the seperate monitor and Compute unit. So why not just buy a separate large monitor and compute unit to begin with, and the separate screen will last as long as the screen in the iMac anyway so has just as long a shelf life.

 

[joecomo]

So why is that prepared to have a seperate in 10 years time, but not now.

This is the whole point that was making

If buy the ASD which is pretty much the same screen and then put whatever Mini,Studio to meet the processing requirements then you can swap out the Mini,Studio and keep using the ASD or whatever screen you go with until it breaks beyond feasible repair.

My Dell 3008WFP started off on a Windows Game Rig, then made its way with a Mac Pro, a Hackintosh and then my Studio before finally broke in 2024.

If going to use the iMac as a monitor later then you are saying to Apple that you are OK with the aesthetic of the seperate monitor and Compute unit. So why not just buy a separate large monitor and compute unit to begin with, and the separate screen will last as long as the screen in the iMac anyway so has just as long a shelf life.

I would not be using it in the same place - there are spaces where I would prefer a AIO and others where some cable mess is fine

 

[green_diyos]

Larger iMac

It has been nearly three years since Apple discontinued the 27-inch iMac, as part of its move away from Intel processors. Since then, the 24-inch iMac has been Apple's only all-in-one desktop computer, with no larger model available.

Will a larger iMac ever make a comeback? Gurman today merely said that Apple will "probably eventually get around" to it.

It might not be another 27-inch iMac, specifically, though.

In November 2023, Apple announced that it had no plans to release a new version of the 27-inch iMac with an Apple silicon chip at that time. Instead, Apple recommended pairing its standalone Studio Display with a Mac Studio or Mac mini.

But an even larger iMac could materialize one day.

In late 2023, both Gurman and Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple was developing a 32-inch iMac for release in late 2024 or in 2025. Kuo said the larger iMac's screen would feature mini-LED backlighting, which would allow for increased brightness, higher contrast ratio, and other benefits compared to LCD technology.

The late 2024 window has now passed, but a 2025 launch is still on the table, perhaps. Gurman's latest update on the larger iMac is vague, though.

Article Link: Pro Display XDR 2 and Larger iMac: Here's What the Latest Rumors Say

32" 6K display at $1,299 is shipping late August... so display parts for a $1,799 iMac 32" 6K may be on the horizon. I am so ready to replace my 2012 iMac 27" 2.5K! Finally replace this 13yo Intel 22nm relic with a 2025 3nm Enhanced M5 chip!