Two questions about 2021 iMac

[OneSon]

I've been using an iMac for the past 8 years and absolutely love it. I've been considering getting a new one next year when they refresh the design but I have a couple of questions.
(1) do you think Apple will reduce the number of ports? Particularly get rid of USB-A, 3.5mm headphone jack, and SD card slot?

(2) do you think there'll be a price bump on the smaller model?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[Lammers]

Easy!
(1) Yes.
(2) Yes.

 

[Fishrrman]

No one can answer your questions, because no one knows.

Actually, there are some folks who DO "know" -- but they won't tell you...!

 

[Homy]

What we think is irrelevant because it's not facts. Only Apple has the facts and you have to wait to see those facts when they deliver.

 

[anthony13]

I would bet the redesigned iMac will only have USB-C ports and retain the headphone jack. 50/50 or worse on retaining the SD-Card slot. Photographers love them, and are a big buyers of iMac's, but Apple loves to be brave.

As the new design might have mini-led, I would not be surprised if there was a price hike. The rumored designs are also expected to increase their respective screen sizes by 3 to 5 inches, so yes, a price hike.

This is all speculation and purely academic of course.

 

[CWallace]

I think it is a given that the Apple Silicon Macs will only have USB-C style ports (supporting whatever underlying protocol - USB 3.2, USB 4, TB3, TB4).

I think they will keep the 3.5mm headphone jack since Apple has yet to remove it from any Mac and it does serve other purposes beyond wired headphones.

Apple might keep the Ethernet port on the iMac since they are desktops, though I am less inclined to believe they will keep the SD card slot.

 

[filmgirl]

I think we should all expect Apple prices to continue their trend of going in an upward trajectory. I’m not sure if the new model will be any more than the 21”, but I certainly don’t expect it to be less.

 

[CWallace]

I expect the first generation, at least, of Apple Silicon Macs to be similar in price to their Intel predecessors as Apple will need to recover R&D and production costs.

But I do believe we could see less-expensive models down the road. Just as the iPad*, iPhone SE and Apple Watch SE help bring recent tech to lower price points, so should there be a Mac equivalent.

And think of the nostalgia of a "Mac SE".


* - The iPad should now be called the iPad SE and the iPad Air the iPad.

 

[OneSon]

Thanks all for your input. If they release the new models and they're not to my liking, will I be able to pick up one of the current models at a decent price? Perhaps refurbished?

 

[theluggage]

(1) do you think Apple will reduce the number of ports? Particularly get rid of USB-A, 3.5mm headphone jack, and SD card slot?

I don't think anybody would be surprised if the new iMacs are USB-C/USB4/Thunderbolt 4 only. However, a couple of counter-points to ponder:

1. There might well be two versions of the new iMac - with a 21.5" replacement Real Soon Now using first generation, low-power Apple Silicon, followed later by a "pro" range that replaces the 5k and, possibly, the iMac Pro, using some sort of "Apple Silicon Pro" (which could be anything from a Fantasy Xeon Killer to a slightly higher-binned A14Z). Plenty of speculation on this elsewhere. Also, we know nothing about how PCIe and Thunderbolt/USB4 are going to be implemented on Apple Silicon, and that could have a big influence of what port combos are possible.

2. Apple dropped everything but USB-C from its Macbook Pro range 4 years ago (and it didn't waver with the 16" MBP that backtracked on some other issues). However since then, the iMac got updated to Thunderbolt 3/USB-C without losing its other ports, and they've radically updated the Mac Mini and Mac Pro and kept USB-A ports, ethernet ports and (on the Mac Mini, at least) the headphone jack. So there's some hope (I suspect SD card is for the chop, though).

Thanks all for your input. If they release the new models and they're not to my liking, will I be able to pick up one of the current models at a decent price? Perhaps refurbished?

Well, the price/availability of end-of-line/refurb/used Intel Macs is going to depend on the initial success of Apple Silicon Macs - if they're a hit, the market will be flooded with refurb/unsold/Intel Macs. If there are major teething troubles and lots of people don't like the new Macs, the remaining Intel models could be like hen's teeth. Nobody Knows.

However, I wouldn't be surprised if Apple keeps one or two Intel models on the books for a year or two - look at how long the non-retina 13" MacBook Pro and the classic MacBook Air hung around.