I swear that "Apple will release a 15 inch MacBook Air" rumor has been going on for at least a decade now 😅
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What's Next for the Mac: M3 iMac, 15-Inch MacBook Air, Mac Pro, and More
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HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
I'm interested in the timings of all these. If TMSC started mass production of 3 nm chips in December, then there could well be products ready by mid-year. I can see a new MBA at the Summer with the only update being M3 alongside a 15" model and possibly an iMac update at the same time, then a Studio update with M3 in the Autumn alongside the new Mac Pro with M3. The MBP/Mac Mini could then be updated in early 2024, possibly being the first in the line to get the OLED display.
For the Mac Pro, in my mind I have in my mind that it will be a modular system where you can expand by essentially buying additional APUs on small boards that plug into a large mainboard so you can start off with an M3 Ultra and then at a later date buy an additional M3 Ultra card to install (and this is how RAM will be upgraded too). Seems like a more flexible approach that just gluing two Ultras together, but let's see what comes out.
For the Mac Pro, in my mind I have in my mind that it will be a modular system where you can expand by essentially buying additional APUs on small boards that plug into a large mainboard so you can start off with an M3 Ultra and then at a later date buy an additional M3 Ultra card to install (and this is how RAM will be upgraded too). Seems like a more flexible approach that just gluing two Ultras together, but let's see what comes out.
Not really blinders, Apple discontinued the 27 inch iMac and released a "low-cost" display that matches the Apple aesthetic that can now be paired with a new M2 Pro Mac mini or the Mac Studio. Kinda makes the 27 inch iMac irrelevant. The best part is you won't be stuck with a beautiful but worthless iMac display when the computer hardware is no longer supported, you just swap out the mini or Studio on go on your way.
Yeah, when one part of the Mac Studio breaks you need to chuck the whole thing, and just that part costs as much as the 27 inch iMac alone. It's no wonder people want a separate display that's costs as much as a 27 inch iMac
and does less.But after I chuck that Mac Studio, I still have a fully functional studio display that I could continue to use with a MacBook or even an iPad but with an iMac, I have a 27 inch piece of worthless glass that I have to dispose of.Yeah, when one part of the Mac Studio breaks you need to chuck the whole thing, and just that part costs as much as the 27 inch iMac alone. It's no wonder people want a separate display that's costs as much as a 27 inch iMac
TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️
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Dang! It's been a while since we have seen any updates with the iMac. I hope Apple releases an updated iMac in the upcoming Spring event, 2023.
I have used several years of iMacs models including the April 2021 24" iMac. Obviously when Apple finally releases updated iMacs that is going to effect Mac mini and Mac Studio sales because an all-in-on desktop is a more complete plug and play solution usually more cost effective also for consumers. I think a lot of us have been waiting for whats next with iMacs.
It will be interesting to see what Apple decides to do about the Mac Studio, as according to Max Tech on YouTube in the M2 Pro/M2 Max 2 videos released within the last 2 days, it appears the M2 Pro is nearly the GPU speed of the M1 Max, and the M2 Max is nearly the GPU speed of the M1 Ultra GPU, probably due to Apple fixing the TLB 32MB Display Buffer issue that plagued GPUs on both the M1 Max and M1 Ultra chips by severly limited non-optimized apps that did not get rewritten to use Tile Memory as Apple recommended.
One benchmark Max Tech quoted showed over a 50% speed improvement in the graphics performance in the M2 Max chip over the M1 Max chip.
I can't wait until Max Tech does a full CPU and Graphics series of tests between the M2 / M2 Pro / M2 Max chips and the M1 / M1 Pro / M1 Max / M1 Ultra chips.
Some have said that Apple will be placing the M2 Ultra in the new updated Mac Pro desktop, so perhaps Apple will discontinue the Mac Studio line altogether, or just refresh the Mac Studio with only M2 Max models, and leave the M2 Ultra for the Mac Pro?
One benchmark Max Tech quoted showed over a 50% speed improvement in the graphics performance in the M2 Max chip over the M1 Max chip.
I can't wait until Max Tech does a full CPU and Graphics series of tests between the M2 / M2 Pro / M2 Max chips and the M1 / M1 Pro / M1 Max / M1 Ultra chips.
Some have said that Apple will be placing the M2 Ultra in the new updated Mac Pro desktop, so perhaps Apple will discontinue the Mac Studio line altogether, or just refresh the Mac Studio with only M2 Max models, and leave the M2 Ultra for the Mac Pro?
With RAM expansion unlikely for Mac Pro, and it using the same high-end processors as Mac Studio likely (probably M2 Ultra), upcoming Mac Pro's main differentiators appear to be:
- Better cooling
- GPU expansion (possibly other standard expansion cards, although rumors point to just the GPU cards)
- Internal storage expansion, rumored to be limited to 2019 Mac Pro proprietary SSDs
IMHO there is a sizable amount of iMac fans that would love a larger iMac with M2 Pro/Max as another desktop solution.
I suspect the Studio and the iMac Pro were fillers for the Mac pro. When (if?) Apple releases a new Mac Pro, I doubt Apple will spend the resources to keep them going. The possible exception would be, using a low end Studio + external monitors to fill in the need for a large screen iMac. They could do the same thing with a Mac Mini designed to be bolted onto the back of an Apple display.
Note: I tried bolting a Mini onto the front of a studio display once. Sadly it blocked part of the screen. When I drilled the holes for mounting, the screen and the Mini stopped working.
On the other hand, they could take the Studio Display, put the guts of a Mac mini in it and sell it for $1999. Just wishful thinking on my part, I suppose.
If they were going for a mini, they might choose to go with a somewhat lower end monitor. I like the idea of a bolt on mini because, you get to keep the screen when you upgrade the core computer. While I have always loved the idea of an iMac, I hate the idea of the screens winding up in a recycle bin or landfill because the CPU can't keep up.
You nailed it. I don’t think that’s a cynical point of view at all. I bet that’s exactly what Apple was thinking.Certainly could be. When speculating about the future, I tend to try to think like how I think modern Apple Inc. thinks... which seems to- more than ever- have the bean counters in charge. I suspect what made iMac 27" go away when Studio Display clearly looks like it could have easily fit a Mac in there, is the long-established value proposition of iMac 27" starting at $1999 or less did not sufficiently maximize profits Apple now wants.
So they kill it for a while, get the market to accept that the screen alone can sell for that much and then bring it back with a whole Mac inside for "only" $3499 or maybe $2999.
Step 1 (kill it): complete.
Step 2 (establish the monitor portion alone at old iMac 27" pricing): complete.
Step 3 (put a Mac back in there and rationalize the higher "starting at" price based upon Studio Monitor sans Mac pricing): TBD, but plausible.
Perhaps I'm just too cynical about profit maximization (beyond) dominating all decision-making at modern Apple. But there's the logic, Spock.
Incidentally, after well over a decade of making my living on iMac 27"s, I embraced the separates approach myself. The iMac value proposition is great at purchase but dreadful at the end when any one part failing basically kills use of the whole thing. Next time my Mac guts fail, I will continue using the separate monitor with the next Mac. Or vice versa.
But there is clearly a good number of people who want an iMac "bigger." Will they pay a lot more than they remember ("starting at") for it? I suspect we'll see in 2023 or 2024.
Now it’s up to customers to vote with their wallets.
An iMac 27" Pro makes little sense with the Mac Studio and Mac Studio Display already costing less than what the previous iMac 27" Pro went for and wasn't even that big of seller anyway and it was just a stopgap until the Mac Pro Trashcan was replaced. The bigger gap is people who just want a bigger basic iMac and those who want to replace their older 27" 5K iMac. They like the All In One form factor but it is hard to go from a 27" 5K display down to a 24" display.
Nobody makes hinges like Apple... The floating cantilever design of the Magic Keyboard for iPad, the Pro Display XDR, Studio Display, or 24-inch iMac are all effortlessly repositioned but strong and consistent... I'd think if Apple is going to approach a touch display on a Mac, they'll use some kind of innovative mechanism to reposition the display to a more comfortable angle. PC's have given us every possible form factor in the book but Apple is nothing but efficient when it comes to whittling down what works and what doesn't to reimagine their own approach. I'd keep an eye on how MacOS evolves over the next couple of summers to see if things get bigger and more touch-friendly.
I think a lot of not-so-power-users feel the same. An iMac will last them seven or eight years. Step one, plug it in. Step two, get connected. No step three. I used to like separate components myself but changed my mind because of the simplicity.
I'm curious why does this report THINK the iMac will even get the M3?
The MBA and Mac Mini got the M1 first.
The Mac Mini was THE longest to be upgraded after getting an Apple Silicon based cpu.
The MBA just got the M2 chip on June 6, 2022, why should it get the M3 before anything else? ???? Doesn't make sense. It's not the category leading device and hasn't been since its initial launch. Its also no longer the bleeding edge it once was.
Mac Pro should get priority first. Then Mac Studio since it was launched in March 2022.
My thoughts...
iMac 24" skipping M2 for a M3 is weird.
Expecting a iMac 24" M3 to be out as early as Oct/Nov 2023 is weirder.
More likely that the 3nm M3 will be 1st released in Oct/Nov 2023 or even by Jan 2024 but inside a Macbook Air & Macbook Pro 13" first.
Laptops whether Mac or Windows generally make up ~80% of all shipped personal computers worldwide and as such they are the easiest to sell in volume & most important Macs to get the latest chips 1st. That's why Macbook Air & Macbook Pro 13" got the M1 first and the Macbook Pro 14"/16" got the M1 Pro/Max first.
This results in the the iMac 24" being the last Mac to get the M1 6 months later.
What is more likely would be a iMac 24" M2 and possibly a iMac 27" replacement to be released by WWDC 2023 in June when demand for the M2, M2 Pro & M2 Max chips softens.
I'm on a 2012 iMac 27" 22nm that had its last macOS Security Update more than 5 months ago and is turning 10yo in 3 weeks. I am buying whatever iMac 27" replacement comes out with 32GB memory. Odds are it will be using a M2 Pro 32GB. I have zero issues with the industrial design of the iMac 24". So if Apple increases display size from 27" to 30" or even 32" then I'm on it. Ideally they keep to a silver or space gray color scheme but the fruit colors aint that bad as it evokes the 1998 iMac G3 color scheme.
The last iMac 27" had a base price of $1999 in 2020. Odds are its replacement will start at that price point or higher.
Apple claims that the typical replacement cycle of a macOS device is every four years. As a 2019 model the Mac Pro is turning four by Dec 2023.
iMac 24" M3
iMac 24" skipping M2 for a M3 is weird.
Expecting a iMac 24" M3 to be out as early as Oct/Nov 2023 is weirder.
More likely that the 3nm M3 will be 1st released in Oct/Nov 2023 or even by Jan 2024 but inside a Macbook Air & Macbook Pro 13" first.
Laptops whether Mac or Windows generally make up ~80% of all shipped personal computers worldwide and as such they are the easiest to sell in volume & most important Macs to get the latest chips 1st. That's why Macbook Air & Macbook Pro 13" got the M1 first and the Macbook Pro 14"/16" got the M1 Pro/Max first.
This results in the the iMac 24" being the last Mac to get the M1 6 months later.
iMac 27" replacement
What is more likely would be a iMac 24" M2 and possibly a iMac 27" replacement to be released by WWDC 2023 in June when demand for the M2, M2 Pro & M2 Max chips softens.
I'm on a 2012 iMac 27" 22nm that had its last macOS Security Update more than 5 months ago and is turning 10yo in 3 weeks. I am buying whatever iMac 27" replacement comes out with 32GB memory. Odds are it will be using a M2 Pro 32GB. I have zero issues with the industrial design of the iMac 24". So if Apple increases display size from 27" to 30" or even 32" then I'm on it. Ideally they keep to a silver or space gray color scheme but the fruit colors aint that bad as it evokes the 1998 iMac G3 color scheme.
The last iMac 27" had a base price of $1999 in 2020. Odds are its replacement will start at that price point or higher.
Mac Pro
Apple claims that the typical replacement cycle of a macOS device is every four years. As a 2019 model the Mac Pro is turning four by Dec 2023.
Yeah I really want to know what their take will be on the Mac Pro as well.
I don't think the Mac Studio will get M2 chips, it would really piss off those who just bought it since it's only been a year. Even though it is logical for Apple to do so.
As for the iMac 27", I can't see it coming back but will be pleasantly surprised if it does.
As for the iMac 27", I can't see it coming back but will be pleasantly surprised if it does.