27" iMac is dead 😟

[russell_314]

I've had the Pro Display in my cart more than once even then I have NO business getting one. If Apple had offered a mini-LED + Promotion option for the Studio Display for $2,599 I would have 100% jumped on board. If Apple releases a sub-$7K display in the future with those I may repurpose this display and upgrade.

What display do you have now? Unless you already have the LG ultrafine 5K I think considering the Pro Display XDR is a bit much. I guess if you’re either doing photography or just have a lot of spare cash laying around. I’ve seen them in the Apple Store and yes they’re nice but it’s not the same level of upgrade as going from a not so great monitor to something like the LG for ultrafine or even a really nice 4K monitor. I had a terrible 1080P monitor and I went with the 24” iMac with a 4.5K display and all I can say is wow the upgrade was amazing. I don’t feel that same wow when I compare the 6K XDR to my iMac. Of course everyone’s eyes are different so before spending that much money at least go look at one in the Apple store

 

[EugW]

I've had more time to digest today's announcements and I'm getting increasingly sad the 27" iMac is gone.

At work we were buying them constantly for faculty, staff (that's me!) and researchers. They're great machines from an IT perspective, all in one, easy to deploy and set up, and gorgeous huge display which makes end users happy. (including myself, both at home and work)

Now the choices are either a somewhat underpowered 24" iMac, or a display and computer combination at nearly twice the price to get into a similar performance bracket. The ease of deployment is gone, and now there's two pieces of equipment rather than one to lock down in lower security areas. Another thing is, while I might be willing to go crazy and spend the money myself on a Studio Mac + Display, I know work won't for me. I'm going to end up with a 24" iMac on my desk at best.

I hope Apple reconsiders on the 27" iMac. I'll be able to rustle up enough spares to keep one on my desk at work for a few more years, but they won't last forever.

I wouldn't exactly call the 24" iMac underpowered. M1 is quite fast. Its main issue is the smaller screen, and 16 GB RAM limit.

 

[russell_314]

I've had more time to digest today's announcements and I'm getting increasingly sad the 27" iMac is gone.

At work we were buying them constantly for faculty, staff (that's me!) and researchers. They're great machines from an IT perspective, all in one, easy to deploy and set up, and gorgeous huge display which makes end users happy. (including myself, both at home and work)

Now the choices are either a somewhat underpowered 24" iMac, or a display and computer combination at nearly twice the price to get into a similar performance bracket. The ease of deployment is gone, and now there's two pieces of equipment rather than one to lock down in lower security areas. Another thing is, while I might be willing to go crazy and spend the money myself on a Studio Mac + Display, I know work won't for me. I'm going to end up with a 24" iMac on my desk at best.

I hope Apple reconsiders on the 27" iMac. I'll be able to rustle up enough spares to keep one on my desk at work for a few more years, but they won't last forever.

I think what’s missing is the upgraded Mac mini with M1 Pro. Why wouldn’t it work for you just because it’s in two separate pieces? It’s not like a huge desktop. I’d say wait to see what comes out with the Mac mini. Rumor is there’s going to be a thinner Mac mini.

If you’re used to a larger display you probably won’t be happy with the 24”. I love mine but it’s just a home computer so I don’t really do much work on it Most workstations have multiple monitors. Once you go to having dual screens or even three you won’t want to go back. At least that’s my experience for doing work. I could have an Excel spreadsheet open on one and whatever research I’m doing on the other. Trying to make those fit on one screen just is a pain.

 

[kcat74]

I've had more time to digest today's announcements and I'm getting increasingly sad the 27" iMac is gone.

At work we were buying them constantly for faculty, staff (that's me!) and researchers. They're great machines from an IT perspective, all in one, easy to deploy and set up, and gorgeous huge display which makes end users happy. (including myself, both at home and work)

Now the choices are either a somewhat underpowered 24" iMac, or a display and computer combination at nearly twice the price to get into a similar performance bracket. The ease of deployment is gone, and now there's two pieces of equipment rather than one to lock down in lower security areas. Another thing is, while I might be willing to go crazy and spend the money myself on a Studio Mac + Display, I know work won't for me. I'm going to end up with a 24" iMac on my desk at best.

I hope Apple reconsiders on the 27" iMac. I'll be able to rustle up enough spares to keep one on my desk for a few more years, but they won't last forever.

yeah I agree - I want an all in one machine that performs great, has the lovely big 27 screen and that I can upgrade the bits I need to without spending an absolute bomb doing so. Its also looks beautiful and is a pleasure to use. My 2012 imac has lasted me around 8 years and has been awesome, so proof that I got all the right elements up spec'd.
Im really wanting to upgrade soon, but Im going to sit back and see what happens with the imac situation as I feel a bit miffed that to upgrade I basically need to spend $8k!! The fact you have to buy the keyboard and mouse is an extra stab in the guts! I reckon they pulled the imacs deliberately to create this uncertainty in the market to make people just spend the money and buy the studio rather than wait to see what happens later in the year. Grrrrrrr

 

[russell_314]

I wouldn't exactly call the 24" iMac underpowered. M1 is quite fast. Its main issue is the smaller screen, and 16 GB RAM limit.

I love mine and doing just about anything it seems super fast. I think the biggest limitation is the screen. For doing serious work I would want multiple monitors so even a 27” iMac would not be something I would prefer. I’d go with the Mac Mini or Mac studio with multiple monitors. Of course that’s just me and everyone has their own workflow

 

[AAPLGeek]

Truly a sad day.

The outgoing 2020 27” iMac represented a tremendous value that just cannot be found in the new lineup.

I bought both the mid tier 2020 iMac (essentially the base model with 2x storage) and the M1 iMac with 16GB RAM upgrade late last year. The 27” iMac was upgraded to 64GB RAM crucial RAM for same price as the Apple 16GB “unified memory” upgrade. Putting them both through their paces, the M1 iMac literally felt like a toy compared to the 27” 2020 iMac. Yes, it benched slightly faster in Geekbench, but the real world performance was a whole another thing. The 27” felt immersive even when running through multiple intensive apps with zero hiccups due to the 64GB RAM upgrade. The i5 6-core CPU never felt any “slower” than the M1 chip. The 5300 Radeon was almost twice as powerful as the 8-core GPU on the M1, even in benchmarks. And all this could be had for $1799.

 

[russell_314]

yeah I agree - I want an all in one machine that performs great, has the lovely big 27 screen and that I can upgrade the bits I need to without spending an absolute bomb doing so. Its also looks beautiful and is a pleasure to use. My 2012 imac has lasted me around 8 years and has been awesome, so proof that I got all the right elements up spec'd.
Im really wanting to upgrade soon, but Im going to sit back and see what happens with the imac situation as I feel a bit miffed that to upgrade I basically need to spend $8k!! The fact you have to buy the keyboard and mouse is an extra stab in the guts! I reckon they pulled the imacs deliberately to create this uncertainty in the market to make people just spend the money and buy the studio rather than wait to see what happens later in the year. Grrrrrrr

8K? What are you talking about? The base model Mac mini for $699 plus the Apple Studio monitor for $1599 adds up to $2298. That would be multitudes more powerful than your current system.

 

[EugW]

I love mine and doing just about anything it seems super fast. I think the biggest limitation is the screen. For doing serious work I would want multiple monitors so even a 27” iMac would not be something I would prefer. I’d go with the Mac Mini or Mac studio with multiple monitors. Of course that’s just me and everyone has their own workflow

You could always add a second monitor to your 24" iMac too.

 

[russell_314]

You could always add a second monitor to your 24" iMac too.

You are correct I could but since I couldn’t get a monitor to look anything close to what the 24” iMac monitor is I would go crazy. Yes I know that sounds a bit OCD but I have to have the same monitors. I could probably get away with that 27” 5K screen with a 27” 5K iMac but unless Apple decides to release a 24 inch monitor that is similar to the iMac I can’t do it ??

 

[Hombre53]

I'll upgrade my current 27" (late 2013) with an Apple refurbed 2020 27" later this year. I've always liked the 27" all in one, not quite ready to say goodbye yet.

 

[kcat74]

8K? What are you talking about? The base model Mac mini for $699 plus the Apple Studio monitor for $1599 adds up to $2298. That would be multitudes more powerful than your current system.

Im in Australia so prices are AUD. Im talking about the mac studio and display. I want to buy something that will last me as long, or longer if possible. And not spend that much money

 

[russell_314]

Im in Australia so prices are AUD. Im talking about the mac studio and display. I want to buy something that will last me as long, or longer if possible. And not spend that much money

It seems you are trying to extend the life of the computer so long that maybe you’re over buying to the point where you could probably buy multiple computers. If you’re using a Mac from 2012 now let means even the cheapest Mac mini would be a super upgrade in performance for you. Sure you could buy the base model Mac studio for example and theoretically keep it for longer but you’re paying three times the price. It won’t last three times as long at least it won’t be anywhere close to efficient.

It’s your money so you have to decide how to spend it but with computers I don’t think you’re getting your moneys worth if you try to find one that will last a decade. Even if you buy that top end Mac studio today in five years the base model Mac will likely outperform it. Especially now with computers becoming less upgradable it’s even more of a factor

 

[kcat74]

It seems you are trying to extend the life of the computer so long that maybe you’re over buying to the point where you could probably buy multiple computers. If you’re using a Mac from 2012 now let means even the cheapest Mac mini would be a super upgrade in performance for you. Sure you could buy the base model Mac studio for example and theoretically keep it for longer but you’re paying three times the price. It won’t last three times as long at least it won’t be anywhere close to efficient.

It’s your money so you have to decide how to spend it but with computers I don’t think you’re getting your moneys worth if you try to find one that will last a decade. Even if you buy that top end Mac studio today in five years the base model Mac will likely outperform it. Especially now with computers becoming less upgradable it’s even more of a factor

Im currently using the imac as a monitor and have been for a year-ish. Ive got a MBP but it was always just meant to be a portable option so I didn't add on extra ram or HD capacity - which is a major pain. Im a freelance textile designer so I have a lot of big photoshop files so I need the space and ram - I need decent power hence why some upgrades on a 27 imac was the perfect mix for me.
I will check out the mini tho - I take your point, I guess having to change computers is a big time consuming thing for me when I have a very busy schedule so the longevity factor is useful there too.

and as much as the imac monitor thing works ok, its a bit of a pain with cords and extra keyboard etc so I just wanted the simplicity of the brand new imac.

 

[Homy]

Last year I took screen shots of all iMac 27" prices here in Sweden (tax included). An iMac 27" with 10-core i9, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Radeon 5700 XT 16GB VRAM, 10Gb Ethernet and keyboard and mouse costed ca $4943 with current exchange rate $1=9.93 SEK.

The base Mac Studio with 10c CPU, 32GB unified RAM, 512GB SSD, 24cGPU 32GB VRAM and 10Gb Ethernet costs today $2567. I'm sure for $2376 you can find a good monitor, keyboard, mouse, webcam and speakers AND superior CPU/GPU performance.

 

[krspkbl]

what an absolute load of ********. i have been waiting for a 27" iMac since they revealed the new 24" models and this is what they do? oh just go buy a Mac Studio and a Studio display...don't forget your £200 keyboard and £100 mouse.

£4,000+ it is. Go chase yourself Apple. I'll just be sticking with PC/Windows. I really wanted to come back but forget it. I'm not buying a tiny 24" imac and i ain't buying a MacBook 14/16 because they are ridiculously expensive when all I want is a large display. Why is it those want a big display need to also buy excess cpu power, RAM capacity, and storage?

oh look i'm on the internet complaining about how expensive Apple is... so just ignore me.

 

[henry72]

Apple, please just give us a bigger version of the 24”, the white bezels aren’t that bad…

 

[kiwimex]

Seriously thinking of ditching Apple for good after this crap........! I have a 2012 27" iMac that runs fine....just wanted to upgrade to latest and greatest 27" but not prepared to mortgage that house to get the Studio, oh Plus the stupidly priced display! Apple can jam it! Hello Mr Gates!

 

[Malus120]

It's probably already been said but...
I don't necessarily think the "27" inch iMac is dead" so much as in a (painful for current users but ultimately) necessary retooling.

Anyone whose been with Apple for more than a decade can tell you that the price of "pro" macs has been trending up for a long time. The PowerMac/Mac Pro has gone from being somewhat "affordable" (if you really wanted/needed it) on the lower end to being completely out of reach for the everyday Joe/Jane.
At the same time the introduction of larger screen sizes (ultimately 27,") and better mobile/lower TDP GPUs allowed the iMac to scale up to a level of performance where it began to meet the needs of a lot of people who would've previously bought a Mac Pro.
This trend was exacerbated when the Mac Pro was effectively abandoned from 2013 - 2019, and the market for 27" iMac's basically just turned into everyone who needed more performance than a MBP/Mac Mini, even when it wasn't really a good fit.

The Mac Studio... is Apple's first step toward rectifying this. Giving people who want a fast, no compromises, small form factor Pro Mac (in some ways, the fabled xMac) they're first real option since... the G4 Cube?
It also just happens to be a very good replacement for the current 27" iMac, which is, I'm guessing, why Apple just decided to discontinue it.

I do think we will see a return of the large form factor iMac, but not until they can deliver on what truly differentiates the machine from its peers, a bleeding edge screen. Think back to the announcement of the OG Retina iMac (2014) or the OG 27" iMac. What set those machines apart was that on launch you couldn't get a screen that good for that price, let alone an entire computer from any other manufacturer. Unfortunately none of the emerging display tech (miniLED, OLED, microLED) is at a level where Apple (feels it) can cost effectively bring it to the iMac.

Sure Apple could've slapped an M1 Pro/Max in the existing chassis and call it a day but that's not their style. Does it suck if you were waiting for one? Yes, but the Mac Studio is a great machine that can do that job. Furthermore, it just means that when we finally DO get another large form factor iMac it's going to be jaw dropping

EDIT: To everyone whining about the Mac Studio price... Like... real talk... how much did you THINK it was going to cost? Have you been paying attention to Apple's pricing structure over the last few years?
(PS you don't have to buy the screen FFS. Just get one of the any other great options for 27" displays that aren't stupidly priced)

 

[UltimateSyn]

I was so interested in how they were going to restructure their computer lineup over the course of the ASi transition, and I continue to be fascinated by it. Really awesome stuff to watch.

Now that they've boiled the iMac down to just its simplest, purest form (a consumer-focused all-in-one with one size and one processor), I wonder where they will take it from here. It's true that they stated only the Mac Pro remains in completing their transition, but we all certainly know that doesn't mean their lineups and offerings are done evolving. I think the second generation of the 24" iMac will be particularly telling as they may add, say, the capability to upgrade the chip to the MX Pro. Or they may add back in a second screen size option into the iMac lineup - the return of the 27"?

I don't think we've seen the last of a larger iMac forever, especially with Ross Young and Kuo still throwing murmurs out there about 27" mini-LED panels destined for an iMac.

 

[UltimateSyn]

My personal prediction is that when all of the dust settles in a year or two, this is what their lineup ends up looking like (can replace M2 with whatever M generation we're on at that time):

Mac mini
M2
M2 Pro

24" iMac
M2
M2 Pro

27" iMac
M2 Pro
M2 Max

Mac Studio
M2 Max
M2 Ultra

Mac Pro
M2 Ultra (x2? x4?)

 

[Malus120]

I was so interested in how they were going to restructure their computer lineup over the course of the ASi transition, and I continue to be fascinated by it. Really awesome stuff to watch.

Now that they've boiled the iMac down to just its simplest, purest form (a consumer-focused all-in-one with one size and one processor), I wonder where they will take it from here. It's true that they stated only the Mac Pro remains in completing their transition, but we all certainly know that doesn't mean their lineups and offerings are done evolving. I think the second generation of the 24" iMac will be particularly telling as they may add, say, the capability to upgrade the chip to the MX Pro. Or they may add back in a second screen size option into the iMac lineup - the return of the 27"?

I don't think we've seen the last of a larger iMac forever, especially with Ross Young and Kuo still throwing murmurs out there about 27" mini-LED panels destined for an iMac.

Couldn't agree more. In a lot of ways it feels like Apple has been using the Apple Silicon transition (including the years leading up to it) distilling every mac in the lineup down to its most basic essence. Asking what, at the most basic level, each Mac is supposed to do, and making it the best it can be at doing that, while eliminating overlap wherever possible.

It almost feels like we're going back toward the early days of Steve Job return to Apple, when he drew that famous matrix of four "computers" (consumer laptop, consumer desktop, pro laptop, pro desktop) and the entire Mac lineup was reworked to fit inside of it. I doubt many here now remember it, but there were a lot of angry tears shed at the time for all of the Macs/features that got cut (MA SERIAL & SCSI PORTS!).

Eventually, the Mac lineup opened back up, and I imagine we'll see something similar in the coming years. Calm down people

 

[yoak]

I just realised if I just get the monitor, I’ll have my Mbp 14” for portability, and a 27 “iMac” at home. And I won’t have to move stuff between 2 machines.
Guess this Apple is thinking a lot of their customers have a MBP and they are so powerful now that you don’t need a iMac for home. Just a monitor.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Last year I took screen shots of all iMac 27" prices here in Sweden (tax included). An iMac 27" with 10-core i9, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Radeon 5700 XT 16GB VRAM, 10Gb Ethernet and keyboard and mouse costed ca $4943 with current exchange rate $1=9.93 SEK.

The base Mac Studio with 10c CPU, 32GB unified RAM, 512GB SSD, 24cGPU 32GB VRAM and 10Gb Ethernet costs today $2567. I'm sure for $2376 you can find a good monitor, keyboard, mouse, webcam and speakers AND superior CPU/GPU performance.

I blown ~3000$ US to build my PC + 48" OLED monitor with not so very high-end or extreme performance at all. Just average specs and performance (Intel core i5 gen 11, 32GB DDR4, 500GB gen 4 nVME SSD, RX 6600XT) with that 3000$ budget.
To get much superior performance than the Mac Studio, you would have to spend at least double the price for it (5000$ or something) and the PC would be a big and noisy case.

 

[Bodhitree]

I can’t help but think that this will push certain Apple users out of the market. I have friends who don’t earn a lot of money who used 27” iMacs to do freelance graphic design work, and I can’t see them stretching to a 4100€ machine. Maybe they will use Mac Mini instead with a cheap 4K display going forward, but then that 16 GB RAM limit…

I don’t understand why it is so massively more expensive? For your 4100€ you don’t get much more in the way of components than you had in the 1799 USD 27” iMac. It seems like a big price hike, a less elegant product, and some artificial distinctions to separate the Pro users from the casuals.

 

[Malus120]

I can’t help but think that this will push certain Apple users out of the market. I have friends who don’t earn a lot of money who used 27” iMacs to do freelance graphic design work, and I can’t see them stretching to a 4100€ machine. Maybe they will use Mac Mini instead with a cheap 4K display going forward, but then that 16 GB RAM limit…

I don’t understand why it is so massively more expensive? For your 4100€ you don’t get much more in the way of components than you had in the 1799 USD 27” iMac. It seems like a big price hike, a less elegant product, and some artificial distinctions to separate the Pro users from the casuals.

I understand that not everyone can afford the M1 Ultra. But IMHO, your comparison isn't really fair.
First, why are you comparing prices in Euros (€) with prices in USD ($) it makes the comparison unnecessarily opaque.
Second, €4100? What are you talking about? The base Mac Studio (M1 Max) is €2,299.00 (including VAT) on Apple Germany's website.
Third, that "1799 USD 27 iMac" most certainly did not include 32GB of ram, and is nowhere near as fast as even the base Mac Studio config.
Fourth, just in case you're comparing "with the display" don't buy the Apple display if you can't afford it/don't absolutely need it. I agree the display is... overpriced... but saying that makes the Mac Studio unviable is just silly. Just get a 4K 27" display from literally anywhere else. They're not expensive.

It's understandable that people are disappointed that a product line they used has been (temporarily) shelved, but there are perfectly reasonable alternatives. The M1 Studio (for people who want performance), the MacBook Pro (for people who want portability or can't afford the M1 Studio), the Macbook Air/Mac Mini (once updated) (for those on a budget.) I really don't see a mass exodus of freelance graphics designers who "don't earn a lot of money," unless they were just really attached to the 27" iMac itself.