Had Apple just slapped some M1 goodness into their 27" 5K chassis the marketplace would have been scratching their heads with the arrival of the Studio and Studio would have likely been DOA or even more marginal than it is today. I certainly didn't "see it at the time", but Apple clearly gave Studio an ample chance to establish itself in their product lineup...however, with the coming XDR releases of iMac the Studio team will have to turn in their "floaty cuffs" and learn to swim for themselves! LOL
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32-Inch iMac With Mini-LED Display Rumored to Launch in 2025
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I went from the Late 2013 27" iMac to the M2 Pro Mac mini with the Dell G3223Q (4k & 144hz). The overall footprint does not look much larger in person (sitting around arms length away) because the Dell has significantly thinner bezels compared to what I used to have. I might still jump back to the iMac if they make a 32" with 6k or something, but tbh if it does not have 144hz then I might think twice. It might seem like a small thing but it really does make the whole computer feel a lot more fluid. The other option is to change to a studio display if/when they refresh that with a higher refresh rate. Gorgeous monitor but horrible value, especially with the nonsense A13 chip or whatever.
If we knew the unit-cost for the current 16.2" XDR displays in the MBP lineup we might have a better indication of expected unit-cost for a 32" display, with the important caveat, were Apple to merely implement the same manufacturing process for such a panel.
However, their ongoing R&D into mini- and micro-LED technology tells me that the panels that will find their way into future iMacs will see developments in not-only visual performance (i.e. >2,000 nits, wider DR, etc.) but in energy efficiency. The fact that the current line of MBP and iPad Pro XDR panels are battery-driven informs us that we should not expect a mid-2010's-tech-era Pro Display XDR class panel for iMac. Folks worrying about 32" XDR iMac price based on that (PD XDR pricing) are ignoring the price metrics of MBP and iPP and I expect much more consumer-friendly pricing for a 32" XDR iMac than PD XDR pricing.
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The difference would be that people could easily repurpose and iMac into a monitor.
They did it for the Late 2009 to Early 2014 iMacs.
As for limiting sales, if it would limit sales, maybe Apple could justify that to shareholders for ethical reasons, such as environmental or pro-consumer reasons.
But since Apple hardly ever does anything for the environment that doesn’t also help their bottom line, Apple can do what they did for the early Thunderbolt iMacs and limit the external source device to Macs.
The M1 iMac was simply too good and can't be improved upon (yet).
Does half the price, at about $3000, cover "cheaper" sufficiently?
I don't blame them. It isn't in their background to know such things even when I provide all the citations in the world.If we knew the unit-cost for the current 16.2" XDR displays in the MBP lineup we might have a better indication of expected unit-cost for a 32" display, with the important caveat, were Apple to merely implement the same manufacturing process for such a panel.
However, their ongoing R&D into mini- and micro-LED technology tells me that the panels that will find their way into future iMacs will see developments in not-only visual performance (i.e. >2,000 nits, wider DR, etc.) but in energy efficiency. The fact that the current line of MBP and iPad Pro XDR panels are battery-driven informs us that we should not expect a mid-2010's-tech-era Pro Display XDR class panel for iMac. Folks worrying about 32" XDR iMac price based on that (PD XDR pricing) are ignoring the price metrics of MBP and iPP and I expect much more consumer-friendly pricing for a 32" XDR iMac than PD XDR pricing.
I love Mac OS, easily Apple's best product and for some reason the least popular. I love their MacBooks to a degree; but they're always botched with drawbacks. I can't stand iPhones, I got burned once by their iPod a long time ago and never trusted any of their portable devices since (laptops excluded). It doesn't help that iOS is so gimped and closed off from customization. Apart from that, Apple's pretty scummy company with unethical tactics that noone should support, it's culture stems from Steve Jobs who was a GIGANTIC *******, so there's really very little redeeming qualities about the company, and unfortunately the company took its image so seriously it needed a 'evangelist' like Guy Kawasaki to turn it's consumers into something worse than fanboys; a cult of brand... and if you needed to see this in action, just ask young women what they think if they see a guy messaging them with a green bubble. It's created toxic people thanks to a toxic prick that ran the company.
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Not disputing Apple’s need to please both sides, but people that buy into their virtue signalling are idiots.
I've had a 4k monitor for several years, and it now sits next to my 13 m2 mba. The combination makes an iMac look *really* overcooked.
Was there any vendor that could offer Apple a 32" panel that had both the quality and could meet a price point necessary for an iMac?
I suspect it was a design choice based on:
1) cost of SDRAM at time of design;
2) deciding to put the SDRAM right next to the Mx on the same package (i.e., not use an external memory bus as nearly all Intel based designs use), which limited space;
3) long term strategy to minimize Macs to only a single board (what in the old days we called a motherboard) that is no larger than about 6 inches square.
that sounds like a very nice setup.
I currently have an LG curved monitor for my Dell work laptop and I like it a lot.
I know I’ll love the Apple setup.
well, all depends on the price, the iMac 27" was the best price-balanced mac, mainly because there was just one and expensive screen similar to compare out there.
But now a days all this changed with the Mac Studio and Studo Display, so my guess is this iMac would be a iMac Pro like device, aimed just for real pro users.
I cant play smooth 4k H265 in my 2012 retina macbook but with M2 max you can reproduce Up to 10 streams of 8K ProRes video playback, it doesnt look like this computers are going to be obsolete so "soon"...
But as I said, the price is what would determine the future of this device.
Thanks, I really appreciate the response. That does shed some light and it’s intriguing.
I definitely have my likes and dislikes regarding Apple’s products, but as far as the company, I have no particular feelings. I suppose I don’t see them as fundamentally different than any other capitalist company, only more successful than most. And I don’t think it’s by cheating or bending the rules, but just by understanding the game better. So a lot of the criticisms I see of Apple’s business decisions to me seem misdirected at one company rather than to all companies or to even the capitalist system itself (the thing is I’m not sure there is a better alternative system). Many ask Apple specifically to hold back in the game, but it just seems like a strange request to me. I expect companies to do the best they can. All I personally ask of any company is to follow the spirit of the law, and to not lie (I know, people don’t agree on what constitutes these things either, so it’s up to every individual’s judgment call). Other than that, I hold governments responsible to set of right rules and individual consumers responsible to make right decisions. Just my take.
It's beyond me how people can think $1500 for a computer without peripherals is cheaper? As if 4K displays are free, if you bring your own and keep it. With a build in display an iMac retains excellent utility and resale value. The Mini with an M2 Pro looses half of its value as soon as the M3 Mini with an RTX engine is released. You literally pay a premium for the most perishable part of the entire setup and forgo on what makes using a Mac so enjoyable, display and audio quality, clicky keys and precision trackpad.