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Apple will courageously discontinue all iMacs in 3-5 years

R

Ryand123

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 12, 2013
191
168
You heard it here first, gang. I'm an industry insider. Okay......I'm just an idiot with a computer. Why split hairs?

So I think even the 24 inch iMac's days (or years) are numbered. They will introduce a 24 inch Studio Display (which may go by some other name) and tell everyday consumers to just buy that and a Mac Mini. The "pros" can buy the larger Studio Display and the Mac Studio. Everyone is happy!

Why do this?

1. The all-in-one has outlived its usefulness. In the age of bulky desktop towers, it offered a real advantage in space saving and simplicity. But now that the technology has evolved so that they can built powerful desktops in sleek, compact designs, do you really need them anymore?

2. They want to get into gaming. We all know gamers have never gravitated towards Macs. You know they want to change that. Was watching a baseball game the other night with a huge Apple Arcade ad behind home plate. The video game industry is massive. It makes more money per year than the music and movie industry combined. People think gaming is a niche market but I think that notion is outdated. But iMacs were never going to cut it for serious gamers. They have to use less powerful laptop components. Not so with a standalone desktop and monitor setup.

3. Oh yeah..........if you pay for an expensive monitor and an expensive computer, you will almost definitely pay more than you paid for the iMac. And since said standalone desktops and monitors don't even come with a keyboard and mouse/trackpad, you will be paying more still.

All part of the path they have to follow to increase profits to appease shareholders.

The iMac is the new headphone jack. Which we know stood in the way of the massive new product category known as AirPods.
 
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Ryand123 said:
They want to get into gaming.
Click to expand...
Not sure about this point. Not really any evidence of this.

If Apple was serious about gaming, they really messed up with the Apple TV 4 launch in 2015. The Siri Remote requirement for 3rd party tvOS games, the ridiculously low 200 MB static storage limit, and using the A8 instead of using a more gaming focus A8X or A9X chip.

That, and the fact that they ‘showed off’ the Apple TV 4’s graphics capability by demoing Crossy Road at the iPhone 6s event.

that was then, if you look at the state of gaming now, gaming developers are leaving the tvOS platform like crazy. Apple only included the A12 in the latest Apple TV, which is about on par with the A10X that was on the 2017 Apple TV 4K for gaming performance. They could’ve gone with the age 12 X, which is the successor of the A10X.

Or, you can point out the fact that the new Siri remote loses the sensors used for gaming, and it cannot be used on a lot of tvOS and Apple arcade games.

I know this thread was about Macs, and the iMac specifically, but the reference to gaming makes much more sense when talking about the Apple TV versus the Macs, Since there was so many anti-gaming decisions that were made when tvOS launched.
 
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@Juicy Box

You are probably right... Apple could have entered the gaming market with a "gaming console" in the past and Apple TV would've been a great starting point. I think that train has left years ago.
 
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Macs for gaming? Meh. M SoC won't do that except emulation as well as macOS itself.
Easier, better, and faster would be to deal with consoles and IBM PCs (Windows), there're many technologies and the power.

I'm not talking about mobile gaming because except few nuggets it really annoys me

But the statement about iMacs could be quite reasonable. But if that is so, why did they released a new iMac? Farewell money grind or what?
 
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Interesting idea, but I'd be surprised. I think they've repositioned the iMac away from a machine for everyone into an entry-level bedroom computer for teenagers and undemanding adults. It serves a useful niche and 'gateway' to the more powerful Studios (that the tech-minded older brothers and sisters would use).

Historically the iMac was a device for everyone. The OG iMac was groundbreaking in that respect (I remember when it was revealed and when they came out my dad bought one). I do agree there's less need for this model nowadays, and Apple wants to sell more powerful and profitable machines whenever possible. But the recent iMac is still perfect as a first 'real' computer. My tween daughter is currently using an '09 iMac (from her grandpa, actually!) and would graduate to a more recent iMac in a few years' time for schoolwork, movie-watching, etc. There are a lot of youngsters feeding the iMac market!

And don't forget front desks in dental offices, real estate agents, etc. Basic Apple desktop with small footprint remains a big market.
 
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Ryand123 said:
2. They want to get into gaming.
Click to expand...
They are into gaming. Apple own a major gaming platform and it is called iOS.

Or by "gaming" do you mean "serious first-person shooters"? Or maybe the already viciously contested XBox vs. Sony vs. (sometimes) Nintendo console market? Why would Apple bash their head against that particular brick wall when they'd be coming from way behind in terms of available titles and now have a Mac platform which is increasingly optimised for media production and is only "ok" for serious 3D gaming...

As for the iMac - I'm sure they'll keep the 24" going as long as it is making good money. The demise of the 27" was, I'm sure, primarily because 5k panels have flopped outside the Mac market and were getting too expensive to include in the lower-end models - and those 5k displays were always the Unique Selling Point of the 27" iMac.

Compared with the higher-end 5k iMacs and iMac Pro, the Mac Studio + Studio display combo isn't so much more expensive that they were, and if you don't like the Studio Display other, far cheaper, display options are available.
 
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Well, they could've designed standalone displays way back when the Mac Mini first came out (EDIT: what am I saying?! They DID have standalone displays back then) and eliminated the iMac then, so something tells me it's not quite that simple to dismiss the iMac.
 
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Who is your dealer?? Really that some great stuff you are smoking.

AIO is not going anywhere, Apple made this design mainstream, it's the iconic to Apple, and if anything more of them will be made as PC world is adapting to that format.

Apple, gaming as we know it from the PC world, without Nividia on board not a chance. Casual games sure. But Apple fully embracing gaming not really. Apple Aarcade is just a nice to have service add on to other Apple services like a free add on with a bundle and more about a nice client perk then Apple making a real home for gamers.

Oh and BTW the headphone jack was nothing more then a busienss straegy for controlling users experience and getting them to spend more money on a category which didn't have much profit attached to it, and basically removing 3rd party options.
 
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I doubt it. iMacs are still really popular with educational institutions, particularly in public school computer labs, where they do look neat and stylish when lined up together. Even in colleges, as when configured with 16 GB of RAM the M1 iMacs can also make very good graphic-design and video editing machines.
MacLab-featured-768x430.png

Keep in mind I work for an electronics recycling/reselling company, where we get LOTS of iMacs from schools. And lately they've been sending us their slim unibody iMacs, as these are presumably from school districts upgrading to the M1 iMacs.
 
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I simply have to disagree. The iMac's role is changing, but it's not going away any time soon.

The all-in-one is still useful, but Apple's experiences in recent years (particularly with the iMac Pro) suggest that it's both technically challenging to cram a high-end computer behind a display, and that demanding users aren't keen on it. I love the simplicity and value for money of my 27-inch iMac, but I won't deny that it's thermally limited and a pain if I ever need to take it in for service. And I don't think an Apple Silicon-based iMac Pro would escape those issues, even though it would likely be cooler and lighter than Intel models.

Apple's apparent shift in strategy is really recognizing what the iMac has always done best: simplify computing and make it more accessible. The M1 iMac is small and light enough that almost anyone can set it up or move it around, and of course the only cables you'll need are power and a Lightning cable for charging. It's quick for everyday tasks, but extremely quiet. And yes, being colorful matters for a computer that might sit in a common space or child's room.

As for gaming... no, Apple isn't really devoting that much attention to it. Even if Macs leap forward in graphics performance, there's a big difference between playing Sneaky Sasquatch on a non-expandable Mac and playing the latest AAA shooter on a gaming PC with a monster GPU. If Apple really wanted to get serious about gaming, it would have to not only build gaming-friendly systems with support for PCIe GPUs, but persuade major developers to release Mac-native versions of their biggest games.

I do think Apple likes the idea of increasing display, keyboard and mouse sales, but it also knows many prospective Mac mini and Mac Studio buyers might not even consider official peripherals. This is more a calculated bet meant to expand the user base and get more potential customers for accessories and services down the line.
 
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Virtually every consumer, business and industrial device made is an all-in-one.

Maximum revenue is generated when end-users pay for a separate SoC in every device, not with a single module you could plug into your home, car, office and factory.
 
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orionquest said:
Who is your dealer?? Really that some great stuff you are smoking.

AIO is not going anywhere, Apple made this design mainstream, it's the iconic to Apple, and if anything more of them will be made as PC world is adapting to that format.

Apple, gaming as we know it from the PC world, without Nividia on board not a chance. Casual games sure. But Apple fully embracing gaming not really. Apple Aarcade is just a nice to have service add on to other Apple services like a free add on with a bundle and more about a nice client perk then Apple making a real home for gamers.

Oh and BTW the headphone jack was nothing more then a busienss straegy for controlling users experience and getting them to spend more money on a category which didn't have much profit attached to it, and basically removing 3rd party options.
Click to expand...
That's basically what I'm saying. They didn't so much as remove the headphone jack as create AirPods. They wanted to get even deeper into the lucrative headphone business. Buying Beats was just one step. But they knew wired headphones weren't their thing, so they needed to ditch the headphone jack to pave the way for AirPods. Create a problem and then offer a solution to that problem and watch the profits roll in. And it worked to perfection. Everyone got mad, but Apple had the last laugh. I predict history repeats itself by getting rid of the iMac.
 
darngooddesign said:
Are you suggesting the Apple will discontinue all of its laptops because they also have headphone jacks?

AirPods are almost six years old, hardly a new category now.
Click to expand...
Not at all. I'm saying headphone jacks stood in the way of where they wanted to go: AirPods. So they cut the cord.

iMacs stand in the way of going to a separate computer and monitor---now available in a sleek and elegant package that once wasn't possible. So they may likewise get rid of it. Apple has always looked to the future and ruthlessly discarded with the past. People are saying, "Well they've always had an all in one". Yes, but you're thinking in the past, not the future. They always had floppy disks until they didn't. They had headphone jacks until they didn't. iPhones had a home buttons until they didn't. Every time customers get mad with the change......and then adapt and accept it.
 
dandeco said:
I doubt it. iMacs are still really popular with educational institutions, particularly in public school computer labs, where they do look neat and stylish when lined up together. Even in colleges, as when configured with 16 GB of RAM the M1 iMacs can also make very good graphic-design and video editing machines.
MacLab-featured-768x430.png

Keep in mind I work for an electronics recycling/reselling company, where we get LOTS of iMacs from schools. And lately they've been sending us their slim unibody iMacs, as these are presumably from school districts upgrading to the M1 iMacs.
Click to expand...
But really how much more cluttered would those desks look if an Apple branded, orange backed monitor was connected to a sleek little Mac Mini? Maybe in a matching orange color? We would be talking about how beautiful and stylish that looked.
 
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Ryand123 said:
Not at all. I'm saying headphone jacks stood in the way of where they wanted to go: AirPods. So they cut the cord.
Click to expand...
While that might be true, the Mac equivalent is Apple no longer making a wired mouse. Besides if Apple saw the headphone jack as a barrier to the AirPods, they would have removed it in all of their products. The 12" MacBook would have been the perfect computer to remove it under the guise of a second USB-C port.
Ryand123 said:
iMacs stand in the way of going to a separate computer and monitor---now available in a sleek and elegant package that once wasn't possible.
Click to expand...
Except that you've always been able to buy a sleek and elegant separate computer/display so the iMac isn't really standing in the way of that.
Ryand123 said:
So they may likewise get rid of it. Apple has always looked to the future and ruthlessly discarded with the past. People are saying, "Well they've always had an all in one". Yes, but you're thinking in the past, not the future. They always had floppy disks until they didn't. They had headphone jacks until they didn't. iPhones had a home buttons until they didn't. Every time customers get mad with the change......and then adapt and accept it.
Click to expand...
While this is true, it doesn't necessarily mean that Apple is getting rid of the iMac.
 
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I hope they actually do this. The amount of perfectly good 27" 5K screens I see going to the recycler because the attached computer is borked is ridiculous.

It makes perfect sense to upgrade the computer and keep the screen. Same as if you upgrade your camera and keep the lenses.

In fact I'll quite happily buy an M2 Pro Mini if one appears to plug into my Studio Display and lose the 14" MBP.
 
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