Apple's Event Was Missing These 4 Announcements

[krspkbl]

imagine buying an iMac with a tiny 24" screen, having to customize it if you want more than 8GB/256GB RAM, and still having to deal with lightning.

not interested in the macbook pros as they are insanely expensive. might be interested when they get around to the M3 Air...as long as they don't hike the prices up. they probably will to make their "chromebook" Macbook look a better deal.

 

[OneBar]

Come on Apple, just give us a Power Desk Mat with NFC kb, mouse, and pad, and then a Power Desk Mat Plus that will also NFC Phone, Watch, and Pods. 1 wire plus it's a deskpad, plus it can be an aesthetically pleasing addition to the mac desk setup.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

John Ternus made it pretty clear there's no larger iMac coming and that Apple sees the current model as the sole one going forward.

Actually, he didn't. He simply slung some information to push the one for sale now at all all-in-one-minded prospects. Jobs once asked "who wants a color screen in an iPod?" before rolling out a iPod with color the next year. Apple outright ridiculed phablet-sized phones FOR YEARS while what they had for sale was not phablet-sized... but that consistent, passionate opinion apparently evaporated as soon as iPhone went phablet. iPad 1 has no front-facing camera because it absolutely should not have one. iPad 2 added it and it was the main reason to upgrade. There is a long history of "confirming" while Apple doesn't have something to sell... but then flip flopping as soon as they want to sell their cut of that very thing.

No confirmation- just business as usual. Push what is for sale now. If tomorrow brings the thing that "we" did NOT have for sale yesterday, we'll push it as an incredible new innovation "we think you will love."

 

[Orange Bat]

Launching the M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max chips was actually quite a big deal.

I disagree. Computers are fully mature products and upgraded processors are nothing to get excited about in 2023. Sure, the switch from Intel to Apple Silicon was a big deal, but upgrades to CPUs where the 1st gen is still working great for most people is not very exciting. If Apple really believes they have something special with the M3, they sure did a bad job at selling it.

 

[Gudi]

Seems long overdue and I'd like to get rid of the USB C-to-Lightning cable dangling out of my Studio Ultra.

Not get rid of, but replace with a USB-C-to-USB-C cable dangling out of your Studio Ultra. 🤷

 

[theluggage]

I personally suspect that Apple genuinely just does not care about accessories like keyboard and mice. Which I suppose would make sense since it seems like laptops are the Macs that sell the most, and those already come with their own built-in keyboard and trackpad.

I think you are on the money there. I believe that the iMac is now the only product that ships with a keyboard and mouse - and they need something that looks good to stand in front of the iMac and Mini in Apple stores.

The only explanation for the Magic accessories ever using Lightning is that its presumably cheaper for Apple - they could/should have used USB-C from the get go. Even when the Mk2 Magic accessories launched in 2015, Apple had already started using USB-C for the 12" MacBook and presumably knew that they were going to start rolling it out across the Mac range in 2016.

 

[Darren.h]

Mac Studio was missing too.

who wants a high priced MacBook Pro that breaks like an iPhone when you drop it?

The M3 Max Mac Studio is where it's at.

 

[jonnysods]

How can they not have USB-C for the 'Magic' accessories. I'm guessing the EU didn't regular those eh?

 

[Orange Bat]

imagine buying an iMac with a tiny 24" screen, having to customize it if you want more than 8GB/256GB RAM, and still having to deal with lightning.

not interested in the macbook pros as they are insanely expensive. might be interested when they get around to the M3 Air...as long as they don't hike the prices up. they probably will to make their "chromebook" Macbook look a better deal.

I am a software developer and use an M1 Mac Mini and an M2 MacBook Air. This combination is working fantastically for me. I even do some simple Logic Pro and Final Cut projects and they work great.

I think a vast majority of Mac users would get by fine with the basic M level processor rather than a Pro or Max. My 15 inch Air is the best computer I’ve ever owned and that’s in part due to the form factor rather than the processor.

 

[citysnaps]

Why not add Powerbook G5?

I already have one. Seriously. And it still boots up fine.

 

[newyorksole]

don’t forget AirPods Max 😭

 

[VisceralRealist]

No USB-C for the accessories confuses me. The iMac is an "afterthought" product, that's clear. But the accessories are used with the Studio, Mini, and the Mac Pro. It would be very baffling if they didn't update the accessories to USB-C with the next Studio and Mini update. I think they probably won't bother updating all the color-matching accessories for the iMac.

 

[Apple Fan 2008]

"Missing" meaning rumors that didn't come true.

 

[GMShadow]

Actually, he didn't. He simply slung some information to push the one for sale now at all all-in-one-minded prospects. Jobs once asked "who wants a color screen in an iPod?" before rolling out a iPod with color the next year. Apple outright ridiculed phablet-sized phones FOR YEARS while what they had for sale was not phablet-sized... but that opinion apparently evaporated as soon as iPhone went phablet. There is a long history of "confirming" while Apple doesn't have something to sell... but then flip flopping as soon as they want to sell their cut of that very thing.

No confirmation- just business as usual. Push what is for sale now. If tomorrow brings the thing that "we" did NOT have for sale yesterday, we'll push it as an incredible new innovation "we think you will love."

Possibly, but I still think Apple's solution for the 27" iMac is "you can buy Mac Mini + Studio Display if you were a low end buyer, or Mac Studio + Studio Display if you were a high end buyer".

 

[crsh1976]

I'm not sure why the iMac Pro keeps getting mentioned as something that is bound to make a comeback, it was a commercial failure that does not fill any need.

iMacs with larger displays are not the same tho, hopefully we do get something with a 27-32-inch non-pro studio display one of these days.

Oh, and AirPower... lol.

 

[Unity451]

AirPower

Just kidding.

You got me.

 

[VisceralRealist]

A larger iMac certainly won't be released before a larger Studio Display.

 

[fwmireault]

How can they not have USB-C for the 'Magic' accessories. I'm guessing the EU didn't regular those eh?

EU regulations do require USB-C on mices and keyboards. But Apple is only required to add a USB-C port if they release a new version of these products after December 2024. They still have a lot of time

 

[theluggage]

Not get rid of, but replace with a USB-C-to-USB-C cable dangling out of your Studio Ultra.

Actually, it would just bring it closer to the day when I don't need a USB-A to Lightning and a USB-A to MicroUSB and a USB-A to USB-B and a USB-A to USB-C dangling out of my USB 3 hub.

Baby steps.

Not that I'm going to rush out and buy a new Magic Trackpad (the only Magic accessory that I can stand to use) just to get a different charging connector.

 

[GeneralChang]

Ha! AirPower. Good one, MacRumors. Good one. 😂
😂

 

[CasinoOwl]

Is an event really "missing" announcements if Apple never intended to announce them?

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Possibly, but I still think Apple's solution for the 27" iMac is "you can buy Mac Mini + Studio Display if you were a low end buyer, or Mac Studio + Studio Display if you were a high end buyer".

Me too...

...though I also think there will eventually be a resurrected iMac "bigger" branded PRO and priced 2X-3X higher than the traditional iMac 27"... more like the former iMac 27" PRO.

My best guess at why iMac 27" was discontinued is Apples expanding margin could not be realized on an entire Mac in a single package with a 5K 27" screen for "starting at..." $2K anymore. That margin problem- if the actual cause- can be fixed by waiting a while- relaunching one branded PRO, priced as PRO so that the full margin Apple desires can be realized by each sale.

Myself: after well over a decade of LOVING iMac "bigger" computers, I embraced separates with Mac Studio but NOT an Apple-branded monitor (could not bring myself to pay the old whole iMac 27" price for the iMac 27" monitor alone). Instead, I went 5K2K ultra-wide and could never go back to 16:10 even if a new iMac "bigger" rolled out for "starting at... $999."

iMac is a great (relative) value on the way IN but a disaster at the end... when any one part and/or just software declared "vintage" makes the whole thing a "throw baby out with the bathwater" proposition. No more for me. But there seems to be enough interested that Apple should probably make them one and sell it to them. Will they pay 2X-3X the "starting at..." price? TBD. I do suspect a LOT of the longing for that resurrection is tied to the relative "bargain" PRICE vs. the actual form factor itself. But we'll see... or we won't.

 

[xgman]

yeah M3 Ultra Studio!! cause.. why not..

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Is an event really "missing" announcements if Apple never intended to announce them?

I did hear that some new Apple USB-C accessories fell in the woods... but no one was there to hear them.

 

[GMShadow]

Me too...

...though I also think there will eventually be a resurrected iMac "bigger" branded PRO and priced 2X-3X higher than the traditional iMac 27"... more like the former iMac 27" PRO.

My best guess at why iMac 27" was discontinued is Apples expanding margin could not be realized on an entire Mac in a single package with a 5K 27" screen for "starting at..." $2K anymore. That margin problem- if the actual cause- can be fixed by waiting a while- relaunching one branded PRO, priced as PRO so that the full margin Apple desires can be realized by each sale.

Myself: after well over a decade of LOVING iMac "bigger" computers, I embraced separates with Mac Studio but NOT an Apple-branded monitor (could not bring myself to pay the old whole iMac 27" price for the iMac 27" monitor alone). Instead, I went 5K2K ultra-wide and could never go back to 16:10 even if a new iMac "bigger" rolled out for "starting at... $999."

iMac is a great (relative) value on the way IN but a disaster at the end... when any one part and/or just software declared "vintage" makes the whole thing a "throw baby out with the bathwater" proposition. No more for me. But there seems to be enough interested that Apple should probably make them one and sell it to them. Will they pay 2X-3X the "starting at..." price? TBD. I do suspect a LOT of the longing for that resurrection is tied to the relative "bargain" PRICE vs. the actual form factor itself. But we'll see... or we won't.

Agreed. I picked up one when they were getting closed out in late 2021 because they were cheap, and it works well for what I need, but when it comes time to replace it I'll do similar to you - the price gap between a kitted out Mini and a base Studio is small enough I'll just go for the Studio and pair it with a third party display.