No I am. £600-700 in 1998 is, as I’ve already stated, around £1050-1250 now. That’s using the Bank of England inflation calculator.
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Has Apple forgotten the iMac?
- Thread starter skylar3
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That's because you don't understand the lure of the 27'
. Some people like the smaller screen laptops while others like the larger screens. You like your's and others like their's. That's all
Don't know if anyone noticed while watching yesterday's episode of the Last of Us but the room Ellie was staying in once they got to Wyoming had a G3 iMac on the desk. Couldn't recognize which one though. Even after the apocalypse these great little computers are still around! Not to mention how production designers and set decorators love putting iMacs in the scenes.
I'm afraid that the iMac (of which I have an iMac 2012 and keeping it alive thanks to Opencore) died with the passing of Steve Jobs. The current wimpy-assed 23.5" iMac is a piece of crap in my opinion - Still waiting for a 27" iMac, although I have all but given up. I'm pretty well disgusted with the current Apple management team. Eventually I'll have to move on to a Samsung M8 and Mac mini as my next purchase if/when my late 2012 bites the dust. . . .
The future is bleak, considering Apple already refreshed even the Mac mini to M2, while the iMac is still on M1. I guess we can hope for an M3 refresh, and maybe a 27” version with M3 Pro. But I wouldn’t hold my breath. Seems like Apple is having a lot of issues right now.
This is a big part if it. The 27” iMac, with a 5k screen, had one of the best monitors for productive work at that time, and a relatively small footprint. All for only ~$1799 or so. We knew then those iMacs were a great deal, and bought a bunch of them for our office. We had 27” iMacs everywhere.
Exactly. Anyone could deduce the better way to go (from Apple’s point-of-view) is to really jack the price of the Apple 5k and 6k monitors, and sell the pc separately. We’re seeing that evolution right now with the Studio, Mini, and soon with the Mac Pro.
So, Apple gets its pound of flesh with a very expensive Studio Display or XDR + stand. Get that cash and bank that significant profit. Then, make lots more money as users regularly trade in their diminutive mini, studio, and even mac pro, macbook air, mackbook pro — without the pain of having to sell, trade-in, or otherwise dispose of a perfectly good 5k IPS screen that is still top of the line even today.
It’s a great way to ensure product turnover, and getting the latest silicon out to the userbase at markedly reduced cost.
Also, the savings on shipping, handling, packaging must be enormous. The 27” iMac boxes were pretty damn big and elaborate. How many minis and studios can you ship within the same space, materials and weight. Five? Possibly ten? It’s got to be significant savings, and pure cost savings to Apple. Apple stores and shippers can stack studios and minis like Ikea stacks shelving in its warehouses.
The one issue is, if Apple competitors can, at long last, finally start producing quality 5k, 6k, OLED, mini-led, and eventually microled displays, and for much less than Apple. So far, they cannot. It’s mostly 4k monitors from the third-party monitor manufacturers, and many of them aren’t great (focused more on refresh rate instead of PPI and color accuracy). But at least 2023 brings us a new 6k display from Dell, along with new Dell IPS Black panels. Still waiting for that high-PPI OLED display that’s under 40 inches. Still crickets on that one.
So, yes, I think 27 inch iMac is totally dead. Way too much money to be made selling ASD and XDR at three times the price.
The 2014 5k panels aren't exactly flawless. They are notorious for developing severe image persistence/retention. (I know, I had one, and it was the main reason I got rid of it, not the computer inside.)
The 2015 5k panels are notorious for developing "pink edges." Several threads on this in MR forums.
Subsequent 5k iMacs, up until about 2019, have reportedly had similar issues, though not as severe.
So the notion that these 5k panels would have been perfect for many more years if they weren't attached to the computer inside, is not entirely true.
Let's hope the Studio displays don't develop similar defects, else there will be a lot of ranting.
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Not to mention the fine dust buildup in the lower corners of the panels (2014-2020).
That too, although arguably the dust buildup may not occur if it were a separate display, because it may no longer need a fan, which is what draws in the dust.
However, the Apple Studio Display does have fans anyway.
Maybe. The iMac lineup has waxed and waned. There have been years when the iMac got an outsized attention. And then other years, when it seems to be neglected and just crickets.
I doubt the iMac line is done and gone. But maybe Apple is just biding their time until they have a worthwhile iMac lineup worth trumpeting.
But it's not just "All About iMacs". Apple, to remain profitable and to avoid marketing disasters, they have to release iMacs when they feel it can ship with the right components, and also the release HAS to avoid cannibalizing (stealing market share from) sales of other Apple Mac OSX products.
Apple is a 3 trillion dollar company. The largest in the world (by market cap). Releasing a line of iMacs is not just one or two quick decisions. It's more like 75 decisions and factors that they have to consider.
I get a chuckle out of all the people who say having an iMac is a waste because if you have the logic board fail you have to chuck the iMac, getting rid of a still good display, but don't make that same argument for MacBooks.
In fairness there's a completely different context to a laptop than there is to a desktop. To most people, a desktop will most likely be under quite different spatial constraints than a laptop
Apple clearly put a lot of R&D in the 24" iMac - as more Apple computers have been released, it remains IMO the best value desktop in the lineup as you get a quality SOC with little thermal requirements, the ability to spec up in RAM/storage to support most consumers needs, a quality display, one of the better webcams in the Apple lineup, and the ability to include a keyboard and trackpad for well under $2K. That is real value that isn't delivered by the other currently available Apple desktop configurations.
I seem to remember back in the day, when Steve was still with us, and Apple was a much smaller company, that he said that unlike other companies, Apple wasn't afraid to cannibalize their own products.
I guess that that DNA has withered on the vine.
Hopefully the iMac Pro launches this year. Probably at WWDC or a fall event, or even spring this year.
Having an iMac is never a waste. It has more staying power than a typical Mac or PC laptop. Witness the iMac users here bluntly stating they are still using their iMac 2015 or iMac 2013 etc etc etc.
An iMac from almost a decade ago is still very functional, even if it cannot install the latest OSX. But a MacBook person using the same MacBook from only 6 years ago... is already running a barely usable dinosaur, and they know it.
Windows PCs and laptops have even shorter lifespans. After about 3-4 years of use, they are essentially garbage, and it's worse that Microsoft doesn't give a damn about abandoning Windows OS users still clinging to a version from 3-4 years ago. Then again, Microsoft is not obligated to feel "guilty" about outdated PCs that have to be thrown away and replaced. Microsoft was not responsible for selling those PCs. It's not their product, not their their problem. With the exception of the successful XBox, Microsoft is still predominantly a software company.
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Seeing how Andy Park - director of visual development at Marvel Studios - still works on a 2013 iMac is quite the testament to the platform's staying power:
His segment starts at 15:42.
I wonder if he did make the jump though to the Mac Studio 🤩.
I hope not. I'd hoped that with half of the world switching to working from home, that home offices and desktop computers would make a comeback. I got my 10 year old a yellow iMac for his room. He's got a keyboard hooked up to it and makes songs in garageband and does his homework on it. The M1 is the most fun Mac in decades. I'd love to see a Macbook with the same design language.
I can't see this at all. Apple would have to fit a Studio Ultra(+) into the chin of an iMac plus a way to keep it cool. A pro machine should have a person upgrade components instead of buying a new machine and Apple will make that a no-no. The cost would be outrageous. I won't pretend to know the hardware stuff so I could be bonkers.
Personally, I would be keen on a 27' (or more) with 24 ram and a decent size HD(1TB SSD)
minus Apple's insane pricing for storage also some USB ports.
Like, I said earlier, I could be bonkers.
I would like to see Apple come out with; an upgraded 24" iMac with M2 processor, and a new 27" iMac with a similar design (maybe dark color schemes) and the M2 Pro processor. Max, Ultra, (and Extreme?) could be found in the headless products. That would keep the price of the 27" down (starting at $1799 with 8GB / 256GB?) and fill out the Mac product line nicely. I would buy that on day one (for $2199 with 16GB / 512GB).
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Totally agree! Ideal lineup for me:
laptop: MacBook Air 13 & 15 inch (Mx), MacBook Pro 14&16 inch (Mx Pro & Max)
dektop: Mac mini (Mx & MxPro) & Mac studio (Mx Max & Ultra)
all in one: 24 (Mx) & 27 iMac (MxPro & Max)
high end: Mac Pro (Mx Extreme)
I agree that a Pro should be user upgradable, but the MacBook Pros aren’t and those sell like hotcakes. That being said I also can‘t see an iMac Pro happening. I feel like the kind of buyer who is into a high performance desktop will mostly ultimately default to a Mini or Studio due to the ability to choose their own monitor. That being said maybe we’ll get an “unofficial“ pro in the form of an iMac with an M3 Pro chip, kind of like the Mac Mini M2 Pro.I can't see this at all. Apple would have to fit a Studio Ultra(+) into the chin of an iMac plus a way to keep it cool. A pro machine should have a person upgrade components instead of buying a new machine and Apple will make that a no-no. The cost would be outrageous. I won't pretend to know the hardware stuff so I could be bonkers.
Personally, I would be keen on a 27' (or more) with 24 ram and a decent size HD(1TB SSD)
minus Apple's insane pricing for storage also some USB ports.
Like, I said earlier, I could be bonkers.