I would like to see two iMac improvements that would help me: Touch/FaceID and an Apple Bluetooth keyboard that is designed for touch typists emphasizing functionality and not thinness. Give me those, and I buy.
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iMac 2020 what to expect?
- Thread starter Freida
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Most third party USB / BT keyboards will work with iMac to a varying degree. Why not just buy the keyboard you want and remove the apple one from the order? Or keep it as backup.
You’re right of course, several excellent 3rd-party keyboards exist, and I do have one that works well for me. That said, I’d really like Apple to get over its quest for design thinness and actually deliver a comparable keyboard built for functionality. Likely not going to happen...but with Ive gone hope springs eternal. The Touch/FaceID though is badly needed in my opinion.
I honestly expect the next iMac to come out in December 2020 or January 2021.
With Jony Ive's out of Apple I hope it means more robust cooling than the iMac Pro, larger PSU and enthusiasts-level parts will be used in the iMac.
But at the same time it be whisper quiet with the design language of the 2019 Mac Pro & XDR display.
8GB VRAM, Core i9 and PCIe 4.0 SSD as baseline model and not BTO.
Fusion Drive with PCIe 4.0 (256GB) + SATA SSD (1-8TB) as a low cost option. Let HDDs be the domain or NAS, DAS and servers.
User upradeable RAM to 256GB.
32-inch 6K display.
I/O: 10GbE, 4 Thunderbolt 4 ports & 4 USB-A ports.
With Jony Ive's out of Apple I hope it means more robust cooling than the iMac Pro, larger PSU and enthusiasts-level parts will be used in the iMac.
But at the same time it be whisper quiet with the design language of the 2019 Mac Pro & XDR display.
8GB VRAM, Core i9 and PCIe 4.0 SSD as baseline model and not BTO.
Fusion Drive with PCIe 4.0 (256GB) + SATA SSD (1-8TB) as a low cost option. Let HDDs be the domain or NAS, DAS and servers.
User upradeable RAM to 256GB.
32-inch 6K display.
I/O: 10GbE, 4 Thunderbolt 4 ports & 4 USB-A ports.
PCI-e 4.0 is possible - as far as I know - only with AMD CPUs, so far.
I am pretty sure Apple will ditch the HDDs, perhaps keeping the old line for that at a cheaper price.
Finally, I don't think (but there is plenty of experts on the forum to prove me wrong) there are sufficient PCI-e lanes to cover all those ports with Intel CPUs. (perhaps the Xeons? but the iMac wouldn't go for them)
The only chance we can see an iMac like this is that Apple finds some sanity and chooses AMD CPUs over Intel's. However, as we all know, it is a very unlikely chance given the inevitable and imminent ARM transition.
I am pretty sure Apple will ditch the HDDs, perhaps keeping the old line for that at a cheaper price.
Finally, I don't think (but there is plenty of experts on the forum to prove me wrong) there are sufficient PCI-e lanes to cover all those ports with Intel CPUs. (perhaps the Xeons? but the iMac wouldn't go for them)
The only chance we can see an iMac like this is that Apple finds some sanity and chooses AMD CPUs over Intel's. However, as we all know, it is a very unlikely chance given the inevitable and imminent ARM transition.
I’d also love 16:10. The benefit can be seen on all the Mac laptops. Extra screen height gives so much more useable space. It also means an iMac could have more screen space without a bigger desk footprint. 30” 5120x3200 seems a logical choice, especially as that would be a retina equivalent of the old 30” Apple Cinema Display, a path many of the iMac screen sizes have followed.
Little dreamer, aren't you 
I think people need to stop with the Jony Ive thing. He is still the main designer he just works from his own studio. The reason why he left Apple wasn't because he was bad etc. it was because he wanted to do more (which we saw in recent years from his side projects) than just design another iToy. Apple will still heavily rely on/use him so these comments are pointless. People somehow feel that Jony is the one at fault and now he is "gone" everything will get magically better. I think time will tell
Regardless of your list, its more wishful thinking than reality. Sure, some of it would be nice but iMac is a consumer product and it kinda needs to stay that way. iMac Pro cooling is good enough so not sure what more robust you mean?
December 2020 or January 2021 is another nonsense. Apple wouldn't release a product that late and certainly not 1 month after xmas. The only reason when this happens is when product is delayed or its not consumer one. Ie. it was fine for Mac Pro but iMac is a no go.
So, options are: March event, WWDC, Oct-Nov event, March event next year, WWDC next year......
I think people need to stop with the Jony Ive thing. He is still the main designer he just works from his own studio. The reason why he left Apple wasn't because he was bad etc. it was because he wanted to do more (which we saw in recent years from his side projects) than just design another iToy. Apple will still heavily rely on/use him so these comments are pointless. People somehow feel that Jony is the one at fault and now he is "gone" everything will get magically better. I think time will tell
Regardless of your list, its more wishful thinking than reality. Sure, some of it would be nice but iMac is a consumer product and it kinda needs to stay that way. iMac Pro cooling is good enough so not sure what more robust you mean?
December 2020 or January 2021 is another nonsense. Apple wouldn't release a product that late and certainly not 1 month after xmas. The only reason when this happens is when product is delayed or its not consumer one. Ie. it was fine for Mac Pro but iMac is a no go.
So, options are: March event, WWDC, Oct-Nov event, March event next year, WWDC next year......
One can dream.Little dreamer, aren't you
I think people need to stop with the Jony Ive thing. He is still the main designer he just works from his own studio. The reason why he left Apple wasn't because he was bad etc. it was because he wanted to do more (which we saw in recent years from his side projects) than just design another iToy. Apple will still heavily rely on/use him so these comments are pointless. People somehow feel that Jony is the one at fault and now he is "gone" everything will get magically better. I think time will tell
Regardless of your list, its more wishful thinking than reality. Sure, some of it would be nice but iMac is a consumer product and it kinda needs to stay that way. iMac Pro cooling is good enough so not sure what more robust you mean?
December 2020 or January 2021 is another nonsense. Apple wouldn't release a product that late and certainly not 1 month after xmas. The only reason when this happens is when product is delayed or its not consumer one. Ie. it was fine for Mac Pro but iMac is a no go.
So, options are: March event, WWDC, Oct-Nov event, March event next year, WWDC next year......
TBH the iMac Pro with server parts substituted by enthusiast parts is a better fit for me.
I am looking at Compare Mac models now and the I/O of the iMac Pro is a good progression towards the future.
- Cascade Lake-X (14 nm) Core i9 with models spanning 10-18 cores and 20-36 treads would be nice.
- Support for up to 256GB DDR4-2933
- AMD's "Big Navi" GPU
- 8TB PCie SSD or Fusion Drive (256GB PCIe SSD + 2-8TB SATA SSD)
- 32" 6K Display
- Updated design inspired by the 2019 Mac Pro & Pro Display XDR.
- 1,000W power supply
- 1080p or 4K FaceTime camera
- Four USM 3 ports; Four Thunderbot 3 ports, 10Gb Ethernet, SD Express card slot
- Thermals of the iMac Pro
- User Upgradable RAM
- Base model with Core i7 & i9; 8GB of VRAM, 8GB of RAM& 512GB/1TB SSD
I really hope we get slimmer bezels and bigger screen. Better GPU would be great too. Cheaper SSDs would be welcomed also. User upgradable RAM is a must as I'm not paying Apple's ram prices.
Lets see if Apple delivers or screws us again. ;-)
Lets see if Apple delivers or screws us again. ;-)
One can dream.
TBH the iMac Pro with server parts substituted by enthusiast parts is a better fit for me.
I am looking at Compare Mac models now and the I/O of the iMac Pro is a good progression towards the future.
- Cascade Lake-X (14 nm) Core i9 with models spanning 10-18 cores and 20-36 treads would be nice.
- Support for up to 256GB DDR4-2933
- AMD's "Big Navi" GPU
- 8TB PCie SSD or Fusion Drive (256GB PCIe SSD + 2-8TB SATA SSD)
- 32" 6K Display
- Updated design inspired by the 2019 Mac Pro & Pro Display XDR.
- 1,000W power supply
- 1080p or 4K FaceTime camera
- Four USM 3 ports; Four Thunderbot 3 ports, 10Gb Ethernet, SD Express card slot
- Thermals of the iMac Pro
- User Upgradable RAM
- Base model with Core i7 & i9; 8GB of VRAM, 8GB of RAM& 512GB/1TB SSD
16:10 giving more screen area is factually correct. If you take two displays of identical size (20" for this test) the 16:10 one will have more area overall. From measurements, the 16:9 display has an area of 170.9 inches^2, and the 16:10 has 179.8 inches^2. Not a massive difference but the gains are there.
This also applies to 16:10 vs 3:2, 3:2 is larger. 4:3 is larger than 3:2, etc.
This also applies to 16:10 vs 3:2, 3:2 is larger. 4:3 is larger than 3:2, etc.
I feel stuck in a dilemma and I’m not sure exactly how things work when there’s a refresh compared to when there’s a regular update (I seem to remember people ordering say for example an MacBook Pro would get the newer version automatically when there was an update but I’m not sure and it has its ups and downs etc...) but maybe you guys could clarify and help me out here.
mom looking to order a new iMac and has kind of decided in the high end 27” iMac with upgraded storage to 512 GB. It would probably work just fine for me since I’m mostly getting it for audio work (hobby level) and as a replacement for my 20-5 MacBook Pro 15” (with 2.5 GHz and 16 GB of RAM).
Now here’s the thing.
I would have no problems waiting until a Mars event or even WWDC I’d some rumors started to come in and I liked what I read. But now to the dilemma.
a new iMac that has
- a larger display than 27”.
- base SSD storage or larger SSD for the price of the current 512” upgrade
- more ram as standard or a lot cheaper ram for upgrades.
- better thermals / upgraded ventilation
- two extra Thunderbolt ports (would be nice but I guess it’s the “lanes” I’m worried about I guess after reading some other people criticizing it)
- smaller bezels (really don’t care but could be nice)
What I don’t look forward to is the T2-chip though which several people has had issues with since the introduction with with their audio interfaces and it doesn’t seem to be any way to be sure you’re not affected. Before you buy your new Mac and Apple doesn’t seem to acknowledge this issue or mention/talk about a fix even which worries me. Not sure I’d be affected though...
The biggest cons I see possible with a new iMac is the T2-chip, maybe no upgradeable RAM and I really don’t feel like paying what Apple charges for it.
On the other hand, the biggest advantages I see possible is better thermals, larger screen comes with SSD instead of fusion drive, “newer better tech”...
Anyway I feel a bit stupid not just buying the machine there like work just fine for me and instead being a bit greedy but at the same time my MacBook Pro works quite fine now but it’s of course not as fast or stable as it was a year ago.
So my main question is, if there’s an update in let’s say March is there a way for me to actually decide between the current 2019 model and a new one?
I mean such as place an CTO-order 3 hours before the event and then, if the new one seems like a better choice, cancel and re-order the new iMac?
I could of course buy the current iMac use it and sell it whenever I feel like it and buy the new refreshed Mac whenever it comes out or maybe even buy the second iteration of the generation so it’s really not the biggest issue but it’s nagging my head so I’d appreciate any thought on how to make a CTO order go through after I know what the new iMac holds for us if there’s no rumors but a likely event for it.
mom looking to order a new iMac and has kind of decided in the high end 27” iMac with upgraded storage to 512 GB. It would probably work just fine for me since I’m mostly getting it for audio work (hobby level) and as a replacement for my 20-5 MacBook Pro 15” (with 2.5 GHz and 16 GB of RAM).
Now here’s the thing.
I would have no problems waiting until a Mars event or even WWDC I’d some rumors started to come in and I liked what I read. But now to the dilemma.
a new iMac that has
- a larger display than 27”.
- base SSD storage or larger SSD for the price of the current 512” upgrade
- more ram as standard or a lot cheaper ram for upgrades.
- better thermals / upgraded ventilation
- two extra Thunderbolt ports (would be nice but I guess it’s the “lanes” I’m worried about I guess after reading some other people criticizing it)
- smaller bezels (really don’t care but could be nice)
What I don’t look forward to is the T2-chip though which several people has had issues with since the introduction with with their audio interfaces and it doesn’t seem to be any way to be sure you’re not affected. Before you buy your new Mac and Apple doesn’t seem to acknowledge this issue or mention/talk about a fix even which worries me. Not sure I’d be affected though...
The biggest cons I see possible with a new iMac is the T2-chip, maybe no upgradeable RAM and I really don’t feel like paying what Apple charges for it.
On the other hand, the biggest advantages I see possible is better thermals, larger screen comes with SSD instead of fusion drive, “newer better tech”...
Anyway I feel a bit stupid not just buying the machine there like work just fine for me and instead being a bit greedy but at the same time my MacBook Pro works quite fine now but it’s of course not as fast or stable as it was a year ago.
So my main question is, if there’s an update in let’s say March is there a way for me to actually decide between the current 2019 model and a new one?
I mean such as place an CTO-order 3 hours before the event and then, if the new one seems like a better choice, cancel and re-order the new iMac?
I could of course buy the current iMac use it and sell it whenever I feel like it and buy the new refreshed Mac whenever it comes out or maybe even buy the second iteration of the generation so it’s really not the biggest issue but it’s nagging my head so I’d appreciate any thought on how to make a CTO order go through after I know what the new iMac holds for us if there’s no rumors but a likely event for it.
I’d love 3:2 (1:1 would be perfect for me), but think 16:10 more likely if Apple go taller as that is the ratio of the Mac laptops, and of the most recent non-16:9 iMac (the first 24” iMac was my first Mac (it was also the last of the white iMacs)).
The one thing I think Microsoft have got really right is the screen ratios of their Surface line (although not the resolutions or prices), especially on the Surface Studio, their iMac equivalent, which is 3:2.
The only way we're going to know if there is a new iMac form factor coming is when Apple starts production of the new case and that is leaked to Ming Chi Kuo by people working in the production facility.
Since there have been no leaks to date, a March reveal is not possible and if we don't hear leaks by the end of the month or so, I would say a WWDC reveal is also out. Which would leave an October reveal, and that would likely require a leak by around WWDC.
Since there have been no leaks to date, a March reveal is not possible and if we don't hear leaks by the end of the month or so, I would say a WWDC reveal is also out. Which would leave an October reveal, and that would likely require a leak by around WWDC.
My personal suggestion; wait for the announcement and if you don't like it, buy a used 2019 iMac. You'll get to choose from the cream of the crop - used apple gear with very little mileage on it always shows up right after a new product launch. I payed ~ 35% of MSRP for my used iMac and couldn't be happier
I guess you’re right but here in Sweden there’s not that many 27” iMacs from 2019 that circulate and you never know how the previous owner treated it with maybe lots of dust inside etc.
If I’m able to buy with student discount it also feels like it’s something I’d loose money from doing but hopefully not.
Very hard decision since I really don’t make that much money with my hobby (yet)
Though you’re probably right that this would be the best way to approach it generally especially if you live in the US!
I hope we see some rumours soon!
If I’m able to buy with student discount it also feels like it’s something I’d loose money from doing but hopefully not.
Very hard decision since I really don’t make that much money with my hobby (yet
)Though you’re probably right that this would be the best way to approach it generally especially if you live in the US!
I hope we see some rumours soon!
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Never said I'm from the US actuallyI guess you’re right but here in Sweden there’s not that many 27” iMacs from 2019 that circulate and you never know how the previous owner treated it with maybe lots of dust inside etc.
If I’m able to buy with student discount it also feels like it’s something I’d loose money from doing but hopefully not.
Very hard decision since I really don’t make that much money with my hobby (yet
Though you’re probably right that this would be the best way to approach it generally especially if you live in the US!
I hope we see some rumours soon!
With Apple gear it's quite simple to seperate the wheat from the chaff, even in a relatively small market. All it takes is just a few min with the iMac to confirm everything is in good condition, and you'll save substantially...in my case well north of $1k, IMO definitely worth the effort Ofc nothing wrong with buying new, if you're too finicky to deal with used product and are willing to pay full freight for the privilege.
Apple negotiating tactic with Intel.
Might be true, but the horrendous drivers with AMD 5XXX series GPUs in macOS Catalina (especially with METAL) certainly does not inspire any confidence for a potential first generation release product with AMD CPUs. Starting with a small form factor product like the MacMini (or even the elusive MacMiniPro) might be the easier entry point to test those waters.
This is false. Mac related leaks are less frequent as no one really cares that much. Thats why most of the leaks are focused on iPhones as they are important for cases makers etc.
You can see it from financial results each quarter.
Historically, Mac related leaks were on&off and we know now that if there are no leaks that doesn't automatically mean no refresh, update etc.
iPhone leaks on the other hand became almost certain reality these days.
So no, iMac March or WWDC is still possibility for now. I think WWDC latest would be out. March is 50:50, WWDC for me is 90% chance.
If not those than Oct/Nov event but that would need to be amazeballs redesign worth the wait.
You can see it from financial results each quarter.
Historically, Mac related leaks were on&off and we know now that if there are no leaks that doesn't automatically mean no refresh, update etc.
iPhone leaks on the other hand became almost certain reality these days.
So no, iMac March or WWDC is still possibility for now. I think WWDC latest would be out. March is 50:50, WWDC for me is 90% chance.
If not those than Oct/Nov event but that would need to be amazeballs redesign worth the wait.
Well "x64" is "x64" whether it runs on Intel or AMD hardware so there should be little to no impact moving architectures (outside of any specific Assembler code). And more powerful APUs (CPU+GPU) would be beneficial to models like the Mac Mini and 13" MacBook Pro / MacBook Air which currently depend on the iGPU of Intel's CPUs.
Monitor sizes should be reasonably easy to second guess. Just look at what LG has to offer. I'd have a look at Ultrawide monitors in a change of form factor if it weren't for the fact that these are generally non retina in dot pitch.
One possible panel could be used in the so-called 5k2k '21:9' LG 34" Ultrawide 34WK95U which is 5120x2160 Nano IPS display but this panel has been out for over a year now. It's less demanding to run than the classical 5k (being just a shorter 5k panel, which is 5120x2880).
It's roughly analogous in dot pitch to a full 4k 27" monitor and although HDR capable it isn't 10-bit. Could LG manufacture a version of this to meet Apple's needs? Is there a market for an Ultrawide iMac vs a smaller 4k panel?
Redesign decisions should take care of going full SSD with a good decent cooling solution. Being quiet should really be something that Apple continues to be aiming towards as a USP along with decent design, especially if so-called 'Pro Mode' explicitly mentions acceptable higher fan noise.
If you want extra Thunderbolt ports with full bandwidth then this would have to be an iMac Pro with Xeon and the panel would definitely have to be better quality.
I'd prefer there to be a classical 27" 5k iMac Pro with the full Xeon package and lower entry level while something like either an Ultrawide or a 24" 4k - fits in underneath.
Isn't there a 14 day return window with Apple? If you're hoping to luck out with a 'free' upgrade to the new model then that might happen. If not you can just return your purchase? Or cancel it before it gets made? You'd be out of luck if it was a new product or, perhaps, a new iMac Pro SKU.
Either way I think you have to order the day before an event because the Apple Store tends to go down early on the day.
My thoughts on the day are simply that the Ice Lake CPUs will offer more threads for no additional cost - bringing back multi-threading. If your workload is heavily multi threaded then it'd be worth waiting for.
GPUs will obviously get an update, with the Navi-based 5x00 series to the fore - you'd hope lingering driver issues get sorted out sooner rather than later.
Timescale? Let's bear in mind that October will see Catalina's successor launch.
March would be highly aggressive to get product out as Intel may not have released Ice Lake product yet. The NAB show would be full of Mac Pros - I can't see Threadripper being used as it could embarrass the Mac Pro which has only just been released.
WWDC in June would only be acceptable if there was a genuinely new and different product to introduce - eg an Ultrawide iMac. We might see clues in Catalina beta leaks.
October is most likely for me. Proper event to launch product with the post-Catalina OS. Looks like they need the time to fix Catalina's driver issues.
Switching to AMD would have to be done en masse otherwise Apple could have products that out bench other more expensive products. And the Mac Pro is already out at the top of the Apple pile. I'm not sure how wise it would be for a common or garden iMac to look far better value than a Mac Pro.
AMD's mobile products, while much better than previous attempts, still lags far behind Intel Ice Lake mobile - and the key battery life metric is easily won by Ice Lake mobile CPUs.
Go to the desktop side of things and Intel generally appears to be better in single core while AMD obviously corners the multicore metrics. Overclocking is irrelevant for Apple and Intel generally seems to be more efficient (read, more performance per watt) while AMD are catching them quickly.
Ability for AMD to deliver in quantities that Apple demands is key and Intel can afford to cut Apple a great deal for as many CPUs as they want (once they go on sale), and I wonder if Intel are already offering Apple an exclusivity clause to keep AMD CPUs out of the supply chain - that Catalina 'leak' for me says it's negotiation time. Imagine the marketing splash that AMD would get if Apple were to use ANY of its CPUs?
CPU's are easy to drive compared to GPU's, and Ryzen is hardly "first generation" any more. Hardware aside, substituting Ryzen for Intel isn't quite a drop-in, but it's darn close.