No they aren’t ridiculous. Form factor changes happen about twice a decade. Or even less in the case of the iMac.
Your point here is your opinion but one that many would disagree with.
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iMac Redesign for 2018?
- Thread starter Solo2392
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Your point here is your opinion but one that many would disagree with.
I think it’s a bit unfair and unrealistic to make assertions about how people should and shouldn’t feel. The reality, rightly or wrongly, is that people will feel resentful if they spent $5-14k on a high-end computer and then the manufacturer launches one with a much more modern design shortly afterwards. It’s just human nature. I remember when the 2012 iMac was launched with the current (but then new) thin chassis design - the presenter (I think it was Phil Schiller but I don’t completely recall) showed a profile of the old and new models side by side and said something along the lines of “Isn’t it amazing how the new model suddenly makes the old one look so old fashioned?” and he was absolutely right (and I had the previous model at that time!). If Apple launches a new iMac design then the iMac Pro will immediately go from being beautiful to being old fashioned, and the people that just spent thousands of dollars on it are going to be pissed for their pride and joy to be rendered old fashioned. And like I said, at a time when ‘pro’ users already feel like Apple doesn’t care about them, I’m not sure that Apple would risk that.
And again, it’s just not realistic to expect people not to be bothered because the Pro has Xeon etc. They will be bothered.
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There is no shortage of evidence to the contrary. Every time there is a product refresh these very forums are flooded with posts from disappointed or angry people that just bought the previous model and want to know if they can get a replacement. Nobody want to feel like a sucker.
The thing that concerns me is that it will be easy for Apple to repeat the iMac Pro design across the rest of the 27" iMac range at a time of their choosing. This means better cooling solution for more powerful GPU or a quieter experience for longer but also means the end of the RAM access door - the last user upgradable thing short of a Mac Pro.
The 2018 iMac is expected to add Coffee Lake 6 core CPUs with only a minor GPU bump to AMD 500X series. If Apple wanted to add a serious AMD GPU to the regular iMac as an option (the Vega 56 for example) we're looking at potentially adapting the iMac Pro cooling system which also means more expensive Apple RAM options.
Im hoping for no redesign, actually. I guarantee that with any redesign that the ability to upgrade ram will disappear. And the iMac is already a gorgeous piece of design. Maybe the bezels could be a bit slimmer, but I would rather have ram expandibility than smaller bezels.
I think you overestimate the vanity of the professionals who spend the kind of money the iMac Pro costs for their rig.
How much you wanna bet that majority of the purchasers aren’t even so called pros but prosumers?
I suspect very, very few.How much you wanna bet that majority of the purchasers aren’t even so called pros but prosumers?
I doubt it will be cooler than the iMac Pro since the Pro uses a dual fan system and a redesign will most likely not incorporate this.
Now if your talking about iMac Pro users upset because aesthetically a new iMac is slimmer than no, I don't see how someone who spent $5-14k on a workstation grade all-in-one that needs to do serious heavy work would get jealous of a slimmer all-in-one with non-workstation grade parts.
I meant cool as in “That looks cool!”, not temperature
Not slimmer necessarily, just different or more modern. A new design can immediately make the current design look outdated, and as I and others have said, you probably underestimate how much the users of these “workstation grade” machines care about that.
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Well there are plenty of threads here where people ask about buying them for gaming.How much you wanna bet that majority of the purchasers aren’t even so called pros but prosumers?
Seems like the 580X is exactly the same card as the 580. As an AMD spokesperson put it: The X variant comes with the newest driver software. Woohoo. So it will be a CPU only-upgrade, I guess without much fanfare. But hey, 2 more cores for the same money!
Well if we look at Apple's track record of every single computer they have been tracking towards slimmer, less ports, less upgrade-able across the board. If Apple somehow comes out with a more modern design with better cooling and on top of this with 10 core i9 chips then yes I'd imagine people would be mad. The more likely scenario is the new computer won't have the raw horsepower or cooling to match people who need Xeons and Vegas. For all we know the iMac Pro is a one off until a modular Mac Pro comes out.
I think that notion will barely get a second thought once any company has something new that they want to sell. There is always a new and improved model right around the corner. cars, tv's computers, phones, everything. Why should Apple be any different. In fact iphone x and iphone 8 co-exist quite nicely.
All true. And yet I nevertheless still believe that iMac Pro owners will be mad if Apple launches a redesigned iMac.
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You’re suggesting that Apple would launch a product just because they want to sell it, without considering the impact it will have on customer perception?!? Apple is extremely careful about the perception of their products and their brand, and very deliberate in their product planning. That’s standard product management, which Apple is evidently rather successful at. I’d also argue that Apple is particular sensitive about angering their ‘pro’ user base and wants to win them back - evidenced by the fact that they have been more open about forthcoming products for that segment than at any other time in recent history (at least).
The iPhone X and iPhone 8 co-exist quite happily but are obviously and deliberately differentiated. Two products, one more premium than the other. Would it have made sense for Apple to launch the premium iPhone X and then a few months later launch a standard iPhone product with a better design than the X? Of course not - the standard product has an inferior design to the premium product, intentionally so.
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Most doing serious work that depends on the computer for income won't care unless the new iMac is faster in their current workflow.
If you're someone who plunked down 5 grand to bootcamp Windows and game then yes you may not like it but then again the iMac Pro wasn't aimed at you to begin with and you made a poor choice.
Regardless any 'anger' will be peanuts compared to the anger that goes on all the time with products. You remember the anger when the cheese-grater iMac went away or when Apple destroyed Final Cut Pro and released an lacking FCPX which was a joke on Conen O'Brien?
Or Apple removed the headphone jacks our of their iPhones....etc. The amount of bad PR from a limited amount of users would be peanuts for a trillion dollar company.
I've notice the same issues as well with other PC all-in-ones like the Studio Surface especially with the terrible drive options that are hybrid only. I was posted in another thread if you wanted a Windows all-in-one you almost would be better off bootcamping Windows on the iMac.
Unlikely to get a redesign and a CPU only upgrade. Apple really has a terrible Mac lineup at the moment. I'd love an iMac (2014 MBP getting on a bit), but with an ancient design and terrible thermal performance, it's hard to get excited. I'm going to build a PC rig for gaming, and want an average specced Mac as my non-gaming machine but I don't need a laptop, so there is nothing Apple sells that suits that. Mac Mini Pro please.
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I feel you. I‘m on the same boat as you, but then again: Maybe it‘ll be a small update that warrants no iMac event.
Or maybe there‘ll be a huge update in Oct or so.
- 50 % more CPU! (thanks Coffee Lake)
- 25 % more GPU! (a man can dream)
- redesigned cooling system (making above possible)
- even faster flash storage, 256 GB as standard (same price as the Fusion drive)
- Face ID included
- newest Wi-Fi standard
- Thunderbolt 4
- available in Space Grey and rose gold
Such things would quickly add up, without a grand aesthetics redesign. Internally, I guess no one would be opposed to a better cooling system or Face ID in the iMac. Let‘s wait for WWDC, and then some more
I mean, it‘s the 20th birthday of iMac - something‘s up for us![doublepost=1525935007][/doublepost]
I‘d sign that statement in a heartbeat. Tried some AIOs from HP and Dell over the years - nothing comes close to the overall build quality of iMac. Superb screen, no creakiness, no wobbliness, and boy, is it quiet.
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I have to disagree, I seem to run into nagging issues with windows and the iMac that my windows machines never run into. Whether its waiting for Apple's drivers or issues installing the latest update or just having issues because of apple hardware quirks.
Heh thats why I said almost because as you pointed out drivers can be hit or miss. Apple hardware is really good plus the resale value is amazing and doesn't hurt you also have MacOS as an option.
Agree with everything, particularly the first 4 points. Now that the iMac Pro has Vega 56/64 cards, the iMac will likely stick to getting average to poor GPUs for the next year or two as AMD's next-gen GPUs are a while off.
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The only assumption we will get a redesign is because its the iMac's Anniversary. However with sparse rumours, or part leaks it is possible Apple may do some little design tweaks (like a space grey anniversary edition) with some hardware improvements.
I believe (hope?) Apple's efforts to reduce leaks is working. Else there wouldn't be much to discuss at WWDC. They said iOS and macOS would receive mostly performance and stability updates for a while and there isn't a single leak for new products. So either they are being very secretive or it'll be a very boring keynote!