iMac Redesign for 2018?

[c0ppo]

I don't think a developer, photographer or a writer needs a band new Mac Pro every three years.

Writers don't. They don't need Mac Pro at all.
But some photographers do. And a lot of developers do as well. Like me for example. Developing 3D games, from simple mobile games, to some way more demanding is possible even on MBP. But not great.

And VR is coming, as is VR gaming. And if it takes off (and it probably will), some developers will need to upgrade even faster then video creators.

And anyone who makes money out of their computer is a pro. And that means writers as well. It doesn't matter if they are journalists, bloggers, or fricking GRR Martin (and before fans kick in, I know what he uses to write GoT)

 

[mreg376]

And anyone who makes money out of their computer is a pro. And that means writers as well. It doesn't matter if they are journalists, bloggers, or fricking GRR Martin (and before fans kick in, I know what he uses to write GoT)

I agree. This part of this thread came about because someone posted implying that a company employee, in a company that supposedly buys a new iMac Pro for their employees every three years, is a "pro." I disagreed, saying basically that if you're on a salary you ain't working as a professional.

 

[xgman]

Honestly I don't think Apple has really thought this out very well. Seem more like an appeasement than a product marketing strategy. Anyway I think it is wise not to get our hopes up for June at least.

 

[EightyTwenty]

Apple uses the word “pro” as a marketing term. Full stop. You guys are looking way too deeply into it. It means nothing.

 

[ThisBougieLife]

Honestly, if there's not a significant change to the iMac this year (and we're probably looking at October here), I might go for a Windows desktop. I think the iPhone is the best phone, the iPad the best tablet, and (arguably) the MacBook the best laptop (it certainly has been in the past and it's the only laptop I'd consider, even with the flaws). But I wouldn't say the iMac is the best desktop. I think it's very good, but I'd love to see some changes, like adjustable height, smaller bezels, more upgradeability, less reflective display, backlit keyboard option, better mouse, return of optical audio...I know some of that's just a pipe dream.

 

[redheeler]

Honestly, if there's not a significant change to the iMac this year (and we're probably looking at October here), I might go for a Windows desktop. I think the iPhone is the best phone, the iPad the best tablet, and (arguably) the MacBook the best laptop (it certainly has been in the past and it's the only laptop I'd consider, even with the flaws). But I wouldn't say the iMac is the best desktop. I think it's very good, but I'd love to see some changes, like adjustable height, smaller bezels, more upgradeability, backlit keyboard option, better mouse, return of optical audio...I know some of that's just a pipe dream.

The iMac is still the best desktop all-in-one (in my opinion), though that's a different product category from standalone desktops like the Mac Pro.

 

[Glmnet1]

The iMac is still the best desktop all-in-one (in my opinion), though that's a different product category from standalone desktops like the Mac Pro.

Well since Apple doesn't currently offer a decent standalone desktop I'd argue that the iMac has to compete with both the AIO and the desktops/monitors available.

 

[redheeler]

Well since Apple doesn't currently offer a decent standalone desktop I'd argue that the iMac has to compete with both the AIO and the desktops/monitors available.

There is often some cross-competition from products in different categories, for example phablets (large-screen smartphones) that steal sales away from tablets. But the iMac's primary competition is still other all-in-one desktops, just as the iPad's primary competition is still other tablets.

I agree that in the standalone desktop category (Mac Pro / Mac mini), Apple has fallen way behind the competition due to neglect of those two products, and is trying to position the iMac as replacement for certain users that would be ok with switching to an all-in-one desktop.

 

[geromi912]

because apple are the only company who are making a profit from selling phones, everyone else is either breaking even or at a loss. still, would be nice if they gave a little back, rather than jack the price up to thousand bucks.
[doublepost=1527681972][/doublepost]

Pro is not being mis-used. a xeon cpu, ecc ram and raid ssd is not 'just more powerful' it's true workstation class hardware.

They still don't know what a Pro GPU is though. An underclocked gaming radeon with a fake "Radeon Pro" badge for a ridiculous upgrade cost (more than a PCIe RX vega 64 MSRP) is not Pro. Pro is real Radeon Pro WX9100 or better yet, Quadros with ECC video memory and certified drivers.

 

[craigrusse11]

They still don't know what a Pro GPU is though. An underclocked gaming radeon with a fake "Radeon Pro" badge for a ridiculous upgrade cost (more than a PCIe RX vega 64 MSRP) is not Pro. Pro is real Radeon Pro WX9100 or better yet, Quadros with ECC video memory and certified drivers.

They won't go nVidia because they are still mad at them for all the failed GPUs from nearly 10 years ago that cost a fortune in warranty claims. The story went that the chips used had defective materials which nVidia might have know about but kept quite and rode it out till the next GPU generation to fix. It was all a bit tit for tat during the whole saga but Google it for details.

 

[geromi912]

Apple uses the word “pro” as a marketing term. Full stop. You guys are looking way too deeply into it. It means nothing.

Lol exactly. There's literally not a single "pro" component in the MBP. Look at real mobile workstations with Xeon M and Mobility quadros.

They won't go nVidia because they are still mad at them for all the failed GPUs from nearly 10 years ago that cost a fortune in warranty claims. The story went that the chips used had defective materials which nVidia might have know about but kept quite and rode it out till the next GPU generation to fix. It was all a bit tit for tat during the whole saga but Google it for details.

i believe it was the 8600 GT from 10 years old. But in 2012 and 2013 they still used Kepler cards so I believe the real reason is they can bully Advanced Microwave Device into supplying Apple with their toaster processing units at way below normal price.

 

[JustMartin]

I agree. This part of this thread came about because someone posted implying that a company employee, in a company that supposedly buys a new iMac Pro for their employees every three years, is a "pro." I disagreed, saying basically that if you're on a salary you ain't working as a professional.

That is a definition of ‘professional’ that I have not heard before.

 

[mreg376]

That is a definition of ‘professional’ that I have not heard before.

Live and learn.

 

[iPadified]

because apple are the only company who are making a profit from selling phones, everyone else is either breaking even or at a loss. still, would be nice if they gave a little back, rather than jack the price up to thousand bucks.
[doublepost=1527681972][/doublepost]

Pro is not being mis-used. a xeon cpu, ecc ram and raid ssd is not 'just more powerful' it's true workstation class hardware.

“Pro” is an inflamed word without meaning for the discussion about computers. Power, redundancy, compute reliability, costs etc are much better metric for the discussion than “Pro” work. Discuss the suitablility of a computer based on specific tasks and workload.

I my world a computer making less compute errors due to ECC and quicker storage access is more powerful that a computer making error and have slow access to storage. The “workstation” word is also old school thinking:it is quite popular to use GTX cards (gamer cards) for professional work relying on CUDA instead of the much more expensive quadro cards becuase the GTX cards do the job sufficiently well. In these cases a “gamer computer” may be a better suited “workstation” than some tradition workstation computer like HP Z. The majority of work is furthermore done using intels consumer processors (iX) and not xeons.

Large clustering of tasks around “Pro” with some underlying implied arrogance and superiority is not helping the debate, it only makes the debate confusing and emotionally charged.

 

[_Refurbished_]

Apple using the word “pro” simply implies that you’re buying the fastest type of computer possible for that specific form factor.

A 13” MacBook Pro gets about 8000 CPU on Geekbench.
The base iMac (non pro) gets about 13,000 CPU on Geekbench.

If pro meant “capable of professional work”, then Apple would classify a base iMac as a pro machine, since it’s faster than one of their pro laptops.

We can discuss what a professional “is” and what type of work they do, but in the case with Apple, it’s simply a marketing term for “fastest specs available” for that specific form factor. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[iPadified]

Do agree about Apple use of "Pro" and it does not bother me. If the computer had correct specification for a given task I would not mind it was labelled "Amateur".

 

[geromi912]

Apple using the word “pro” simply implies that you’re buying the fastest type of computer possible for a specific form factor.

A 13” MacBook Pro gets about 8000 CPU on Geekbench.
The base iMac (non pro) gets about 13,000 CPU on Geekbench.

If pro meant “capable of professional work”, then Apple would classify a base iMac as a pro machine, since it’s faster than one of their pro laptops.

We can discuss what a professional “is” and what type of work they do, but in the case with Apple, it’s simply a marketing term for “fastest specs available” for a specific firm factor. Nothing more, nothing less.

Did you just compare a laptop to a desktop?

 

[_Refurbished_]

Did you just compare a laptop to a desktop?

No.

 

[craigrusse11]

26 pages, 643 posts and 90,000 views... lets hope there is a iMac redesign after all that.

 

[mreg376]

There will be, but what year...?

 

[Glmnet1]

There will be, but what year...?

Unless the demand for consumer Mac desktops just isn't there and the iMac is discontinued before any redesign

 

[294307]

Apple using the word “pro” simply implies that you’re buying the fastest type of computer possible for a specific form factor.

A 13” MacBook Pro gets about 8000 CPU on Geekbench.
The base iMac (non pro) gets about 13,000 CPU on Geekbench.

If pro meant “capable of professional work”, then Apple would classify a base iMac as a pro machine, since it’s faster than one of their pro laptops.

We can discuss what a professional “is” and what type of work they do, but in the case with Apple, it’s simply a marketing term for “fastest specs available” for a specific firm factor. Nothing more, nothing less.

Did you just compare a laptop to a desktop?

To be honest a lot of people buy the MacBook Pro to use exclusively with an external monitor. Many workplaces will only buy notebooks, not desktop computers. However, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is only available in dual-core configurations so it is bound to be slower than an iMac with quad-core desktop processors.

That's not to say it is noticeably slower for most users – bear in mind, iMac models come with either a 1 TB 5400-rpm mechanical drive or a 1 TB or 2 TB Fusion Drive which are all slower than the fast SSDs that Apple uses in the MacBook Pro line (and the 1 TB Fusion Drive has a smaller 32 GB SSD). You do get a faster processor with an iMac, but you'll be trading that for a slower internal drive unless you build to order an iMac configuration with an SSD, something that can get quite costly very quickly.

 

[Glmnet1]

That's not to say it is noticeably slow for most users – bear in mind, iMac models come with either a 1 TB 5400-rpm mechanical drive or a 1 TB or 2 TB Fusion Drive which are all slower than the fast SSDs that Apple uses in the MacBook Pro line (and the 1 TB Fusion Drive has a smaller 32 GB SSD). You do get a faster processor with an iMac, but you'll be trading that for a slower internal drive unless you build to order an iMac configuration with an SSD, something that can get quite costly very quickly.

Yep, I'm not sure what their strategy is but if I was them I'd try to offer a similar/better experience on the desktops to consumers, even those not tech savvy enough to buy the base models. Currently a MB/MBA/MBP owner who tries an iMac in store probably sees no reason to buy a desktop because the experience is much better on their current device, except for the screen obviously. They're more likely to buy a 3rd party monitor instead.

 

[_Refurbished_]

To be honest a lot of people buy the MacBook Pro to use exclusively with an external monitor. Many workplaces will only buy notebooks, not desktop computers. However, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is only available in dual-core configurations so it is bound to be slower than an iMac with quad-core desktop processors.

That's not to say it is noticeably slower for most users – bear in mind, iMac models come with either a 1 TB 5400-rpm mechanical drive or a 1 TB or 2 TB Fusion Drive which are all slower than the fast SSDs that Apple uses in the MacBook Pro line (and the 1 TB Fusion Drive has a smaller 32 GB SSD). You do get a faster processor with an iMac, but you'll be trading that for a slower internal drive unless you build to order an iMac configuration with an SSD, something that can get quite costly very quickly.

Not comparing the two computers. Reread the post. The benchmarks are shown as an example of Apple’s “pro” lineup vs their “non-pro” lineup and how a more capable computer for professionals is not called “pro”. It’s reaffirming that it’s a marketing term and doesn’t really mean anything.

If you say “server class” components, that means something. Those are components designed for servers. “Pro” doesn’t mean anything, it just means it’s their top of the line equipment for that segment.

On a side note, many people run their OS off of an external SSD and use the included storage as just storage. Cheaper than buying an external display with a MacBook.

 

[craigrusse11]

Not comparing the two computers. Reread the post. The benchmarks are shown as an example of Apple’s “pro” lineup vs their “non-pro” lineup and how a more capable computer for professionals is not called “pro”. It’s reaffirming that it’s a marketing term and doesn’t really mean anything.

If you say “server class” components, that means something. Those are components designed for servers. “Pro” doesn’t mean anything, it just means it’s their top of the line equipment for that segment.

On a side note, many people run their OS off of an external SSD and use the included storage as just storage. Cheaper than buyinng a display.

Your still not comparing apples to apples though.. a pro laptop will have a hard time trying to be the same as a good non pro desktop in performance. Especially when the laptop is as thin as the MacBook Pro.