iMac Redesign for 2018?

[skaertus]

All I read from that is that the iMac is for people that can't figure out how to plug a monitor into a computer.

Seriously, they could just release the monitor as a Cinema display and give people the option of what module they want to run with, be it a Mac Mini or a Mac Pro... or even just an Apple TV.

Then I am afraid you did not read it right.

What I said is that I live in a country where people have no idea of what a resolution beyond Full HD is, since nearly all monitors are low end. I had difficulty finding a DisplayPort cable for sale, because they are generally not available. I could find cheap DisplayPort cables which were capable only of 1920x1200 resolutions, and HDMI/DisplayPort cables which can display only 1920x1200. I knew exactly what I was looking for, and what I needed, I just could not find it. And I live in São Paulo, which is a large city.

Also, I am a very busy guy, and I have no time to spend looking for computer parts. I have work to do.

An all-in-one may be a given in some situations. Imagine you live in the countryside in the rural area of a poor country, where you just cannot find all the computer parts you could easily order on BestBuy. Suppose you could find the Mac mini or the Mac Pro but not the Cinema Display... or the other way around. You would just love the possibility of buying an all-in-one and having nothing else to worry about.

 

[Hater]

Then I am afraid you did not read it right.

What I said is that I live in a country where people have no idea of what a resolution beyond Full HD is, since nearly all monitors are low end. I had difficulty finding a DisplayPort cable for sale, because they are generally not available. I could find cheap DisplayPort cables which were capable only of 1920x1200 resolutions, and HDMI/DisplayPort cables which can display only 1920x1200. I knew exactly what I was looking for, and what I needed, I just could not find it. And I live in São Paulo, which is a large city.

Also, I am a very busy guy, and I have no time to spend looking for computer parts. I have work to do.

An all-in-one may be a given in some situations. Imagine you live in the countryside in the rural area of a poor country, where you just cannot find all the computer parts you could easily order on BestBuy. Suppose you could find the Mac mini or the Mac Pro but not the Cinema Display... or the other way around. You would just love the possibility of buying an all-in-one and having nothing else to worry about.

Enough time to post on here, though.

You live in São Paulo. 12 million people.

apple.com/br/

Order your Mac, the Cinema Display and everything else you need, delivered to your door.

Job done.

 

[cynics]

All I want changed in the current iMac is Target Display Mode to come back. I don't know whether it is Apple or Intel holding this up, but I'd like to see the issues that prevent it resolved. Otherwise it's a waste of a 5K display when you use both an iMac and MacBook Pro.

At this point its Apple. However even with TB3 (TB2 was a bandwidth limitation in earlier 5k iMacs) more hardware changes are apparently required. I assume they feel the cost outweighs the reward.

 

[skaertus]

Enough time to post on here, though.

You live in São Paulo. 12 million people.

apple.com/br/

Order your Mac, the Cinema Display and everything else you need, delivered to your door.

Job done.

12 million people but you would be surprised.

There are no IPS monitors with 4k and above resolutions for sale here in São Paulo. Not even online. They are available via the Dell website, and they are imported from the US and take about one month to come. The only ones that are available are TN 4k panels (and TVs, of course).

Monitors with a 2560x1440 resolution are also very hard to find and usually can only be ordered online. Not available in most stores.

This is because electronics here are really expensive.

I could buy the Mac via the Apple website... expect that I am not paying some USD 6,000 for the lowest end Mac Pro, especially being outdated as it is (that is what it costs here in Brazil). And there is no monitor (from any brand) for sale at the Brazilian Apple store.

Even if Apple offered these products at a reasonable price (and provided it offered updated Mac desktops and monitors), they would have to be available here in Brazil. And the cable necessary to connect the Mac to the display would have to be available as well (while an HDMI cable could connect a 2560x1440 monitor, I guess it would not be so easy to connect a 5120x2880 monitor).

 

[jmpage2]

12 million people but you would be surprised.

There are no IPS monitors with 4k and above resolutions for sale here in São Paulo. Not even online. They are available via the Dell website, and they are imported from the US and take about one month to come. The only ones that are available are TN 4k panels (and TVs, of course).

Monitors with a 2560x1440 resolution are also very hard to find and usually can only be ordered online. Not available in most stores.

This is because electronics here are really expensive.

I could buy the Mac via the Apple website... expect that I am not paying some USD 6,000 for the lowest end Mac Pro, especially being outdated as it is (that is what it costs here in Brazil). And there is no monitor (from any brand) for sale at the Brazilian Apple store.

Even if Apple offered these products at a reasonable price (and provided it offered updated Mac desktops and monitors), they would have to be available here in Brazil. And the cable necessary to connect the Mac to the display would have to be available as well (while an HDMI cable could connect a 2560x1440 monitor, I guess it would not be so easy to connect a 5120x2880 monitor).

I imagine a good part of the reason you are having the problems you describe is Brazil's insane 100% tariff on foreign manufactured electronic goods.

 

[skaertus]

I imagine a good part of the reason you are having the problems you describe is Brazil's insane 100% tariff on foreign manufactured electronic goods.

Yes, the main reason are the incredibly high taxes in Brazil, which Steve Jobs once called “crazy”.

They are not 100%, though. There is a 60% import taxes over electronics, plus 18% VAT over the final price (i.e. tax over tax), plus other social contribution taxes around 10%, plus tax over the exchange rate which is 6%. All of this over price plus freight. And there are customs duties and more expenses. Usually, but not always, the total amount of taxes exceed 100%.

 

[jmpage2]

Yes, the main reason are the incredibly high taxes in Brazil, which Steve Jobs once called “crazy”.

They are not 100%, though. There is a 60% import taxes over electronics, plus 18% VAT over the final price (i.e. tax over tax), plus other social contribution taxes around 10%, plus tax over the exchange rate which is 6%. All of this over price plus freight. And there are customs duties and more expenses. Usually, but not always, the total amount of taxes exceed 100%.

Yeah, well, good luck with that.

 

[skaertus]

Yeah, well, good luck with that.

Well, thanks. If you thought the iMac Pro for USD 5,000 is expensive, just remind that the standard high-end iMac (no custom parts, not maxed out) in Brazil already costs more than that, and it has only an i5 processor, 8 GB RAM and a Fusion drive...

 

[jmpage2]

Well, thanks. If you thought the iMac Pro for USD 5,000 is expensive, just remind that the standard high-end iMac (no custom parts, not maxed out) in Brazil already costs more than that, and it has only an i5 processor, 8 GB RAM and a Fusion drive...

I know Brazil is crazy expensive because my company has pulled most of our operations out. Every time we needed to send some PCs or phones or other stuff to Brazil for a project the costs were astronomical.

It seems that Brazil politicians thought that the tariffs would force companies to build all the products there, but all it has done is hurt business and forced companies, like mine, to move operations to other countries where they are not so anti-business.

 

[Precursor]

They are not 100%, though. There is a 60% import taxes over electronics, plus 18% VAT over the final price (i.e. tax over tax), plus other social contribution taxes around 10%, plus tax over the exchange rate which is 6%. All of this over price plus freight. And there are customs duties and more expenses. Usually, but not always, the total amount of taxes exceed 100%.

Same in Turkey, though not only on electronics, on everything.

 

[MacGizmo]

I really don’t need an all-in-one computer exclusively for home use that is not modular and hasn’t any significant difference in processing power than what we can currently get in a MBP with an external monitor or two attached. Most people don’t and there just isn’t enough market demand out there as incentive for Apple to produce one. What they should do is just shut down the iMac completely and, if anything, just offer a less capable, less capable version of the Mac Pro to fill the gap that is left.

It's so easy to throw out every aspect of reality and pontificate on things we know nothing about, isn't it?!

 

[jon08]

Is there any news regarding the iMac redesign in 2018?

I'm really on the fence now regarding the purchase of iMac 2017.

I have a late-2011 MBP, which still works fine but I already had the motherboard and battery replaced once while it was still under Apple Care. Now way past Apple Care warranty, and with these 2011 MBPs known for their faulty GPUs it's pretty much a gamble whether it would last me another month or another couple of years.

So I've been considering selling the MBP now that I can still get some bucks for it and buying the 2017 iMac, as my MBP is hooked to an external monitor 95% of the time anyway. And besides, I'd like to do some occasional gaming too, for which even the newer MBPs are inferior (and surely more expensive) compared to iMac.

BUT: one thing that bothers me slightly about the iMac is its somewhat outdated thick bezel.... so here's the huge dilemma:

1. Should I stick with my 6-yr-old MBP and wait for another 8-12 months for a POSSIBLY redesigned iMac with a thinner bezel, while also risking a potential GPU failure in my MBP in the meantime and thus disabling me from selling it at all?

2. Even if they really released a redesigned iMac a year from now, it's again a risk buying a redesigned 1st gen Apple product, as it has proven so many times that there were some hardware problems with 1st gen products, which Apple then fixed in the next cycle?

What are your thoughts?

 

[gian8989]

Is there any news regarding the iMac redesign in 2018?

1. Should I stick with my 6-yr-old MBP and wait for another 8-12 months for a POSSIBLY redesigned iMac with a thinner bezel, while also risking a potential GPU failure in my MBP in the meantime and thus disabling me from selling it at all?

What are your thoughts?

There won't be a redesign of the iMac because they will release the iMac Pro in December with the same bezels. The only possible difference could be the adoption of the new cooling system of the iMac Pro with 2 fans instead of one.
Other than this, as always new cpu (probably 6core) and new gpu (the 2017 gpu is good enough).

 

[Dave245]

There won't be a redesign of the iMac because they will release the iMac Pro in December with the same bezels. The only possible difference could be the adoption of the new cooling system of the iMac Pro with 2 fans instead of one.
Other than this, as always new cpu (probably 6core) and new gpu (the 2017 gpu is good enough).

I'm not so sure about that, the iMac Pro while it is still an iMac isn't aimed at the average consumer and so Apple COULD update the design of the iMac for 2018 on the consumer side.

 

[Glmnet1]

I'm not so sure about that, the iMac Pro while it is still an iMac isn't aimed at the average consumer and so Apple COULD update the design of the iMac for 2018 on the consumer side.

But then I'm afraid the iMac become would become like the MacBook, a super-thin low performance machine but still quite expensive.

 

[theluggage]

Should I stick with my 6-yr-old MBP and wait for another 8-12 months for a POSSIBLY redesigned iMac with a thinner bezel, while also risking a potential GPU failure in my MBP in the meantime and thus disabling me from selling it at all?

I bought a 2017 iMac this summer. Like you, I have a 2011 MBP that is pretty capable but will be landfill the next time the GPU fails (that said, the first one lasted for 4 years - and I'm still using daily).

If a new iMac comes out next year with the new 6-core processors and significantly better graphics, I'll be mildly miffed - I could always wait a few months for any teething troubles to resolve and then sell the year-old 2017 for a reasonable price and account for the depreciation as the cost of 12 months happy computing on a machine that was a significant step up from the 2011 MBP.

If, however, a new model comes out with no bezel or chin (with the likely corollaries of no upgradeable RAM, no USB-A ports, ethernet or SD-card slots) then maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to contain my miffed-ness. Hey, I could always get a can of space-grey paint and tell people that my 2017 was reallyan iMac Pro...

Seriously: always remember that nobody on this forum ever knows what Apple is going to do - this thread has perfectly plausible arguments for why they might launch new iMacs in 2018 and equally plausible arguments for why they might not.

Personally I don't think they'll launch new iMacs so close to the iMac Pro - or if they do, they'll be "dumbed down" in some ways to leave a clear goal for the iMac Pro (although a 6-core, 65W i5 might be the acceptable face of dumbing down) but that's just speculation.

The first thing you have to ask is "what are the consequences of my MBP dying and me being computer-less for a week" - which could be anything from "darn, the tomatoes on my virtual farm will spoil" to "I'll miss important work deadlines and get fired". If reality tends towards the latter, you need a new computer.

After that, the advice is the same as always: if you need a new computer now, buy one now - if not, wait. Otherwise, after the WWDC Keynote in 2018 you'll be in one of two places:

(a) Tim has just announced new watch bands, and you're now stuck again wondering whether to buy a 2017 iMac or maybe they'll be new iMacs in December 2018

(b) Tim has just announced shiny new iMacs but Intel have announced Thunderbolt 4, AMD's next GPU will be rumoured to include full holography support and Apple will have filed patents for DNA-based login, gravitational wave detection and a magnetic levitated screen.

 

[jmpage2]

I broke down this week and bought a custom configuration 5K iMac from the Apple store refurbished.

It has the i7 CPU and 512SSD.

I’m on the fence about it. I love the screen but it sounds like a hair dryer when encoding video which I do a lot. My late 2012 rarely got louder than a whisper, even when doing hours of video encodes.

 

[Dave245]

But then I'm afraid the iMac become would become like the MacBook, a super-thin low performance machine but still quite expensive.

It would depend on which iMac model, for example the iMac Pro isn't aimed at the average consumer it's a professional machine, the iMac 21.5" isn't aimed at the professional it's more of a consumer machine that people would have at home as their desktop, some people might also have the 27" as their desktop at home, i do as i love the screen size so i own the 2012 iMac 27". The 2017 version is more powerful and can be used in the office and so on (it can handle VR for example) so it all depends, just because there is one name (iMac) doesn't mean that there aren't different versions aimed at different people.

 

[gian8989]

I broke down this week and bought a custom configuration 5K iMac from the Apple store refurbished.

It has the i7 CPU and 512SSD.

I’m on the fence about it. I love the screen but it sounds like a hair dryer when encoding video which I do a lot. My late 2012 rarely got louder than a whisper, even when doing hours of video encodes.

If you hate the sound and you encode alot you have no choice -> i5.
Another option that i haven't tried is to disable the turboboost (see here).

As an i7 owner I don't think the problem is the noise level but the sound it produce. It just doesn't sound like a fan noise.

 

[jmpage2]

If you hate the sound and you encode alot you have no choice -> i5.
Another option that i haven't tried is to disable the turboboost (see here).

As an i7 owner I don't think the problem is the noise level but the sound it produce. It just doesn't sound like a fan noise.

Performance of i5 is not really any better in video encode than my 5 year old i7, so spend thousands for no improvement, I can't justify it.

I'm in a bind. Maybe I will grow accustomed to the fan noise, sounds like a hair dryer so probably not.

What's even stranger is that the handbrake encode times on the new CPU don't seem to be any better than on my old one. Should be 40% faster based on benchmarks.

To say I'm disappointed in Apple right now would be an understatement.

 

[theluggage]

If you hate the sound and you encode alot you have no choice -> i5.

Trouble is, if you're hearing the fan noise a lot, it also means that you're getting the speed benefit of the i7 over the i5.

Putting a hot-running, high performing processor in a thin'n'crispy all-in-one = pushing a lot of cooling air through small holes = noise. That's one reason why the world needs a new headless Mac Pro: physically bigger = bigger holes, bigger (quieter) fans, bigger/higher surface area heatsinks = quieter... plus you can place the CPU out of earshot!

I think a big question for the iMac Pro is going to be how effective the cooling is.

 

[jmpage2]

Okay, so for giggles I did a head to head encode of a huge BD rip between my old i7 and the new one.

I have to new confess that the new one is 50% faster on the same encode.

Still have to decide if I can handle the hairdryer noise. The old iMac is sitting there 10 minutes into the encode and you can barely hear it. Seconds after the encode starts the new one sounds like a jet engine.

 

[SteelBlueTJ]

Yea I also have been waiting for a new redesigned iMac to replace my Late-2013. I was disappointed with this years updates and I am still waiting for now. My wish-list for the next redesign would be...

• Offer a 32" Benzel-less 5k model
• Face-ID, or at least Touch-Id to save time typing in passwords for everything
• Touch-bar magic keyboard
• Ditch the fusion drive, and add an option to build with 2 internal SSD drives (one for OS and APPs, one for storage)

 

[EugW]

Okay, so for giggles I did a head to head encode of a huge BD rip between my old i7 and the new one.

I have to new confess that the new one is 50% faster on the same encode.

Still have to decide if I can handle the hairdryer noise. The old iMac is sitting there 10 minutes into the encode and you can barely hear it. Seconds after the encode starts the new one sounds like a jet engine.

Yep. This is why I got rid of my 2017 i7. However, I don't encode much, so the increased encode times with the i5 I replaced it with are not a deal killer for me.

 

[kazmac]

I'd love to see a new design myself. Was kind of crazy looking at that graphic @jmpage2 posted and realizing I've owned 5 of the iMacs listed.