Is the iMac headed out to pasture?

[Adelphos33]

Visited friends recently who've bought a 24" M1 iMac as they needed a second machine (WFH!). Their 'main' computer is a 27" iMac 2019 edition, bought just as the world went into Covid Lockdown™. They'd wanted another 27" version, but obvsiously they're no longer available. A Mac Mini and Studio Display were deemed too expensive including KB+M. Putting both side by side, it's very clear that the new iMac is a winner; the display is so much better. Sharper. They're reporting less eyestrain at the end of a long day. Better colours, more dynamic range. On performance; they're finding the new machine to be significantly quicker at most tasks and this is 16 vs 32Gb RAM in the older machine. In short, they love it. The reduction in screen size has not been a big issue for them at all, as the improvement in image quality more than makes up for that. So they're happy. Or not; there are now apparently arguments over who gets to use the new Mac, as it's much preferred in the household.

Oh and they were very happy that they could get one in green as it goes well with their decor. 😃

It’s amazing to me - when the original M1 Mac computers were released, everyone was blown away with how powerful the M1 MacBook Air was. Even to this day, many people say that computer is as powerful as they need and will last them for years.

The M1 iMac has the exact same guts, but with a fan for cooling. It also comes with a great screen, webcam, and includes keyboard and trackpad. And people for some reason say that same computer is underpowered, for kids only, etc

 

[icemantx]

It’s amazing to me - when the original M1 Mac computers were released, everyone was blown away with how powerful the M1 MacBook Air was. Even to this day, many people say that computer is as powerful as they need and will last them for years.

The M1 iMac has the exact same guts, but with a fan for cooling. It also comes with a great screen, webcam, and includes keyboard and trackpad. And people for some reason say that same computer is underpowered, for kids only, etc

Apple also gave people a choice of an M2 MacBook Air and lowered the cost of the M1 Air which they have not offered those options on the iMac. Same device at the same price for 2 1/2 years.

 

[drrich2]

They probably make more money selling it in bits now than an AIO

Mini / Studio + Screen =. $$$$ ??

That would be true if most buyers bought their monitor from Apple. I doubt that's the case. I'm on a 2017 27" 5K iMac with 32-gig RAM. It works. Screen is still a pleasure to view, even now when 6 years later stand alone monitors offer few 5K options at a decent price. But if I were buying today, I'd be looking at a Mac Studio or Mac Mini.

Many years ago Apple took away the feature that let an iMac serve as an external monitor for another computer. Toss your old iMac, you toss your old (built-in) monitor, too. That's not a trivial expense.

Many years ago, I had an old Dell PC with a 24" Dell monitor I used for many years after the PC was put away. I can't do that with my iMac's monitor.

We have a 27" 4K Philips monitor the PC Mag. gave an editor's choice award to not long ago. Oh, sure, it's no Apple monitor, but it was under $400, IIRC, and it's been plenty good enough (mainly used with notebook computers).

An AIO commits me to buy a new monitor every time I buy a new computer. The modular approach does not. Apple will net less money from me and many others.

 

[Gudi]

Someone recently posted, in these very forums, that a 2021 iMac will "easily last 2 decades or more" so I don't see the need for any new ones. /s /LOL

Exactly. Not only will the M1 iMac be usable for two or more decades. It’s also going on sale as "new" for 2½ years now. And the latest rumors suggest, we won’t even see a long anticipated upgrade this fall. Which makes it a 3 year design, beating the first Retina and P3 iMacs in longevity. As i said, it’s simply too good. With a new form factor, peripherals, design language and chip architecture, everything in the iMac is amazing and can’t be significantly improved upon. Slight improvements in energy efficiency with the M2 mean nothing in a device with active cooling and no battery. All Apple was able to do since 2021 is adjust and raise the price for inflation. 🖥️

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I still believe iMac 24" will go M2 (not M3) in the next couple of weeks... solely on the drive to maximize revenue in this quarter and nothing else:

• Can't go M3 without potentially harming sales of the rest of the Mac lineup, and doesn't make much sense to establish M3 as "latest & greatest" for a few months and then roll out the new wonder product with "old technology" inside in "early 2024."
• Should not leave it M1 (for a jump next year to M3) because M2 would allow the marketing spin "now all Macs have our latest & greatest hardware: buy now."

I believe iMac "bigger" will come in 2024-25, branded PRO & MAX and cost comparable to what the previous iMac Pro cost (which was a lot more than what iMac 27" cost). I suspect the love people have for the former iMac 27" is tightly wound with the relative "bargain" that it was vs. all other Macs. That's OVER... because "we" enthusiastically proved that they could strip out the Mac + Keyboard + Mouse and get us to pay that same entire iMac 27" price for the monitor portion alone.

Any new iMac 27" or bigger will build upon the price of ASD... because "we're adding a whole, powerful Mac inside and bundling it with a magical keyboard & mouse. My guess is "starting at" will be about 2X the price we remember... again comparable to the last time Apple sold an iMac "bigger" branded PRO. If so, I suspect 2X pricing will solve what I'm guessing got the 27" killed in the first place: not enough profit margin to please Apple's ever-growing profit goals.

I question the enthusiasm for it once the new, improved price is revealed. I anticipate a lot of opinion flipping to "at THAT price, might as well go separates. I can get a refurb ASD + Mac Mini with the same..."

But to everyone imagining a return of iMac 27" at traditional iMac 27" pricing, I'll hope right with you. Dream on!!!

 

[JouniS]

Any new iMac 27" or bigger will build upon the price of ASD... because "we're adding a whole, powerful Mac inside and bundling it with a magical keyboard & mouse. My guess is "starting at" will be about 2X the price we remember... again comparable to the last time Apple sold an iMac "bigger" branded PRO. If so, I suspect 2X pricing will solve what I'm guessing got the 27" killed in the first place: not enough profit margin to please Apple's ever-growing profit goals.

The iMac 27" was killed, because the rest of the market took another direction. While Apple prioritizes high quality and high pixel density in their displays, people generally prefer physical size and high refresh rates. The monitors Apple wants to sell are expensive, because the demand for them is low.

If Apple somehow managed to make a 32" 6k iMac and sell the base model for $2k, it would still not be as impressive as the early 27" iMacs were. Apple gave us 27" 1440p displays when the competitors were offering 24" 1080p. And then we got 5k resolution when 4k was still rare. But today cheap good enough 32" 4k monitors are everywhere, and increasing the resolution to 6k would not be such a big deal for most people.

 

[apersonig191991]

I definitely think there will be another iMac made, but not anywhere near late 2023 early 2024, maybe mid-late 2024, because we're already in october.

 

[bollman]

The longer a computer with M1 is in the lineup, the longer M1 computers will live, so, don't wish an upgrade to the iMac or the discontinuation of the Air M1 yet

 

[dumastudetto]

I don't think the average iMac consumer really cares about the chip, M1 is probably more than enough for 90% of them. It also probably doesn't sell nearly as much as the MacBook Air, and all-in-one are costly to ship and store given their size. So I'm not surprised that Apple decided to skip a chip generation, but hopefully it will update it with M3 sooner than later.

With the comeback of a 'consumer' Apple display, I think Apple wants to promote a 'modular' setup, where people would own a MacBook AND an external display, rather than an all-in-one. I don't think this means they will discontinue the iMac anytime soon, but they might not update it as often as before

Totally agree on the performance side M1 is still really great. The issue is you're already 2.5 years into macOS support, and not too far away from no longer receiving major OS upgrades.

 

[bollman]

Totally agree on the performance side M1 is still really great. The issue is you're already 2.5 years into macOS support, and not too far away from no longer receiving major OS upgrades.

Apple usually have 5 year support after last being sold. When the last M1 computer goes off sale, M1 will have 5 more years.

 

[dumastudetto]

Apple usually have 5 year support after last being sold. When the last M1 computer goes off sale, M1 will have 5 more years.

Supported, yes with security updates on an older release. No chance it'll be getting 5 more major macOS upgrades IMO.

 

[bollman]

Since Apple supports N-2 OS version, it will at least get 3 more.

 

[Realityck]

Apple usually have 5 year support after last being sold. When the last M1 computer goes off sale, M1 will have 5 more years.

The trend setting M1 24" IMac will probably be supported longer then the last so many Intel Mac updates as MacOS continues to see more AS native optimization of MacOS since 11.6. Both MacOS 13 and now 14 have ran even faster on a 24" IMac then when it was first released more then 2 years ago. Aside from people wanting to see what it can do with a M3 inside it's been a very useful M1 desktop, although a lot of us wanted a larger screen model, and thats not that far off now per the rumors.

I am reminded how many versions of MacOS I was able to use after the last trend setting mid 2012 15" retina MBP. That was July 2012 Mac OS X Mountain Lion all the way thru Oct 2019's MacOS Catalina, then you still got Safari and Security Updates for another 2 years. Yeah 9 years in all. By then the new 14"/16" M1 Pro/Max MBPs came out.

 

[MagnusTheDog]

I have it on a good authority as any ( for someone not working for Apple), there will be a new updated iMac next year. My source has a decent track record in its predictions.

 

[niteflyr]

Gurman: Apple to Announce New Macs This Month

Apple is planning a Mac-focused product launch, likely including the announcement of a refreshed 24-inch iMac, for the end of this month,...

www.macrumors.com

 

[icemantx]

Let’s hope that this rumor is correct. Question is what will the processor be? M2 / M2 Pro? M3? These rumors are all over the place.

 

[Abdichoudxyz]

It’s amazing to me - when the original M1 Mac computers were released, everyone was blown away with how powerful the M1 MacBook Air was. Even to this day, many people say that computer is as powerful as they need and will last them for years.

The M1 iMac has the exact same guts, but with a fan for cooling. It also comes with a great screen, webcam, and includes keyboard and trackpad. And people for some reason say that same computer is underpowered, for kids only, etc

In all my years of Mac ownership, I've only ever known a small number of people who've actually needed a very powerful computer for their work. And they've included filmmakers, games developers/designers, and architects who need a lot of power for 3D rendering. And most of those have had multiple computer set ups anyway. So I'm always a bit sceptical of some people's claims they need 'moar pwrz!'. I think some just like to have something powerful, like some like to own fast cars they'll never drive to anywhere near their potential. Imo, the vast majority need nothing more powerful than their 'phone, really. When some say 'oh but I need a lot of power for my video editing', it actually means they put together crap content for TikTok etc, not doing complex FX for the latest Star Wars film. I'm sure many on this forum will need something pretty meaty, cos this is a form predominantly populated by nerds and geeks, but even then, I'd doubt some really need much more than an iPad, regardless of their claims.

 

[avro707]

Gurman: Apple to Announce New Macs This Month

Apple is planning a Mac-focused product launch, likely including the announcement of a refreshed 24-inch iMac, for the end of this month,...

www.macrumors.com

BMW to protest about the “M3” processor naming?