Latest iMac - Really, Apple?

[Drewsf1]

I just came back from an Apple Store where I was considering buying a MacBook for the first time. I’ve been using a 21.5” iMac for a long time, and it‘s obviously time to upgrade.

After checking out the MacBooks, I wandered over to see the iMacs just to take a look. I love the return to the 24” display, but then I looked on the back - 2 thunderbolt and 2 USB 3, that’s it? No HDMI, no SD card slot… it would have been nice to see at least one USB-A port for backwards compatibility. I guess I should be grateful you can still hook up Ethernet through the power brick. 🤷‍♂️

The Mac mini has so many more ports available - thunderbolt, HDMI, USB-A. But the cheapest monitor Apple sells is $1700? How about a 24” standalone display, Apple?

I get it - the iMac is now the “Air“ version of a desktop machine. But after being a Mac user for 32 years, wow do I hate the way Apple positions their products.

<end rant>

 

[Longplays]

2019 iMac 21.5" 4K Core i3 14nm & 2021 iMac 24" 4.5K M1 5nm are at the same $1299 price point.

They share the same quantity of RAM & SSD but the 2021 has the faster version.

Add $200 more and you get

- +1-Core GPU
- +2 USB-A ports
- +1 GbE port
- Magic Keyboard with Touch ID

iMacs never had a HDMI port.

Be aware that the 25th year release anniversary of the 1st iMac is less than 2 months from now. May be the opportunity for Apple to refresh the M1 to a M2 or even release a larger iMac.

 

[Fishrrman]

USBc-to-USBa connectivity easily solved by one of these:

Cable Matters 5Gbps USB C to USB 3.0 Adapter - 6 Inches, USBC Male to USBA Female OTG Adapter, Black

The Cable Matters USB 3.1 Type-C to Type-A adapter provides a convenient connection between the newest devices with USB Type-C and legacy USB peripherals with Type A. It adapts the Type-C port on a computer to connect all legacy equipment, peripherals, cables, hubs and chargers that ...

www.amazon.com

I agree that Apple's Studio display is overpriced for what you get -- that's Apple.

There are many, many 27" 4k displays out there, reasonably priced, with excellent picture quality. That's what I'd be looking at.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

I just came back from an Apple Store where I was considering buying a MacBook for the first time. I’ve been using a 21.5” iMac for a long time, and it‘s obviously time to upgrade.

After checking out the MacBooks, I wandered over to see the iMacs just to take a look. I love the return to the 24” display, but then I looked on the back - 2 thunderbolt and 2 USB 3, that’s it? No HDMI, no SD card slot… it would have been nice to see at least one USB-A port for backwards compatibility. I guess I should be grateful you can still hook up Ethernet through the power brick. 🤷‍♂️

The Mac mini has so many more ports available - thunderbolt, HDMI, USB-A. But the cheapest monitor Apple sells is $1700? How about a 24” standalone display, Apple?

I get it - the iMac is now the “Air“ version of a desktop machine. But after being a Mac user for 32 years, wow do I hate the way Apple positions their products.

<end rant>

If you insist on having everything with Apple brands, then you would be disappointed.
Apple is quite nice at this touch.
They leave the market open for other brands, even at the cost of upsetting their loyal customers like you.

 

[JoeG4]

Add $200 more and you get

- +1-Core GPU
- +2 USB-A ports
- +1 GbE port
- Magic Keyboard with Touch ID

iMacs never had a HDMI port.

Be aware that the 25th year release anniversary of the 1st iMac is less than 2 months from now. May be the opportunity for Apple to refresh the M1 to a M2 or even release a larger iMac.

iMacs did actually have video ports for quite a while. The imacs up until what, 2011? Those had thunderbolt 2 which also doubled as mini displayport. I do agree there never was an HDMI port though.

That is a really important point about the base model iMac lacking 2 of the USB-C ports. Somehow Apple decided to not put those on the cheapest model. WTF?! That's SO WEIRD. I imagine the ports aren't filled in with blanks but an entirely different back case just for those. How could that possibly be worth having a separate SKU and part numbers for those?!

(edit: the extra 2 USB ports are USB-C, not USB-A. None of the m1 iMac options include USB-A ports)

 

[Longplays]

iMacs did actually have video ports for quite a while. The imacs up until what, 2011? Those had thunderbolt 2 which also doubled as mini displayport. I do agree there never was an HDMI port though.

All Thunderbolt 3 ports on this iMac can output video to any external display using the correct cables/dongles.

That is a really important point about the base model iMac lacking 2 of the USB-C ports. Somehow Apple decided to not put those on the cheapest model. WTF?! That's SO WEIRD. I imagine the ports aren't filled in with blanks but an entirely different back case just for those. How could that possibly be worth having a separate SKU and part numbers for those?!

$1299 SKU likely sold the most units. As BoM increased they looked for ways to keep to that price point by looking at the typical use case of iMac users.

(edit: the extra 2 USB ports are USB-C, not USB-A. None of the m1 iMac options include USB-A ports)

I agree with you... ideally the port selection should include USB-A as well until 2025.