M1 iMac, M1 iPad, and what I think this means for the future desktop lineup

[mbosse]

There has been a lot of discussion about the new hardware Apple presented this week. Particularly the new iMacs caused a lot of disbelief and controversy.

Clearly, the new M1 iMac are the meant to be entry level offerings aimed at those who perform everyday tasks. They are solid upgrades in terms of screen (both real estate as well as colour space), performance and - arguably, design.

The offerings are still limited in terms of processor, and with it also in terms of RAM and SSD capacity.

And then there are three other things to consider: (1) the large iMac is still missing, (2) the iPad Pro now comes with M1 processor as well, and the new XDR mini-LED display and (3) no new standalone display was presented.

I interpret this as follows:
Apple intends to offer new performance iMacs, for which new processor technology is needed. With the XDR mini-LED display now available at the extremes, the expensive XDR Display as well as the iPad, there is no way that Apple will offer the coming 'performance' iMac without it.

Thus, my guess is that we well see additional performance iMac with new processors, more RAM and SSD capacity points, with XDR mini-LED technology soon - in einer 24" and 30-32" (whatever it will be). This will offer additional product differentiation for Apple and consumers as well.

I am also sure that new standalone displays are coming - but only with the XDR mini-LED technology, and this is the reason why we have not seen them yet. What I am not sure about is whether Apple will differentiate the 30+" iMac also in standard and performance models. Same applies to whether the performance models will come in the same colour ways as the consumer variants or not.

Overall, I am quite excited!

What's your thoughts about this?
Magnus

 

[familychoice]

I'm not keen on the new design, and reading through comments on here and other places, the design is divisive at least, but for me the issue is cost.

Lots of comments about this being for general consumers, and not 'pro's', but non-pro consumers will be looking for something with a decent amount of storage for their photo and music libraries. The base model SSD is tiny, and hanging external drives off the thing takes away the 'all in one' benefits, and most general consumers won't want the hassle. Also, a 24" screen is comparatively small these days - consumers are used to big TV's and gaming monitors, so with the storage upgrade taking this to almost £2k, I can't see it flying off the shelves. But hey, Apple know more about this stuff than me so maybe I'm wrong

So the price thing - I'm not a general consumer, as I need a computer for work, so I was in the market for a new 27". With user-upgradeable RAM and an external drive, I could usualy get a reasonable spec for just under £2k, but if I want the new M1 chip that budget now gets me the 24" model, with a design I don't like, and no option to upgrade the RAM if I need to.

So looking at the price of the 24", it's highly likely the 27/30" model is going to be nearer £3k for a decent spec., and if it has soldered RAM and SSD, that makes it a costly investment for a non-upgradeable computer. For me anyway.

At this point I would now be looking at snapping up a Mac Mini 16/512 for just over a grand, and using it with existing monitors and peripherals, but the Mini forum is filled with reports of display and bluetooth issues, so that's putting me off that one.

Apple really don't make things easy for us consumers!

 

[mbosse]

...The base model SSD is tiny, and hanging external drives off the thing takes away the 'all in one' benefits, and most general consumers won't want the hassle. Also, a 24" screen is comparatively small these days - consumers are used to big TV's and gaming monitors, so with the storage upgrade taking this to almost £2k, I can't see it flying off the shelves. But hey, Apple know more about this stuff than me so maybe I'm wrong ...

Well, you need to place the thing on your desktop, thus the 'TV' comparison I think is moot. After all, you'll get a 24" screen for the same price as previously the 21.5", so that's an upgrade. And I am sure Apple as enough data to slot the machine precisely to target audience(s).

I agree on the upgrade costs, and I would be (positively) surprised if we'd get at least upgradable RAM in the performance versions - but given the deep integration I would not hold my breath.

But perhaps soldered SSD plus the option to add additional space (hey, 'FusionDrive' ;-)) might come?

 

[familychoice]

After all, you'll get a 24" screen for the same price as previously the 21.5", so that's an upgrade.

It's actually £200 more than the current 21", but yeah, I guess that's fair for the upgrade. Much faster processor too.

My concern really is the price for the next 27". I can currently get a 16gb 27" for under £2k (and less if I upgrade the RAM myself), and I doubt that'll be the case with the next batch.

If they offer user upgradeable RAM (unlikely) in the next 27" (or whatever size it'll be) then despite a moderate price hike and a design I'm not keen on, might still be an option for me. If it's a soldered on job, and a big price hike then I will go for the Mini as a shorter term solution. £3k for a non-upgradeable spec doesn't appeal, but £1k for the Mini I can cope with.

There's always that bit of financial pain to endure when buying a Mac. The difference this time, is a divisive design and reduced upgradeability.

 

[mbosse]

It's actually £200 more than the current 21", but yeah, I guess that's fair for the upgrade. Much faster processor too.

My concern really is the price for the next 27". I can currently get a 16gb 27" for under £2k (and less if I upgrade the RAM myself), and I doubt that'll be the case with the next batch.

If they offer user upgradeable RAM (unlikely) in the next 27" (or whatever size it'll be) then despite a moderate price hike and a design I'm not keen on, might still be an option for me. If it's a soldered on job, and a big price hike then I will go for the Mini as a shorter term solution. £3k for a non-upgradeable spec doesn't appeal, but £1k for the Mini I can cope with.

There's always that bit of financial pain to endure when buying a Mac. The difference this time, is a divisive design and reduced upgradeability.

If I am correct, 21.5" 4K was exactly 1,299$ at introduction, that makes it same price.

 

[familychoice]

If I am correct, 21.5" 4K was exactly 1,299$ at introduction, that makes it same price.

Ah ok, fair play. It's £200 cheaper now so must be a recent reduction. Maybe general consumers will still be happy to pay £1300 for a desktop computer with only 8gb RAM and a 256gb hard drive - specs you can now get on a tablet - I guess we'll just have to wait and see how their sales go. It's fast, and has a great screen, could be a winner.

I'm overdue a desktop replacement, and I could live with a 24" sized screen, but the new iMac just isn't grabbing me yet.

 

[CWallace]

Apple is adamant that they are not going to merge the Mac and the iPad and frankly iPadOS still has more than enough compromises to ensure they couldn't even if they wanted to (though iPadOS 15 looks to address some of them).

The 24" iMac is a replacement for the 21.5", not the 27". And as a replacement for the 21.5", I expect it to outperform it quite handily.

Those of us waiting to replace our 27" models are naturally disappointed it was not released this week and many of us have anxiety about how much we're going to pay for the bigger model as it may very well become the new iMac Pro. We're also wondering what SoC it will use and how much RAM it will offer. So some folks turn that anxiety into crapping on the current iMac, but IMO that is misguided and misplaced. It's a fantastic computer and if I was not a screen-size junkie, I'd order a purple one with 16GB and 1TB on Day One and be quite happy with it as a replacement for my 2015 iMac 5K with 32GB/1TB.