Return it and get a MacMini and 27” monitor. We did this with several iMacs at our office over the past few years. You can even get wall-mount brackets for the MacMini so the machine is out of the way.
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My Advice: Do not move from 27" to 24" iMac
- Thread starter CoreForce
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Really interesting! Though if I’m understanding correctly you don’t end up with a mic or speakers in the display. I could see that being a sacrifice a lot of people would make though, to save ~$1K.
Well, Apple wants you to move to a Mac Studio + Studio Display or Mac Mini + Studio Display setup if you are on a 27-inch iMac and you want the similar performance that the Intel 27-inch iMac had...
My next computing update will be when I replace my MBPro; I’m finally able to go back to a desktop machine at home. As I require Thunderbolt 5 in a replacement, and the new M3 Macs don’t offer it, I expect to wait for an M4 or an M5. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this allows for the mythical 32” 6K iMac to come to life. I have the Studio Display at another location (attached to an M2Pro Mac mini) and it works fine, but I pine for the 5K iMac… although that screen size really is too small for my needs and wants… (I have a pair of 32” 4K displays hooked up to the MBPro and the size is nice but they are definitely not “retina”)
tl;dr I will wait for a large iMac when Thunderbolt 5 Macs ship and we’ll see how it goes.
tl;dr I will wait for a large iMac when Thunderbolt 5 Macs ship and we’ll see how it goes.
I have to say, I’ve enjoyed my 24” iMac so far and haven’t had any issues with the screen size or the bezels. It’s a very nice computer all around.
The original value proposition for the iMac was a single device with a single cable, no clutter, for those who only need a single monitor.
Apple lovers defend Apple’s 8 GB choice as the entry level to be still enough for many. And indeed, many in marketing, design etc don’t need the computational power of the studio, but a large screen to work with designs.
I always defended Apple under Steve Jobs because his decisions made sense. Sometimes he would dare too much, but every decision was truly targeted at a user segment and well reasoned/executed.
The new product line up and upgrade options are solely for squeezing money out of customers. The iMac works for the casual home user, but is not a professional machine/has no professional option. My wife has one and it is a lovely machine for what she needs.
I however would go nuts with the limited screen size.
And by the way, I ordered it for her with 16GB. Interestingly, right after first start up with only one Safari tab opened it already used more than 8GB. So MacOS is just as memory hungry as other operating systems. The design of the M Macs is just so that they can faster swap memory in and out. And that comes at the cost of repairability and upgradability, since everything has to be tightly (soldered) together.
So yes - I can feel the OP
It doesn't matter how much is "used". What matters is memory pressure. My MacBook Pro has 32 GB of RAM and is "using" 18 GB with just Safari open (granted, I have about 40 tabs but only one is active) and TimeMachine running a backup (OneDrive, Dropbox, and other applications are open in the background). My memory pressure is minimal though. That means the RAM is "used" but is easily available for anything else when needed.
macOS isn't "memory hungry" so much as it allows applications to reserve RAM but the OS will take it back dynamically and reallocate as needed.
I'm using my M1 iMac for paid graphic design all day long. It absolutely smokes my old iMac 5K at everything it does, and I never hear the fans spin up. Sounds like "professional" use to me. The inconvenient truth here is that Macs have gotten fast enough at this point that they can handle a lot of workflows very smoothly.
I've found a great productivity hack is to just never open Activity Monitor unless something is actually going wrong. I could care less whether my Mac is using paged memory or what, so long as I don't see any beachballs or hangups. And I don't, even with Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign open, along with email, browser, etc. Everything moves along quite smoothly. The only time I notice any slowdowns is when I run multiple users, which I'd say is definitely an edge case and very demanding.
I was really let down when they just announced the M3 iMac in 24" only - so I've purchased the 27" Studio Display with plans to get a M2 Mac Studio soon - so my last gen 27" 5K iMac will be up for sale soon! ha ha. I could have just swapped the internal Fusion for SSD and stayed with it for another few years, but didn't want to hassle. The Studio Display will cover my M1 MacBook Pro too so, while expensive up front, it will last years longer than jumping iMacs every few years.
Hmm... let's see here... Intel finally releases the final TB5 spec in September of this year ... and you have a requirement for it already?
In this thread about an All-In-One home computer, I'm wondering what about TB5 is needed in, say, an iMac.
Very simple answer: monitors. I have, and would keep, a multi-monitor setup. OR perhaps get a 40” 8K/120Hz+. And that requires TB5. I am not content with the state of the art in monitors but I do anticipate the next generation to get within spitting distance, if not fully satisfy my eyeballs requirements…
I broke down and bought a studio display on discount and i love it aesthetically. And with my setup i actually have less noticeable wiring on my desk than my old imac beca use i used one of those brackets they sell on amazon to mount a Mac mini under the desk Along with the necessary NVME SSDs for storage
Setting expenses aside, I'm not bothered by the additional cables or the less-than-attractive appearance of the arrangement. My primary focus lies in the computer's performance capabilities and its ability to handle challenging tasks. However, everyone is different and it's a good thing as it would be a boring world if we were all alike.
I can appreciate the real estate benefit of 27 inches over 24 inches. It has been a long time since I had an iMac as I went back to desktops and laptops and started with 24" and later 27" and haven't looked back.
My question for all, can a 24" Mac also have attached a 2nd monitor easily? While not an ideal situation, you could end up with 2 monitors. Perhaps a good vesa mount stand that can handle two monitors would be in order (even if one is 27").
Ever get the feeling that nearly every Apple computer item intentionally omits something to make us remain hungry for the next best thing to come from them? Honestly, some items that arrive 2-3 years later should have already been on previous Macs.
My question for all, can a 24" Mac also have attached a 2nd monitor easily? While not an ideal situation, you could end up with 2 monitors. Perhaps a good vesa mount stand that can handle two monitors would be in order (even if one is 27").
Ever get the feeling that nearly every Apple computer item intentionally omits something to make us remain hungry for the next best thing to come from them? Honestly, some items that arrive 2-3 years later should have already been on previous Macs.
I use my iMacs from 1-2 meters away, lying in bed or sitting on a couch. Like most people use their laptops, but with a remote display. So naturally I go with the largest display they offer, 4.5K are plenty of pixels. Just choose the right Display settings: Larger Text ↔ More Space. And find a comfortable viewing distance. 24-inch can cover your entire field of view or be a tiny thumbnail far away. If you can’t make your setup work, it’s likely a problem with your chair or your table, or you’re holding it wrong!
I've thought the same thing. I actually kind of wish Apple made a smaller version of the Apple Studio Display at the same size as the iMac. Would make a great second workspace.
Oh, I know there are people out there for whom TB5 will be useful. Of that I have no doubt.
What I asked is why an All-in-one user needs TB5. It is pretty clear that Apple (and HP and Dell) look at AIOs as family computers for general use.
I get it, I really do: there were those people who bought the iMac Pro and want Apple to continue down that path. But it is rather obvious (and has been ever since they introduced the ASD) that Apple has chosen to not do the power user AIO. (And neither does Dell, or even HP even if they will offer Intel i9 options.)
Ya’ll are complaining about a 24’ 4.5k monitor then my broke ass is sitting here with a 13’ and a iPad for an extra monitor. 😭
I said I was waiting on TB5 to replace my present setup. By then, there might be a 32” iMac. I use multiple monitors (dual 32”) presently and unless Apple makes that iMac a 40” 8K, I would continue to do so, even if the main monitor is an entire computer. Thus TB5 is both likely and necessary on any theoretical 32”+ iMac, not least of all since I prefer to use my Macs for a long time and a bit of future proofing goes a long way *cough*
This is a forking tale of options and needs mingled with desires. Look for it on the NYTimes bestseller list next fall.
Now, some clever boffin will note “hey, you can already do 8K60 via HDMI 2.1, available since the M2 generation!” And to that I say: you’re correct, you can. I have a skin condition to using HDMI rather than DP… 🥸 Okay, it’s just that I have vastly fewer issues with monitors on DP than I do with them on HDMI… and also: I want 8K120+… dream, baby, dream. And this is my dream…
Honestly thats not a bad setup. Depending on what iPad you have, say Air 4 and above you have more space than the 24 iMac because its actual size is 23.5. Also the iPad has a better camera, it’s a separate and portable machine. You can also use the iPad to take detailed notes with the Apple Pencil or to annotate pdfs which is very important in certain fields, something that is more difficult to do in an iMac. Its not a bad setup at all.
You can get a Mac mini and a 4K 27" display for less than the cost of a 24" iMac M3.
I'm really happy with my old iMac 27 and my Mac mini + LG 32" 4k.
24" iMac is not for me!
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In discussions of monitor size and multiple monitors here and elsewhere, the topic of multiple desktops or workspaces seems never to come up. I'm retired and do only typical home user things (except for virtual machines in VMware Fusion Player), but I always have four workspaces with keyboard shortcuts for switching and key apps pinned to the various workspaces. The only time my 20" monitor feels a bit cramped is when I need to copy from one window to paste into another, which requires resizing the two windows.
