I still think it's possible that FaceID will be brought to the iMac first. Remember that the P3 gamut screen came to the iMac before anything else.
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No 2018 iMac?!
- Thread starter Internet Enzyme
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Im going to venture a guess and say no more iMacs in 2018. (I just bought the baseline 27 inch one so there better not be lol)
That said, the earliest we will see them is in March, and IF THEN id be shocked if it was anything more then a spec bump. What im hoping for, is that come WWDC in June, they announce a whole new redesign with slimmer bezels, Face ID, curved corners and standard SSD drives across the board (with obvious improved processors and graphic cards). Also T3 Secure Enclave chips with always on Siri. (Doesn't it make sense that the iMac, the most powerful device your likely to have, would serve as the central hub for the entire apple eco system. Lord Knows the HomePod isn't. Oh sure its a great sounding speaker (and I want to get a 2nd one for stereo pairing), but Siri is dumb as a bag of rocks on it.
What id love, is an optional (or included) OLED Strip Keyboard and god help them, a redesigned mouse because the charging port on this current one is a joke.
As for the screen, smart 120hz, True Tone and HDR Support.
My dream would for it to have Apple Pencil and touch support, but im not holding my breath for that.
If you can give me all of that, and keep it under 2000 dollars (unlikely) ill sell this one and buy that one first chance I get.
Anything less and ill just keep this one for a few more years until they put Face ID Into the dam thing then upgrade.
That said, the earliest we will see them is in March, and IF THEN id be shocked if it was anything more then a spec bump. What im hoping for, is that come WWDC in June, they announce a whole new redesign with slimmer bezels, Face ID, curved corners and standard SSD drives across the board (with obvious improved processors and graphic cards). Also T3 Secure Enclave chips with always on Siri. (Doesn't it make sense that the iMac, the most powerful device your likely to have, would serve as the central hub for the entire apple eco system. Lord Knows the HomePod isn't. Oh sure its a great sounding speaker (and I want to get a 2nd one for stereo pairing), but Siri is dumb as a bag of rocks on it.
What id love, is an optional (or included) OLED Strip Keyboard and god help them, a redesigned mouse because the charging port on this current one is a joke.
As for the screen, smart 120hz, True Tone and HDR Support.
My dream would for it to have Apple Pencil and touch support, but im not holding my breath for that.
If you can give me all of that, and keep it under 2000 dollars (unlikely) ill sell this one and buy that one first chance I get.
Anything less and ill just keep this one for a few more years until they put Face ID Into the dam thing then upgrade.
Apple doesn’t supply GPUs that can run 5k at 120Hz reliably. They barely push 60Hz. Also, I think the TouchBar is dead, and even if it isn’t, you won’t see it in a wireless keyboard. Too much power draw.
Other than that, and maybe FaceID, I think a lot of the rest of what you say will be there.
Im totally fine without those two as well. Not a priority. I just like the concept of the OLED Keyboard but again from what im told (I don't have a MacBook Pro, I don't currently need one as I find the iPad Pro 12.9 more then suits my portable needs) they don't really implement it all to well neither.
I just like uniformity across the product line!
But come June (March at the absolute earliest) they put out an iMac 27 inch with most of what I said and ill sell or trade in my current one by the end of summer towards a new one (reviews pending of course)
If not, then a simple memory upgrade on the current one (which is less then a month old at this point) and im happy using it for another year or 2
Quicktime Pro 7 on Mohave. I haven't purchased a player/editor to replace QT7, so I thought I'd load the app from my ole 9,1 iMac, with the registration number included. It kicked it back a few times saying the QT7 support site is no longer up. I just left the registration number in the form and closed the app. Two days later, I checked it and it's fully functional. At least I can do some quick editing and manipulate audio tracks for a while. I haven't checked, but is QT7 32 bit? I'll check it myself, nvm.
Any suggestions for a new editor/player/recorder?
Edit: Sorry wrong thread.
Any suggestions for a new editor/player/recorder?
Edit: Sorry wrong thread.
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After a lot of belly button gazing, I just bought a refurb 2017 27 inch top end i5 for that very reason. I suppose if the 2019 model is truly better (and still as upgradable - both ram amd hard drive) then I might sell this one for a bit of a loss. That said, I very much expect the 2019 model will have some kind of ‘gotcha’. For me, simply a T2 version with a locked down non-upgradable hard drive is all it would take. So I,m pretty sure that this time next year I’ll be glad I’m rocking with the 2017 model.
I think the T2 (or T3) is a no doubter. Apple will not ship any new hardware without it from here on out. I would also be willing to place a bet that it will have soldered storage. The only real question mark is if RAM will be accessible. I would lean toward no.
Yea if you’re right on all counts, I will be VERY happy I secured this last great iMac and not waited.
Nice! I am thrilled with mine. It is so much quicker and more responsive than any computer I've ever owned. It's like, well Instant! As soon as you five it a task, it's done. I haven't edited 4k video on it yet, but I'm not worried. It is everything I truly need and want. If the 2019 is that much better, I'll do the same and sell this, BUT only of it does not have a. T* chip, otherwise I'll keep it and consider buying when the A chips arrive.
Because something big will be coming.
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You gotta think about more here. Thinner volume means less aluminum needed. Thinner is almost always lighter, so when they ship it in thousands, there's less kerosine and gas needed. Shipping packages can be thinner and therefore less waste, etc. etc.
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Would make complete sense. Regular iMac with these bad boys, iMac Pro with Vega and other Pro solutions.
Curved corners would absolutely suck on a device with a mouse pointer. The four corners are a huge usability affordance since you can always slam the pointer into one of them without needing any precision. (Like hot corners, or diagonal scrolling in a game.)
I doubt that saving aluminum and shipping costs were Apple's only concerns. If that were the case they could have simply made a 26" screen instead of 27". I think they're also obsessed with thin.
It’s possible but unlikely unless the launch is next October. Apple generally does not get those kinds of things early on and it will take a bit for AMD to ramp up production. In fact, at this point it would almost be better for Apple to not update the iMac in the Spring. If they do, you are likely looking at 8th-gen Intel chips when 9th-gen have been launched and something like mobile Vega or “updated” Pro 5xx series just as Navi is shipping. The iMac could be outdated when it’s released, and with Apple updating the Mac line so slowly, it may be a terrible value for its whole lifespan. This will be especially true if they raise prices.
I have never been so frustrated with Apple as I have been the last couple of years. Their decisions make no sense and seem almost anti-consumer.
Macs used to have curved corners in the CRT days. As far as I'm concerned if they bring them, it will be a return to form.
All things being equal, I do not think they are trying to be anti-consumer. Apple's release schedule with regard to desktop and laptop computers is dictated to a point by Intel and AMD's release schedules.
When Intel first release 8th Generation Coffee Lake CPUs in late September of 2017, they only introduced a small subset of the CPUs that currently make up the 8th Generation products. It was not until April of 2018 that they filled out the rest of their product portfolio and released the 28w TDP U-Series w/ four(4) cores and the 45w TDP H-Series w/ six(6) cores. Apple released their update to the 13" and 15" TB MacBook Pros in mid-July. Right after WWDC, Apple took a beating on these forums when they failed to release those new MacBook Pros during the developer conference. I truly believe that Apple was caught in a Catch-22 with the CPUs being announced and shipping and AMD being >this close< to shipping the Vega 16 and Vega 20 GPU upgrades and that they were most likely slated for introduction at WWDC. Apple chose to introduce the updated MacBook Pro at a particularly awkward moment, to get it out the door and take the hit later when AMD was able to provide them with enough Vega 16 and 20 GPUs to fill the order.
On the desktop side, although Intel had introduced all the S-Series 65w and 95w CPUs that Apple would use in updated 21.5" and 27" iMacs, AMD had absolutely ZERO new GPUs to include in such an update, which would be a huge engineering waste, as 8th Gen requires a new PCH (300-Series) and to engineer a new motherboard using the older Polaris 20 GPUs would win no prizes with users or Apple executives at this point, while the lack of a Vega 56 and 64 successor, made using those GPUs a complete no go as that would have muddied the waters between the iMac and the iMac Pro.
Which leads us up to now - given that Intel has once again released a very small subset of their 9th Generation CPUs (Core i5-9600K, Core i7-9700K and Core i9-9900K), it would seem logical that they will fill out the rest of the 9th Gen product line in Q1 or Q2 of 2019. The wrinkle for Intel now is the strain on its 14nm production capacity that it has been running to address to meet the current demand for its CPUs and chipsets - https://www.anandtech.com/show/13684/intel-further-boosts-capex-to-meet-demand-for-14nm-chips
My personal belief is that Apple has got revised iMacs working and ready to go that can use either the 8th Gen and/or 9th Gen, incorporate a T2 chip, the rumored new Radeon RX3060, RX3070 and RX3080 GPU in an iMac Pro-style chassis with sealed RAM access and no HDD. It is very much my belief that Apple wants to jump over the 8th generation and go straight to 9th, so that the jump to pure SSD storage, the T2 chip along with completely revised GPUs, et al. will justify the price increase that we are likely to see for these computers. I also believe they will leave the 7th-Gen iMacs on sale as they have with the MacBook Air and MacBook Pros to help users transition.
They are likely also waiting on Intel to introduce the much rumored 22-core version of the Xeon W CPU along with revised W-series CPUs based on the recently refreshed Core X-Series CPUs (98**X and 99**X) released in September. I have postulated many times that Apple will move the base iMac Pro to 10-cores and put the 22-core option at the top end to give the revised iMac some breathing room, at least from a marketing perspective. Although, the rumors of 10-core S-Series CPUs have pitched that out the window, to an extent (https://hothardware.com/news/intels...ktop-14nm-cpus-rumored-to-pack-up-to-10-cores)
Also complicating an update to the iMac is the need for revised Vega GPUs to replace the Vega 56 and Vega 64 in the iMac Pro, especially after reading rumors that the RX30*0-Series could begin bumping up against the older Vega GPUs in terms of horsepower. AMD is on track to release 7nm Vega Instinct GPUs, neé Vega 2 (https://www.tomshardware.com/news/amd-files-trademark-vega-2-logo,38225.html) at some point in Q1/Q2 2019. Additionally, AMD has been very quiet on the GPU front, so I am hoping they are concentrating on making sure the 7nm process is stable and ready to begin shipping enough GPUs to meet Apple's needs soon after the formal product announcement is made.
My takeaway is that Apple, which has always been content to sit on a release until everything aligns, is waiting on Intel to announce and ship the rest of the 9th Gen portfolio, along with revised Xeon W-Series CPUs and for AMD to announce and ship both the RX30*0-Series and Vega 2 GPUs so that it can update both product lines at the same time along with introducing the new Mac Pro. I would think that WWDC 2019 in June is the most likely scenario, with the iMac and iMac Pro available immediately and the Mac Pro shipping later in the 2019 when macOS 10.15 ships.
Yes, it is frustrating for many, myself included, but Apple is somewhat at the mercy of Intel and AMD, whereas with the iPhone, iPad and Watch, they can release according to their own schedule without any of us ever knowing what hurdles they face internally, while both Intel and AMD must disclose these things during their quarterly filings as they are public companies. Apple, although a public company, never publishes product roadmaps the way that Intel and AMD tend to do to provide guidance to OEMs and the public.
Just my take on all of this...time will tell whether I am right...or not!
EDIT: This just came across the 'tubes. Take it with a grain of salt, as usual - https://wccftech.com/rumor-amd-navi-10-to-launch-in-mid-2019-compete-with-rtx-2080/
You are 100% correct, and I fully agree with you. However, Apple could do some things to help mitigate the issue. I don't think it is a problem to redesign the logic board to accommodate 8th-gen while still using the older GPUs or some updated version of them. The new GPU should be able to be accommodated in the redesign. Alternatively, they could lower the price of the current offerings (God forbid) to make the price align better with the level of tech in them. They could also figure something out with Nvidia. They have options. They are simply choosing to keep what is becoming very old hardware at full price because they can. And if we do get all the things you are referring to (9th-gen Intel, Navi GPU) then we are at the very least waiting until June and likely late October. That would make the iMac 2 to 2 and half years old at that point and still at the release price point. And if we do not get those things, then we are looking at a machine that is outdated almost immediately at a premium price. I mean, I get wanting to make sure it is a worthwhile update, but by waiting for the next thing, they miss all the incremental updates that keep products relevant. Honestly, the iMac and Mac Pro are not relevant right now, and to pay full price for one at this point is a little crazy. The Mac mini was in the same spot two months ago.
I really want an iMac. Badly. Apple are making it impossible to justify at this point. That should never happen.
I have a Late 2013 27" iMac with 3.5GHz Core i7, 32GB DRAM, 3TB Fusion, GTX 780M, and I understand where you are coming from, at least to an extent. I am running into bottlenecks with the Fusion drive and using CUDA acceleration was broken after the High Sierra Security Update 2018-003 and just got fixed in the last 5 days. I have contemplated what I can do to change the storage arrangement to make it faster and more flexible, but Apple's proprietary SSD slot makes it more expensive than necessary to update the 128GB SSD currently installed.
While Apple could certainly design to accommodate 8th Gen while using the older AMD GPUs, I do not think Apple wanted to use the Z370 PCH, instead opting to wait for the Z390, which was just released in May of 2018. Remember that Apple uses a Z170 PCH in both the Skylake and the Kaby Lake iMacs, so it makes sense that Apple restricts the number of PCHs they are willing to use in creating new motherboards. Remember that Apple waited until Intel released a native USB 3 implementation before updating the MacBook Pro and releasing the first Retina MBP.
Apple, really never lowers the price of their computers, unless there is a re-design, which have trended upwards, so that is really a non-starter. See the 2013 Mac Pro, 2015 MacBook Air, 2015 MacBook Pro and the 2014 Mac mini.
NVIDIA is also a complete non-starter for Apple...at least for now. I honestly do not think that will ever change, which I am fine with as I do not really care for NVIDIA, personally.
Yes, they have options, but Apple does not operate that way. Part of the frustration that many users on MacRumors have with Apple is that it operates in a *cough*very disciplined*cough* way, compared to say, Dell or HP, which seems to throw stuff out the factory door and see what sticks. Apple's engineering is overwhelmingly focused on iOS, watchOS, tvOS and other hardware devices, simply because those are where the money currently is. If profits realign and Mac unit shipments increase, you will probably see a bit more focus on updated Macs.
I suspect June will be when we see new iMacs, depending heavily on Intel and AMD making their schedules.
Apple has never followed the same cadence as other PC OEMs like Dell, that release a new PC when Intel makes a formal announcement, especially with Intel's current track record.
While the Mac Pro is probably not a great value at this point, a certified refurbished 2017 27" iMac might be unless you actually need more than 4c/8t.
IMHO, the 2014 Mac mini was never a good value, and although users made due, it was a terrible regression, but I digress.
Unfortunately, your choices are very limited at this point, as we all wait to see what Apple does.
I get what you are saying. Apple is free to be disciplined as you call it. Unfortunately for users, that means we are stuck bending to Apple's will yet again. That is not how things should be. They should be offering me a relevant solution at a reasonable price and they simply are not. There really is no legitimate reason for not having a 2018 iMac and continuing to sell the 2017 at full price.
I cannot give Apple a pass anymore honestly. I do not see not giving incremental updates as being undisciplined.
No one should be giving Apple a pass on any aspect of their business...and, for clarification, my reply should not be taken as a defense of what Apple has done over the past six years with regard to the Mac side of the business, merely an observation on what I see as driving factors in how Apple conducts its business based on observing patterns in how and what they roll out over the past 30+ years.
Apple has always been very restrained, disciplined - stingy if you will - when it comes to the hardware side of Mac engineering ever since it switched to Intel CPUs. Taking the whole of the updates that have been released, the schedule itself for its best selling products - MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and iMac have been updated quite regularly. Some have been wonderful updates, others have been rather pathetic, at best. I will spare all of us a list of either.
On the flip side, the Mac mini and the Mac Pro, have been neglected for way too long, given that there were updates that could have been made to each of them in the interim. Is there any reason that would excuse this? I can think of a few, but I have no desire to restart that particular flame war with anyone.
The truth is there are only so many designers, engineers, operations and marketing people that work at Apple. They can handle only so much work in any given day, month and year. Last year, it was the iPhone X, this year, it was the XS, XS Max, XR and the new iPad Pro along with the revisions to the Mac mini and the all new MacBook Air. Some were merely evolutions, others were new products cut from whole cloth. Next year, we will get at least the new Mac Pro, possibly a smaller iPhone to replace the hole left by the lack of an SE and iPhone 6/s, 7, 8 sized model. We may even get a completely new iMac and iMac Pro that completely jettison the existing industrial design. After all, it has been nearly 10 years since the 21.5" and 27" iMacs we introduced.
Apple engineers these solutions to stand out from other PC OEMs, because the Windows PC side is pretty much a race to the bottom in every single way and has been ever since the late 1980's. If Apple sold their current lineup as Windows-based PCs, they would be out of business sooner rather than later.
Any competent person can build their own PC, as evidenced by all the generic crap that Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP and Lenovo spit out on an annual basis. Some of them try to engineer better, but I have seen them retreat back as well, because the PC market hammers most innovation and penalizes those who offer anything other than the same old, same old. The whole PC market is based on cheap, cheap, cheap. Even Apple makes better Windows PCs than the above manufacturers. My Bootcamped MBP hands down runs smoother than the Windows PCs that I have had the displeasure of having to deal with ever since the switch to Intel.
None of the above listed companies have a lineup as diverse as Apple, with a smartphone, tablet, wearable and top 5 PC manufacturer product lines. Juggling those priorities is not an easy task and it means that your upgrade cycle and my upgrade cycle, or Intel's, or AMD's are not always in line with Apple's, and it is frustrating, even maddening, at times. Some of those things I can overlook, some I cannot, but at the end of the day, my alternative is to switch to Windows 10, which I just cannot bring myself ever to do, or to build a Hackintosh and spend time maintaining it. When I was younger, tinkering with a Hackintosh would probably have been right up my alley. Today, I have no patience and even less for Windows 10 and the continued forced idiocy of an operating system that thinks I have nothing better to do with my time than troubleshoot its sorry @$$. Fixing my father-in-laws virus issue and the complete time suck that it became only reinforced my complete disdain for Windows. Do I use Windows 10 from time to time? Yes. Do I like it? Hell no.
And so I wait patiently for the next iteration of the iMac, should I decide I need one. Not saying it is all Skittles and rainbows, but it is the decision I made. Everyone is different, with their own threshold of patience and frustration.
You are probably correct that Apple is waiting for significant GPU upgrade. However, AMD 7 nm Zen 2 is also coming i 2019 with some interesting features like up 16/32 cores, 5.1 GHz boost in a 135W package well within the cooling capacity of iMP. I would not be surprised if iMac went AMD only. With these Zen 2 specs for 499 USD, why keep a xeon line (iMP) at all?
ECC memory, for one.
Apple are also pretty cosy with Intel regarding things like development of Thunderbolt.