The iMac is amazing!

[TSE]

People who hate on the iMac don't understand that customers don't want having a mess of cords. We don't want black bezels. We don't want boring gray, space gray, or dark gray.

iMac customers are tasteful. We like color that fits into our interior. We love the 24" screen size. It's perfect for what we need. 4.5k resolution?! Are you kidding me?! That's amazing! Remember the days of 15" screens on our iMacs and how we thought those were huge? Absolutely amazing how far we've come.

And the M4 chip is blazing fast. It's essentially a supercomputer chip in a chassis thinner than a lot of laptops. Studio quality speakers that blast music so loud that my neighbors all hate me. But thats ok. Because I have an iMac. And the iMac is the ultimate companion. It does everything I ask for and just looks so dang good doing it.

Does anyone else feel the same way?

 

[iscat]

I love the design of the iMac. The G3 was such a nice looking machine with tons of color options and it's great to see that the modern Apple Silicon iMac has the same spirit. I'm also happy that Apple has brought the fun color options from the iMac to the MacBook Neo. We need more design like that, both playful and useful!

 

[colodane]

Don't mind hearing your opinion.

However you cross the line when you start using "we" instead of "I" and purport to speak for all iMac owners. There are hundreds of thousands of us. So your opinion counts for a minuscule fraction of Apple's customer base.

Nobody has designated you as our spokesperson.

 

[curnalpanic]

I would like to see a modern take on the iMac G4. However, back in those days displays were small and computers were huge. Now it's the other way around so maybe it would probably be a little top heavy.

 

[jms_uk]

We don't want boring gray, space gray, or dark gray.

iMac customers are tasteful. We like color that fits into our interior.

Thank you for making your taste being the only correct taste!! /s

Does anyone else feel the same way?

Not me, thank you.

 

[TSE]

Don't mind hearing your opinion.

However you cross the line when you start using "we" instead of "I" and purport to speak for all iMac owners. There are hundreds of thousands of us. So your opinion counts for a minuscule fraction of Apple's customer base.

Nobody has designated you as our spokesperson.

Thank you for sharing. I speak for the majority. Not all. But the majority.

I would like to see a modern take on the iMac G4. However, back in those days displays were small and computers were huge. Now it's the other way around so maybe it would probably be a little top heavy.

I agree. The iMac G4 was amazing.

In terms of design:

iMac G4 (2002 - 2004) > Apple Silicon iMac (2021 - present) > iMac G3 (1997 - 2001) > Retina iMacs (2014 - 2020) > Aluminum iMac (2007 - 2013) > iMac G5 (2004 - 2006)

 

[BillyBurke]

Don't mind hearing your opinion.

However you cross the line when you start using "we" instead of "I" and purport to speak for all iMac owners. There are hundreds of thousands of us. So your opinion counts for a minuscule fraction of Apple's customer base.

Nobody has designated you as our spokesperson.

What an absolute weenie thing to say. Nobody appointed you either.

 

[theluggage]

People who hate on the iMac don't understand that customers don't want having a mess of cords. We don't want black bezels. We don't want boring gray, space gray, or dark gray.

The iMac has always been a gorgeous machine for people who wanted an all-in-one. I have some gripes with the design but then I don't want an all-in-one anyway, so that's kinda moot. I want to be able to pick-n-mix displays and update or retain them independently of the computer part.

The problem is, Apple went though a long period, particularly 2014-2018 (when both the Mac Pro trashcan and the Mac Mini were left to stagnate) where it was the only Mac desktop that Apple seemed to be putting any effort into. I ended up buying an iMac in 2017 and although it was a great system it wasn't really what I wanted.

Fortunately, now (current supply hiccups permitting) Apple have a much better range of headless desktop systems in the Mx Minis and Studio.

I'm happy for people who like the iMac - and I can see the appeal - so I'm not going to hate on it as long as I don't have to buy one.

 

[TechRunner]

There's lots to like about the iMac aesthetic, for sure. I've owned two in the past myself. But I'll never buy a 24" desktop no matter how much I appreciate the look of the iMac and the clean desktop experience. And I seriously doubt Apple ever makes anything larger.

 

[theluggage]

And I seriously doubt Apple ever makes anything larger.

Lots of people have asked for a larger "pro" iMac but I don't think anybody can agree on the definition of "larger".

One of Apple's problems with the "pro" market is that they tend to offer one-size-fits-all solutions to "pro" customers with increasingly specialised needs. The 5k display in the iMac was incredible value if that was exactly what you wanted - but choosing a display is not a game of "top trumps" where 5k3k or 6k beats everything else.

Some people want 27" 5k3k displays
Some people want 32" 6k displays
Some people want ultra-wide 5k2k displays
Some people want 2-3 4k displays instead of one expensive one
Some people want proper local dimming (which is still hugely expensive)
Some people want high frame rate - which needs insane GPU bandwidth and makes 5k3k or 6k very expensive/unobtanium so it's a trade off between how much you need HFR vs. how much resolution.
Some people want OLED - others are still not convinced that burn-in has been fixed.
Some people have to get certified reference displays (even if there's a cheaper option that only lacks the certification).
I want (and have) a pair of 3:2 4k+ displays. Highly underrated!
etc.

I think the 24" iMac is a wise choice for Apple that goes back to the original iMac target audience for a general purpose desktop. Above that, they'd have to produce a bewildering array of models each with a niche target market.

 

[Student of Life]

Lots of people have asked for a larger "pro" iMac but I don't think anybody can agree on the definition of "larger".

One of Apple's problems with the "pro" market is that they tend to offer one-size-fits-all solutions to "pro" customers with increasingly specialised needs. The 5k display in the iMac was incredible value if that was exactly what you wanted - but choosing a display is not a game of "top trumps" where 5k3k or 6k beats everything else.

Some people want 27" 5k3k displays
Some people want 32" 6k displays
Some people want ultra-wide 5k2k displays
Some people want 2-3 4k displays instead of one expensive one
Some people want proper local dimming (which is still hugely expensive)
Some people want high frame rate - which needs insane GPU bandwidth and makes 5k3k or 6k very expensive/unobtanium so it's a trade off between how much you need HFR vs. how much resolution.
Some people want OLED - others are still not convinced that burn-in has been fixed.
Some people have to get certified reference displays (even if there's a cheaper option that only lacks the certification).
I want (and have) a pair of 3:2 4k+ displays. Highly underrated!
etc.

I think the 24" iMac is a wise choice for Apple that goes back to the original iMac target audience for a general purpose desktop. Above that, they'd have to produce a bewildering array of models each with a niche target market.

You are making this more complicated than it needs to be. Start with a 27 inch iMac period. How is that so hard?

 

[theluggage]

Start with a 27 inch iMac period. How is that so hard?

The hard bit is knowing whether you've got a market before investing the millions needed to put a new model into production. It's widely known that desktops are a small fraction of Apple's Mac sales - and, since 2020, the potential market for the 27" iMac has been eroded from many directions:

• The 24" iMac is relatively more powerful and has a significantly larger/better screen than the old 21.5 - at the same price - which cuts into the market for 27".
• The Mini/Studio range is a lot better than the lousy choice of headless Mac desktops on offer during the 27" iMac's heyday.
• 27" iMacs used to have faster desktop CPUs and discrete GPUs than you could get in laptops, now they'd be using the same chipsets as MacBook Pros - which makes the MBP more viable as a desktop replacement. Fewer people will be buying desktops for "heavy lifting".
• The Studio Display can be sold to new and existing users of the Mini and Studio (+ existing Pro users) and MacBook users who want a desktop dock. So, a much safer bet than making a 27" iMac.

Apple tend to be their own biggest competitor on products like an iMac - hence the worry that making a new "pro" iMac would come at the expense of the Mini and Studio lines.

 

[Student of Life]

The hard bit is knowing whether you've got a market before investing the millions needed to put a new model into production. It's widely known that desktops are a small fraction of Apple's Mac sales - and, since 2020, the potential market for the 27" iMac has been eroded from many directions:

• The 24" iMac is relatively more powerful and has a significantly larger/better screen than the old 21.5 - at the same price - which cuts into the market for 27".
• The Mini/Studio range is a lot better than the lousy choice of headless Mac desktops on offer during the 27" iMac's heyday.
• 27" iMacs used to have faster desktop CPUs and discrete GPUs than you could get in laptops, now they'd be using the same chipsets as MacBook Pros - which makes the MBP more viable as a desktop replacement. Fewer people will be buying desktops for "heavy lifting".
• The Studio Display can be sold to new and existing users of the Mini and Studio (+ existing Pro users) and MacBook users who want a desktop dock. So, a much safer bet than making a 27" iMac.

Apple tend to be their own biggest competitor on products like an iMac - hence the worry that making a new "pro" iMac would come at the expense of the Mini and Studio lines.

You are searching for any reason at this point. If you want the real reason its that Apple wont make as much money as they would selling the studio + Mac and everything is more expensive now. The irony here is that most people just forgo getting the studio so Apple loses sales, market share and worse visual placement. Before one could see the 27 inch iMac in hotels, small business etc, now honestly the only place i have see the 24 iMac is in a Tesla stores.

It’s not that hard just make the 27 inch iMac. Look at the current line up of Apple products you have a small MacBook Air and then a bigger version. You have a smaller MacBook Pro and then a bigger version screen size wise. Then look at the iMac line up and you have no choice or option to get a bigger screen size. That is a glaring omission.

The people who want a larger iMac could care less about the studio and Mac combo, it is the antithesis to what the iMac is and represents. That’s like saying you should get an android on a Mac webpage. I wouldn’t be surprised if the iMac demographic has the disposable income to pay more but again they wont on a substandard product where screen size is a premium. Think prosumer buyer.

 

[triumvirate]

People who hate on the iMac don't understand that customers don't want having a mess of cords. We don't want black bezels. We don't want boring gray, space gray, or dark gray.

iMac customers are tasteful. We like color that fits into our interior. We love the 24" screen size. It's perfect for what we need. 4.5k resolution?! Are you kidding me?! That's amazing! Remember the days of 15" screens on our iMacs and how we thought those were huge? Absolutely amazing how far we've come.

And the M4 chip is blazing fast. It's essentially a supercomputer chip in a chassis thinner than a lot of laptops. Studio quality speakers that blast music so loud that my neighbors all hate me. But thats ok. Because I have an iMac. And the iMac is the ultimate companion. It does everything I ask for and just looks so dang good doing it.

Does anyone else feel the same way?

My 27” late 2012 iMac (it was silver) has been my favorite Mac thus far. It still works very well minus a few cracks and no more software updates. The RAM is upgradeable which has definitely given it more life.

I couldn’t settle for a 24” screen and the colors mean very little to me with the downgrade in screen size, so I had to leave the iMac life.

The “all in one” large screen is definitely unbeatable for me though.