What will the forthcoming 27in. iMac replacement be like?

[blairh]

I don't think that the new big iMac will be known as the iMac Pro, given that the brand got killed just a few weeks ago. However, if you think that the iMac Pro's discontinuation was related to issues with Intel Xeons (shortages and inadequate enough margins and sales volume to justify restocking), then there's certainly a good reason to believe they will revive the iMac Pro branding. So I see an argument to both effects.

Personally, I don't think that it matters if they call it a 30-inch iMac or a 30-inch iMac Pro—what does matter, however, is the starting price. I don't think that they can ask for a sum at all comparable to the Intel iMac Pro's $4999 starting price if they will put an M1X in it. Maybe models that come with those rumored custom Apple GPUs could be optioned up to such a price, but I feel like the new 30-inch iMac has to start at $1999. Apple silicon increases Apple's margin, so I see no reason for a marked price increase.

As for the colors, I am personally hoping that they let the 30-inch iMac have the same bold and vibrant selection as the 24-inch. If they choose to brand it as an iMac Pro, however, the color selection will be analogous to what we see in the "pro" iPhone line, that is: white, black, gold, and a more reserved wild card such as pacific blue or midnight green. Both scenarios would be fine by me. But, either way, I'd expect the larger iMac to keep the same design language as its sibling, if a bit thicker to accommodate things like an SD card slot and USB-A ports.

I'll be shocked if they retain the colors/bezels of the 24" for the 30"/32". I don't see it happening.

Also a shame Apple doesn't make a nice split keyboard (two halves). I use one by Kinesis and it is ugly as sin but has completely changed my life.

 

[Warped9]

So we‘re hearing there is a possibility the new big iMac could have the next generation M chip maybe called the M2. If so this means critics of the 24in. should be placated with the configuration possibilities of the forthcoming iMac even though they’re still likely to hate the exterior design. 32, 64 and maybe 128 RAM are a possibility.

Yep, I’m definitely eager to see what the big iMac will be like. I’m hoping it’s not ridiculously priced. Even so I can afford to wait another year to see what upgrades might come to the 24in.

 

[ADGrant]

I think it could still be a 27", they may chose to make the device a little smaller rather than increase the screen size like they did with the 12.9" iPad Pro.

As for colors, the 27" sells to professional users (the Mac Pro is way too expensive for most Pro users). I could see them sticking with black bezels and maybe a space gray exterior. Maybe they will call it a Pro or maybe they will save that for an iMac with a beefier SoC.

 

[iDave]

I am concerned it will be really expensive. The 24in wasn't exactly what I was looking for in terms of processor.

If the new "pro" iMac is 30 inches at 6K that's likely going to be pricier than 27/5K. Do folks really want the starting price to be higher than the current $1799? Based on what I've read about Apple silicon I expect RAM configurations of 16/32GB and no more — this year anyway — with a new M1X or M2. The shape and chin will likely be just like the 24" model. Colors might be space gray with black bezels or silver with light gray bezels; and keyboards to match. Those are my guesses.

 

[Lemon Olive]

iMac Pro
32" 6K display
M1X - 12 core CPU, 12 core GPU, 24 core Neural engine.
16 GB RAM standard - upgrade to 32 GB
512 GB SSD standard - upgrade to 2 TB
Silver and Space Grey

$2499 base price.

 

[iDave]

iMac Pro
32" 6K display
M1X - 12 core CPU, 12 core GPU, 24 core Neural engine.
16 GB RAM standard - upgrade to 32 GB
512 GB SSD standard - upgrade to 2 TB
Silver and Space Grey

$2499 base price.

I think people would scream (especially the MacRumors crowd) if the base price of the large iMac increased $700. It'd be nice if there were three sizes and price ranges but that's unlikely.

 

[Lemon Olive]

I think people would scream (especially the MacRumors crowd) if the base price of the large iMac increased $700. It'd be nice if there were three sizes and price ranges but that's unlikely.

That's one way to look at it. Another way is that the base price of iMac Pro dropped by $1500.

I really don't see any other way forward here, quite frankly. The 24" looks very much like the consumer iMac. It splits the difference in size between the old models, which should be good enough for the consumer crowd. The Pro crowd will likewise be thrilled with a machine that is faster than anything ever before, that starts at $2499 and BTO $2,899 for a good spec.

The market for people who don't need any of the extra specs, but "just want larger" than 24" 4.5k display is too small to have an entire product for.

 

[iDave]

That's one way to look at it. Another way is that the base price of iMac Pro dropped by $1500.

I really don't see any other way forward here, quite frankly. The 24" looks very much like the consumer iMac. It splits the difference in size between the old models, which should be good enough for the consumer crowd. The Pro crowd will likewise be thrilled with a machine that is faster than anything ever before, that starts at $2499 and BTO $2,899 for a good spec.

The market for people who don't need any of the extra specs, but "just want larger" than 24" 4.5k display is too small to have an entire product for.

You may be right. I foresee a lot of whimpering if so.

 

[JouniS]

M1X - 12 core CPU, 12 core GPU, 24 core Neural engine.
16 GB RAM standard - upgrade to 32 GB
512 GB SSD standard - upgrade to 2 TB

It's interesting that so many people believe that the larger Apple Silicon iMac would be a downgrade. The new iMac would need 24 GPU cores, 128 GB RAM, and 8 TB SSD to match the top Intel model, and preferably more to convince people that it's worth upgrading to.

 

[Lemon Olive]

It's interesting that so many people believe that the larger Apple Silicon iMac would be a downgrade. The new iMac would need 24 GPU cores, 128 GB RAM, and 8 TB SSD to match the top Intel model, and preferably more to convince people that it's worth upgrading to.

Who are those people?

The M1 alone has convinced a lot of people to ditch their overly bloated Intel configs for a better performing machine. The M1X, whether in 12 core, 16 core, or both options, will do so even more.

My experience with RAM in Macs is that 16 or 64, the Mac consumes every bit that you throw at it, and the performance difference is negligible with SSD's as fast as what we have now.

 

[Lemon Olive]

You may be right. I foresee a lot of whimpering if so.

That's a given. But I think this price is entirely reasonable to get a 32" 6K display in there.

 

[iDave]

That's a given. But I think this price is entirely reasonable to get a 32" 6K display in there.

I really can't see 32" happening. I think it'll be 30" and even then the prices will increase.

 

[JouniS]

Who are those people?

The M1 alone has convinced a lot of people to ditch their overly bloated Intel configs for a better performing machine. The M1X, whether in 12 core, 16 core, or both options, will do so even more.

My experience with RAM in Macs is that 16 or 64, the Mac consumes every bit that you throw at it, and the performance difference is negligible with SSD's as fast as what we have now.

People who need a ~$5k desktop for their work for whatever reason.

I have an iMac with 128 GB memory (for bioinformatics software development), and I would have seriously considered 256 GB had the iMac supported it. When I try the same workloads on an M1 Mac, it's initially a bit faster than the Intel Mac. As soon as memory requirements exceed 16 GB, the M1 Mac becomes tens of times slower, and the performance degrades even further as memory usage increases. Under these workloads, the M1 Mac swaps in and out ~2 TB/hour, which means that the expected lifespan of the SSD would be a few months of heavy use.

 

[Warped9]

Apple M2 Chip: Everything You Need to Know

Apple in June 2022 unveiled the M2, its next-generation Apple silicon chip that followed the M1 chip. This guide highlights everything you need to...

www.macrumors.com

Quote: “Alongside CPU improvements, Apple is working on 16 and 32-core GPUs for the Apple Siliconchips, and testing is being done on pricier options that could include 64 and 128 cores. The GPUs would be "several times faster" than the current GPUs that Apple uses in high-end Intel machines.”

Quote: “We could also see the M2 chips used in larger iMac models set to be released later this year. Apple's 24-inch iMacs that debuted in April 2021 use the ‌M1‌ chip, but there is a larger version in the works that is expected to use a more powerful Apple silicon variant.”

 

[blairh]

That's one way to look at it. Another way is that the base price of iMac Pro dropped by $1500.

I really don't see any other way forward here, quite frankly. The 24" looks very much like the consumer iMac. It splits the difference in size between the old models, which should be good enough for the consumer crowd. The Pro crowd will likewise be thrilled with a machine that is faster than anything ever before, that starts at $2499 and BTO $2,899 for a good spec.

The market for people who don't need any of the extra specs, but "just want larger" than 24" 4.5k display is too small to have an entire product for.

Too big a price gap between entry level models of both new sizes. 27” update really should not start any higher than $2000.

 

[Silmakhor]

I'll be shocked if they retain the colors/bezels of the 24" for the 30"/32". I don't see it happening.

Also a shame Apple doesn't make a nice split keyboard (two halves). I use one by Kinesis and it is ugly as sin but has completely changed my life.

I'm using an Ergodox. It looks like it was kludged together in a garage but I like it a lot.

 

[Silmakhor]

One glaring issue with the current M1 machines is the pathetic lack of the ability to plug in more than one external monitor. That's hot garbage. I would hope that the next iteration of the chip fixes this, and appears in the 27"'s replacement.

 

[BasilFawlty]

Maybe I'm an outlier, but the specs on the 24" look totally sufficient for my uses -- but I just don't want to step down too much from the 27"

No you're not an outlier. I currently have a 27" iMac and I'm actually happy about the new size for the silly reason that I will finally be able to close the top on my roll-top desk. My 27" is just about 1.5 inches too tall to allow me to close my roll-top. The 24" I just ordered, according to the size advertised in the specs, should allow me to close my rolltop - if only just.

 

[Warped9]

I’m eager to see the new 24in. in person when we get one on display at work, but I’m still going to hold off until I see what the bigger iMac looks like and what it will offer.

 

[RCPhotos]

One glaring issue with the current M1 machines is the pathetic lack of the ability to plug in more than one external monitor. That's hot garbage. I would hope that the next iteration of the chip fixes this, and appears in the 27"'s replacement.

I've been out of the Mac world for too long. So I'm asking if by using a dock I can add 2 or more external hdd's to the new 2021 iMacs? The question that comes up is will the external hdd have to be directly connect to the Thunderbolt port of the iMac or will it work through the dock?

 

[MisterSavage]

A spec’d out 27in. iMac made the old Pro largely redundant and it was less ridiculously priced. I think this is the direction Apple will go with the new big iMac.

I also don’t think it will be radically different in form and function from the 24in., much to the disappointment of some. I also doubt it will be called Pro.

I'm going to be so sad if you're not right. I'm ready to buy if you are!

 

[Warped9]

If the big Mac is 28-30ins. and I can get 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD for a reasonably sane price I’ll probably go for it. If it has the M2 then even better. The alternative is to fall back on the 24in. with 16 RAM and 1TB (although 512 would probably suffice). Silver is the safer colour, but I do like the green.

 

[Slow Programmer]

1) The storage drive on the base model will be too small for practical use and upgrades will be very expensive.

2) The memory on the base model will be too small for practical use and upgrades will be very expensive.

3) It will be the least repairable iMac ever.

4) It will come in, "The best colors ever".

5) Apple will introduce new emojis in honor of it.

6) It will be thinner.

 

[richinaus]

I'm going to be so sad if you're not right. I'm ready to buy if you are!

I think you will be happy.

It will be the same as the 24" except the 30"display and improved M chip [which will also be in the macbook pro]

However I also think they will have a 'pro' option that has some improved specs, that comes in space grey and black border.

 

[Gregintosh]

I think this thread has a lot of wishful thinking versus informed predictions (especially when it comes to color).

The way I see it is this:

- Same color options and general design

- 32 inch screen but not miniLED/XDR
(Otherwise it would compete with Apples XDR display and cost a fortune)

* Since Apple already makes a 32 inch display I think it would be weird for them to not make this 32 inches and go with an odd size like 28 or 30. By making the screen size uniform they will say that pro users can buy an additional XDR display for precision graphics/video editing and they will look great side by side.

- Upgraded processor (dual M1 or M1X/M2)

- Same port and upgrade options

- Perhaps more RAM if there is indeed an M1X/M2 processor that support it, but dont bet on it for version 1.

- Starting price $1799 for base model, $1999 or $2099 for the model that most will want.

This is still a personal/prosumer computer, replacing the 27 inch iMac. So pricing and performance will be analogous to the difference between the 21 and 27 inch iMacs.

Most likely this will not be marketed as a "Pro" computer the way the iMac Pro was with Xeon processors.

That version of iMac (if it will ever happen) would probably come out when they make a Mac Pro with a very beefy Apple Silicon Chip that competes with Xeon processors. I wouldn't expect that until WWDC/Fall next year.

I see absolutely no reason why Apple would make a colorful 24 inch and then stick to boring Silver/Space Gray for the 32 inch version. Maybe they will add a space grey option but for sure they would include the blue, orange, etc. too.