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I have to say.... I honestly don't believe this is coming at ALL!! Everyone is waiting... and waiting.... but come on... if Apple had a 27" iMac up its sleeve don't you think it would have been released by now??
Well, of course a larger iMac is coming! Do you think Apple lowered the price of their most expensive standard configuration All-In-One (from $2,299 to $1,699) by 600 dollars? Apple is a luxury brand, you can't guarantee there is a cheap option, but you can be sure there's a $2000+ iMac config in the making. And if in the meantime an impatient customer buys a $1,999 Mac Studio plus a $1,599 Studio Display, Apple won't cry a river either.
 
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In UK £ terms.... the home iMac being 24" is £1,400 more or less.
A 27" (or bigger) iMac Pro with M2 Ultra would be way north of £2,500 - it's unrealistic to think such a machine would be cheaper.... and that is very much NOT in the realms of the majority of home users.
SOME 'home users' might buy it though. I know a couple of people who have the 27". Most (Mac using) folk have laptops or smaller iMacs, ime.
The M1 chip is frankly overpowered when it comes to EVERY home users computing requirements i.e. Web browsing, Media consumption, Emailing, and Photo storage / light editing. The iMac is a great machine, and inevitably will get the M2 chip - but pros and maxes will go into the mac studio and mac pro.
Assuming EVERY home user has the same requirements is daft. So many people I know at least, WFH, and have vastly differing requirements, from basic emailing and databaseing, to full on video production and 3D stuff. The notion of a 'home user' is vastly different to what it was when Apple introduced the first iMacs way back in 1998.
This is what I think happened, why the studio display sucks, and why I think there is still a larger iMac coming:
Other than that being pure guesswork and personal opinion, why does the studio Display 'suck'? It's a fantastic quality display, better than pretty much anything else out there for the money, and the perfect accompaniment to all sorts of machines and uses.

I think some people really don't understand how (Apple's) marketing works. The Intel iMac 27" was discontinued in March, same time the Mac Studio and Display were launched. Coincidence? Nah. That's deliberate marketing that. Apple know that many 27" iMac type customers would be drawn towards the Studio, so obviously want to establish a strong market position for that model. Such customers would be spending more than they would have on a comparable iMac. You're talking £3500+ for a Studio setup, so a lot more than the £1799+ the last 27" iMac cost. This is Capitalism. This is how it works. Apple want people to spend as much money as possible. This is why Apple don't do £300 laptops or £100 'phones. Once the Studio was established, then Apple can launch the next larger iMac (if they're going to, I wouldn't imagine they're not, tbh). Launching the Studio and a new larger iMac together would probably have been disastrous for Studio sales. Apple know what they're doing. Why release a product that will cannibalise sales of a more expensive one? 3 years ago, Nikon released the new mirrorless Z range of cams, starting with the £3000+ Z7, and the ca.£2000 Z6. Which one do you think they released some months before the other? Marketing, people.

Nobody knows what’s happening we are all just theorising.
It's just that some people are asserting their opinions as facts. And being wrong.
 
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Other than that being pure guesswork and personal opinion, why does the studio Display 'suck'? It's a fantastic quality display, better than pretty much anything else out there for the money, and the perfect accompaniment to all sorts of machines and uses.

I saw a news piece that stated that only 3% of users were willing to spend over $2,000 for a computer. That is a very small percentage but it's still a lot of people. I have a base Mac Studio and somewhat regret not going to 64 GB of RAM as I can't run my production along with a Windows virtual machine at the same time. I can run them separately though. So needs vary widely but I suspect that the M1 was enough for the vast majority in 2020, mainly because it didn't have any compute competition back then and the compute power was high-end back then.

If you hang out in the Mac Studio forum, you can find out what people use their Mac Studios for and you can also get their opinions on whether it is enough, just right, or not enough power for them. I imagine the Mac Pro forum is similar.
 
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SOME 'home users' might buy it though. I know a couple of people who have the 27". Most (Mac using) folk have laptops or smaller iMacs, ime.

Assuming EVERY home user has the same requirements is daft. So many people I know at least, WFH, and have vastly differing requirements, from basic emailing and databaseing, to full on video production and 3D stuff. The notion of a 'home user' is vastly different to what it was when Apple introduced the first iMacs way back in 1998.

Other than that being pure guesswork and personal opinion, why does the studio Display 'suck'? It's a fantastic quality display, better than pretty much anything else out there for the money, and the perfect accompaniment to all sorts of machines and uses.

I think some people really don't understand how (Apple's) marketing works. The Intel iMac 27" was discontinued in March, same time the Mac Studio and Display were launched. Coincidence? Nah. That's deliberate marketing that. Apple know that many 27" iMac type customers would be drawn towards the Studio, so obviously want to establish a strong market position for that model. Such customers would be spending more than they would have on a comparable iMac. You're talking £3500+ for a Studio setup, so a lot more than the £1799+ the last 27" iMac cost. This is Capitalism. This is how it works. Apple want people to spend as much money as possible. This is why Apple don't do £300 laptops or £100 'phones. Once the Studio was established, then Apple can launch the next larger iMac (if they're going to, I wouldn't imagine they're not, tbh). Launching the Studio and a new larger iMac together would probably have been disastrous for Studio sales. Apple know what they're doing. Why release a product that will cannibalise sales of a more expensive one? 3 years ago, Nikon released the new mirrorless Z range of cams, starting with the £3000+ Z7, and the ca.£2000 Z6. Which one do you think they released some months before the other? Marketing, people.


It's just that some people are asserting their opinions as facts. And being wrong.

Sorry.

Just to be clear.

My definition of "home users" is certainly not "people who have a computer at home"! i.e. working from home... graphics artists, photo professionals, video production etc etc.
Of course they can work from home.. but thats not who im talking about clearly.

Im talking about the majority of 'regular' users who will simply want the form factor of a desktop machine... and yet their computing requirements are (and I refuse to use the word basic) average but they will only ever use the machine for web browsing, personal photo organisation, email, music, calendar, messaging..... in other words quiet a significant proportion of computer users out there.
 
The comment wasn't aimed at you.

But why does the Studio Display 'suck'?
It’s overpriced and way over engineered for what it is. The screen used in it was first used back in 2014 so costs should have come down (LG 5K display is $600), and there’s no need to have the beefy power supply or fan inside. Bezels are thick for 2022. Camera has had plenty of issues.

The display itself is fantastic - and if you weren’t concerned about money, it’s great on its own. But when looking at the product as a whole it’s just a bit odd. It should be $999 and even then the over engineering of features seems out of place unless it was supposed to come with promotion. That would have justified the price.
 
It’s overpriced and way over engineered for what it is. The screen used in it was first used back in 2014 so costs should have come down (LG 5K display is $600), and there’s no need to have the beefy power supply or fan inside. Bezels are thick for 2022. Camera has had plenty of issues.
Is it 'overpriced'? That's surely a subjective view. I'm sure many consider it very good value for money indeed. And isn't the screen actually a new type thing, and NOT the 27" iMac screen? I can't find the LG screen for £600; £800+ seems to be the price unless second hand, and that seems to be from dodgy looking online sellers. LG's own price is £1149. And is that even the same panel as in the Apple Studio Display? Bezels are also a subjective thing. The camera 'issues' I know nothing about.
It should be $999
Everything 'should be' cheaper. But as I said before; that's Capitalism.
 
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You guys waiting on all new "27 iMac should get one real soon if "Murphy" has anything to do with it. I just plopped down $2500 for a mint 2020 27" Intel I9 10-core ,5K Display, 128GB memory, Radeon 5500 XT with 8GB GPU and a 2Tb SSD. 100% of the time when I purchase a new to me computer the one I was waiting on appears.

M
Great call. I tried that after they were discontinued with two machines bought from the UK refurb store but both had faulty elements (and were about £4K) so I gave up and purchased a Mac Studio and ASD in late November.
 
I am in a similar situation. My late 2015 iMac is still working fine so there is no rush to replace, but I'm ready just as soon as I see what Apple does with the iMac. I've been watching the delivery times for the Studio and display and they are coming down but still a month out, and I can't get both at roughly the same time since the display deliveries are further out. Especially if I decide to get the height adjustable stand. And the cost of a Studio plus display ends up being more expensive than I really want to pay, if I spec it out the way I want (base Studio specs and RAM is fine but I will get more storage than 500GB).

If the new larger display iMac is a more expensive Pro model then I may decide that the Studio and display are the best choice for me, but I want to be able to make that comparison and choice.

@EssentialGadget, you have a very nicely spec'd Studio! What are you using for the display?
Sorry for the late response.

I picked up 2 new and a renewed (Total 3):

HP 27-inch QHD Gaming with Tilt/Height Adjustment with AMD FreeSync Premium Technology (X27q, 2021 model)​



Plus these USB C to DisplayPort 1.4 cables:


These monitors have the business features I want - portrait mode (if needed), height and tilt adjustments. Great monitors for the money. $249 at this time.

They work very well.

I'm running them at 2560x1440 165 Hz 16:9.

These replaced my SAMSUNG U28E590D 28 inch 4K UHD monitors which were junk. The screens had started delaminating on them. Very disappointed with Samsung - had good luck with them but their quality has gone downhill.
 
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But why does the Studio Display 'suck'?
It's genuinely a bad display. It does not support HDR content, no MiniLED, no ProMotion, no FaceID. The tech specs page doesn't even mention the contrast ratio, because it's merely 1100:1. So it is incapable of producing deep blacks. The height-adjustable stand is a paid extra. The mounts are built into the display and are not user interchangeable. And it's more expensive than an iMac.
 
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Ok fair enough. But what 27" monitor in that sort of price range has all those features?

Personally, I found it wonderful when I saw it in a shop. But there you go. Some people are more interested in specs than performance I spose...
 
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Ok fair enough. But what 27" monitor in that sort of price range has all those features?

Personally, I found it wonderful when I saw it in a shop. But there you go. Some people are more interested in specs than performance I spose...
None - I think it is by far the best display, even at the current cost. People just like to complain about everything, as nothing will every be perfect.
 
It's genuinely a bad display. It does not support HDR content, no MiniLED, no ProMotion, no FaceID. The tech specs page doesn't even mention the contrast ratio, because it's merely 1100:1. So it is incapable of producing deep blacks. The height-adjustable stand is a paid extra. The mounts are built into the display and are not user interchangeable. And it's more expensive than an iMac.
When I bought the Mac Studio, I have enough money in my pocket to choose either a SAMSUNG 28" Odyssey G70A 4K 144hz HDR Gsync monitor with tons of fancy features or a Apple Studio display. I already own a Samsung G70A for my PC. It is one of the best monitor I have ever used and it's $719 USD.

I end up buying the Apple studio display to pair with the Mac studio for twice the amount and less technical features as you said. The reason is that it does look better visually in 5K resolution on Mac studio display than the 4K resolution of Samsung G70A. Even without all these technical features from the G70A, it is just better if you look at it side by side.

So, back to the question, is that overprice? Yes, it's expensive, but if you have the chance to look at it side by side with another monitor, you know why it's way more expensive. Whether it's worth $1599 is another question, but I can tell you it is worth more than $719 and it would be in the $1000+ range without all the bells and whistle that you mentioned that's for sure.
 

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None - I think it is by far the best display, even at the current cost.
I end up buying the Apple studio display to pair with the Mac studio for twice the amount and less technical features as you said. The reason is that it does look better visually in 5K resolution on Mac studio display than the 4K resolution of Samsung G70A. Even without all these technical features from the G70A, it is just better if you look at it side by side.
So, it's better than other displays now? This is confusing...

Actually it's not. People do try to find fault, which is ok, but then have a decent argument to back up your assertions. I haven't searched extensively, but I haven't found anything that matches the ASD for resolution or all round features and build quality (and it is of significantly better quality than other monitors) for anything near the price. You can't just say 'oh it's bad' when nothing else is as good. That's silly. I appreciate the criticism re the mounts, that is poor, but then the stand solutions are at least a lot nicer than other brands. £400 on top for the tilt and height adjustable stand is taking the piss though. But, Apple. I think pricing it around £1000-1200 would be far more reasonable. AS good as the nano-texture glass is, it's not worth an extra £250. £100 maybe. So even a max of £1500 for all the bells and whistles would be a bit steep. So; base price £1000, +£100 for the glass, and +£100 for the tilt/height stand. So £1200 tops. Yes, that would be ok. To me at least.
 
For best results without scaling artifacts macOS needs a display with 218 ppi. Most PC displays are well beyond that.
Yet that graph shows the Apple displays well ahead of any other, bar one? 🤔🤷‍♂️
 
I held out for an updated iMac Pro for some time. Tracked rumors prior to March's event, and after the event I started hearing that it may not release until in Spring 2023. Didn't want to wait that long, or find a temporary solution, so I actually ended up purchasing a Studio Display and M1 Mac mini.

I mounted the Mac mini under my desk to save space, and get the iMac feel. I've loved it so far, and hope to upgrade to a MacBook in the future for some flexibility. Just thought I'd share as an alternative for those still holding out!
Great Setup! Who's desk mat is that? Looks great!
 
Yet that graph shows the Apple displays well ahead of any other, bar one? 🤔🤷‍♂️
The argument is that Apple needs those extremely high ppi displays, because Retina (pixel doubling) started from 109 ppi and resulted in a 218 ppi requirement. Whereas the Windows user interface was always optimized to look good acceptable on low pixel density displays and is now fine alright with 163 ppi. People complain that Apple's displays are unnecessary expensive and that it's a software failure for macOS to not look good on those cheaper third party displays. But yes, Apple's own displays are the sharpest in the industry.

But that's been the case since 2014. For $200 more than the price of a Studio Display you used to get the whole 5K Intel iMac with basically the same display. Now we're waiting for the new iMac to adopt Mini-LED (with 1000 nits brightness and 1.000.000:1 contrast) and ProMotion (adaptive frame rate upto 120Hz). The Studio Display is just a stopgap until the new iMac is ready. It was introduced the same day the 5K iMac was discontinued and it will be obsolete as soon as the 6K iMac has arrived.
 
I just bought a 5k iMac refurb. Even if they do have a new one it isn’t here yet and it would be a lot more expensive than what I payed for a higher spec model. It’s still a great machine.
 
I held out for an updated iMac Pro for some time. Tracked rumors prior to March's event, and after the event I started hearing that it may not release until in Spring 2023. Didn't want to wait that long, or find a temporary solution, so I actually ended up purchasing a Studio Display and M1 Mac mini.

I mounted the Mac mini under my desk to save space, and get the iMac feel. I've loved it so far, and hope to upgrade to a MacBook in the future for some flexibility. Just thought I'd share as an alternative for those still holding out!
Nice setup! What desk is that? I’m curious the dimensions
 
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