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Why are people so mad about the new iMac?

A

Astralis56

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 16, 2020
17
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I understand the frustration of many.

But I think it's exaggerated. The main reason being: it's a product for the average customer, not the pro ones!

I have to admit it, I also thought there would be some sort of announcement for the M1X or the M2. But taking a step back made me realize which customer Apple was aiming at with this new machine. It's the same as the two new MacBook. The design is another element that clearly defines its level: more friendly and colorful option for an everyday user or even schools. This is a recurrent from Apple. The more sober and darker design target often the pro segment.

I'm pretty sure that, by the end of the year, Apple has plans to release more professional-oriented machines with a much more powerful chip (and, finally, the Space Gray finish). Maybe we'll have a surprise at the WWDC...
 
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Astralis56 said:
I understand the frustration of many.

But I think it's exaggerated. The main reason being: it's a product for the average customer, not the pro ones!

I have to admit it, I also thought there would be some sort of announcement for the M1X or the M2. But taking a step back made me realize which customer Apple was aiming at with this new machine. It's the same as the two new MacBook. The design is another element that clearly defines its level: more friendly and colorful option for an everyday user or even schools. This is a recurrent from Apple. The more sober and darker design target often the pro segment.

I'm pretty sure that, by the end of the year, Apple has plans to release more professional-oriented machines with a much more powerful chip (and, finally, the Space Gray finish). Maybe we'll have a surprise at the WWDC...
Click to expand...

Personally I just wanted an option for a little better processor. I keep my iMacs for 7 to 10 years and I am not sure M1 will be good enough. On my current 2010 21.5 I upgraded to the best processor and I have been very happy.

It just doesn't make sense for me to spend the money on M1 iMac when I can just get a Mini if I want.
 
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GumaRodak said:
please correct me if iam wrong, the new macs have the same CPU/GPU M1. So the performance is the same as with the MBA and MBP recently released?
Click to expand...
Yes. The performance is totally the same, that you can get within the Macbook Air, Macbook Pro, Mac mini. Oh, and the new iPad PRO.

The difference with the "higher end" models is only one (1!) GPU core.
 
Loyola said:
Personally I just wanted an option for a little better processor. I keep my iMacs for 7 to 10 years and I am not sure M1 will be good enough. On my current 2010 21.5 I upgraded to the best processor and I have been very happy.

It just doesn't make sense for me to spend the money on M1 iMac when I can just get a Mini if I want.
Click to expand...
Still, the iMac integrates a display, when the Mini is standalone. The upgrade will come later this year, I am confident.
 
opeter said:
Yes. The performance is totally the same, that you can get within the Macbook Air, Macbook Pro, Mac mini. Oh, and the new iPad PRO.

The difference with the "higher end" models is only one (1!) GPU core.
Click to expand...
True. I’ll keep an eye on the benchmark tho, maybe the termals on the iMac are better than the other M1 device.
 
Because it's a big change, and that paints as big of a target on Apple's back for the complainers to come out

Astralis56 said:
The design is another element that clearly defines its level: more friendly and colorful option for an everyday user or even schools. This is a recurrent from Apple. The more sober and darker design target often the pro segment.

I'm pretty sure that, by the end of the year, Apple has plans to release more professional-oriented machines with a much more powerful chip (and, finally, the Space Gray finish). Maybe we'll have a surprise at the WWDC...
Click to expand...

I wonder if the colours were chosen to match the appearance of Big Sur. Apple usually tries to update the look of the OS as their hardware design changes. I just don't like the lack of choice, if the "sober and darker" design is limited to the Pro tier.
 
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Astralis56 said:
I understand the frustration of many.

But I think it's exaggerated. The main reason being: it's a product for the average customer, not the pro ones!

I have to admit it, I also thought there would be some sort of announcement for the M1X or the M2. But taking a step back made me realize which customer Apple was aiming at with this new machine. It's the same as the two new MacBook. The design is another element that clearly defines its level: more friendly and colorful option for an everyday user or even schools. This is a recurrent from Apple. The more sober and darker design target often the pro segment.

I'm pretty sure that, by the end of the year, Apple has plans to release more professional-oriented machines with a much more powerful chip (and, finally, the Space Gray finish). Maybe we'll have a surprise at the WWDC...
Click to expand...
There are more of us average customers in the market place than pros and Apple plays to that. That doesn't mean you are going to be left out. You all need something to complain about and Apple supplied it.
 
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I will not speak for others but for me the concern is the design being so obsessed with thin and fashion and all the sacrifices that entails.

I am not going to buy this iMac, but I really hope this doesn’t provide a really accurate preview of what the larger more pro focused ones will be also.

On a desktop computer I don’t want to be using dongles or be port constrained or any of that sort of stuff.

This iMac 24 has less ports than the Mac Mini!
 
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GumaRodak said:
please correct me if iam wrong, the new macs have the same CPU/GPU M1. So the performance is the same as with the MBA and MBP recently released?
Click to expand...

It is the same M1 SoC as in the other "Wave One" Macs, but it does have a better cooling system so it could be running - or have the ability to run - faster as it can better dissipate the heat generated at higher clock speeds.

It is also possible that the cooling system is not needed for the M1 as it runs at the same performance level as the MBP and Mac mini (which also have active cooling), but was developed for future models with M-series SoCs with more cores and/or higher clock speeds.
 
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I too am a bit disappointed there isn't more differentiation in M1 processors. Putting the exact same processor into a variety of devices seems, well, lazy. As of yesterday, we now have:

iPad (Pro)
iPad without a screen (Mac Mini)
iPad with attached keyboard (MacBook Air)
iPad with attached keyboard and nicer display (MacBook Pro)
iPad with big screen (iMac 24")

Kind of like a car manufacturer plopping the same engine into a compact, sedan, crossover, pickup, etc.
The smaller vehicles will feel powerful, the larger ones, not so much.
 
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@beerisfood

I largely agree with your sentiment.

That said I don’t know if we know for sure about the performance being exactly the same.

Having a different and better cooling system may allow them to clock this higher and get more out of it than we realize. Only testing will tell
 
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There's also a connection many have with the iMac as their first foray into the Apple ecosystem. Whether that be the G3, G4 or the first Intel iMacs.

It's the Mac that brought Apple back from the brink of death...and the cornerstone (and most popular) Apple's desktop offering. It's almost like, if you can't get your most iconic product right, how can we expect you to get the rest right! ;)
 
beerisfood said:
I too am a bit disappointed there isn't more differentiation in M1 processors. Putting the exact same processor into a variety of devices seems, well, lazy. As of yesterday, we now have:

iPad (Pro)
iPad without a screen (Mac Mini)
iPad with attached keyboard (MacBook Air)
iPad with attached keyboard and nicer display (MacBook Pro)
iPad with big screen (iMac 24")

Kind of like a car manufacturer plopping the same engine into a compact, sedan, crossover, pickup, etc.
The smaller vehicles will feel powerful, the larger ones, not so much.
Click to expand...
It's always in the eyes of the beholder, of course, but I don't think the car analogy is spot-on. Unlike those different sized cars and small trucks, which among other things have different passenger and cargo capacities that can substantially change the standing weight and air drag of the vehicle, computing workload doesn't change much between PCs within their particular target-user category (let's call this one "home/school/office"). A larger/smaller display, portable vs. desktop configuration, etc. doesn't appreciably change what's needed under the hood outside of the battery/power supply. Yes, better thermal performance (fan vs. fan-less in this case) allows the CPU to work harder over a more sustained period, similar to whether your vehicle is equipped with larger radiator and transmission cooling capacity for trailer-hauling.

Like the M1-equipped MBPs, these iMacs will undoubtedly do very nicely for mid-range graphics/video work as well, though the 24" display will argue against broad adoption. Graphics pros want a larger display on the desktop, capability to drive at least two external displays in addition to the internal, as well as more overall horsepower. The M1X (or whatever it's called) will likely deliver all of that.

This is what I've been expecting all along. M1 for the mass-market models, which would be released earliest. The higher cost/higher performance models come afterwards.
 
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ok, but will it handle the 4.5k screen resolution well? we know that the first 5k imacs were GPU underpowered...and that were discrete gpus, now this one have "only" build in so i am wondering...i do work with programs like PS, LR, Capture one so ...
 
GumaRodak said:
ok, but will it handle the 4.5k screen resolution well? we know that the first 5k imacs were GPU underpowered...and that were discrete gpus, now this one have "only" build in so i am wondering...i do work with programs like PS, LR, Capture one so ...
Click to expand...
Yep, I have a late 2015 21,5“ Retina 4K i7 iMac, which only has a discrete Intel Iris GPU. I don‘t play games, but even for apps like Logic Pro X the graphics performance is just horrible. I have to reduce the color profile to sRGB to get a little bit better performance.
 
Astralis56 said:
I understand the frustration of many.

But I think it's exaggerated. The main reason being: it's a product for the average customer, not the pro ones!

I have to admit it, I also thought there would be some sort of announcement for the M1X or the M2. But taking a step back made me realize which customer Apple was aiming at with this new machine. It's the same as the two new MacBook. The design is another element that clearly defines its level: more friendly and colorful option for an everyday user or even schools. This is a recurrent from Apple. The more sober and darker design target often the pro segment.

I'm pretty sure that, by the end of the year, Apple has plans to release more professional-oriented machines with a much more powerful chip (and, finally, the Space Gray finish). Maybe we'll have a surprise at the WWDC...
Click to expand...
A lot of people here are highly disappointed or angry because they created a false expectation in their mind of what was going to happen. When that false expectation failed, they blamed Apple instead of taking blame for their own creation. It happens with every release.
 
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Well, apparently the top 3 reasons why most people are mad about the new iMac are:
1. The white bezel
2. The chin
3. No Apple logo on the chin
 
Apple_Robert said:
A lot of people here are highly disappointed or angry because they created a false expectation in their mind of what was going to happen. When that false expectation failed, they blamed Apple instead of taking blame for their own creation. It happens with every release.
Click to expand...
Seems like it occurs at every Apple events. Too much rumours distance the people from reality sometimes
 
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TheTrueZoltan! said:
Yep, I have a late 2015 21,5“ Retina 4K i7 iMac, which only has a discrete Intel Iris GPU. I don‘t play games, but even for apps like Logic Pro X the graphics performance is just horrible. I have to reduce the colour profile to sRGB to get a little bit better performance.
Click to expand...
there is a small trick, try to run the applications which struggle in low resolution mode...this option is available in Get Info as tickbox
 
Astralis56 said:
I understand the frustration of many.

But I think it's exaggerated. The main reason being: it's a product for the average customer, not the pro ones!

I have to admit it, I also thought there would be some sort of announcement for the M1X or the M2. But taking a step back made me realize which customer Apple was aiming at with this new machine. It's the same as the two new MacBook. The design is another element that clearly defines its level: more friendly and colorful option for an everyday user or even schools. This is a recurrent from Apple. The more sober and darker design target often the pro segment.

I'm pretty sure that, by the end of the year, Apple has plans to release more professional-oriented machines with a much more powerful chip (and, finally, the Space Gray finish). Maybe we'll have a surprise at the WWDC...
Click to expand...
An average consumer should not have to contend with.....

1. An external power brick.
2. White bezels which is inferior in every way for actual usage to any other color.
3. A base model machine that has no ethernet and requires you to pay more for the privilege of that horrible power brick with it.
4. A chin that now weirdly looks bigger without a logo.
5. A headphone jack on the side so you can't hide the wire for wired speakers.
6. 8 GB of RAM standard across the board which is borderline enough for even the lightest of iMac users.
7. No USB-A ports on the base model.
 
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