And in 5 years when your iMac display is still perfect for you and your "main desire is for my computer to seamlessly sync with my phone and iPad" and you find that means a computer upgrade you have to toss the iMac display out with the bathwater.
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Why I decided to get an iMac instead of a Mac Mini
- Thread starter ger19
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You might want to reconsider this position. I'm almost 75 and I bought a M2Pro Mini in February to replace my 2011 27" iMac. For me and computers, "when they pull it from my cold, dead fingers" applies.
5 years ? Not really. It will still work just fine for normal small needs. You can also give it to a family member, perhaps still in school or just sell it.
This is kind of where I think I’ll land. I don’t drive any cars out of warranty (extended) so that might apply to my computer. When I feel it’s starting to get old, trade it in/sell it and move on to the next one.
The biggest concern I have with the display is that it creates a waste stream that doesn’t seem consistent with Apples’ stated environmental position.
if you dont have the accessories the Imac always comes ahead.
You dont want to use a Dell monitor because you will have wake issues and the user experience will be horrible.
Congrats on the new imac, you will love it.
@jasnw:
Out of interest what monitor did you partner with your M2Pro Mini ?
@ger19:
Thanks for posting this thread as I'm currently looking into the pros and cons of iMac M3 vs Apple Studio Display + Mac Mini. Reading about your use case and reasoning I think you are correct in going the iMac M3 route.
In my earlier years, I would have bought the ASD and a maxed out mini in a heartbeat. Now, I spend way more time on my iPad so I just want the desktop for the things it’s better for and for syncing to my other devices.
I agree with the Op that the iMac is the best option and I've had nothing but a good experience with mine which is a 2014 model. My 2010 and 2008 models are still running perfectly fine albeit the 2008 with standard hard drive feels slow by a modern standard.
The 2010 model was used by my parents and only got retired earlier this year when the original hard drive failed so that's 13 years of daily use running their eBay business. I replaced the HDD with an SSD drive for £140 and now its used by my daughter whose 9.
I recently bought the ASD to use with a work laptop and iPad and that's great but I wish I bought the new iMac as I do prefer the all in one design.
The 2010 model was used by my parents and only got retired earlier this year when the original hard drive failed so that's 13 years of daily use running their eBay business. I replaced the HDD with an SSD drive for £140 and now its used by my daughter whose 9.
I recently bought the ASD to use with a work laptop and iPad and that's great but I wish I bought the new iMac as I do prefer the all in one design.
It can never be underestimated that we also used to HIT bottlenecks. We had to upgrade the storage or had the option of adding ram. Newer software demanded more "horsepower" . Nowadays with much of our "office" workflows in the cloud we just no longer "need" the extra speed. I used to hit limits after about three years and upgraded machines for another four or five. Nowadays I might upgrade for a newer battery or better screen but I haven't really had CPU on my list of needs. The ram is another matter but there I'm just old school and don't quite believe Apple. Although again for a non power user/geek? Not sure if they would notice. Creators are always an exception but even a 10 year old device can be online for email/web surfing. Yes, Apple will add certain features that might require newer hardware but for a basic user a 10 year old computer can keep up. You can watch videos, back up photos, write emails etc. , use messages and FaceTime. They might get basic FaceTime but no one "needs" the fancy gimmicks. We used to import music or other tasks. Now we use Netflix/spotify for our media consumption and outsource storage etc. Plus with thunderbolt and usb 3/4 we can also expand to external storage.
Of course we are older than when we tinkered more but I just believe only few actually need the newest and fastest. Geeks and Creators or even professionals where time is money I can see. But for my managing projects and people? Not really .
I'd stick with the iMac but nothing wrong with the mini setup if you prefer to upgrade your computer more often.
I did see the idea of ASD with an iPad. Would that interest you? You already have one (is it apple silicon?) plus adding the peripherals? My dad prefers different devices for different tasks and doesn't use his iPad in the office but seems like a viable option?
Philly
Not trying to be difficult. So you have multiple places with 3 27inch monitors? Do you use a thunderbolt dock? I like your phrasing for that type of setup I'd go MBP but you make clear you don't need a Mac on the go.
I’ve not seen the ability to use the ASD with an iPad but my iPad is an older generation so it might not work. Also, I guess I’m kind of like your dad - different devices for different purposes.
I have 3 monitors where I mainly use the Mac Mini, and currently 1 monitor in the secondary location. Having one monitor is a bit of a pain for me, but it isn't often I work there, so can't justify another 2 monitors - yet.
I don't currently use a Thunderbolt dock (3rd screen HDMI).
I was in a similar situation, going back and forth between the Mac Studio and the iMac. The studio offers the performance but at the sacrifice of table aesthetics. And I realised I valued the aesthetics more, hence I'd rather change the iMac every two years than to work at a desk full of wires and a dull looking monitor with protruding web cam.
I had your exact dilemma. I had a cMP 5.1, Apple 24” Cinema Display and secondary Dell 24” monitor for 14 years. The computer did everything I wanted but was getting slow. I was running High Sierra because I didn’t want to go through all the upgrade cost. At 63 my needs have changed, light photo use and statistics, some bookkeeping and nothing taxing on the cpu. I was all set to get an M1 iMac but waited for the M2 processors, didn’t trust the first new processor experience. Apple drug their feet on updating iMac and I was repurposing the cMP for my wife’s tutoring classes. I read about the monitor being obsolete long before the computer and decided to get a Mini Pro M2 and ASD. I had an extra keyboard and mouse. Bought both on the refurbished store at a $400 savings. You get the same warranty. I use the 24” Cinema Display and ASD with the Mini in a dual setup. The Dell is with the cMP in the basement. Of course there was a significant speed difference and the ASD is beautiful, I’m completely happy with my decision and can swap the Mini when Apple makes it vintage. We actually don’t know their plan for vintage with their own processor, but with this setup I’m future proof. The Mini is 16gb/512 storage to take advantage of the SSD speed(2700 MB/s). Apple said there would be a SIGNIFICANT performance jump with the M3 processors, now that doesn’t seem to be the case. I had thought the iMac would be exactly what I need but I’m happy with this setup With no regrets.
I work mostly from the command line (I live in Terminal writing Fortran and shell scripts) so I don't need fantastic graphics. I've got two BenQ PD2700U 4K monitors, one landscape and the other portrait. Lots of nice usable real estate.
I agree, this is why the iMac is great, especially if one is picky about monitors, which sounds like we both are. I loved my 2017 27in iMac, but sold it to get something more modern (M2 Max). Its truly a shame Apple doesn't make a 27in or 32in iMac with a M3 Pro or Max for 1999 or 2499
Also hot take... I miss and prefer the Jony Ive style intel iMacs, just trim the bezels but keep the curves.
I would go with the iMac, personally. I don’t think there is going to be much movement in the monitor space in the next few years in the price range you would be playing in, and a Mac mini + Studio Display is a whole different level of price. I’ve seen iMacs last 8-10 years with little issues as long as you’re not doing intense workloads.
Definitely get a minimum of 16GB of RAM, prepare for the possibility you might need a permanently plugged in USB drive towards the end with only 512 though. (Impossible to know for sure, but I have a hunch 512 will be a bit cramped if you keep it for its entire usable life.)
Definitely get a minimum of 16GB of RAM, prepare for the possibility you might need a permanently plugged in USB drive towards the end with only 512 though. (Impossible to know for sure, but I have a hunch 512 will be a bit cramped if you keep it for its entire usable life.)
As I wrote upstream, how "forward" should we be thinking?
Do you think the current M3 iMac will not last 10 years?
Typical depreciation of a desktop, by a company, is over 60 months. Apple supports a desktop computer for about 8 years (give or take), longer than the expected turn-over time.
And, do you think the current trend in displays will continue, with OLED gaining popularity? For all their weaknesses (which have been known since they were invented, e.g., longevity problems, burn in, etc.), the OLED trend is not going to go away, I propose.
If I do buy an iMac, to replace my currently 15-year old iMac, I'll be happy if I can use it at least 8 years, and if I can use it 10 years then all the better.
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I went with separates, a Mac mini Pro 1Tb and a Studio display, great speakers 5K screen and the build quality is amazing, its like having an iMac (refurbished from Apple and you would never know it) I think separates are the way forward coming from a intel iMac. I will by a M4 when they come out and keep my M2 Pro as a spare cloned machine , and then I have a spare computer for emergencies, swapping out parts is quicker, I would get a M3 but I have only recently bought the M2 Mac mini Pro M2 as my 2017 max BTO iMac died. It was sad to though that screen getting binned, and I don't want to do that again. Also now I have 3 spare ports on the monitor and three on the Mac Mini Pro M2 so that's great and say I needed to step up to a Studio I could but keep my screen, but I can also by the cheapest mac mini as a spare for emergencies and to keep my workflow going for now and sell that on when the M4 comes out and just slot it in without losing the screen and my uptime with clients. Hi-fi separates were always the best and I think its the same with computers too,
iMacs are fantastic but since they removed the ability to use one as an external monitor for another computer, they make less sense especially given the growing concern of e-waste.
On a practical level as well, even though I've had iMacs in the past and loved them, I occasionally need to plug in my work computer to an external display. The iMac won't allow for it's display to be used for anything other than itself, so that automatically made the iMac a no-go for me. I'd rather use what little desk space I have on a screen that can be used across different setups.
The way I see it, the iMac is essentially a big laptop - you can't typically use your laptop display as an external display for another computer, you can't with the iMac either. Unlike a laptop though, because the iMac has a bigger screen, and it's a desktop, you naturally want to keep that display going (especially as it's such a good one) even past the computers lifespan.
Apple could find a way to reintroduce Target Display Mode and that would solve the issue that they have created for themselves. Instead though, they seem to be taking the approach of re-marketing the iMac towards a more casual user base, who don't typically upgrade their computers for a long time (think 7-8 years).
Here's a good video on the topic:
On a practical level as well, even though I've had iMacs in the past and loved them, I occasionally need to plug in my work computer to an external display. The iMac won't allow for it's display to be used for anything other than itself, so that automatically made the iMac a no-go for me. I'd rather use what little desk space I have on a screen that can be used across different setups.
The way I see it, the iMac is essentially a big laptop - you can't typically use your laptop display as an external display for another computer, you can't with the iMac either. Unlike a laptop though, because the iMac has a bigger screen, and it's a desktop, you naturally want to keep that display going (especially as it's such a good one) even past the computers lifespan.
Apple could find a way to reintroduce Target Display Mode and that would solve the issue that they have created for themselves. Instead though, they seem to be taking the approach of re-marketing the iMac towards a more casual user base, who don't typically upgrade their computers for a long time (think 7-8 years).
Here's a good video on the topic:
This is exactly what I did. The new iMac will be replacing my Late 2013 iMac. I expect to get at least 7 years from this one. But this time I’m gonna have peace of mind about keeping it so long. I’m so relieved that my current iMac hasn’t had hardware issues because it’s way out of warranty and I didn’t want to buy an M1 iMac.
If you're going for seven years, I'd advise overshooting on how much RAM you get. I think you can get by with 8GB today for a lot of uses, but when you get seven OS updates down the road, it will be feeling a lot slower. It's happened on every Mac I've ever bought.
Honestly I think M3 may be the last generation of the iMac. It's not doing the numbers it used to since AiOs nowadays are incredibly niche. It's a lot more economical to just buy a Mac Mini and a separate monitor over a iMac now, as evident from the numbers the Mac Mini and even the Mac Studio do over the iMac.