Will there ever be a new large iMac (Pro)?

[Freida]

Yeah, I'm tempted too. The price and performance is just insane so I'm trying to resist the urge to order it.
I know however, that the powerful chips are coming soon (iMac or MBP 16") which will be completely different league so buying now would not be sensible for me. I want my iMac 2021 for my bday in April
Give me M1X with Lifuka and I'll be one happy puppy. We can only go up from here and the baseline is wonderful.
By April most apps will be converted so it will be a breeze.

I said 2020 Q3 and the wait is painful ?

M1 Mac mini is looking more and more temping ⏳

 

[iDan75]

You are completely correct or course. And I hope you get an iMac in time for your birthday ?


Because that means I can get one too ?

Yeah, I'm tempted too. The price and performance is just insane so I'm trying to resist the urge to order it.
I know however, that the powerful chips are coming soon (iMac or MBP 16") which will be completely different league so buying now would not be sensible for me. I want my iMac 2021 for my bday in April
Give me M1X with Lifuka and I'll be one happy puppy. We can only go up from here and the baseline is wonderful.
By April most apps will be converted so it will be a breeze.

 

[satchmo]

Talking about a redesign: all three new products with M1 soc didn't get a external redesign...

I'm affraid that the first M1(x) iMac won't get a redesign either...

I think there will be a new design. If not, I think there will be a huge revolt and loss in iMac sales.

 

[Freida]

There will be redesign precisely because of what you said. Apple doesn't redesign stuff all together so the fact that those products didn't is PRECISELY why iMac will.
Apple focuses on one thing at a time. iMac is next - its also been leaked by few sources so its very very likely.

Talking about a redesign: all three new products with M1 soc didn't get a external redesign...

I'm affraid that the first M1(x) iMac won't get a redesign either...

 

[Nismo73]

Well after seeing how well the M1 is performing with speed, also with how cool it stays...the some things I look forward to replacing my 2012 27" would be hopefully a little bigger display, but also lower watts used and less heat put out.

 

[Robospungo]

I wonder if they will release a 4K 21.5" iMac in the current form factor with an M1 or M1X? At least for the entry-level model.

Logically, I would think they would, considering the Macbook Air, Macbook Pro, and Mac Mini all ship with the same form factors as Intel models for the entry-level versions.

I think I'd actually prefer a 4K 21.5" over a 24", but I might be in the minority there.

 

[Loyola]

The redesign isn’t important to me. It would be nice to know when a new one is coming. I am considering the Mac Mini since I have an aging iMac. The iMac is my first choice but I am not sure if I can wait another 6 months. 2 or 3 months is doable.

 

[satchmo]

I hope they bring back target mode. Doubtful.

 

[Moonjumper]

I hope they bring back target mode. Doubtful.

Luna Display can use an iPad or Mac as an external display. Apple added Sidecar to give the iPad functionality as part of macOS. I hope the same will happen for Macs (not that I wish ill on Luna Display, but something native is almost always going to be easier).

 

[iPadified]

A redesigned iMac will likely come with miniLED next year, but who knows? MiniLED is rumoured for some time next year. At any rate, I am very curious about what designs changes that can be made using these low power and high performance chips. I would not have minded a 24 inch iMac even running an M1 chip looking like a large iPad and being fanless (for 999) and released this autumn.

However, I think the 24 inch will be running "hotter" with a 8P+4E config and slightly bumped GPU (M1X) while still being fanless (in analogy to the air). A perfect home/office machine.

30 inch will have much much better performance. We have discussed it before at length but XDR type of cooling would be interesting for the iMac 30 inch in particular.

Writing this on my shiny, a few month old iMac 27, that performs as good as before the M1 launch. No regrets at all and I am happy that the M1 was so powerful in the first iteration. Future looks bright even if I will not buy a Mac for home usage the next coming eight years or so.

 

[Robospungo]

I hope they bring back target mode. Doubtful.

Imagine console gaming on a 4K iMac?!

 

[JLOAKS]

I hope they bring back target mode. Doubtful.

What are the chances the re-designed iMac has target display mode?

With everyone working from home at record rates, this feature is needed now more than ever.

 

[iPadified]

What are the chances the re-designed iMac has target display mode?

With everyone working from home at record rates, this feature is needed now more than ever.

I agree, and that is why I think a $999 really low end 24 inch (fan less) iMac is a a good idea so it can double as monitor for higher end Macs. That would be cheap enough for most people.

My iMac from 2009 work currently as a monitor for a 16 inch MBP. That is recycling at its best.

 

[anthony13]

Not regretting my 2020 iMac purchase at all right now. It wouldn’t surprise me if we didnt see the larger frame apple silicon iMac until 2022 at this point. That’d be about a year and a half between updates and iMac’s have gone longer than that before. Regardless, the machine i have is a beast for my workflow, and more importantly it’s the machine i needed now. I’ll love the next one regardless I’m sure, but for now, this iMac is making me money in a very stalled industry and thats not nothing.

 

[CWallace]

I was debating getting the 2020 model, but considering how incredible ASi is in terms of performance, I am waiting since the "M1X" is going to be offering high-core-count Xeon levels of performance, I imagine.

 

[Freida]

Same here, there simply is no point going for Intel now. M1X will be better in every way and I feel that Lifuka will be a major surprise also. The current iMac is basically DOA. Glad I waited for the november event and didn't keep the machine I had few weeks back

I was debating getting the 2020 model, but considering how incredible ASi is in terms of performance, I am waiting since the "M1X" is going to be offering high-core-count Xeon levels of performance, I imagine.

 

[filmak]

I was debating getting the 2020 model, but considering how incredible ASi is in terms of performance, I am waiting since the "M1X" is going to be offering high-core-count Xeon levels of performance, I imagine.

Same here, there simply is no point going for Intel now. M1X will be better in every way and I feel that Lifuka will be a major surprise also. The current iMac is basically DOA. Glad I waited for the november event and didn't keep the machine I had few weeks back

Yes, fully agree, I was ready to buy the 2020 model too but ASi is indeed incredible, I hope the they will find a way to offer more ram. (To be honest still fighting what to do).

I 'll have a big problem with VMs (mostly win 10) but I'm trying to think of the better solution possible, Intel CPUs were very convenient for this kind of use, if you have an advice about it would be very welcome...

Another problem is that the software support for the Intel CPUs is an unknown factor, there is no assurance that the Parallels/VMware and the other software vendors will support for the x amount of time the current iMac with new/updated versions...

 

[CWallace]

It sounds like the issue with the 16GB limit is LPDDR4X seems to max out at that capacity currently. Samsung achieved 12GB in a single "monolithic" package in 2019, followed later that year by Micron with 16GB. The memory for the M1 is on-package next to the die, so I am guessing right now Apple is using one or two 8GB modules to provide 8 or 16GB of Unified Memory. Moving to two 16GB modules would allow them to raise the RAM to 32GB, but for more than that would require a larger package to hold more modules.

 

[Freida]

Do I hear M1X coming with 4 modules? ;-)

It sounds like the issue with the 16GB limit is LPDDR4X seems to max out at that capacity currently. Samsung achieved 12GB in a single "monolithic" package in 2019, followed later that year by Micron with 16GB. The memory for the M1 is on-package next to the die, so I am guessing right now Apple is using one or two 8GB modules to provide 8 or 16GB of Unified Memory. Moving to two 16GB modules would allow them to raise the RAM to 32GB, but for more than that would require a larger package to hold more modules.

 

[t0mat0]

if Q1 2021 the iMac is getting a 24" version, presumably it'd more likely be a new design, as a 21" iMac replacement?
Looking at the 21" iMac, it could easily be an M1 design... (All have only 2x TB 3 ports, RAM only goes to 16GB etc).
Could make a hell of an Education model to have at the low end, now they've converted their most popular Mac the MBA over to Apple Silicon.

Then all eyes would fall on WWDC 2021 - An M1X version, that they'd announce in say the current design 16" MBP? You'd hope maybe they'd keep the thermals, allow it to run hotter, have an M1X. Maybe chuck in the Mac Mini high end too.

 

[Robospungo]

Same here, there simply is no point going for Intel now. M1X will be better in every way and I feel that Lifuka will be a major surprise also. The current iMac is basically DOA. Glad I waited for the november event and didn't keep the machine I had few weeks back

I'm someone who likes to get a LOT of use out of my desktop machines. My current PC is nearly 10 years old. Does Apple even support Macs that long? Isn't it normally 6-8 years? Anyway, it's comforting knowing you can run Windows basically forever after Apple stops supporting your Intel model.

 

[iPadified]

Same here, there simply is no point going for Intel now. M1X will be better in every way and I feel that Lifuka will be a major surprise also. The current iMac is basically DOA. Glad I waited for the november event and didn't keep the machine I had few weeks back

I agree and I was ready to wait til this autumn for a 24 inch iMac but when rumour said next spring (perhaps) my MBP from 2014 screaming through every Zoom meeting was not an option in COVID-19 times. If I did not do so much work from home I could have waited until spring.

I disagree that the iMac 2020 is DOA as it will work perfectly for a very long time. With that reasoning every computer is DOA as there is always something new next year. MacOS will likely be updated for at least 5 years and likely up to 8 years.

Besides, the current iMac is design classic and who says a new design is looking nice? Personally, I do not like the XDR display and that hard industrial design clashes strongly with my library nordic furniture style than the softer design of the current iMac.

 

[anthony13]

Yea I agree, DOA is a bit drastic. In fact, for me a lot of my apps and plugins are not supported by Rosetta, so actually it’s Mac silicon that is DOA. I’d love one for a casual surf the internet machine but it’s not ready for my workflow yet.

 

[Jamacfer]

In my opinion unless absolutely necessary it is wise to wait a few months and get a M1 iMac. We are in the middle of a big transition and it is more then obvious that the future is ARM. So why to buy an old generation iMac in terms of design and chip?

 

[pippox0]

I think that an iMac with Apple silicon M1 Cpu will arrive in 2021 for sure .
The only flaw is that we don't will be allowed to upgrade ram later (because is side by side on cpu), so we have to choose the right ammount of Ram at buying time ...