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When do you expect an iMac redesign?

  • 4rd quarter 2019

    Votes: 34 4.1%
  • 1st quarter 2020

    Votes: 23 2.8%
  • 2nd quarter 2020

    Votes: 119 14.5%
  • 3rd quarter 2020

    Votes: 131 15.9%
  • 4rd quarter 2020

    Votes: 172 20.9%
  • 2021 or later

    Votes: 343 41.7%

  • Total voters
    822
  • Poll closed .

Freida

Suspended
Oct 22, 2010
4,077
5,874
anytime soon? Have you not been around for the last 2 weeks? Have you not seen what low end chip can do? When AS iMac hits it will hit hard and Lifuka will have the same impact performance surprise as M1 did. I wouldn't be surprised to see 5700 XT performance or better. Before the november event I was sceptical and didn't think Apple could hit such numbers on the first go but now? I'm certain that the iMac will not only surpass the 2020 model but it will do so why being super silent and super cool.




For me the 2020 iMac is perfect. I can do my work and play the latest AAA games on it. An Apple silicon iMac won't be able to do that anytime soon, if ever.

I hope in 5 years or so Mac gaming has become more serious or I'll have to buy 2 new computers by then :(
 

Freida

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Oct 22, 2010
4,077
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Yeah, DOA is a bit drastic, I agree, but I like to exaggerate. :)

If I had to buy a computer now to shift me over till the iMac update I would probably get the new Mac Mini. Super cheap and super fast for the price tag. ;-)


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.
 
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Loyola

macrumors regular
Sep 9, 2004
247
85
Yeah, DOA is a bit drastic, I agree, but I like to exaggerate. :)

If I had to buy a computer now to shift me over till the iMac update I would probably get the new Mac Mini. Super cheap and super fast for the price tag. ;-)

I keep going back and forth on whether to get the mini or wait for the new iMac. Since I will be working from home through at least the end of the 1st quarter, having a 10+ year old computer gives me a little bit of a concern. It is running great with no issues but you just never know.
 

Freida

Suspended
Oct 22, 2010
4,077
5,874
Same could be said about a brand new machine. Things can break anytime. ;-)

I keep going back and forth on whether to get the mini or wait for the new iMac. Since I will be working from home through at least the end of the 1st quarter, having a 10+ year old computer gives me a little bit of a concern. It is running great with no issues but you just never know.
 
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Kiimora

macrumors 65816
Sep 11, 2014
1,342
647
London UK
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. View attachment 1678316

Really nice set up?, this is why I need a bigger desk. Work set up ( Dell laptop & monitor ) on the left , then my personal corner on the centre/right with the Mx redesigned iMac 27” or 30”.
 
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anthony13

macrumors 65816
Jul 1, 2012
1,055
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Really nice set up?, this is why I need a bigger desk. Work set up ( Dell laptop & monitor ) on the left , then my personal corner on the centre/right with the Mx redesigned iMac 27” or 30”.
It's the 60 by 30 Vari Desk and a Grovemade stand. I figured if I was gonna be stuck in the house for over a year it might as well be nice.
 
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Kiimora

macrumors 65816
Sep 11, 2014
1,342
647
London UK
It's the 60 by 30 Vari Desk and a Grovemade stand. I figured if I was gonna be stuck in the house for over a year it might as well be nice.

Same here could’nt agree more, RTO ( return to office ) talks have been shut down indefinitely at my work. Thanks for the desk info.
 
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iPadified

macrumors 68020
Apr 25, 2017
2,014
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Yeah, DOA is a bit drastic, I agree, but I like to exaggerate. :)

If I had to buy a computer now to shift me over till the iMac update I would probably get the new Mac Mini. Super cheap and super fast for the price tag. ;-)
Haha, after 383 pages in this thread, I know :). Honestly, a DOA discussion about Intel Mac is much needed. I had that ambivalent feeling if this was the right thing to do. Especially because I keep my devices until they feel too slow so I will be looking and using that iMac for a decade.

My MP at work is from 2014 and I have no intention to switch that either. I hope I can keep it for additional 7-8 years or until Apple pulls intel MacOS support. The low res thunderbolt display is however not a nice experience after the new iMac at home. First world problem.
 

Freida

Suspended
Oct 22, 2010
4,077
5,874
I don't keep my computers that long (I do that with iPhones - this year I finally upgraded from iPhone 6 to SE2) as I usually always sell my computer about few months before Apple Care runs out. Its usually easier to sell when warranty is still on and it gives peace of mind to the buyer. It always worked like that for me but this year I've missed the window so now I think I'll have a computer (2017 MBP) for 4 years for the first time. :D :D :D
Never liked the compromises a laptop brings as I was coming from 30"ACD and 12 core MP (the 2010 model) so going for a laptop was and has been something I never got used to. Thats why I can't wait for the new iMacs - if I was less stubborn I would keep the 2020 iMac and just be happy for few years whilst drooling over every single keynote with the updated beasts.
However, I can't justify that. I now know that AS iMac will be truly revolutionary with different experience so I will just silently suffer a bit more with this laptop before I get a proper machine :)

Alternatively, if Apple does release new Mac Pro Mini and they will also release prosumer lever display then I will get that instead. Either way, we now know that Apple is on the right path so maybe for the first time I will say that Tim was right when he said "amazing products in the pipeline". (I hated that crap everytime he said it)
Last few years there was hardly anything exciting from Apple. Most products were just small increments over existing stuff with the exception of Mac Pro and XDR. Even the trash can was somehow amazing if it wasn't for intel etc. and Apple didn't cram it too much in essence it was great engineering that unfortunately backfired.
My point though is that I am excited NOW! I think this transition will bring us a tons of great things and Apple will push the envelope hard now as they will want to prove us that it was needed. They will not give us 10-20% increase over Intel as most of us don't care. Either go big or go home - as the saying goes and that is precisely what Apple will do. They want maximum impact and they will get it.

I used to tell people here (or in life in general) that if they want to buy now because they "lust" a product then they should instead invest the money to Apple stock whilst they wait so then when they are ready to buy what they "need"
the the most probable increase will offset a lot of upgrades or will give them something extra. I've been doing this for a while and it was always worth it for me. So, I'll keep doing it until I get burned :D :D :D




Haha, after 383 pages in this thread, I know :). Honestly, a DOA discussion about Intel Mac is much needed. I had that ambivalent feeling if this was the right thing to do. Especially because I keep my devices until they feel too slow so I will be looking and using that iMac for a decade.

My MP at work is from 2014 and I have no intention to switch that either. I hope I can keep it for additional 7-8 years or until Apple pulls intel MacOS support. The low res thunderbolt display is however not a nice experience after the new iMac at home. First world problem.
 
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TheJuice89

macrumors newbie
Sep 27, 2020
17
6
I think I'm still going for a 2020 iMac i9 with 5700 XT. I can't wait very long, and I need weird third party and VM support. But also apart from that: I'm a music producer, and I saw in numerous tests that this i9 machine outperforms the M1 machines in large projects with a lot of third party plugins by roughly 2.5 - 3 times. I don't think a lower end AS iMac, if it comes out somewhere in the first half of 2021, will beat that. And I don't think they will release a high-end iMac so short after they released the last one, definitely not before well in the second half of 2021, maybe even 2022.

If they do, I keep wondering about how that will compare to the 2020 i9 iMac with the 5700 XT. Of course, it's wild guessing for now. But I have the feeling that, also in general when making an new chip, it's easier to blow away an 8th gen i3 than it will be to blow away a 10th gen i9 with high end graphics card. Sure, Apple will make sure it beats it, but I don't think by margins we have seen so far in the lower regions. What do you guys think?
 

CWallace

macrumors G5
Aug 17, 2007
12,528
11,544
Seattle, WA
If they do, I keep wondering about how that will compare to the 2020 i9 iMac with the 5700 XT. Of course, it's wild guessing for now. But I have the feeling that, also in general when making an new chip, it's easier to blow away an 8th gen i3 than it will be to blow away a 10th gen i9 with high end graphics card. Sure, Apple will make sure it beats it, but I don't think by margins we have seen so far in the lower regions. What do you guys think?

The M1 appears to be able to run with a mid-2019 15.4" MacBook Pro with the 9th generation i9 and AMD Radeon RX 560.

The 2020 MPB and iMac do have better AMD GPUs, so we'll need to see there, but I think the "M1X" will hold it's own against a 10th Gen i9, at least. And I think we will be pleasantly surprised how good Apple's Lifuka GPU will do against the 2020 AMD dGPUs in Mac desktops and portables.
 
Last edited:

Freida

Suspended
Oct 22, 2010
4,077
5,874
Yep, I'm with you on this one. M1 is lowend chip and its performance is mind-blowing. Imagine what the next M1X or so will do when its for mid range products like iMac etc. If Apple gives us so much performance on low end, the mid range will be insane.

I would buy 2020 iMac anymore. The software will also catch up and improves. 2020 will only make sense for short term buy with intention to sell in 1-2 years. I wouldn't hold it for longer as it would risk being "unsellable" just like PowerPC pretty much died very quickly. Sure, there is a person here or there to get it but overall its on its way out so why risk it?




The M1 appears to be able to run with a mid-2019 15.4" MacBook Pro with the 9th generation i9 and AMD Radeon RX 560, so I think an "M14X" and the Apple GPU will probably run with the 2019 iMac.

The 2020 MPB and iMac do have better AMD GPUs, so we'll need to see there, but I think the "M1X" will hold it's own against a 10th Gen i9, at least. And I think we will be pleasantly surprised how good Apple's Lifuka GPU will do against the 2020 AMD dGPUs in Mac desktops and portables.
 

TheJuice89

macrumors newbie
Sep 27, 2020
17
6
M1 is lowend chip and its performance is mind-blowing. Imagine what the next M1X or so will do when its for mid range products like iMac etc. If Apple gives us so much performance on low end, the mid range will be insane.

Well like I said: it could all well be true, but this logic strikes me as a bit too simple and hypey. It will be better than the M1 and it will be better than the current midrange Macs, but the question is how much better. Even if the M1X/M2 is 2,5 times as fast as the M1, what would be impressive (maybe a lot of focus will also be on price, thermals, power use?), that will be more or less on the same level as an 10th gen i9 (based on the latest Cinebench R23). And that's not counting in any software/rosetta-penalties, and we don't know how well AS GPU's will perform at all. So the assertion that the 2020 i9 iMac isn't a good buy or will become unsellable in 1-2 years can't be based on what we know now, if you ask me. It will be a great Mac, able to handle all sorts of heavy tasks for at least 7-8 years to come.

I will probably sell it as soon as there will be an AS iMac that blows away the i9 like the M1 did to the i3/i5. They eventually will get there and honestly I can't wait but don't get carried away just yet... In the meantime I'm going to caress my i9 and tell people with an M1-Mac my Intel-Mac is faster as much as I can. ?
 

Freida

Suspended
Oct 22, 2010
4,077
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We shall see. From the benchmarks I've seen from Max its on par with a lot of high end models so not sure why you are comparing it to i3 or i5.
Regardless, you want to get 2020 iMac, I won't stop you. I just don't think its a smart purchase at this stage. Thats all :)


Well like I said: it could all well be true, but this logic strikes me as a bit too simple and hypey. It will be better than the M1 and it will be better than the current midrange Macs, but the question is how much better. Even if the M1X/M2 is 2,5 times as fast as the M1, what would be impressive (maybe a lot of focus will also be on price, thermals, power use?), that will be more or less on the same level as an 10th gen i9 (based on the latest Cinebench R23). And that's not counting in any software/rosetta-penalties, and we don't know how well AS GPU's will perform at all. So the assertion that the 2020 i9 iMac isn't a good buy or will become unsellable in 1-2 years can't be based on what we know now, if you ask me. It will be a great Mac, able to handle all sorts of heavy tasks for at least 7-8 years to come.

I will probably sell it as soon as there will be an AS iMac that blows away the i9 like the M1 did to the i3/i5. They eventually will get there and honestly I can't wait but don't get carried away just yet... In the meantime I'm going to caress my i9 and tell people with an M1-Mac my Intel-Mac is faster as much as I can. ?
 

iPadified

macrumors 68020
Apr 25, 2017
2,014
2,257
I am also super excited about the M1 and later iterations. Apple started with a bang and it is easy to see high end "M" chips for desktops (or "D", but lets not take that debate) that gives Xeon/Threadripper and high end GPUs a stiff competition (the latter maybe a dedicated card). That does not lessen the capabilities of the current iMac. For my work flow, the Intel iMac is sufficient. An M1(X) 24 inch iMac would be fine as well. A 3X performance super "M" desktop will not change that. The reason is that I found out the 3D models/rendering for teaching is often too difficult to comprehend so I am back to the 2D simplified world of Keynote and instead using two projection (side and top view) which is easier to grasp.

Still on iPhone 6 here. All the work from home has lessened my need for a phone so next year perhaps.
 
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TheJuice89

macrumors newbie
Sep 27, 2020
17
6
We shall see. From the benchmarks I've seen from Max its on par with a lot of high end models so not sure why you are comparing it to i3 or i5.
Regardless, you want to get 2020 iMac, I won't stop you. I just don't think its a smart purchase at this stage. Thats all :)

I meant it's easier to impress when comparing to lower end compressors, but you're right that it seems to be on the same level or sometimes even beat high end (9th gen i9) mobile chips, which is pretty insane.

But still, when comparing to desktop chips in terms of raw processing power: the latest Cinebench R23 is a really good benchmark for that, and the M1 scores about the same as a 10th gen i5 (around 7.700, you can check here). And in some way the M1 seems to score especially well in terms of video editing (probably because of software optimization and machine learning, but I don't really know anything about that), and that's exactly where the Max Tech tests focus on a lot. But when you look at music production, in a realistic setting, the 2020 i9 iMac can handle 3-4 times as much plugins (and basically that's always your bottleneck when producing or mixing). Check out this test for instance, comparing the M1.

So for music producers (unless you only use Logic with just the stock plugins, what very few (semi-)professionals will do), the Apple Sillicon doesn't seem to be the valhalla that it is for video editors. Yet.

But I certainly have to admit to you that I find it kind of frustrating that, just when I finally made up my mind on the 2020 i9 iMac, Apple decides to push the biggest and promising transition in processorland of the past decade. And I will have to wait if I want a piece of that pie anytime soon.
 
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Freida

Suspended
Oct 22, 2010
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I feel you. And I get your angle but I still think its not the complete picture. The test you showed was flawed from the start (I'll explain below). He takes 40gb iMac and compares it to 8gb of M1 which in itself is not the right approach. Max made a great video which touches precisely this topic and shows real world performance difference between 8gb & 16gb and I think it would be interesting to run the same test but with 16gb. I would dare to say that there would be a big difference but I'm not in music production (my ex was but we are not on speaking terms :) ) so maybe it wouldn't.
Anyway, I understand your frustration. I'm sure I would feel the same if I did keep the iMac but on the other hand you can enjoy it now for a while before the AS iMac is out.

Anyway, check this video out, I think its awesome to see how much of a game changer this thing is. :)




I meant it's easier to impress when comparing to lower end compressors, but you're right that it seems to be on the same level or sometimes even beat high end (9th gen i9) mobile chips, which is pretty insane.

But still, when comparing to desktop chips in terms of raw processing power: the latest Cinebench R23 is a really good benchmark for that, and the M1 scores about the same as a 10th gen i5 (around 7.700, you can check here). And in some way the M1 seems to score especially well in terms of video editing (probably because of software optimization and machine learning, but I don't really know anything about that), and that's exactly where the Max Tech tests focus on a lot. But when you look at music production, in a realistic setting, the 2020 i9 iMac can handle 3-4 times as much plugins (and basically that's always your bottleneck when producing or mixing). Check out this test for instance, comparing the M1.

So for music producers (unless you only use Logic with just the stock plugins, what very few (semi-)professionals will do), the Apple Sillicon doesn't seem to be the valhalla that it is for video editors. Yet.

But I certainly have to admit to you that I find it kind of frustrating that, just when I finally made up my mind on the 2020 i9 iMac, Apple decides to push the biggest and promising transition in processorland of the past decade. And I will have to wait if I want a piece of that pie anytime soon.
 
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Freida

Suspended
Oct 22, 2010
4,077
5,874
Good for you. I had iPhone 6 till this year when I finally changed it for SE2. Couldn't be happier as I prefer touchID and overall its a great phone for awesome price.
I did check the iPhone Mini yesterday and to be honest I was impressed. It feels great in the hand. But because I'm like you and I keep my phone for a long time I think I will start to think about an upgrade probably 2023 or 2024 the earliest.

Part of me would love to get the Intel iMac and be done with the waiting but I really know I would regret that decision as soon as Apple showed us the AS iMac. Its tough spot to be in right now as the transition will take a while but buying Intel just doesn't feel right to me. Even though I would love to get a fast computer :)

Hahahahah, I'm so conflicted but the better part of me has to win :D :D :D



I am also super excited about the M1 and later iterations. Apple started with a bang and it is easy to see high end "M" chips for desktops (or "D", but lets not take that debate) that gives Xeon/Threadripper and high end GPUs a stiff competition (the latter maybe a dedicated card). That does not lessen the capabilities of the current iMac. For my work flow, the Intel iMac is sufficient. An M1(X) 24 inch iMac would be fine as well. A 3X performance super "M" desktop will not change that. The reason is that I found out the 3D models/rendering for teaching is often too difficult to comprehend so I am back to the 2D simplified world of Keynote and instead using two projection (side and top view) which is easier to grasp.

Still on iPhone 6 here. All the work from home has lessened my need for a phone so next year perhaps.
 
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