Ironically, I've been using my iMac as an external monitor for my iPad Pro M4, to test out Stage Manager.
However, that is a 2010 iMac.
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Will there ever be a new large iMac (Pro)?
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However, that is a 2010 iMac.
Still - back in the day 2560x1440 was cutting edge - wouldn't kick it out of bed as a spare screen. But then, Apple spoiled us with those cheap iMac 5k screens.
It's a pity that Apple couldn't contrive to re-introduce target display mode once the Titan Ridge TB3 chipsets came out (ISTR that's when the capability to have extract two DP 1.2 streams in a single peripheral appeared). However, that does mean that you have to run a whole iMac - complete with energy-guzzling Intel space-heater - just to use it as a monitor...
Pretty much what I mentioned, I think because laptops have gotten better and cheaper—a result of companies focusing on miniaturizing chips and making them both more powerful and more energy efficient. So even though desktops can provide even more power, which some people need, many opt for mobility because the power is more than enough.
Yeah, a number of years ago I bought an iMac to replace a Windows system - purely for the superb screen, but sent it back as it had a hardware issue.
After my Windows setup eventually died, I bought a MacBook Pro, and when the M1 Mini arrived, bought that as my main desktop system.
What swung it was the improvement in quality, and lower costs, of HD monitors. Which meant I was able to create a Mini/27” monitor setup for less than two-thirds of a comparable iMac. It also means when the next Mini update arrives I can upgrade the Mac, without the cost of a new monitor as well. Or if I decide to upgrade the MacBook Pro instead, hook that up to the laptop.
Admittedly my HD monitor isn’t as sharp as an iMac screen, but the savings justify the compromise.
Absolutely - but that's probably a necessary compromise for portability.
That said, you can't carry over your old laptop display to a new computer, but you can - and I have - used older desktop displays as external screens for new laptops. If I swapped my current Studio for a MBP I'd definitely keep my screens...
Of course, there's something like this:
Fix Consumer Electronics
We know consumer electronics can be better for you and for the environment. Unlike most products, ours are open for you to repair and upgrade
...but that seems to be largely aimed at PC users who seem to upgrade their GPU every 3 months. It will be interesting to see if there's still a viable upgrade path for it 3 or 4 years down the line when the logic board has become truly outdated.
I'll tell you this, I am 100% confident a new larger iMac will come out early next year. Because I will buy the Mac mini M4 pro and then buy the 27" studio display this fall when that's my only choice. Sure as guns after I do that they will come out with the iMac Pro.