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

[Moonjumper]

Inspiron 27 All in One | Dell UK

27-inch all-in-one desktop elegantly designed for streaming or searching. Featuring an InfinityEdge display, Dell Cinema and a pop-up webcam.

www.dell.com

That 'Infinity' Border of theirs. I wonder if we'll see that 'trim' on the iMac?

And the 'chin' is smaller on the Dell too.

Azrael.

I hope a new iMac would look better than that as it is too busy visually, especially that design on the speaker bar. But the small bezels are good, plus there are some nice features such as a pop-up webcam, and HDMI-in so it can be used as a monitor.

 

[deconstruct60]

I expect the volume is used to help the cooling fans move air so thickening those edges again would improve the internal cooling volume which would be a good thing.

Thinness of the case edges isn't the root cause problem. (and the middle of the case isn't particularly thin). The major problem is Apple's desire to 'hide' the exhaust vent behind the pedestal. If the case is thicker and the exhaust vent is the same size you haven't done much of anything to increase cooling capacity ( which is basically measured in ft/min of air moved. ). A thicker case would allow incrementally more hot air to be contained inside the case ( and would get some very marginal capacity improvement before things started going "south". ]

The core issue is Apple's desire to hide the exhaust vent behind the pedestal arm. Get off of that and there are substantively more solutions for more than one fan to push air out of the systems. The other complicating factor is that Apple wants to 'hide' the RAM door behind the pedestal arm also. Again get out of the mode of 'hiding' the doors and cooling and have far more options available. Thinness isn't the primary problem as long as 'hiding' is the primary dogma.

The XDR enclosure is suggestive that Apple might have somewhat let go of the 'hiding' dogma. Trapping the heat probably would have lead to it losing its color performance targets so they let go ( also didn't want fans to make to much noise). [ And it is probably incrementally more expensive and low volume so can spend time drilling holes from multiple angles. ] . I don't expect that specific solution for the iMac ( or iMac Pro). The fans will be bigger and the system won't primarily be relying on passive radiation air flow. So they don't have to put vents everywhere, but the completely smooth, 'unblemished' shell may not be a rigid as an objective.

All the iMac needs is a doubling of the exhaust vent size. That could be one vent on either side of the pedestal arm. (heat pipe to a radiator just inside the vent and a blower that pushes air out. ) Alternatively, they can do it with the bigger vent by cannibalizing the RAM door like the iMac Pro ( probably a bad move; that move probably substantively suppressed iMac Pro sales. That worked "OK" at the top end of the Mac line scale when there was zero other creditable choice. In the far more competitive iMac space Apple is drinking gobs of Cupertino kool-aid if think that won't be a problem. ). Or move the RAM door out from behind the pedestal arm ( some thin border around a removable door). and double the size of the vent behind the arm.

Most of the internal heat is not generated at the edges of the iMac. That really isn't going to help to have some more mostly static air there. It might help slightly to move the speakers there so have more room for a less impeded thermal system more toward the middle of the device. Similar with getting more RF broadcast/receive space if thinning out the bezels substantially. Apple could make use of edges, since trying to overload the middle back of the iMac with stuff doesn't really help much if trying to add a much better thermal evacuation subsystem.
4-5 speaker setup might be nice on an iMac if looking to decouple it from the air blowing for the cooling system.

 

[Freida]

Guys, can we please stop with this theory?
WWDC is not pushed by 2 weeks because of iMacs! WWDC got pushed by 2 weeks because Apple wanted to have more time to prepare the new format of delivery and therefore they pushed it. Not because of iMac

Since Marc Gurman reported a substantial update after this iMac should have been released in March (according to prosser) i belief he was talking about the ARM Mini LED Upgrade that was pushed back to 2021.
I beliefe that WWDC got pushed back two weeks to fit in iMac on 3.6.2020.

 

[jonblatho]

Just that there is no computer in that monitor....

Okay, and? It’s still a real-life Apple product. You said I didn’t want an Apple product because I think the iMac’s design has aged terribly. It has! It’s had a good run, but it is very long in the tooth now.

 

[Azrael9]

Okay, and? It’s still a real-life Apple product. You said I didn’t want an Apple product because I think the iMac’s design has aged terribly. It has! It’s had a good run, but it is very long in the tooth now.

I agree with you.

The iMac has had 'iconic' junctions at inception, with the iLamp and the 'classic' evolved 'tear drop' monitor floating on a stand.

However, to be truly what Apple or the iMac claims to be, we have to have revolution from evolution. If that weren't true, Jobs wouldn't have challenged Apple's engineers to go back and try again to fit the components in the CRT Bubble Bondi iMac. To give radiant colour as opposed to the mono office beige colour prevalent in PCs at the time.

If feels weird that some 'seem' to be arguing that we're fine to have more of the same. And for that to be true? Apple would have just taken the innards out of the iMac and painted it space grey and coupled it with the Mac Pro. That was the obvious solution. Or an iMac Pro without the guts.

So there's been 3 significant design revolutions for the iMac. It's overdue a new one. We've been sat on this one for a long, long time.

And there's good reason to expect a new design inflection point from Apple's very own Pro Display with it's dramatic design.

It's not because the iMac design has aged badly it's because it's looking tired and dated and that is against the iMac's reason for existence. It can't be revolution all the time (can it? Wonders...) but the iMac's borders look horribly out of date compared to the infinity display, under specced compared to the HP AiO, miles behind the design revolution of the 'creative' Surface Studio which allows you direct access to being a 'creative artist who draws and paints and image edits and sculpts in 3d' with it's easal..(!!!) (M$ really pulled Apple's design trousers down in public there...) and ancient compared to Apple's very own XDR which has the design language of Apple's vanguard products of iPhone (iPhone 12 'edges' pending) and iPad. ie. This 'flat' edge seems to be where Apple are going.

What are we saying? That iMac will stay silver when even the famously ignored for 4 years Mac Mini is now in Space Grey? That there will be a nominal spec boost on top of last year's very minimal and lazy update? That we'll stay on Polaris. (*Torches, angry mob at the ready...) Panda Thick Bezels are 'teh' design language when the Macbook Pro 16 incher and XDR have already moved beyond this 'tired compared to our competitors.' Think about that. When Dell have Apple beaten all ends up on bezels...there is something WRONG. Steve Jobs used to regularly poke fun at Dell in DESIGN and in profits. In THAT order.

In short, 'It's had a good run but it's long in the tooth now!'

Azrael.

 

[CWallace]

iMP delivery time seem to jump back and forth nearly from day to day (as is the 21.5!). By contrast iMax 27 delivery is consistently pushed one day at a time forward in time. I say the former behaviour is consistent with limited supply of a component. The latter behaviour is consistent with a complete lack of a component. Why is the iMP delivery time recovered and the iMac 27 not. Is it not the same screen?

Yes it is the same screen as have some have said, if the 27" iMac 5K is getting an imminent spec-bump with the same design, then I could see Apple allocating panels to fill iMac Pro orders as that model is not rumored to get a spec bump until later this year (and part of that spec bump is a new 5K panel) and holding the iMac 5K to fill those orders with the new spec bump.

If you're not an artist...why are you on a Mac? I thought the Mac was the quinessential creator's machine?

It is and I am a creator. I just don't create drawings.

 

[pldelisle]

Isn't Sidecar suited for drawing ? I mean, you have the iPad 12.9" next to the iMac which can do a lot of things (and even more in the future). So you can surely draw on the iPad while doing something else on the iMac ?

Not an artist, just thinking out loud.

 

[Azrael9]

Isn't Sidecar suited for drawing ? I mean, you have the iPad 12.9" next to the iMac which can do a lot of things (and even more in the future). So you can surely draw on the iPad while doing something else on the iMac ?

Not an artist, just thinking out loud.

Side car sounds interesting. (A bit like Astro Pad software...?) I had an iPad 3 for drawing (using my finger...) I ended up with my finger tip index print 'worn out.' I recall iPad owners swearing blind it didn't need or wouldn't get an Apple pencil when it was obvious that it needed one for drawing and painting.

In short, I'd like an iPad for Procreate alone (which I used to have on the iPad 3) and it's grown into a tremendous program with blistering speed that can really show off what the iPad can do in terms of hardware and software. The painting engine on it blows away Painter by Corel. My only criticism of iPad is that I'd love a 17 inch version of it (I'd pay more for a 17 inch version of iPad...) so you can draw A3 pages of comic art digitally in portrait mode.

So yes. Side car, iPad working with Mac intrigues me. I've just been waiting for the next iMac (and an A14X iPad) to drop to align the stars of my creativity. I nearly went in for the iPad 12.9 promotion but Apple jacked the prices in the UK. A-gain. So I was determined to wait for the A13-14X variation if I'm going to pay that sort of money.

I'd probably 'get lost' in the existential pleasures of a 12.9 inch iPad 'side carred' next to the iMac. You can do loads of things with that and probably more in the future. Procreate, an entire painting shop and studio in a ridiculously cheap app. A true software paradigm shift. (The two hardwares will become one in the future, in my view...with the move to Mac ARM. If you can have a Macbook 16 incher....why not an A3 iPad...we've had lots of fussing over A4-ish letter size 8-11 inch screen size variations.)

Short answer. You could be drawing and painting in Procreate on iPad whilst an '8 core' iMac crunches out a Blender 3d or Lightwave 3d render.

The idea that the iMac would be in Light wave 3d/Blender 3D is quite intriguing to me. Once it was the beginners machine with weak 3d...but it became a good Photoshop machine...then audio...then video...beyond even prosumer machine now. It's parked on the 3D lawn right now in terms of potential workflow.

It's a workstation in it's own right. Ergo: the call to push it further to make it not just a design statement but a true creator's workstation in either 2D or 3D. That's why I'd like to see 8 core standard with a 5700XT.

It's an AiO. We won't get a 2080 Ti in there, politics or thermals. But as proven with the iMac pro? Apple can really push the iMac forward specs wise. Space Grey and all.

Muses.

Azrael.

 

[lilcosco08]

The Intel Comet Lake Core i9-10900K, i7-10700K, i5-10600K CPU Review: Skylake We Go Again

www.anandtech.com

Yeesh, the 9900K outperforms the 10700K (due to it being a native 8-core die, instead of a sliced 10-core) And the 10600 is just another small iteration of the 8700K

The 10900 is the only chip worth waiting for

 

[Azrael9]

The Intel Comet Lake Core i9-10900K, i7-10700K, i5-10600K CPU Review: Skylake We Go Again

www.anandtech.com

Yeesh, the 9900K outperforms the 10700K (due to it being a native 8-core die, instead of a sliced 10-core) And the 10600 is just another small iteration of the 8700K

The 10900 is the only chip worth waiting for

...

I'll have to explore the link.

So it's 10700k or bust? '++++'

Azrael.

 

[carlos700]

The Intel Comet Lake Core i9-10900K, i7-10700K, i5-10600K CPU Review: Skylake We Go Again

www.anandtech.com

Yeesh, the 9900K outperforms the 10700K (due to it being a native 8-core die, instead of a sliced 10-core) And the 10600 is just another small iteration of the 8700K

The 10900 is the only chip worth waiting for

The 10600 is effectively a 8700 but at a much better price. It's also great that we now get near i7 7700K perf with the 10th-gen Core i3 now. Intel's lineup would actually be really fantastic if we ignore what AMD is doing with Ryzen 3000. But it's a step in the right direction.

 

[lilcosco08]

...

I'll have to explore the link.

So it's 10700k or bust? '++++'

Azrael.

i9 or bust!

 

[Icaras]

Isn't Sidecar suited for drawing ? I mean, you have the iPad 12.9" next to the iMac which can do a lot of things (and even more in the future). So you can surely draw on the iPad while doing something else on the iMac ?

Not an artist, just thinking out loud.

Not necessarily just artists. It's great for anyone needing a second screen for whatever reason.

 

[Tekguy0]

What if they just killed the iMac, and replaced it with a 4 or 5k display which you could plug your iPad or MacMini or MacBook into? Seems like they could get you to buy more devices that way.

 

[gusping]

What if they just killed the iMac, and replaced it with a 4 or 5k display which you could plug your iPad or MacMini or MacBook into? Seems like they could get you to buy more devices that way.

Can't tell if you're trolling or not....Because people who want an iMac want a desktop computer, not a laptop in clamshell mode the whole time.

 

[DrRadon]

Guys, can we please stop with this theory?
WWDC is not pushed by 2 weeks because of iMacs! WWDC got pushed by 2 weeks because Apple wanted to have more time to prepare the new format of delivery and therefore they pushed it. Not because of iMac

Guys, can we please stop with this theory that Apple needs to delay WWDC for two weeks because they are not capable to reorganise a real life event into to an online event in three and a half month. NoNoNo. They needed * F * O * U * R * month to be able to do that.

 

[Fernandez21]

The Intel Comet Lake Core i9-10900K, i7-10700K, i5-10600K CPU Review: Skylake We Go Again

www.anandtech.com

Yeesh, the 9900K outperforms the 10700K (due to it being a native 8-core die, instead of a sliced 10-core) And the 10600 is just another small iteration of the 8700K

The 10900 is the only chip worth waiting for

So, other than a redesign, any reason to wait for the new iMac? Seems like performance would be about the same.

 

[Tekguy0]

Can't tell if you're trolling or not....Because people who want an iMac want a desktop computer, not a laptop in clamshell mode the whole time.

I am not trolling, I am actually quite serious. By using a laptop in clamshell, I get a nice large screen when I want it, and mobility when I need it. For people who need power, there is the Mac Mini. And it makes business sense, because apple would sell a laptop ($999 minimum) and a monitor.

 

[CWallace]

What if they just killed the iMac, and replaced it with a 4 or 5k display which you could plug your iPad or MacMini or MacBook into? Seems like they could get you to buy more devices that way.

A Mac mini or MacBook Pro would be a step-down in performance from an iMac.

My hope is that if Apple does move everything to miniLED, when they move the iMac 5K (after the iMac Pro 5K) they also come out with an Apple-branded miniLED Thunderbolt Display 5K so that folks have an Apple-branded option besides the Pro XDR display.

 

[majaca]

Is there a pretty strong signal that Apple is going to produce an updated iMac THIS year? @wwdc?
I need a new iMac ASAP but can wait a few months......thx

 

[snow755]

this will have all the info you are looking for

Will a >30" redesigned iMac arrive in 2021?

A Mac mini or MacBook Pro would be a step-down in performance from an iMac. My hope is that if Apple does move everything to miniLED, when they move the iMac 5K (after the iMac Pro 5K) they also come out with an Apple-branded miniLED Thunderbolt Display 5K so that folks have an Apple-branded...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[velocityg4]

Considering how hot Intel's Comet Lake runs. I can't picture those going into the iMac without a redesign. At any rate. I wouldn't expect anything until AMD releases RDNA 2. Which doesn't have a release date yet. So, I wouldn't expect something anytime soon.

 

[majaca]

this will have all the info you are looking for

Will a >30" redesigned iMac arrive in 2021?

A Mac mini or MacBook Pro would be a step-down in performance from an iMac. My hope is that if Apple does move everything to miniLED, when they move the iMac 5K (after the iMac Pro 5K) they also come out with an Apple-branded miniLED Thunderbolt Display 5K so that folks have an Apple-branded...

forums.macrumors.com

I saw that thread, it's just sooooo many pages. Can you or someone give an informed opinion on this? thx

 

[sublunar]

Can't tell if you're trolling or not....Because people who want an iMac want a desktop computer, not a laptop in clamshell mode the whole time.

That's exactly how I run my MacBook Pros - Thunderbolt docks for the win. My Mac mini runs headless most of the time but is connected to a TV when I need to see something physically on the big screen. Very civilised.

 

[scotttnz]

I am not trolling, I am actually quite serious. By using a laptop in clamshell, I get a nice large screen when I want it, and mobility when I need it. For people who need power, there is the Mac Mini. And it makes business sense, because apple would sell a laptop ($999 minimum) and a monitor.

People can do that now with a huge array of monitors to meet every want or need, from cheap and cheerful, through to high end 49” ultra wides, and Apples own XDR display.

3 years ago I paired a 15” MacBook Pro with a good 4K monitor. After 3 years my battery cycle count is 29, and I could count the number of times I’ve used the MacBook away from my desk on my fingers. I use my iPad or work supplied windows laptop for my mobile computing needs. The compromise in CPU, and GPU power, and all in one simplicity, is not worth it for users like me. That is why I’m waiting impatiently for the new iMac.