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Will There Really Be Another iMac Pro?

As many noted here, iMac Pro was a temporarily solution.The whole idea of an iMac is that it's a consumer device:

(time stamped)

What I find strange is that larger and smaller iMacs and MacBooks are released as different products. For example, 21" and 27" iMac were always released together. They were the same product. Yes, the bigger one had faster CPU, GPU etc. But there was no difference in their screens, audio etc. Same goes for MacBooks.

Nowadays, we have 13", 14" and 16" MacBook Pros and they all are completely different products.

And we have just one screen size for an iMac.

Here's an example for iMacs:

 
I do not see the point of an iMac Pro. The Mac Studio plus Studio Display satisfies that market, over priced though it is. What I do see the need for is a new non pro iMac 27” or, preferably, 32”. The Studio Display is over priced and not particularly good, so matching that to an underpowered Mini does not make sense. The 24” iMac is a decent machine, but for those of us used to the larger display of the older and now discontinued 27” iMac we need a larger screened version with the equivalent performance of the i9 2020 27” iMac. iMacs are very convenient machines and provide excellent performance in an easy to manage format without lots of wires etc. ideal for me as I have a mix of iMacs and desktop PCs etc. The Mac Studio provides all the inconveniences of a none integrated solution without the benefits such as upgradable RAM, CPU, IO etc. so I will never buy the Studio. When I need a powerful and flexible desktop machine I usually go with a Windows machine. For my day to day work using Lightroom, FCP etc. I use my 2020 iMac. For more complex development work driving specialist hardware I use my desktop Windows machines.
 
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Apple isn't really giving any upgrade guidance for relatively non-tech users of the 27-in iMac who value more screen real estate over outright performance. For many, a 32-in iMac would be a fabulous solution, but if that's not to be, I suppose you could run twin monitors on a Mac Mini, but the only monitors available from Apple are Studios and this setup including keyboard and trackpad would cost £4,300 ($4,600).

Yes I know it's possible to buy cheaper third party monitors, but I look to Apple to supply solutions, not partial components.
 
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No way it is coming. I think Apple was pretty clear the Mac Studio was meant as the replacement in the product lineup for the 27" iMac and iMac Pro. If you want a cheaper Mac with a larger screen, a Mac mini + Studio Display is an option. Apple is slowly introducing these gaps in their products as a means of upselling Pros and Prosumers and there is more money to be made selling standalone peripherals to this group than an All-in-One package. The Mac Studio doesn't even include a Keyboard and Mouse don't forget. A Magic Keyboard with TouchID and a Magic Mouse is an easy $260...make that $300... because what's $40 extra for the black accessories when you're already dropping $4,000?

Looks really good to the shareholders on paper to see the number of high-cost/low-overhead accessories going out the door with new Macs, along with the average total spend per Mac purchased, trending upward. So yeah, un-bundle the thing, charge a bit more for both the computer and display since they come in two boxes now. Then force the customer to pay for an overpriced keyboard and mouse that used to be included with the computer. Line goes up. Everybody is happy.
 
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Zest28 said:
27" iMac Pro = Apple Studio Display + M1 Ultra Mac Studio.

There is no 27" iMac Pro coming.
Click to expand...
You know how expensive even a base model of this setup is, right? $3600 USD, a ton. A 24” iMac starts at $1299. They could potentially do a 27” iMac Pro with an M1 Pro starting at around $1999, and then tied the specs to be identical to the MacBook Pro lineup.
 
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sevoneone said:
No way it is coming. I think Apple was pretty clear the Mac Studio was meant as the replacement in the product lineup for the 27" iMac and iMac Pro.
Click to expand...
But it can't be a replacement, they are different products. iMac is an all-in-one solution.


"We think that much better way is all-in-one. Clean up the mess and deliver a better computer at the same time. That's our philosphy. iMac comes in one box with eveyrthing you need. You take it out of the box and in 5-10 minutes you are videoconferencing with your friends. With the bultin-in iSight camera, with all the software. It's that fast. And it really works".
 
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A true replacement for the iMac Pro is not viable anymore. As others have said here, pro users would rather have the option to design their setups with a combination of a Mac Studio (with whatever configuration they need or can afford) and monitor (Studio Display, Pro Display XDR, or other).

However, that combo starts at approximately $3500 for a base Mac Studio with Studio Display. There is a big hole to fill between an upper-end M1 iMac and the Mac Studio/Studio Display combo. The only way to do this currently is with a Mac Mini and an external monitor (like the Studio Display) if you want something more than the current iMac. But the all-in-one design is appealing and convenient for many, and some want a little more performance than the base M1 (or M2).

What I would like to see is Apple come out with a 30" iMac with an M2 chip with a build-to-order option to go with an M2 Pro, which would effectively be a replacement for the 27" iMac in both price range and capabilities.
 
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Will it? Maybe.
Should it? No.
Be smarter than that, guys. Only get it if you're company is paying for the computer, the servicing, the repairing if it breaks, the new Mac when needed.
 
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madebybela said:
I'm assuming anyone in the market for this already bought themselves a spec'd out Mac Studio and Studio Display (or XDR Display), so why would they buy an iMac Pro??? Apple already has a hook on this market, I think they're just gonna focus on the Mac Pro now. Which conveniently would make for an easy upgrade for those who want more than what the Mac Studio offers.
Click to expand...

Excellent point and that's what I did. It works just fine.

If Apple chooses to not release an iMac Pro, that's nothing to fret about.

Life goes on.
 
The first (and only, so far) iMac Pro was not without merit, but I feel like it never found its niche in the market - too limited for pro use, not upgradable, and then the move away from Intel killed any sort of long-term use for it (same with the current Mac Pro really).

They could start with upgrading the current iMac, that would already be something.

The Mac Studio, and upcoming Mac Pro with M2 Max/Ultra/SuperDuper++ fill that niche just fine, leave the iMac for consumers where it does a great job.
 
MayaUser said:
studio display has the old imac screen quality and real estate...probably the new one will be 32" promotion mini-Led display
Click to expand...

If Apple are going to offer 32" Promotion, why build it into an iMac and sell to a niche when they could make a standalone display and sell it as an accessory for MacBook/MacBook pro (far more potential customers) , Mac Minis, Mac Studios , Hypothetical future Mac Pros... the first group probably outnumbering desktop customers by a good margin, the last two often in the market for dual display systems...

Remember, with Intel, the desktop Macs offered more powerful processors, GPUs and more RAM than laptops. Plenty of people bought some type of MacBook for portability and an iMac for power. With Apple Silicon (short of the top end Studio Ultra) that advantage is mostly gone. If you have any need for mobility it probably makes more sense to buy a M1 Max MBP and a large screen/docking station like the studio display.

JPack said:
The problem is, Apple doesn't have mind control. Not everyone wants to fork out $3,600 for the Studio combo.
Click to expand...

The iMac Pro started at $5000. A credible replacement - 32 GPU/1TB Studio + Studio Display comes in at $4000.
The Studio Ultra is more comparable with the 18-core/64GB iMac Pro that cost about $8000.

A top-end i9 iMac came in at around $3000 - $3200 - and remember that was for 8GB. 32GB from Apple would have cost you another $600 - the Studio+display option is only more expensive because you've lost the option to save $500 by getting third party RAM (I'm not giving Apple any kudos for that but - face it - the DIY RAM option would have gone away anyhow).

The gap comes if you wanted a lower-end 5k iMac. Still, the "small" iMac now has a significantly bigger screen and is more powerful than before...

Basic75 said:
At this point I'm starting to doubt whether there will be a new Mac Pro!
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I expect there will be something called a Mac Pro, but it is far from obvious how Apple is going to use Apple Silicon to match the main selling points of the Intel Mac Pro: massive RAM capacity, massive PCIe bandwidth & support for high-end PCIe GPUs - when Apple Silicon's big selling points are TB4 connectivity, unified RAM and tightly integrated GPU. Time to "think different". Supporting the 2019 Intel MP for another few years while they develop the Studio as the "new Mac Pro paradigm" would make more sense.

If you ignore the 2019 MP, the Mac Studio is the spiritual successor to the Trashcan Mac Pro (and works out a lot better).

My guesses (nothing more):
* 1U Rackmount version of Studio Ultra (matching rackable TB4 PCIe enclosure and storage from 3rd parties)
or
* Mx Max/Ultra/Extreme 'compute modules' in Mac Pro MPX format, for existing Intel 2019 Mac Pro or new "slots only" enclosure
 
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I know that there are many people who want a new iMac Pro. But I really believe that the ship has already sailed. The new replacement is the studio and an external monitor. Apple is working on having several different monitors to choose from again.
 
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This was the replacement for the Mac Pro I'm sure. Until it landed with a thud. After that they worked on the modular Pro. Thant's my opinion. I don't think you'll see another one of these turds.
 
If they do release a "Pro", it will just be the regular iMac with the next generation internals that they would've released as a spec bump so they can charge a premium. Just like they've done with the iPhone line and the Apple Watch...
 
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I never saw the point in the iMac Pro. I'm really just intrigued to see what they will bring out for the Mac Pro (assuming they ever Apple Siliconize it and don't kill it off). Looking at the Studio and M1 Max/Ultra, I am kind of wondering how well the tech will be able to scale up. Will they just throw together two M2 Ultras (4 M1 Maxs I guess) and call it M2 Ultimate?
 
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With the current line up, I wouldn’t be buying a Mac. The iMac is too small and too slow. The studio + display is too expensive. Maybe I’ll buy a PC, which is something I’ve never done in my life.

I hope there is a better iMac option when I need to buy a new machine.
 
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I would wager there is still a bigger iMac coming - there is room in the market for that. It'll just be the bigger, more expensive but not too expensive iMac (replacement for the 27 inch) that they sold so many of over all these years and they'll likely brand it the iMac Pro like they do, their more expensive Mac's and iPhone's...easy.
 
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The biggest question here is this:

Is there a need for an All-In-One professional machine?

I would love its existence, but I’m not sure it’s necessary.

Many would love the All-In-One design.

But now, a Mac Studio and Studio Display is the equivalent.

Then, you could upgrade your machine every couple of releases, and keep display until there’s an update for it, which could be years.

You could upgrade each separately.

And that might make a lot more sense for the customers that would be likely to buy an iMac Pro.

And that might be a justification to not make one.
 
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