People wanted larger screens with slimmer bezels and a PCIe-flash storage as standard across the board. Tim Cook failed again.
Economics aren't quite there yet. Getting there but not quite there yet. It's made worse by the fact that Apple continues to have a 3TB hard drive as the top end drive to put in an iMac when it's just as easy to put a 8 or 10 GB these days. So a 3TB drive is CHEAP (used to be top of the line) where 4TB flash is still expensive. Now Samsung has just introduced a cheaper 4TB SSD a few months back, but the MTBF rate is less than other products, which could be a long term issue in a machine not designed to be able to replace the SSD at all.
The one piece of the iMac configuration puzzle that I'm not happy with is that no 10gb Ethernet option exists, even as a BTO. Yes, I know that they still wanted some space between the iMac and the iMac Pro but I think the Xeons + Graphics do that well enough. The cost of the Aquantia chip set used for 10gbe in the iMac Pro and the Mac Mini (!) is pretty light in the grand scheme of things. Not sure why it got left out. You can still get TB3 options if you want 10gbe on an iMac as before, but I don't get why it didn't make the cut.
FYI, if you spec up a 27” iMac you’re close to the iMac pro price point. Especially the ones that go on sale.
We'll be talking about this a bit later in the day.
Hopefully Apple has learned a lesson or two, and will keep these incremental coming at regular, reasonably predictable intervals. Meanwhile, here is a lot to like for many existing and new users.
Yes, hopefully this company that has been doing this for forty years, and is literally the only PC maker still around from Day 1, and is the most profitable of all the PC makers, has learned a lesson or two from whiners on rumor sites....? Er, what?
People wanted larger screens with slimmer bezels and a PCIe-flash storage as standard across the board. Tim Cook failed again.
People can always pay for the SSD upgrades if they want them I guess but at the prices these things are to start with, coming with 8GB and a fusion drive is a low point.
I also agree with the need to get rid of the bezels and modernise the look. A missed opportunity.
Atleast the screen itself is still fantastic and the processors are current gen.
The GPU’s are fine for something of this form factor (and not really gaming power houses anyway)
People wanted larger screens with slimmer bezels and a PCIe-flash storage as standard across the board. Tim Cook failed again.
Nerds maybe, not people.
Singling out trolls in the bunch, as they are far from average "people". Some are just the worst kind of nerds turned into sponsored trolls for a living... pathetic...
A just announced 21.5" new iMac equipped as follows is $1,799 before tax ($1,599 + $200 (Corsair RAM self installed):
i5 6-core, 8GB, 256 SSD, Radeon Pro 560
32GB Corsair RAM
What to do?
I'd be inclined to go with the Mini. There's more upgradeability there. I don't know if you can add RAM or change anything on the iMac and I believe (?) you can do a lot of that on the Mini. I also understand that the Mini will drive an external GPU/SSD case through TB3, and I don't know if the iMac will do that. You also would have options for what screen to use. But I agree, it's a tough call.
A just announced 21.5" new iMac equipped as follows is $1,799 before tax ($1,599 + $200 (Corsair RAM self installed):
i5 6-core, 8GB, 256 SSD, Radeon Pro 560
32GB Corsair RAM
What to do?
I'd be inclined to go with the Mini. There's more upgradeability there. I don't know if you can add RAM or change anything on the iMac and I believe (?) you can do a lot of that on the Mini. I also understand that the Mini will drive an external GPU/SSD case through TB3, and I don't know if the iMac will do that. You also would have options for what screen to use. But I agree, it's a tough call.
Apple do not list the latest mini for any user upgrades. Technically you can upgrade the RAM, but it's not as easy as it used to be.
Is the i7 no longer an advantage over the i5 ? One thing I had really hoped for VESA flexibility like the iMac Pro...
I'm assuming you said this because there isn't an i7 build config? If that's what you meant, it is more that the i7 and i9 are so close in performance (and price) that Apple probably just decided to go with the one with the better performance instead of BTO clutter.
I like the chip updates, two changes would have knocked it out of the park: 1. Reduced bezel and 2. Reasonably priced SSD options. 512GB for +$150, 1TB for +$300
Well, as someone who's still rockin' a 2009 iMac, this is an "oh, Thank GOD!" moment. I had a lot of internal strife parting with $2K-type money on 2017 specs.
(Now just need to find sweet spot of performance / budget.)
I briefly had it too as my iMac is also from 2009. The speed boosts are nice, but honestly my 2009 is still plenty fast. I only want to replace it since it is now “obsolete” and I cannot upgrade to Mojave. I was ready to upgrade, but will NOT since it doesn’t include things like the T2 chip and fingerprint sensor that is now on the MacBook Pro. Given I keep them as long as possible I will not upgrade for a speed boost alone.
I don't anything compelling me to upgrade from my 2015 iMac.
Screen resolution is same. I want crisper, sharper.
Screen size is same. I want 30+ inch.
Fusion drive. Whatever.
I don't do video editing so I don't need a better graphics card.
i5 processor. Snoozefest.
Two years of engineering effort and this is what they deliver?
Comments
nerds: Apple has abandoned the Mac. There hasn’t been an upgrade in a long while!
Apple releases updates.
Nerds: these updates suck and are lame. Apple has abandoned the Mac!
https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/03/19/new-imac-pro-gpu-and-ram-configuration-options-boosts-maxed-out-model-to-15699
One thing I had really hoped for VESA flexibility like the iMac Pro...
People can always pay for the SSD upgrades if they want them I guess but at the prices these things are to start with, coming with 8GB and a fusion drive is a low point.
I also agree with the need to get rid of the bezels and modernise the look. A missed opportunity.
Atleast the screen itself is still fantastic and the processors are current gen.
The GPU’s are fine for something of this form factor (and not really gaming power houses anyway)
Just priced this kit:
- 2018 Mac Mini i5 core-6 3.0 GHz, 8GB, 256 SSD
- LG 27UK650-W
- 32GB Corsair RAM
- Anker bluetooth keyboard
- Bluetooth mouse
Total comes to $1,635 before tax.A just announced 27" new iMac equipped as follows is $1,999 before tax ($1,799 + $200 (Corsair RAM self installed):
- i5 6-core 3.0 GHz, 8GB, 256 SSD, Radeon Pro 570X
- 32GB Corsair RAM
Just presenting this as an example of my Mac Mini configuration vs. a just announced 27" iMac.https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205041#one