Easily. I was always amazed at the price of a 27 inch iMac. The screen alone, as we see with the studio display or even the LG Ultrafine, is close to the total cost of the iMac. Now Apple gets its margin for the lower end Mac studio and display separately, and together they cost more than say, an i7 iMac.
I honestly don’t believe that Apple is all that concerned about desktop PC market share anymore ...
Sure, that's why they just invested in a multi-year effort with Apple Silicon and all these new Macs using it, because they aren't all that concerned about it. 🙄
The same chips go in laptops, the vast majority of Mac sales.
I'm just a home computer consumer. My 2007 iMac is the most I've ever paid for a computer. The lowest priced model. Added the BT keyboard and mouse making it about $1200. My previous 1999 iMac was $999. While I'm sure these more expensive products have a place, they're not for me. My current PC is a 2015 Dell AIO. Can't upgrade to W11. It is a 23 inch with desktop Pentium (3.1 GHz). Cost was about $700. I could replace it with a new 24 inch Dell AIO for the same or lower cost. Okay, that's just me. I would love to have a new iMac, but I'm just not willing to spend that much. I just felt like Apple was never see it my way.
I honestly don’t believe that Apple is all that concerned about desktop PC market share anymore ...
Sure, that's why they just invested in a multi-year effort with Apple Silicon and all these new Macs using it, because they aren't all that concerned about it. 🙄
The same chips go in laptops, the vast majority of Mac sales.
There are no laptops with M1 Ultra, and whatever goes into the Mac Pro they told us is coming, and likely won't be. Sorry, the comment is still worthy of an eye roll.
How’s this for an nonsensical statement “ There's certainly a case to be made for Apple to add a new 27-inch iMac to its lineup, but it wouldn't have met the need of many users that the Mac Studio caters to.”
Ok there’s some (no evidence for many) that want something like the Mac Studio and its component style. But the history of strong sales of the integrated 27” iMac makes a strong case for a demand for a M1 27” iMac and probably a higher demand than for Mac Studio. The business market was a strong buyer of 27” iMacs for its appearance and easy upkeep and no cables. Apple writers seem to be ignorant of business when they make statements such as the foregoing one.
As someone who has argued for years that an All In One (AIO) is not the same as a desktop, I feel your pain. Hopefully Apple fixes the hole in your lineup much faster than the hole I my lineup.
I'm sorry to see all internal expandability be eliminated by Apple (and apologists spin it as to be expected or a good thing). My much smaller mac mini server can house two 2.5" drives (also two ram slots). This chunker is much bigger than a mac mini and has no spinning drives in it. This machine would have been perfect if it also had two m.2 slots. A $500 playstation 5 has an m.2 slot.
It's sad to see Apple crippling expansion in every Apple silicon machine that currently exists (also no eGPU anymore) and - maybe - only reserving it for a single machine sometime in the future that will start at $6k+. Apple users accepted the end of expansion in laptops and later all-in-ones but killing it off in desktops is not something to be celebrated.
Nice article. The only thing that is absolutely certain with Apple is that no matter what they do, someone will have something to complain about. I don't have a problem with that because despite the fact that they are the world's most valuable company, they still cannot rest on their laurels. There is always something they can do better - and they know it.
As a longtime iMac user I will not miss it when I move on to a Mac Studio. The all-in-one design is fine, but it has several compromises that come along for the ride. The biggest ones for me are:
- If anything in the AIO part breaks, the entire machine is down. Do all those fans with dreams of a 30" plus (!!!) screen see themselves lugging such an ungainly beast into the Apple Store for service? The 27" iMac is huge enough, but you'd better keep the luggage sized box it came in just in case you need to lug it in for servicing. That huge box needs to be stored somewhere.
- How do you want your computer to go obsolete, the video not meeting your needs, the computing power not meeting your needs, or maybe something else that's in the AIO part no longer being up to snuff? With an AIO, you have multiple paths to total obsolescence.
- The "lack of desktop wires" illusion doesn't hold up. Sure, Apple's ads make the iMac look like an Ikea prop computer, but once you plug the thing into power, Ethernet, expansion hubs, external drives, mismatched looking external displays, external speakers, etc., the illusion fades. The fact that most of the claptrap is funneled to the back of a display unit that's only 12 inches from your keyboard makes it hard to "ignore the man behind the curtain." I can see the man, and he'd holding a rats nest of wires.
- While it's not impossible to add additional monitors to an iMac, which I have done, doing so results in a setup that looks a bit odd because of the iMac's chin. There's probably an aftermarket opportunity for prosthetic iChins that can be added to chin-less monitors. I just haven't found one yet.
None of these things matter to a lot of folks who are not me. The iMac is still a beautiful machine that meets a lot of peoples' needs. I bought one of the new 24" M1 equipped ones for a family member because it filled a need and could actually be used in an Apple iMac advertisement like scenario, with wireless keyboard, mouse, and Ethernet in the power brick. The only wired concession is a USB cord for an iPhone.
Will Apple do another big iMac? I don't know, but I would not rule it coming out - eventually. There are a couple of reasons why I don't think Apple feels pressured to jump on it right away. The Mac Studio is going to capture users (like me) who've come to realize that the iMac's limitations are no longer tolerable, especially when Apple has just released a new (pro class) Mac that gives them an escape path from AIO that the Mac mini could never really satisfy, especially when Apple had nothing to offer along the lines of the new Studio monitor.
I also believe that a fair number business users who were buying 27" iMacs to be used in WYSIWYG configurations for general office productivity are going to see the 24" iMac as good enough. They no longer have to choose between a 21" and a 27" version. The 24" iMac version splits the difference very nicely for users who would never be happy with a 21" iMac. A beefy Mac mini with a 27" Studio monitor is also an option for users who were passing on the 21" iMac and up-sizing to slightly beefed up 27" iMac configurations.
I believe the new-ish 24" iMac and the new Mac Studio combined to reduce the demand for the 27" iMac. How much? I don't know, but we'll find out if Apple finalizes the fate of the 27" iMac one way or the other, which they really have not done in strong terms - yet.
I'm sorry to see all internal expandability be eliminated by Apple (and apologists spin it as to be expected or a good thing). My much smaller mac mini server can house two 2.5" drives (also two ram slots). This chunker is much bigger than a mac mini and has no spinning drives in it. This machine would have been perfect if it also had two m.2 slots. A $500 playstation 5 has an m.2 slot.
It's sad to see Apple crippling expansion in every Apple silicon machine that currently exists (also no eGPU anymore) and - maybe - only reserving it for a single machine sometime in the future that will start at $6k+. Apple users accepted the end of expansion in laptops and later all-in-ones but killing it off in desktops is not something to be celebrated.
I get the integration of the SOC in order to maximize performance. But what I don’t get is locking down the hard drive in a desktop. That’s just crap.
As it is, Apple is revisiting its historic price gouging for RAM and SSD storage with force.
An old 5k display is 1500, but not if you want height adjustment. Then it’s more.
The studio max is ok I guess. A Mac mini MacBook n steroids. But the price with the ultra chip is up there. And then if you want to get more RAM and storage, you lost money really quick. Would be great to at least be able to swap internal hard drives. - in a desktop. Sheesh.
This might make more sense in a laptop or even iMac with screen built in. But a cube that only houses the computer? Come on. At least give thing thing a pull out tray for the SSD.
I'm sorry to see all internal expandability be eliminated by Apple (and apologists spin it as to be expected or a good thing). My much smaller mac mini server can house two 2.5" drives (also two ram slots). This chunker is much bigger than a mac mini and has no spinning drives in it. This machine would have been perfect if it also had two m.2 slots. A $500 playstation 5 has an m.2 slot.
It's sad to see Apple crippling expansion in every Apple silicon machine that currently exists (also no eGPU anymore) and - maybe - only reserving it for a single machine sometime in the future that will start at $6k+. Apple users accepted the end of expansion in laptops and later all-in-ones but killing it off in desktops is not something to be celebrated.
Perfect for you, perhaps, maybe even 10s more, but this has been the trend for a LONG time, nothing about it requires you to throw the "apologist" label around just because Apple doesn't agree with you and most others don't either, having already voted with their pocketbooks for quite a long time here. It's not a conspiracy to fuck you over so they can gleefully deny you something.
Don’t get me wrong, the studio is. An amazing piece of tech. If I were to buy one, I would bolt it under my desk.
Would placing a Mac Studio under a desk upside down be harmful for its airflow?
It should be fine as long as you don't cover up the intake and exhaust vents; and, there is a place for hotter air to go from underneath your desk. Ie, the underneath of your desk better not be a box. Fresh air needs to come in and exhausted air needs to be able to get out from underneath your desk.
Don’t get me wrong, the studio is. An amazing piece of tech. If I were to buy one, I would bolt it under my desk.
Would placing a Mac Studio under a desk upside down be harmful for its airflow?
My guess is it will not help.
The intake vents (chassis base) are below the exhaust vents (rear). Hot air rises so the natural convection flow would be bottom to top. This allows the blowers to slow down during idle or light loads.
If you try to fight physics, likely the blower fans will run at higher speeds which will increase noise and wear. This would be less of an issue in a climate-controlled server room or data center where vertically mounted Mac Studios would be running at a lower ambient temperature.
My guess is that third-party under-desk mounting hardware will place the Mac Studio in its regular orientation. There is really no reason to hang it upside down.
It still blows my mind a bit that Apple dominated video editing with both Final Cut and the Mac Pro towers, only to throw all that away by creating a new and unwanted Final Cut and neglecting the Mac Pros. Plus, it was all Steve Jobs doing!
Jump to now, and Final Cut has mananged to regain some market share, but there wasn't a mid-level Mac Pro-like machine to run it on. Remember, Final Cut is a bargain (both then and now) so it is used by low end editors and high end pros alike. The Mac Studio, with all it's video acceleration and CPU power, seems the perfect choice for a broad range of Final Cut users. Maybe Apple win back a few of those Final Cut users they lost.
How’s this for an nonsensical statement “ There's certainly a case to be made for Apple to add a new 27-inch iMac to its lineup, but it wouldn't have met the need of many users that the Mac Studio caters to.”
Ok there’s some (no evidence for many) that want something like the Mac Studio and its component style. But the history of strong sales of the integrated 27” iMac makes a strong case for a demand for a M1 27” iMac and probably a higher demand than for Mac Studio. The business market was a strong buyer of 27” iMacs for its appearance and easy upkeep and no cables. Apple writers seem to be ignorant of business when they make statements such as the foregoing one.
It’s also a device that I regret buying for my audio-visual company in several occasions. Although it provided great value for money initially, that value to the company quickly diminished over time as the hardware became insufficient for the job at hand, yet the monitor component was still amazing, but completely not usable. Talk about an “environmentally friendly computer”…
Several iMacs ended up collecting dust while there was no powerful desktop replacement for my staff. We ended up buying PC’s.
For the regular iMac that’s still an issue but in a lesser degree; the level of expectation and use-cases of the device are more in line with regular consumer use or light work. No one will buy the M1 and expect to use it for heavy duty rendering and post production work, although it perfectly capable for non mission-critical work.
Some people have been pointing out this gap for 15 years and were endlessly flamed for it. It’s nice to see those folks vindicated. And more importantly, it’s great to see apple doing such a consistently wonderful job of advancing the Mac platform. If apple maintains this momentum I think they can gain some serious market share
I don’t see how slapping cheap displays on headless Macs is going to drive market share. If anything Apple should use the integrated nature of Apple Silicon to drive an even more integrated product with no room for user config errors.
It is sad, because it was (still is) the best GUI for a bunch of open source software solutions. Many of these are still built into OS X/ can be added with MacPorts, but just not accessible via the Server app.
I've had two different 27" iMacs for the past many years, as well as a 13" MBP for taking into the office (back when offices existed). I was planning on buying the 27" replacement or, at a pinch, looking at a new MBP to replace both existing units.
For me, the benefits of the different form factors are:
iMac - neat, good value, fewer cables Desktop - expandability, potentially good value Laptop - can move around
So a desktop with no expandability and a high cost appears to offer the worst of everything, for me. It would be equivalent to an iMac with exposed wires or a laptop that can't be moved.
There are a million people with a million use cases, and I hope the new Mini does indeed fill a hole in the range, but selling it at the expense of a good iMac seems a huge shame for me.
Perfect for you, perhaps, maybe even 10s more, but this has been the trend for a LONG time, nothing about it requires you to throw the "apologist" label around just because Apple doesn't agree with you and most others don't either, having already voted with their pocketbooks for quite a long time here.
Intel Mac minis / desktops allowed the user to swap hard drives. It is not unrealistic to accept RAM integration (at this level) but not praise Apple for removing storage upgrade / expansion in a purely desktop machine. Claiming that removing that option is anything other than progress is an apologist response. It's not a feature, it's forced obsolescence.
I'm just a home computer consumer. My 2007 iMac is the most I've ever paid for a computer. The lowest priced model. Added the BT keyboard and mouse making it about $1200. My previous 1999 iMac was $999. While I'm sure these more expensive products have a place, they're not for me. My current PC is a 2015 Dell AIO. Can't upgrade to W11. It is a 23 inch with desktop Pentium (3.1 GHz). Cost was about $700. I could replace it with a new 24 inch Dell AIO for the same or lower cost. Okay, that's just me. I would love to have a new iMac, but I'm just not willing to spend that much. I just felt like Apple was never see it my way.
If your sticking with AIO, then yes it is expensive, however if you go the Mac mini, it is cheaper. Granted you need a display. I rarely upgrade due to cost, however Macs do last a really long time. M1 was worth it, as it increased CPU and GPU a lot, from our 2012 mini, plus they are more energy efficient.
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My previous 1999 iMac was $999.
While I'm sure these more expensive products have a place, they're not for me.
My current PC is a 2015 Dell AIO. Can't upgrade to W11.
It is a 23 inch with desktop Pentium (3.1 GHz).
Cost was about $700.
I could replace it with a new 24 inch Dell AIO for the same or lower cost.
Okay, that's just me. I would love to have a new iMac, but I'm just not willing to spend that much.
I just felt like Apple was never see it my way.
The intake vents (chassis base) are below the exhaust vents (rear). Hot air rises so the natural convection flow would be bottom to top. This allows the blowers to slow down during idle or light loads.
If you try to fight physics, likely the blower fans will run at higher speeds which will increase noise and wear. This would be less of an issue in a climate-controlled server room or data center where vertically mounted Mac Studios would be running at a lower ambient temperature.
My guess is that third-party under-desk mounting hardware will place the Mac Studio in its regular orientation. There is really no reason to hang it upside down.
For the regular iMac that’s still an issue but in a lesser degree; the level of expectation and use-cases of the device are more in line with regular consumer use or light work. No one will buy the M1 and expect to use it for heavy duty rendering and post production work, although it perfectly capable for non mission-critical work.
Hardware would be perfect, MacOS Server is a hollowed out turd of a piece of software at this point.
We still have one of our 2012 Mac Pros running 10.13.6 just so we can keep Server v5.7.1 running for our 100 users.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208312
https://eshop.macsales.com/blog/43626-macos-server-will-lose-many-services-this-spring-here-are-alternatives/
It is sad, because it was (still is) the best GUI for a bunch of open source software solutions.
Many of these are still built into OS X/ can be added with MacPorts, but just not accessible via the Server app.
For me, the benefits of the different form factors are:
iMac - neat, good value, fewer cables
Desktop - expandability, potentially good value
Laptop - can move around
So a desktop with no expandability and a high cost appears to offer the worst of everything, for me. It would be equivalent to an iMac with exposed wires or a laptop that can't be moved.
There are a million people with a million use cases, and I hope the new Mini does indeed fill a hole in the range, but selling it at the expense of a good iMac seems a huge shame for me.