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Another year of iMac Pro lost in use
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Another year of iMac Pro lost in use

Apple made an announcement this week new M4 iMac. It has some upgrades that help make it more appealing to creators and professionals, like the more powerful M4 chip, Thunderbolt 4, upgraded camera, and nano-textured display.

But this isn’t an iMac Pro.

A larger, more powerful iMac has been missing from the lineup since before the switch to Apple Silicon. Despite Apple’s insistence that it will complete the transition to Apple Silicon in 2022, the 27-inch iMac is still missing. Is there any hope?

Has it been changed?

Top-down view of Apple Mac Studio showing the PC and keyboard.
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

But conspicuous by its absence was a larger iMac equipped with a computer. M4 chip. Nearly four years later iMac Pro production has been discontinuedWe’re still wondering what Apple has planned for its large-sized all-in-one computer.

So whether we’re talking about a powerful iMac Pro or a larger iMac with the same colorful design as Apple’s base model, I can’t help but think there’s a noticeable gap in Apple’s desktop Mac lineup. So will Apple really do anything about this situation?

Apple said it was considering a combination of the following: Mac Studio Studio Display is the perfect combination for professional users. And that might be true at this point: The Mac Studio and Studio Display together start at $3,598, which is much cheaper than the iMac Pro’s old starting price of $4,999. Sure, the result isn’t all that fancy, but it does a great job for almost $1,500 less. Who can argue with that?

On that note, I agree that a real iMac Pro probably doesn’t need to be brought back, and that Apple was right to leave it out of recent Mac announcements. It feels more like a “nice to have” than an absolute necessity, and I doubt that’s a sufficient justification for Apple.

So how about the larger desktop iMac with M4 Pro? Apple used to sell the iMac in both 21.5-inch and 27-inch sizes, but now it’s your only option 24 inch iMac. For those who want a larger all-in-one without needing the more powerful components (or hefty price tag) of the Mac Studio and Studio Display, Apple has a few options.

missing in action

Apple's John Ternus discusses the iMac at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in 2017.
Apple

The idea that Apple was planning to release a larger iMac in the fall hasn’t been around for the past few months. In fact, there have been very few rumors about this controversial device over the past year. To me, this means either a larger iMac is a long way off or it won’t happen at all.

In fact, even the upgrades the current iMac sees are minor right now. Sure, we got a few new colors, Thunderbolt 4 upgrades, and yes, the M4 chip this year, but it’s not exactly a radical overhaul to the iMac. Doesn’t this computer sell well enough for Apple to devote significant resources to it? If so, this might explain why we don’t see a larger pattern; Maybe Apple doesn’t think such an upgrade is worth anyone’s time.

If so, it’s a sad state of affairs for an iconic computer, but such is the world of technology. Things are moving so fast that it’s inevitable that some once-popular devices will be left behind.

The other possibility is that Apple is biding its time until it feels the larger iMac is ready before launching. The iMac doesn’t sell as well as iPhones and MacBooks, so it’s less important that Apple gets new updates every year. We’ve already heard that Apple still is. “Exploring” the idea of ​​a larger iMacBloomberg journalist Mark Gurman previously covered Apple’s I’m still working on the product. When time frames are longer, Apple can afford to move slower.

I can’t tell you for sure if Apple will bring back a larger-screen iMac, or what form it will take if it does. But what is certain is that we have at least another year before we see the next iMac upgrade. Hopefully there will be better news for fans of bigger screens.