A red 24-inch iMac at the Apple store.

Jason Hiner/ZDNET

Last week, Apple held its Scary Fast event, where it unveiled its latest Macs; however, one star continued to be absent — Apple’s 27-inch iMac. This loss was felt by many Apple aficionados who enjoyed the perks of having a larger display with a built-in computer, and Apple now confirms that the loss is permanent. 

In 2022, as Apple shifted to products that showcased its own silicon, Apple discontinued the 27-inch iMac display, which was the last of its Intel models. 

Review: MacBook Pro (M3 Max): A desktop-class laptop for an AI-powered age

Then, at Scary Fast, many hoped that the 27-inch display would make a comeback with an upgraded Apple chip, but instead, Apple unveiled that its 24-inch M1 iMac would be replaced with an M3 processor.

Since the event, an Apple PR person confirmed with The Verge that the 27-inch display will not return.

Instead, Apple encourages users who want a larger display to consider options such as the Studio Display, which boasts a 27-inch display. 

However, the Studio Display must be paired with a separate computer, such as the Mac Studio or Mac Mini, to achieve the same functionality as the iMac, adding the need for an additional cost and device. 

Despite the hassle, being forced to purchase the display and computer separately if you want a larger display may be a blessing in disguise.  

As ZDNET’s David Gewirtz shared in his iMac analysis last week, a major issue he faced with his iMac 27-inch Intel model was that the display became outdated far earlier than the computer itself. 

“I, and many other users, prefer separating the computer from the display. This allows you to reconfigure the display, add new screens, hang them off of display arms, and otherwise change up the workspace as time moves on,” said Gewirtz. 

For all the iMac 27-inch lovers who still want the convenience of a 2-in-1, you still have the option of a 24-inch iMac, which, for all intents and purposes, is not much smaller and even has Apple’s latest silicon for boosted performance. 



Source link