Apple has finally updated the iMac, giving it the M3 treatment. And while the speed bump and support for more unified memory is a welcome addition, the lack of a true big screen option is something of a disappointment.
As you’d expect, Apple’s media release about the new iMac is as effusive as ever, packed with superlatives and adjectives. Phrases and words like “best in class”, “captivating” and “huge leap” abound. But that’s something we’ve come to expect from Apple. What’s missing is that the iMac is no longer the ‘go to’ option for professionals.
The iMac is a great computer for home users and students. But the 24-inch screen languishes in today’s business world. When I bought my last Mac, I went for a Mac Studio (which is really overkill for me but I like shiny toys!) so I could pair it with a larger display. In my case, that’s a Dell 34-inch curved monitor.
There’s no doubt that the updated iMac is a superior machine to the previous model – which had been left untouched by Apple since its release in May 2021. It skipped the M2 Apple Silicon release cycle.
There’s no doubt the M3 can support pushing around the extra pixels a larger display can handle but it seems Apple product strategy for desktop computing is based around the Mac mini and Mac Studio for the majority of users with the Mac Pro for a specific niche of professionals. The iMac has been pushed firmly into the “Consumer” corner of Steve Jobs’ famous product matrix.
There’s still some hope that Apple will release a big screen all-in-one computer – perhaps we’ll see a big screen all-in-one from Apple dubbed the iMac Pro. Or maybe Apple has committed the iMac to the consumer-desktop corner of it’s product matrix.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.