Apple Announced the 24-Inch iMac Three Years Ago Today

[MacRumors]

Today marks the three-year anniversary of Apple's announcement of the 24-inch iMac, a transformative redesign featuring the first integration of Apple silicon in the product line.

Apple unveiled the new 24-inch iMac on April 20, 2021, almost nine years after the previous iMac redesign debuted. It replaced both the 21.5-inch and the 27-inch Intel iMacs, and represented a recommitment to the long-standing desktop product line.

The highly anticipated redesign offers a much thinner and more compact body compared to its predecessors, available in an array of vibrant colors reminiscent of the original iMacs released in the late 1990s. The 24-inch 4.5K Retina display boasts 11.3 million pixels and support for 1 billion colors.

The new model was not only notable for its updated design but also as the inaugural iMac to incorporate Apple silicon, one of the last Macs to make the transition away from Intel. Apple claimed that the M1 chip delivered up to 85% faster CPU performance and up to two-times faster GPU performance compared to the previous 21.5-inch iMac models. The new iMac also offered a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, studio-quality microphones, and a six-speaker sound system, as well as a color-matched Magic Keyboard with Touch ID.

Apple refreshed the 24-inch iMac with the M3 chip, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3 in November 2023. Rumors suggest that a larger-screened iMac that could be positioned as an iMac Pro will launch in 2025. In June 2023, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the high-end iMac was a year or two away from launching as work on the device was still in the early stages.

Article Link: Apple Announced the 24-Inch iMac Three Years Ago Today

 

[Nermal]

represented a recommitment to the long-standing desktop product line

And then they let it languish for 2.5 years.

 

[JosephAW]

They took 4 years to upgrade my 2014 Mac mini. Not holding my breath for my M2 mini.

 

[Nautilus007]

And then they let it languish for 2.5 years.

Just like they do with all their products now a days - how exciting!

 

[joecomo]

lets hope the new iMacPro will be usable as a monitor as well - unlike my 2014 retina iMac 27.

 

[Aiii83]

And then they let it languish for 2.5 years.

I mean, the market for a 24-inch AIO is probably pretty small and not that demanding. Not that there would’ve been a massive device altering upgrade going from M1 to M2 to begin with. So it makes sense to not put this in a yearly upgrade cycle unless you have M2 chips to spare and are fresh out of M1’s at that point.

If they made a proper AIO with a proper screen size, I’m sure it would be a more popular product. But this thing is for grandma to Google crossword puzzle answers on, so it’s fine.

 

[Justin Cymbal]

I bought this iMac (in blue) to replace my 27” retina iMac (that I purchased back in 2014) My 27” iMac was the first 5K iMac that Apple ever came out with and at the time, it was $2499 - I used my 27” iMac pretty much every day for 7 years

I love using my 24” M1 iMac - the microphone array works phenomenal for phone calls, etc. and the ability to be able to AirPlay content from my iPhone or iPad is a great feature to have as well

I hope that Apple eventually re-introduces the 27” (or larger) iMac 🖥️ (with the M series processor) as many Apple fans would love to have a much bigger screen than 24”

 

[Justin Cymbal]

lets hope the new iMacPro will be usable as a monitor as well - unlike my 2014 retina iMac 27.

That would be a great feature to have

Apple used to allow this with their target display mode:

Use your iMac as a display with target display mode - Apple Support

Target display mode is a feature available with certain older Mac models.

support.apple.com

I would love to see Apple bring back that feature - It would be much easier/cheaper for me to just purchase a new M series Mac mini every few years for $599 so that I can just plug it into my M1 iMac (if Apple comes out with a software update to allow target display mode) a bonus would be to allow all the existing iMac features to work while doing this i.e. microphone camera, etc.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

I like the new aesthetics.

But the value/$ is terrible with no ways of getting a bigger display or just some of the mid-range M3 Pro specs.

Apple needs to MiGA. But it will rather have us buying Mac Studios and Studio Displays.

 

[Jay Tee]

I love using my 24” M1 iMac - the microphone array works phenomenal for phone calls, etc. and the ability to be able to AirPlay content from my iPhone or iPad is a great feature to have as well

It's a wonderful machine. I only figured out recently that YT Music is AirPlay-able on my iMac with the iPhone.

I only wish Time Capsule was still available as a backup solution.

 

[Optheduim]

Meh. I still dont like the pastel colors in the front. I’d rather the darker color be the entire machine.

 

[PsykX]

I like the new aesthetics.

But the value/$ is terrible with no ways of getting a bigger display or just some of the mid-range M3 Pro specs.

Apple needs to MiGA. But it will rather have us buying Mac Studios and Studio Displays.

Strange, I find the value/$ to be one of the best on the market. I'm looking for a monitor with similar resolution for my Mac Mini M2 Pro and this alone is almost the price of the iMac... but I'd still need to pay for speakers.

I bought the new MX Brio webcam released a month ago by Logitech (200 USD) and find the iMac webcam better.

The CPU in the M3 chip seems equivalent to my M2 Pro.

The iMac has been one of the best values on the market since retina displays. So since 2014 maybe.

 

[AlexJaye]

And removed any desire I had to update my old (but still working) 27” iMac. But I’m glad they did, as it ended my “must replace with another Mac” mindset I had.

 

[madmin]

Still remember how gushing iJustine was with her lot of new iMacs

Maybe a little jealous of me but I'm glad in the end they didn't make a bigger one, because I'd probably have one now

 

[Dan From Canada]

I like the new aesthetics.

But the value/$ is terrible with no ways of getting a bigger display or just some of the mid-range M3 Pro specs.

Apple needs to MiGA. But it will rather have us buying Mac Studios and Studio Displays.

Studio Display?
Not when I can buy a Viewfinity S9 for half the price.

 

[krspkbl]

I was ready to throw money at Apple when I saw it during the presentation but they never did show a 27" model so Apple didn't get my money.

I know they wanted me to buy a Mac Studio with the stupid expensive display but lol no thanks.

Still remember how gushing iJustine was with her lot of new iMacs

Maybe a little jealous of me but I'm glad in the end they didn't make a bigger one, because I'd probably have one now

iJustine gushes at anything with on it.

 

[Dan From Canada]

And removed any desire I had to update my old (but still working) 27” iMac. But I’m glad they did, as it ended my “must replace with another Mac” mindset I had.

After years of having a whole Apple ecosystem at our place I am seriously thinking of going back to a Windows machine because I can get more power for less money.

 

[emulajavi]

Wow! 3 years since they ruined the screen bezels worsening screen contrast perception!

Let’s hope they will soon fix something that no one asked to be changed.

Bring back black bezels!

… and Apple logo to the empty chin

 

[DavidSchaub]

This chassis feels like the last dregs of Jony Ives design language. I read an article suggesting that he was involved in the early stages of its development.

Form over function.

It is a perfectly fine machine, but a touch compromised, unnecessarily.

Beyond the base model that feels like a sad machine Apple doesn’t want people to buy…

The headphone Jack and ethernet placement are purely because the case is pointlessly thin. Also this might be why this the only desktop Mac without USB-A.

The saddest part, from a product design perspective, is that the “upgraded” power supply isn’t even wired as a USB dock, but rather the connector just passes through Ethernet wires.

We’ll see what the next AiO chassis looks like in 2 to 5 years

 

[Harry Haller]

And then they let it languish for 2.5 years.

Standard operating procedure.

 

[krspkbl]

After years of having a whole Apple ecosystem at our place I am seriously thinking of going back to a Windows machine because I can get more power for less money.

To be fair, that's been true for a long time. For the price of a Mac you can get much more powerful PC. For what I paid for my PC that'd only get me around the price point of these models:

• 14" macbook pro with m3 max, 64gb ram, 2tb ssd
• 16" macbook pro with m3 max, 64gb, 1tb ssd
• 24" imac with M3, 24gb, 2tb
• Mac Mini m2 with 32gb, 8tb ssd (no display/keyboard/mouse) or 4tb (with a display/kb/mouse inc)
• Mac Studio with m2 max, 96gb, 4tb (no display/kb/mouse) or 64gb or 2tb (with display/kb/mouse inc)
• Mac Studio with M2 ultra, 64gb, 1tb (no display/kb/mouse)

my PC is 27" 1440p 144hz display, 7950X3D, 64GB, 4.5TB SSD, RTX 4080 w/16GB VRAM (if it was unified RAM i'd have 80GB RAM), keyboard/mouse included.

the apple silicon processors are good and apple wins in terms of power consumption/efficiency. if you NEED macos then no PC will suit you. Windows has many flaws but it's compatible with pretty much everything and if you want to game it's a no brainer. These days with AI taking off having an Nvidia GPU is a must and no GPU comes close to them. If you want pure performance (at cost of efficiency) then PC is the way to go.

 

[maverick100]

Most worthless computer in Apples History.

 

[SpanishAppleNerd]

I mean, the market for a 24-inch AIO is probably pretty small and not that demanding. Not that there would’ve been a massive device altering upgrade going from M1 to M2 to begin with. So it makes sense to not put this in a yearly upgrade cycle unless you have M2 chips to spare and are fresh out of M1’s at that point.

If they made a proper AIO with a proper screen size, I’m sure it would be a more popular product. But this thing is for grandma to Google crossword puzzle answers on, so it’s fine.

Yea, exactly my use case. I am a 90 yo woman from Wisconsin who spends her days googling the answers to the daily prophet's crosswords puzzles

 

[satchmo]

That would be a great feature to have

Apple used to allow this with their target display mode:

Use your iMac as a display with target display mode - Apple Support

Target display mode is a feature available with certain older Mac models.

support.apple.com

I would love to see Apple bring back that feature - It would be much easier/cheaper for me to just purchase a new M series Mac mini every few years for $599 so that I can just plug it into my M1 iMac (if Apple comes out with a software update to allow target display mode) a bonus would be to allow all the existing iMac features to work while doing this i.e. microphone camera, etc.

I just recently started a thread about what was missing from the existing iMac and not surprisingly, target display mode came up.

But I did stumble on a Youtube video that shows how you can use an iMac as a separate display through either Thunderbolt cable or AirPlay receiver.

 

[SpanishAppleNerd]

Most worthless computer in Apples History.

Outdated, maybe. Worthless, I don't think so. There is a use case for the iMac, doesn't matter how small. I do agree with the complaints about the size tho