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27-inch iMac gets a major update

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Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#561

Post by smallstepforman »

RubberShoes wrote: post #530
MultusSalus wrote: post #481

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that went away with the jump to 5k. I remember some intent to readd it when possible, but I haven’t seen it yet.

Apple brags about their custom timing controller a minute into the original 5k iMac intro vid: https://youtu.be/6vBEiPaegjM?t=60 This is most certainly why video input does not exist. What's ridiculous is they clearly figured it out to support the LG 5K display which is the exact same panel and over TB3 which the iMac fully supports.

More likely Apple dont supply it since it ruins the aesthetic of the back having so many ugly ports. I mean, they've also done questionable things for aesthetic reasons like putting the USB port at the back, the power button at the back, the headphone jack at the back. All these ports need to be facing the user, not behind the screen (I have an iMac 2014, so this is speaking from experience). I honestly believe that an artist determined that iMac cannot be used as external monitor.

Just say "No" to the product. I'm not making the same mistake again.

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#562

Post by nivenhuh »

chrstphrknwtn wrote: post #536
munificent wrote: post #526

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This one kills me. With COVID, I'm now stuck working from home. I literally spend all day staring at my work Macbook Pro's small screen with a glorious but unused iMac screen sitting five inches behind it.

Why don't you work on your iMac?

Cmd-f2 on your iMac (while plugged into your MacBook over usb-c), will allow you to use your iMac as an external display.

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#563

Post by samatman »

scarface74 wrote: post #551
samatman wrote: post #493

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed, and I want to add one prediction (which is maybe just a hope): It will have a SIM card slot, and get at least 12 hours of battery life while using LTE. This would be a truly compelling product, filling a niche Apple has tried to inhabit a couple of times, with the distinct possibility of getting it right this time.

The problem with that is that MacOS has no concept of “low data mode”. If it has a connection, apps are going to use it. You can deny apps from being able to use data over cellular on iOS. Also, well behaved apps will usually give you an option to either not use data or in the case of streaming apps, use less data.

What you say is true.

It is also true of tethering, which is quite popular.

Now, I can tether my phone to my laptop. Indeed I did so fairly often, before global house arrest.

But this is true of my iPad as well, and I opted for the cellular model instead. I'm glad I did, it's a better experience, hands down, especially when I'm traveling and want to conserve my phone's charge rather than burn it at maximum.

But if you felt differently, Apple sells a WiFi only iPad, you could simply not pay the extra for the cellular model when checking out. This would almost certainly be true for this imaginary Macbook as well.

I wouldn't buy it at all, I'm a professional developer with mild presbyopia, and purchased the standard-fancy model of the 16". But if I were an incoming freshman again? Bet I'd be pleading with my parents to get the cellular model.

Unlike a touchscreen, an LTE modem doesn't demand any changes to a desktop operating system to provide a good user experience. Again, tethering. Cell bandwidth gets cheaper every year.

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#565

Post by xenonite »

bredren wrote: post #429
jkestner wrote: post #208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Optics dictate that Apple show the superiority of the new silicon, and it wouldn't want it immediately pigeonholed as something like Surface X, a compromised curiosity. Apple's been consistent about ~10 hours of battery life for a while. They've hit their spec and think that most people don't need more in typical usage. So they'll be able to shave battery volume down to continue their trend of thinner without sacrifi…

I see no need for a standalone Macbook to negatively portray Apple Silcon. "Macbook" is the heart of the entire PC portable line for Apple. "Macbook"is the grounding of the brand itself. I think Apple will release the Macbook as the first Apple Silicon machine because of the optics of confidently putting the hardware at the symbolic heart of the entire portable line. I do not think the 12" that was discontinued shoul…

To differentiate the laptops with Apple CPU's, I guess they use a different name like "iBook".

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#567

Post by namelosw »

dijit wrote: post #9
burlesona wrote: post #3

Solid spec bump. Interesting how much emphasis they put on the camera, speakers, and mic; makes total sense in the age of Zoom. I’d also speculate this means iMac won’t be the first computer getting Apple Silicon. I wonder if it will be the last? What’s the consensus guess now? Perhaps a new MacBook Air with good performance but the real “breakthrough” is > 12 hours battery life?

It will almost certainly be a low end macbook. In fact, there's a non-pro 'macbook'[0] that already exists which would be perfect, it was discontinued a year ago, but used ultra-low power CPUs. In fact when they were talking about them (prior to release) they thought they would have ARM CPU's back then. They are fanless and have a 5W thermal envelope, which fits in with the current A12X too. The major criticisms of t…

The 12-inch Macbook is my favorite Mac, despite I have multiple MacBook Pros and a MacPro! Although people might find it strange. It's simple, beautiful, extreme on the design, and also extremely slim, light, and quiet. I'm pretty sad that they've discontinued this product, I hope they'll bring it back with an Arm processor.

It's almost as heavy and as thin as the iPad, but it is a full-sized computer with a full-sized keyboard. I can play with Emacs for 20 hours writing and scripting without charging.

Also another unpopular opinion - I also love the butterfly keyboard of the 12-inch Macbook, it's quite uncomfortable but once I get used to it, I feel I can type pretty fast and it feels good. It feels firmer than the old Macbook Pro because the latter feels a little bit shaky. It also feels more clicky than the later Macbook Pro with the butterfly keyboard. It seems to me they have received too much criticism on the butterfly keyboard so they were trying to make it less edgy, but that made it lost the characteristics as well, thus they withdraw butterfly keyboard eventually.

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#568

Post by _ph_ »

nivenhuh wrote: post #562
chrstphrknwtn wrote: post #536

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why don't you work on your iMac?

Cmd-f2 on your iMac (while plugged into your MacBook over usb-c), will allow you to use your iMac as an external display.

This doesn't work on iMacs after 2015 to my knowledge. Do you have any reference, that Apple brought the feature back?

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#569

Post by _ph_ »

simonh wrote: post #505
_ph_ wrote: post #341

The one thing I keep missing on my 5k iMac is some form of video-in. Would be great if I could connect my MB Pro to it and use the iMac as a display. Perhaps even in a window and all mouse and keyboard events to the window get passed to the connected MacBook.

It made sense on the original 5k because display port at the time didn’t support enough bandwidth for 5k output.

Right. But now that all Macs support even 6k output, there is no longer a justification. Also, they could have allowed target display mode in a lower resolution or in a window on your iMacs desktop, if they had tried hard enough.

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#570

Post by baddox »

prewett wrote: post #517
_ph_ wrote: post #341

The one thing I keep missing on my 5k iMac is some form of video-in. Would be great if I could connect my MB Pro to it and use the iMac as a display. Perhaps even in a window and all mouse and keyboard events to the window get passed to the connected MacBook.

I researched why the 5k iMac doesn't have video-in, and it seems that the reason is that the display has so many pixels that it needs to pieces of hardware to drive it. Getting the timing and color calibration and what-not clearly wasn't going to happen externally, so rather than have a suboptimal experience they just took video-in out. There's also the issue that few video cards can drive that resolution. https://ww…

There are external 5k displays on the market, including one that Apple has sold.
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