I bet I could buy a M1 Mini with 8 GB memory and 256 GB SSD (similar specs to the base 24" M1 iMac) and put a sweet 27" monitor on that for less than a hypothetical 27" iMac would cost at your $2500 price point. I could probably at that price point even afford the Studio Display instead of 3rd party display, and upgrade the Mini to 16GB and 512GB SSD.
Yeah, the pic was related to what we now see in Ultra which is essentially two Max dies fused (“UltraFusion”).
And like you, I wonder if we should start drooling over the prospect of an Ultra Max. 
It’s really not about 27". Those are cheap. It’s about 5K. Those are not cheap. And even then, they often stink. Apple is really addressing a serious need here.
My jaw dropped to the ground as the Ultra was discussed. And thought, OK, Tim, this is going to be the Mac Pro replacement.
Then, in an almost Jobsian “oh just one more thing” moment, Tim drops that they’re still going to replace the Pro.
,As you, I’m going to be very interested to see what rabbit they pull out of their hat for the Pro.
Agreed about the monitors, @Simon . The Studio Display looks pretty sweet, indeed.
And the current Mini does have port challenges, but practically speaking they can be worked around - especially with the advent of TB4 hubs. But it would be better if the mini had more ports, I agree.
I’m just questioning the need for a 27" M1 iMac when we have a (admittedly port challenged) option with similar performance to the existing M1 24:, and a more powerful and flexible Studio for a bit more money.
But who knows. Apple could foresee that they need to reintroduce the 27" iMac.
From Apple of Apple products? Not 1000 dollars cheaper, you couldn’t.
And once you bump up the specs of the mini to resemble what a reasonable 27 in iMac looks like (not the 24), you definitely couldn’t.
The current 24 iMac has a straight M1…and it is cheaper than a studio and display. The 8/8 core 24 with 16 GB and 1 TB drive which is about the bare minimum for Lightroom or Photoshop work is 2100 and that’s before you consider a Pro or Max, or Ultra version of the chip. A decently configured 27 inch with an M1 Pro would likely be well over 2100…and while that’s still cheaper than a Studio and display…users might already have a display and the Studio with Max can’t be compared to the price of a Pro 27 that doesn’t exist. While you can run LR and PS on a plain M1…it’s considerably slower than the Pro laptops for that work. Anything M is fine for office work, email, and web…and a lot more…but for serious photo work even for non pros it is just too slow compared to the Pro.
An M1 27 is most certainly not the same as the specs on the base Stufio.
I’m curious. What does your reasonable 27" configuration look like?
While I don’t work with PS or LR, I see your point. What I was trying to get at (and I think we agree) is that the iMac Pro is the 27" version that is most useful to users that need that screen real estate, and once you start talking about that price point, the Studio starts looking a lot more attractive for the power it gives you.
16/512.
(I’d go 32/1tb personally, but that’s my own bias speaking)
I agree (and have similar biases)…
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I’m still betting it will ditch Intel, and it will run rings around the first generation.
I’m with you 100% when it comes to a TB4. If you’re replacing a 27" iMac with an M1 Mac mini and a Studio Display, you’ll probably want one of these.
FWIW, based on what I saw today, boy am I glad I bought a MBP M1 Pro back in November (to replace my elderly 27" iMac and MBA) instead of waiting for this Spring announcement. As has been stated above, it looks like the 27" iMac is done.
Still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I could buy four of the LG 27" 4K monitors (that I bought two of) for the price of one of the new Studio monitors, with money left over for a nice camera, powered speakers, and a fully articulated VESA dual monitor stand. From one perspective not a completely fair comparison, but functionally, for my needs, it certainly is. Apparently I’m not in the target market.
Okay…serious question. I am still using a MacPro5,1 with a 20" Apple Cinema Display. It’s time to update the MacPro and the Mac Studio is an interesting option. Is it possible to run the ACD from the Studio?
Eventually, I would like to replace the ACD as well – but one thing at a time because, you know, $$$.
What LG monitor is that for $400?
Sure. You just need a USB-C to DVI-D adapter. And you plug in the monitor’s USB to one of your Studio’s USB-A ports.
Thanks! Inexpensive and effective.
Stephen Hackett made it work too:
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