Just a note: the first 27-inch iMac appeared in late 2009. 2014 saw the introduction of the 5K Retina version. I’ve owned 2011, 2014, 2017, and (currently) 2020 versions, and really enjoyed them all, but of course the big difference came with that 5K display, which was introduced just as my aging eyes really began to appreciate the greatly improved contrast in the Retina display.
I don’t know which models they are, but my dentist’s practice has standardized on 27-inch iMacs, not only for the dentists but the clerical help as well. Yet another “pro” user segment.
Thanks Al. Yes, it substantiates my wishful thinking assertion. Apple’s statement doesn’t rule out a future 32 inch( or other non-27 inch ) iMac but certainly not for a few years ( at best ). My choices will be based on current availability regardless of my preferences.
I think there is still a chance (or at least it make sense as an option) to have also a new 27-32" iMac at a relatively low price as the new Studio mac + Studio display mostly works as a replacement for the iMac Pro in terms of price and performance. A Mac mini with a Studio display might be an option though.
Wow, I didn’t even consider speakers as an issue. I’ve had an iMac of some sort since at least 2008, replacing a Powermac G5 before that. Amazingly, my primary display from that Powermac, a 23" Apple Cinema HD Display that I bought in 2005, is currently my 2nd display to my current desktop, a late 2014 iMac Retina 27"; it’s worked flawlessly for 17 years!
I also have a lot of devices attached to this iMac (laser MFP, multiple external hard drives, photo scanner, Blu-ray reader/writer, two USB hubs, a ScanSnap, and other devices I’m forgetting), plugged into UPS and two power strip–which doesn’t even count desk lamps. My house dates from preWW2 and wall outlets are at a premium.
If I have to get a monitor-less Mac, that means one power plug will be replaced with three: the Mac, a monitor, and (unless bus-powered) speakers–I’m not terribly interested in the Studio Display as I wouldn’t use the built in camera (I have my iMac’s covered with electrical tape).
I do video conversion but not production so I’m debating if my next Mac will be a Mini or a Studio–ports are more of an issue than processing power, I think.
What non-Apple displays have you found that don’t work? HDMI and DisplayPort are both industry standards and both are directly supported by Apple computers.
As long as your display’s resolution is within the Mac’s GPU’s capabilities, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t work. Especially if you use a standard resolution like 1080p (1920x1080) or 4K (3840x2160).
Apple may not auto-detect your display as HiDPI (to enable Retina-style scaling), but there are software packages to fix this, if it is important to you.
There are some third-party displays that include speakers.
My work laptop is connected to a Dell UZ315H. This is a 1080p display with built-in camera, mic and speakers. It is marketed for use with Microsoft Lync (which got rebranded as Skype For Business and was then merged into Teams), but these conferencing hardware components can be used with any software.
The speaker audio can come from USB or HDMI. The camera and mics are connected via USB (there’s also an internal USB3 hub with two downstream ports). The sound quality is not as nice as my Klipsch ProMedia speakers, but they sound a lot better than a Mac mini’s internal speaker and should be fine for most applications, unless you want to watch movies with theater-quality sound.
It’s also worth noting that the Mac Studio has an internal speaker. It might be worth waiting for a review to find out if its sound quality is any good. Hopefully, it sounds better than the Mac mini’s speaker.
Adam will TidBITS discuss this product that would enable 2 or even FOUR external 4K displays for any M1 based Mac? To me this is a game changer and potentially also changes the evaluation of which Mac to buy. Also comes in DisplayPort version.
SCROLL DOWN to table called “DISPLAYS CONFIGURATOR”
There have been many reviews of various DisplayLink adapters used to run displays over USB, in order to work around the M1’s GPU limitations. Here are many YouTube videos that talk about it.
Although the Sonnet device may be new, DisplayLink adapters are not new and they seem to work very well. They have limitations, compared to GPU-based video, but depending on your requirements, those limits may not be an issue for you.
I don’t have any plans to review it, but as @Shamino says, it sounds like it would work at least for everyday usage. Although I’d forgotten about these devices, we actually wrote about older DisplayLink-based products some 13 years ago.
Always charming to see the TidBITS wayback machine.
Thanx a bunch for responding.
Started viewing those videos shared by the excellent @Shamino . I’m intrigued by DisplayLink tech and may buy. I’m not graphics intensive except for brokerage software called thinkorswim
Used to be Java-based long ago. Having many windows of stock charts and tables on multiple monitors is empowering.
P.S.
Bought this $300 32” 4K Samsung UJ59 Display. Seems fine quality, even compared to Dell UltraSharp 3216Q 4K display costing $1200. I don’t know what I’m missing out on with saving $900 from a high end 32” display. I’d love to be informed/ corrected.
I haven’t personally used them, by my opinon here is:
If you have a spare GPU-based video-out port on your Mac, use it. That will always work best. For an M1 device with a built-in display (laptop or iMac), you have one. For an M1 mini, you have two. For the 14" and 16" laptops (M1 Pro or Max), you have three. For a Studio, you have four (five with HDMI? The spec sheet is unclear)
If you are using all available GPU-based video ports and need additional displays, by all means use DisplayLink. Just be aware of the fact that these ports may not be acceptable for gaming or video work. If so, put those applications on a GPU-based display.
I have been waiting for a new iMac to upgrade from my aging 2010 Mac Pro with 27" LED Cinema Display. Now it seems that the new Mac Studio is the only option. Problem is I want to still use my Cinema Display with mini display port. I don’t need a super webcam or great speakers, at 73 I can’t see or hear that well anyway. Is there a way to connect my Cinema Display to the Mac Studio.
I think that you just need to plug a USB-C to mini DisplayPort adapter into the Mac and then a mini Displayport cable into that. There are many choices on the Amazon website. I’ve displayed one below:
The main thing is probably the panel type, the Samsung is VA, the Dell is IPS. I don’t recall the specifics but IPS has consistently been superior. I didn’t see details about what color space coverage the Samsung has but the Dell’s is good. The Dell has some other things like a USB hub and a more adjustable stand.
A lot of the Samsung spec numbers do look good, sometimes good deals do happen.
Good article, I didn’t want an integrated display as in iMac, so I am happy of this new display and ordered it. I had 3 Mac during the same time…
I have also a Cinema Display, 18 years old and it is always a good display.
I adapted speakers on my Cinema Display and will do it again on my future Studio Display.
In addition to a simple mDP to USB-C dongle as @aforkosh mentioned above, IIRC that monitor will need to have its USB-A plug connected to your Mac in order for you to be able to adjust its brightness (and use the USB 2.0 ports on the back). Either of these (or similar) will do.
Belated thanx. Yes, I’d forgotten TN vs IPS. Wider angle of view, better color space, in addition to more USB hub functions. Good points.
At this stage, I’m wondering if I need the high end monitors. Quality and reliability used to come with high end prices, but now maybe you’re getting that anyway with regular priced monitors…
The discussion in this thread has been tossing out terms like “end of life” to describe currently-supported Apple hardware. I object strongly to that description of my 2019 27-inch iMac.
Apple does not use that term, at least in its support documents. There are three kinds of Apple hardware: current, vintage, and obsolete.
Current is implied from other descriptions.
Vintage describes products that Apple stopped distributing for sale “more than 5 and less than 7 years ago.”
Obsolete describes products that Apple stopped distributing for sale “more than 7 years ago.”
My 2019 iMac, and for that matter my 2017 MacBook Pro, are still current products. Just because Apple stopped selling them does not make them “end of life” in any way. Eventually they will start drifting down into the depths of vintage and then settle on the bottom with my obsolete 2012 27-inch iMac (which also has not reached its end of life, and is at this moment engaged in a Zoom conference.
You have a Cinema Display that lasted 18 years??!!! I bought one in 2004 to go with a G5 Mac Pro and the Cinema display backlight started flickering and became unusable long ago (but after the warranty expired). The Samsung 220 that replaced it still works, but I had to shelve it because I needed a 27 inch screen.
