Why I’m not buying the new iMac 2022

Why I'yard not buying the new iMac 2021

(Image credit: Apple)

I had high expectations for the new iMac 2021. Even before Apple'due south keynote started, I was sure the iMac would exist my start major tech purchase of the year. Unfortunately, the iMac 2021 failed to win me over. Sure, it packs Apple'southward amazing M1 fleck, just I can't help but see information technology every bit a glorified -- and more expensive -- take on the Mac mini.

More than importantly, as the owner of a 27-inch iMac 5K, the iMac 2021 feels like a downgrade. Don't go me wrong -- I'm sure the new iMac can run circles effectually my Cadre i5-based Skylake iMac, but I was really hoping for a new 5K iMac, which Apple tree completely ignored.

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The iMac I expected vs. the iMac nosotros got

Earlier in the year, Apple introduced its new M1-based MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini during the same keynote. And then I expected to meet a major iMac overhaul during the Apple Spring Loaded issue. Instead we got a new range of pastel-colored iMacs while Apple tree completely ignored its 27-inch iMac.

I tin't justify spending $1,299 on a machine that essentially packs the same horsepower as the $699 Mac mini.

After the Apple event wrapped upwards, I thought about buying an iMac 2021. After all, the company'due south M1 chip is what I'chiliad most excited to try. Even so, after comparison the M1-based iMac to the Mac mini, I couldn't justify spending $1,299 on a auto that essentially packs the same horsepower as the $699 Mac mini. Y'all could even argue that the base Mac mini offers improve operation because it packs an 8-core GPU, whereas the base of operations iMac is stuck with a vii-core GPU. (The Mac Mini is as well a better value, as some of the all-time Apple deals frequently take $50 to $100 off the base of operations configuration).

Then that leaves the 24-inch 4.5K screen every bit the side by side reason to upgrade to the new iMac. However, fifty-fifty that feels like a downgrade from my 27-inch 5K screen. Combined with its limited base RAM, paltry SSD, and lack of user upgrades, the new iMac simply didn't make sense for me.

Wait for new iMac 27-inch with M2 power?

My offset iMac purchase was back in 2006 when Apple announced the start Intel-based Mac. It was an epic machine that in my opinion blew all Windows desktops out of the water. (For what it'due south worth, the car is still operational, admitting on an outdated version of Mac OS X Snow Leopard).

In 2015 (subsequently ix years with my iMac), I pulled the trigger and purchased the 27-inch iMac 5K. My current iMac still runs like a dream. In the by six years, I've upgraded its RAM from 8GB to 16GB and and so far it handles macOS eleven.3 Big Sur with aplomb. However, since the start of the pandemic, I've been exclusively working from home, so I wouldn't mind a faster iMac. Plus, my colleague Heny Casey's MacBook Air M1 review piqued my interest in Apple'southward new silicon.

There could be a more powerful 27-inch iMac on the way with a powerful M2 chip. Leaks point to the possibility of 12 cores, which is four more cores than the current M1 scrap. Plus, the GPU could go upgraded from 8 to 16 cores. That sounds similar a brute, especially for photo and video editing, not to mention gaming.

Yes, the new iMac 2021 24-inch has other features to recommend it, including a sharper 1080p webcam, improved audio and a Touch ID-enabled keyboard, but those upgrades aren't enough for me.

Lesser line

My current worry is that Apple will plough its 5K iMac line into the new iMac Pro. If you recollect, the now defunct iMac Pro started at $4,999, a price I'm not willing to pay for a new iMac. So in the concurrently, all I can practise is wait for the next keynote in the hopes that Apple's 5K iMac gets bumped to a 30-inch screen, only maintains its $1,799 price betoken.

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As deals editor at Tom'south Guide, Louis is constantly looking for ways to avoid paying full price for the latest gadgets. With over 10 years of deals-hunting experience, Louis price checks against multiple retailers and searches high and low for the best deals to bring readers. A born-and-bred New Yorker, Louis is besides an avid swimmer and marathoner. His work has appeared on Gizmodo, CNET, and Time Out New York.