Was buying a new iMac until I heard @ismh’s advice to Mike Vardy in today’s episode about waiting a little longer to upgrade to the new iMac. Is there A new desktop Mac coming down the pipe?
I even have it ready to go in my Apple Store shopping cart, take a look below. I fully specked out this iMac, The total is about $2700 after taxes are added.
Just for context, I’m wanting to replace my late 2009 Intel-based iMac, 16 GB ram, and a 2TB SSD.
Just go for it - the difference will be huge and you’ll be set for another 12 years.
MacRumors agrees:
Personally I am certain that this size iMac will not get any update for a while.
A bigger, more expensive model will surely appear soon, but if you want this size, I’d go for it.
If this is the screen size you want, go for it. But if you want a 27’ inch or bigger, you must indeed wait for the next pro machines.
I debated getting this but I’ve already got a M1 Air which performs amazingly well. I had a lot of problems but since changing dock they’ve gone. If you don’t have a M1 at all, this will be still a great upgrade. For me, the same performance isn’t worth the price.
I’ve decided to wait until the new 3nm chips come next year, so I’ll be skipping even the next phase of releases until something comes out that really gives the M1 a run for its money.
If you want a bigger screen or need even better performance than the M1, then it makes sense to wait. Otherwise, grab one of the current 24” iMacs.
Absolutely, I think in about 10 months there’ll be a new 24" iMac, and in the fall we’re likely to see (overpriced) 30-odd" iMacs, and new macbook pro’s
I think the question should be what you want to replace your old iMac with
The new 24" iMacs are blazing fast, very very quiet, will set you up for another 7-10 years or so, and are a lot less expensive than the M2 pro models likely to come out this fall.
If this 24" suits your replacement needs: go for it
If not: wait a little while longer.
The 24” iMac will likely get a speed bump to the next generation M chip but I wouldn’t expect it until next year at the earliest. The larger screen iMac will come first. I’m very happy with my 24” iMac. I didn’t want a bigger screen.
If you want something with a larger, screen, I’d 100% hold off until a bigger Apple silicon iMac shows up. However, if 24 inches works for you, this M1 iMac is amazing.
Especially in orange!
My wife has a 5k iMac. I measured each screen and my 24” is 2” shorter and 1.5” narrower. Not a huge difference and we use a partner type desk so her iMac looks huge next to mine. The 24” has a slightly wider aspect ratio which I like.
For speakers could you use some that plug into the USB ports instead of the headphone jack? I have a HomePod mini that I use for audio sometimes. The built in speakers aren’t too bad for my aging ears with high frequency hearing loss.
A cheap USB interface could fix that
Quite the contrary. All pro sound interfaces used to be USB (they’re going Thunderbolt now).
I bought the same iMac (using now!) except in yellow - replaced a 2013 iMac
I considered waiting for the 27" but the old one was getting flaky, running out of space and wouldn’t run Big Sur - we don’t know when the 27" comes out
Considered severe options;
But went for the iMac. Only regret was the price on the iMac - got everything and the exchange rate + Apple Care bumped it to just under A$4K 
considered blue but my daughter told me it had to be yellow - only sad thing is I can’t admire the gorgeous back of the iMac every day
The external audio interface will simply use its own DAC rather than the built-in DAC in the iMac for the conversion to analog. Either way, the signal will be analog when going out to the speakers.
Options for external audio interfaces / DACs range from like $15/- to $15.000/- (at least). For $200/- or thereabouts, you should be getting a really nice DAC.
I may be the contrarian here… but if I needed an iMac today, I would buy the exact same one I bought last September, the 2020 27" iMac. The little m1 is cute and all, but the versatility of the 2020 iMAC (read Boot Camp) overshadows the little iPad Pro on a stick they call the 24" iMac.
Bad faith a little? We all whine that the M1 is a waste in the iPad and now it’s demoted to being solely an iPad chip? 
Moved from an Intel iMac to an M1 Mac mini. Not regretting it one bit. Of course, if you need Boot camp, you need an Intel chip. If you don’t, there’s no reason to buy an Intel Mac. If you need the ports, by a CalDigit hub and you’re sorted.
Yep, Apple chooses to put top-end SSDs in all their machines, when many users would probably prefer something with this kind of capacity.
I may be wrong, but I think Apple’s SSD is 4 to 5 times faster than this one (and if this is what allows the M1’s incredible responsiveness and ability to generally work well with less RAM, maybe Apple is making the wiser call. idk)
Yup that’s why configurable options are nice. A lot of people just want their storage internal while I’m more of a fast but small internal storage mated to large external storage. Use cases vary as much as storage performance.
I’m just gobsmacked that today 8TB of storage cost less than the first 80GB Intel SSD that set off the craze.
