Apple has announced the end of the 27-inch iMac. Minutes after Apple’s Peek Performance event concluded, the final Intel iMacs vanished from the company’s web store.
This news is hardly shocking. Since Apple revealed its intention to move away from Intel CPUs, the Intel iMac’s days were numbered. Nonetheless, the 27-inch iMac was still available following last spring’s Spring Loaded event, during which the 24-inch M1 iMac was debuted. It was rational. At the time, there was no viable alternative to the ludicrously expensive Pro XDR Display for those seeking a larger desktop screen.
Additionally, there is less motivation to retain the 27-inch iMac now that the Studio Display has arrived. The Studio Panel combines 5K resolution and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera to a 27-inch display. All of those are increases to the 2020 iMac’s specifications, rendering it quite pointless to keep on hand.
However, there is a significant price differential between the 24-inch iMac, which starts at $1,299, and an M1 Mac mini or Mac Studio with the Studio Display. The former is priced starting at $2,298 while the latter is priced starting at $3,598. There are reports that Apple may release a larger iMac powered by Apple Silicon, but the exact date is unknown.
This is not, however, the final Mac powered by Intel. Apple will continue to sell the Mac Pro (a.k.a. the cheese grater) and the Intel Mac Mini. For the time being.