John Gruber’s Argument Against Apple Making a Larger iMac

One, 24-inch iMac has an external power supply: so what’s the difference — really — between an iMac with a powerbrick and a Studio Display with a Mac Mini?

Two, a person will likely want to upgrade their Mac’s internals before the Studio Display’s display.

But:

One, “powerbricked” iMac designs are a choice, the “right . . . cheat” according to Gruber in his M1 iMac review.

Two, why doesn’t it apply to iMac 4.5K? Apple may have its reasons for making it, but why wasn’t Gruber’s review: It’d be better if this was a 24-inch monitor?

Three, “target display mode” — using an iMac as an external monitor for another Mac. When Apple first shipped iMac 5K in 2014, there was no external cable that could drive it. But why wasn’t it ever brought back?

Four, besides True Tone — color-temperature adjustments — bluish (cool) to yellowish (warm) — in response to ambient light, and nano-texture (anti-reflective glass), the Studio Display has the same display panel Apple’s been shipping since 2014. Studio Display, unlike Apple’s Pro portables, is not mini-LED or OLED, nor 120 Hz, while Samsung’s selling devices with anti-reflective coating (Corning Gorilla Armor) that appears to best nano-texture (I don’t know, I’ve no first-hand experience with either). And Apple released the XDR 6K in 2019, so when Studio Display was released in 2022, I’d have given it a two-to-five-year window (2024–2027) before there would likely be a reason someone may want to upgrade, and most people, I would think, expect their Mac’s internals to last at least five years.

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A better argument may have been: most people who need a laptop, or otherwise want one, may be better off “docking” — connecting (the) laptop to (the) monitor by cable.

But:

Studio Display seems to cost about what a new entry-level iMac 27-inch would’ve.

A 30–32-inch would’ve likely cost more, but Apple’s 32-inch display — with “Pro Stand” — costs $6K.

And if it’s not saving a person money, isn’t the choice really docking vs. iCloud syncing (or target display mode vs. AirPlay) — wired vs. wireless, not all-in-one vs. monitor?

“There’s no doubt in my mind that [an iMac] with [an] external power supply is . . . superior [to an integrated one].” — John Gruber (2021)

Dell’s selling a 31.5-inch — 223 PPI — 6K monitor for $2.5K, and a 32-inch — 280 PPI — 8K for $4.03K.

Like its 27-inch 5K, Apple’s 32-inch 6K is 218 PPI.

I’d like to see an 8K that hits 300 PPI (my Kobo Libra 2 is 300 PPI).

A 27-inch 8K would be the same PPI — 326 — as the iPhone 4 / iPod Touch 4 (Apple’s first “Retina” — high PPI — devices).

Why does Microsoft sell the Surface Studio 2+ — 28-inch (3:2) / 192 PPI — all-in-one with only one — $4.5K — configuration? And why don’t they make either a Surface Display or Surface Mini? (My mother refuses to use macOS.)

“My 2022 Apple Report Card” @ DaringFireball.net

“The 24-inch M1 iMac” (2021) @ DaringFireball.net

2024

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