The death of Apple's 27-inch iMac is sad news for creatives

It's been a fruitful few weeks for Apple fans, with the company unleashing a bunch of new M3-powered Mac devices. Among them is the M3 iMac, which takes the brilliantly retro design of the 2021 model and adds the super-charged new chip. But the it seems advent of one iMac is the death knell for another.

Fans have been hoping for a while that the company will release a larger iMac, replacing the 27-inch model that it discontinued last year. Particularly popular with creatives, this was the largest desktop computer Apple offered – but the company has confirmed to The Verge that it has no plans to release a 27-inch model with the updated design and chip.

An Apple representative recently told The Verge that the company "encourages those who have been holding out hope for a larger iMac to consider the Studio Display and Mac Studio or Mac Mini, which pair a 27-inch 5K screen with a separate computer."

The last Intel 27-inch iMac was released in 2020, and for a while sat atop our roundup of the best computers for video editing. But with Apple silicon arriving in the form of the M1 chip later that year, and now on its third generation, that 27-inch iMac isn't going to cut it anymore.

For creatives who prefer an all-in-one desktop setup, it's a bit of a shame. Not everyone wants to fork out for both a computer and a display separately – the all-in-one is a cheaper option, and the 27-inch iMac came with more ports than the 24-inch model currently offers. And, if you're after a larger display, you can't enjoy those lovely pastel hues the current iMac offers. Still, while a 27-inch version of the new M3 iMac would be nice, we're still big fans of Apple's other desktop offerings – particularly the impressive new Mac mini.