With the release of the Mac Studio and Studio Display, Apple quietly dropped the 27-inch iMac and said it wasn’t working on a replacement. Many Mac users had been anticipating an Apple silicon version of the popular desktop Mac, so to help you adjust your thinking to the new lineup, Adam Engst compares the costs of various possible replacements. With the possibility of an extra 27-inch iMac kicking around, Adam also tests Luna Display’s new capability to turn such a Mac into a 5K Retina display. One of the lessons of that testing is to use Thunderbolt whenever possible, and for that, you might get a “one cable to rule them all” Thunderbolt 4 cable, now available more affordably from OWC. Notable Mac app releases this week include 1Password 7.9.3, SuperDuper 3.6.1, SoundSource 5.3.11, BBEdit 14.1.1, Airfoil 5.10.8, DEVONthink 3.8.3, GarageBand 10.4.6, Pixelmator Pro 2.3.6, FastScripts 3.1, Bookends 14.0.6, and Logic Pro 10.7.3.
If you want to avoid confusion surrounding USB-C cable compatibility with USB and Thunderbolt, get a Thunderbolt 4 cable, which supports all the protocol, data throughput, and power delivery possibilities. OWC now sells three Thunderbolt 4 cable lengths for $24, $34, and $57—far less than Apple’s $129 entry.
The Luna Display dongle, when connected to a 27-inch iMac with 5K Retina display using Thunderbolt, turns the iMac into a full-fledged 5K display. However, Adam Engst found that it comes with a fair number of tradeoffs.
When Apple unveiled the new Mac Studio and Studio Display, it also quietly dropped the venerable 27-inch iMac from the product line. Those who have been waiting for an Apple silicon 27-inch iMac are disappointed, but as Adam Engst shows (with lots of charts), there are plenty of other good options in the Mac lineup.
Watchlist
Enables you to delete accounts directly in the app. ($35.88 annual subscription, free update, 79.4 MB, macOS 10.13+)
Adds compatibility with macOS 12.3 Monterey and works around issues with asr (Apple Software Restore) replication. ($27.95 new, free update, 9.2 MB, macOS 10.10+)
Maintenance release for the audio control utility with bug fixes and improvements. ($39 new, free update, 25.7 MB, macOS 10.14+)
Maintenance release with some feature refinements and fixes for reported issues. ($49.99 new, free update, 22.6 MB, macOS 10.14.2+)
Brings improvements and an updated Audio Capture Engine to the wireless audio broadcasting app. ($29 new, free update, 33.2 MB, macOS 10.14+)
Brings a variety of new features, enhancements, and bug fixes to the document and information manager. ($99 new, free update, 136 MB, macOS 10.11.5+)
Adds keyboard shortcuts for the Go to Left Locator and Go to Right Locator commands. (Free, 782.5 MB, macOS 10.11.5+)
Adds support for calculations in text fields and improves compatibility with third-party cloud storage providers. ($39.99 new, free update, 449 MB, macOS 10.15+)
Maintenance release for the macOS scripting utility. ($39.95 new, free update, 5.9 MB, macOS 10.15+)
Improves JSTOR importing from URLs by using the JSTOR APIs to obtain higher quality information. ($59.99 new, free update, 100 MB, macOS 10.13+)
Enables spatial audio monitoring with dynamic head tracking for the AirPods Max, AirPods Pro, third-generation AirPods, and Beats Fit Pro on M1-based Macs running macOS 12.3 Monterey. ($199.99 new, free update, 1.1 GB, macOS 11.5+)
