Ableton Forum

While the new iMac sports an impressive display, I have to wonder: what is the real benefit of such an immense resolution, from the perspective of someone who is not primarily going to be using the display for video production of watching films? Won't everything just be really tiny? While the 27" iMac monitor is obviously bigger than my laptop monitor, I've always had to either run my laptop at sub HD (1080) resolution or just zoom the individual apps to get a comfortable viewing experience.

I guess the whole point is to allow rights owners to re-issue all their back catalogue yet again to dimwitted consumers.

sporkles wrote:While the new iMac sports an impressive display, I have to wonder: what is the real benefit of such an immense resolution, from the perspective of someone who is not primarily going to be using the display for video production of watching films? Won't everything just be really tiny? While the 27" iMac monitor is obviously bigger than my laptop monitor, I've always had to either run my laptop at sub HD (1080) resolution or just zoom the individual apps to get a comfortable viewing experience.

Highres is more natural and allows for long sessions with lesser eye fatigue. Something you may not care about now, but you might if you work on music or something else daily for long hours.

Everything will not be tiny. Some older apps will not look right. Ableton Live 9.1.6 just got retina-support.

re:dream wrote:I guess the whole point is to allow rights owners to re-issue all their back catalogue yet again to dimwitted consumers.

Hardly valid analysis. I haven't seen any Retina- or highres rereleases of anything since Retina arrived, and certainly not because of this iMac. Older material display well on Retina too. There's a HD media revolution going, but that's largely an unrelated development to Retina or highres computer displays. Stuff is rereleased in HD. Maybe that's what you meant? No-one forces anyone to get older movies again in HD.

What I hear from sources I trust and who were of the same opinion as me (me...,who needs it in a desktop), once you tried it for a while, there is no going back!

I now wish I could afford one (and that they would still be upgradable)

My 2ct

Stromkraft wrote:

re:dream wrote:I guess the whole point is to allow rights owners to re-issue all their back catalogue yet again to dimwitted consumers.

Hardly valid analysis. I haven't seen any Retina- or highres rereleases of anything since Retina arrived, and certainly not because of this iMac. Older material display well on Retina too. There's a HD media revolution going, but that's largely an unrelated development to Retina or highres computer displays. Stuff is rereleased in HD. Maybe that's what you meant? No-one forces anyone to get older movies again in HD.

He is conflating the move to 4k TVs and the move to higher res computer screens. That's not a valid comparison to make unless you mostly use your computer to watch movies.

Interesting and useful challenge to my prejudices

But my eyesight is so bad I probably would not be able to tell the difference.

TomViolenz wrote:What I hear from sources I trust and who were of the same opinion as me (me...,who needs it in a desktop), once you tried it for a while, there is no going back!

I view this as new studio monitors. No-one forces anyone to get newer better and more expensive ones, but once you worked on the new ones which will lift away a veil that media you think your tracks sounded good (which didn't seem true on other speakers) you'll wonder how in the word you thought those old ones were any good.

On a higres display you can see more detail. That can be very helpful. Of course when making music ears should be a priority.

re:dream wrote:Interesting and useful challenge to my prejudices

But my eyesight is so bad I probably would not be able to tell the difference.

Glasses? Perhaps focus on your ears then instead.

sporkles wrote:While the new iMac sports an impressive display, I have to wonder: what is the real benefit of such an immense resolution, from the perspective of someone who is not primarily going to be using the display for video production of watching films? Won't everything just be really tiny? While the 27" iMac monitor is obviously bigger than my laptop monitor, I've always had to either run my laptop at sub HD (1080) resolution or just zoom the individual apps to get a comfortable viewing experience.

You are asking on the wrong forum. Obviously for MUSIC producers a hi-res display is perfectly useless.

For a graphic designer, photographer or movie producer, pixel density is critically important.

I’m not a graphic designer but I like (but don’t need) the retina display on my rMBP, especially now that Live 9 supports it. For random people like me, things like written text and optimized software looks noticeably better which is not negligible considering many people spend most of their day staring at a screen but beyond that it’s mostly bragging rights.

BoddAH wrote:You are asking on the wrong forum. Obviously for MUSIC producers a hi-res display is perfectly useless.

For a graphic designer, photographer or movie producer, pixel density is critically important.

I’m not a graphic designer but I like (but don’t need) the retina display on my rMBP, especially now that Live 9 supports it. For random people like me, things like written text and optimized software looks noticeably better which is not negligible considering many people spend most of their day staring at a screen but beyond that it’s mostly bragging rights.

So you know the obvious benefits of high density displays yet state that it is useless for music producers? "Retina" resolution really makes things a lot sharper thus easier on the eyes in long sessions. If you can afford one, go for it because there is no going back.

h4nc0 wrote:

BoddAH wrote:You are asking on the wrong forum. Obviously for MUSIC producers a hi-res display is perfectly useless.

For a graphic designer, photographer or movie producer, pixel density is critically important.

I’m not a graphic designer but I like (but don’t need) the retina display on my rMBP, especially now that Live 9 supports it. For random people like me, things like written text and optimized software looks noticeably better which is not negligible considering many people spend most of their day staring at a screen but beyond that it’s mostly bragging rights.

So you know the obvious benefits of high density displays yet state that it is useless for music producers? "Retina" resolution really makes things a lot sharper thus easier on the eyes in long sessions. If you can afford one, go for it because there is no going back.

That is true. I wouldn’t want to go back. Even if I don’t “need” a high-res display.

I'm looking to get a new iMac in the next year and it is a real conundrum. If you're already going to drop $2,000+ then what's another $500. But I already have a 27" iMac and have no issues with the standard monitor and its the best I've ever used. Apple should just get rid of the standard displays like they did with idevices and make everybody suck the premium tit. It would make life a lot easier.

I'm hooked on retina displays, it's soooo much easier on my eyes after a long day, night and day difference at the end of the day. I've read that the new retina iMac can feel a little slower than it really is though, those pixels take a lot of power apparently. Might be worth seeing if you can try one with the logic demo to see if that carries over into music daws, or just graphics heavy apps.

Yeah, probably worth looking at in a store. When I hold my iPad Air up next to my 2011 iMac I’m not blown away by the clarity difference. Obviously I’m not getting it I guess.