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Apple Announces the 2021 iMac, Powered by M1 Chip, Featuring 4.5K Retina Display

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Apple today introduced an all-new iMac featuring a much more compact and remarkably thin design, enabled by the M1 chip. The new iMac offers powerful performance in a design that's just 11.5 millimeters thin, with a striking side profile that practically disappears. Available in an array of vibrant colors to match a user's personal style and brighten any space, iMac features a 24-inch 4.5K Retina display with 11.3 million pixels, 500 nits of brightness, and over a billion colors, delivering a brilliant and vivid viewing experience.

The new iMac also includes a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, studio-quality mics, and a six-speaker sound system—the best camera and audio ever in a Mac. Also, Touch ID comes to iMac for the first time, making it easier than ever to securely log in, make purchases with Apple Pay, or switch user profiles with the touch of a finger. Combining the power and performance of M1 and macOS Big Sur, apps launch with blazing speed, everyday tasks feel incredibly fast and fluid, and demanding workloads like editing 4K video and working with huge images are faster than ever. The new iMac joins the incredible family of Mac models powered by M1, including MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini, marking another step forward in Apple's transition to Apple silicon. iMac is the most personal, powerful, capable, and fun it has ever been, and customers can order it beginning Friday, April 30. iMac will be available in the second half of May.



"M1 is a gigantic leap forward for the Mac, and today we're excited to introduce the all-new iMac, the first Mac designed around the breakthrough M1 chip," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "With its striking design in seven stunning colors, its immersive 4.5K Retina display, the best camera, mics, and speakers ever in a Mac, and Touch ID, combined with the amazing performance of M1 and the power of macOS Big Sur, the new iMac takes everything people love about iMac to an entirely new level."

All-New Design Enabled by M1
Completely reinventing one of the world's most iconic computers, the new iMac features a thinner and more compact design that is remarkable from every angle. Enabled by the system-on-chip architecture and amazing power efficiency of M1, the logic board and thermals are dramatically consolidated and reduced in size compared to the previous generation's, allowing the side profile of iMac to practically disappear. The much more compact design reduces the volume of iMac by 50 percent,1 allowing it to take up less space and fit easily in even more places.

With an array of colors—green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver—the new iMac design personalizes and elevates any space unlike any other computer. iMac features softer colors and thinner borders on the front to allow users to focus on their content, while the back pops in bold, saturated color. To complete the simplified design, iMac comes with a new power connector that attaches magnetically and a beautifully woven 2-meter-long color-matched cable.

Gorgeous 24-Inch 4.5K Retina Display
iMac has always been about its best-in-class display. The new iMac features an expansive 24-inch 4.5K Retina display with narrower borders and 11.3 million pixels. With a P3 wide color gamut and over a billion colors, plus 500 nits of brightness, images are vivid and more brilliant. This new display also features True Tone technology, which automatically adjusts the color temperature as the environment changes for a more natural viewing experience. In addition, the 4.5K Retina display on the new iMac has an industry-leading anti-reflective coating for greater comfort and readability.

Breakthrough Performance of M1 Comes to iMac
With the power and performance of M1 and macOS Big Sur, the new iMac instantly wakes from sleep, everyday tasks feel faster and more fluid, and apps launch with amazing speed. In Safari, users can browse even faster and run hundreds of tabs at once, and in Photos, users can fly through edits to their images. With Apple Arcade℠, they can enjoy exclusive games while on the large iMac display, and users can also run a variety of iPhone and iPad apps right on their iMac without breaking their workflow. macOS also delivers powerful iCloud and Continuity features that enable users to work seamlessly across their iMac, iPhone, and other Apple devices.

The new iMac offers the ultimate macOS Big Sur experience. Its refined design brings a new level of power and beauty to the Mac, and allows users to experience the spacious 24-inch 4.5K Retina display to the fullest. macOS Big Sur puts more controls at users' fingertips and is packed with enhancements to key apps including Safari, Messages, and Maps.

The powerful 8-core CPU in M1 features the fastest CPU core in low-power silicon. And the 8-core GPU features the fastest integrated graphics in a personal computer. When combined with its high efficiency, unified memory architecture, and the 16-core Apple Neural Engine, the new iMac delivers powerful performance when compared to standard models of the 21.5-inch iMac, including:
  • Up to 85 percent faster CPU performance, so users can export their favorite video project in iMovie faster than ever, easily work with massive 100-megapixel photos in Lightroom, and compile new apps in Xcode in a fraction of the time.
  • Up to 2x faster GPU performance for certain apps like Affinity Photo and Photoshop, and up to 50 percent faster than the most powerful discrete graphics in the fastest 21.5-inch iMac, allowing users to render edits in real time or add complex filters to their photos in a snap.
  • The ability to edit up to five streams of 4K footage, or one stream of 8K footage, without dropping a frame in Final Cut Pro.
  • Up to 3x faster machine learning in apps that leverage the 16-core Neural Engine in M1.

Best Camera, Mics, and Speakers Ever in a Mac
iMac features a 1080p FaceTime HD camera—the best ever in a Mac—which delivers high-quality video and great performance in low light. iMac also takes advantage of the image signal processor in the M1 chip and the Neural Engine, enhancing camera image quality with better noise reduction, greater dynamic range, and improved auto exposure and white balance. So whether connecting with family or on a video call while working from home, users will always look their best.

To complement the camera, the new iMac features a studio-quality three-microphone array for clearer calls and voice recordings, the best ever in a Mac. The mics are positioned to reduce feedback from the rest of the system, while directional beamforming allows them to better ignore background noise and focus on a user's voice. As a result, conversations are more natural and recordings are crystal clear.

The new iMac also features the best sound system ever in a Mac. It has two pairs of force-cancelling woofers placed side by side for an impressive bass response, while reducing unintended vibrations. Each pair is balanced with a high-performance tweeter. The result is a six-speaker sound system that produces a massive sound stage with strong, articulate bass and crystal-clear mids and highs. All of these speaker innovations, coupled with advanced algorithms, enable iMac to support spatial audio when playing video with Dolby Atmos. Together with its beautiful 4.5K Retina display, iMac transforms any space into an incredible movie-watching experience.

Thousands of Universal Apps Now Available
There are now thousands of popular and powerful Universal apps available that take full advantage of M1 and macOS Big Sur, including Photoshop, Twitter, Microsoft Office, Quicken, Slack, Affinity Publisher, Zappos, 1Password, and DaVinci Resolve, with more arriving every week. With the power of M1 and macOS Big Sur, and thousands of Universal apps, iMac can turn an office into a movie theater, a living room into a classroom, a kitchen into a conference room, or shine as the centerpiece of a retail space.

Touch ID Comes to iMac, Along with Color-Matched Accessories
Customers can choose from three models of Magic Keyboard with gorgeous aluminium enclosures that are color-matched to iMac. And for the first time, Touch ID comes to iMac. Implemented wirelessly on Magic Keyboard, it uses a dedicated security component on the keyboard that communicates directly with Secure Enclave in M1, creating an encrypted channel to protect users' fingerprint data from end to end. Whether unlocking their Mac or making a purchase with Apple Pay, users enjoy a fast, easy, and secure experience. Additionally, Touch ID works with Fast User Switching, so customers can change to a different user profile with just the press of a finger. Customers can also choose Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad, as well as the color-matched Magic Mouse and the industry-best Magic Trackpad.

State-of-the-Art Connectivity for Data and Devices
Every iMac features two Thunderbolt ports for superfast data transfers, giving customers high-performance options to connect to more devices, including support for up to a 6K display, like Apple Pro Display XDR, and Wi-Fi 6 delivers faster wireless performance. The 8-core iMac configuration offers two additional USB-C ports and also features a 1 Gbps Ethernet port in the power adapter, allowing for a less cluttered desktop.

Better for the Environment
Today, Apple is carbon neutral for global corporate operations, and by 2030, plans to have net zero climate impact across the entire business, which includes manufacturing supply chains and all product life cycles. This means that every Apple device sold, from material collection, component manufacturing, assembly, transport, customer use, charging, all the way through recycling and material recovery, will be 100 percent carbon neutral.

The new iMac is minimizing its impact on the environment, built using a low-carbon aluminium enclosure and 100 percent recycled tin in the solder of its main logic board. One hundred percent wood fiber in the packaging is recycled or comes from responsibly managed forests. The magnets in the speakers, fan motor, and power connector are made with 100 percent recycled rare earth elements. iMac remains free of harmful substances and meets Apple's high standards for energy efficiency.

iMac Joins the M1 Family
Every Mac with M1—the new iMac, MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini—is transformed into an entirely different class of product and redefines what each of them can do. Combined with macOS Big Sur, M1 brings extraordinary battery life and breakthrough performance to the Mac. Whether customers prioritize portability, power, or capability, there's a Mac for everyone. Learn more about the Mac family at apple.com/mac.

Pricing and Availability
  • The new 24-inch iMac is available to order beginning Friday, April 30, on apple.com and in the Apple Store app. It will begin arriving to customers and be available in select Apple Store locations and through Apple Authorized Resellers beginning in the second half of May.
  • iMac with 7-core GPU starts at $1,299 (US) and $1,249 (US) for education, and is available in green, pink, blue, and silver. It features an 8-core CPU, 8 GB of unified memory, 256 GB SSD, two Thunderbolt ports, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Mouse.
  • iMac with 8-core GPU starts at $1,499 (US) and $1,399 (US) for education, and is available in green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver. It features an 8-core CPU, 8 GB of unified memory, 256 GB SSD, two Thunderbolt ports, two additional USB 3 ports, Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, Magic Mouse, and Ethernet.
  • Additional technical specifications, configure-to-order options, and accessories are available at apple.com/mac.
  • Customers are able to find the same great shopping and support services at apple.com and at Apple Store locations. iMac configurations in green, pink, blue, and silver will be available to purchase directly at Apple Store locations, and all colors will be available at apple.com.
  • Customers can experience the new iMac at select Apple Store locations and have their questions answered in person. Customers who visit stores are encouraged to check apple.com/retail for information on opening hours, services available, and the health and safety measures in place.
  • Customers in the US get 3 percent Daily Cash back when they buy directly from Apple with Apple Card. And when they choose Apple Card Monthly Installments, they can pay over time, interest-free.
  • Anyone can get shopping help from Apple Specialists, choose monthly financing options, trade in eligible devices, and get Apple Support and no-contact delivery or Apple Store pickup options.
  • Every customer who buys iMac from Apple can enjoy a free Online Personal Session with an Apple Specialist, and receive guidance on how to make their iMac work the way they want.
  • Customers in the US can trade in their eligible device for an Apple Gift Card or credit toward their purchase. If the device is not eligible for credit, Apple will recycle it for free.
  • For a limited time, eligible customers who purchase a new iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, or Mac can enjoy one year of Apple TV+ for free and three months of Apple Arcade for free.

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Hopefully they are configurable at purchase for 16GB RAM. 8GB doesn't seem like enough these days especially if you're working on multimedia creation. You can add more RAM at purchase for the Mini, so I'd presume this would be the same, but you never know.

Interesting they have met in the middle and just offer a 24" model now.
 
D

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The screens are great unfortunately now they are locked to Apple's ecosystem, which makes wonder why don't we have quality monitors like that on PC, the ones we have are either rubbish or overpriced rubbish.
 
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I really think they nailed the looks on this thing, and with color options! Certainly reminds me of the old colorful iMac G3s I had in the computer lab in middle school. But I do agree, I hope there is a 16gb model option. MacOS is quite good at memory management but 8gb is just... not a lot anymore.

I'd like to buy my mum one of these to replace her 2011 imac (sandybridge i5 2500S/512mb 6770m) but even that machine has 16gb of ram. That gigabit ethernet is a let down as well, should be 2.5 or 5gbe. But at least TB opens up the option of using a small external adapter...
 
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oh my....


They're regressing to the lollipop shagged a TV stage. With no ventilation... These will actually be slower than their laptop counterparts.

Next they will sell us regular PCs at 3x the price, and the de-transformation will be complete. We will be back to the days of the pepsiman.

Edit: is that a headphone jack? Why? I'm so confused...
 
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Looks like 16GB max:


Surprised they didn’t launch a new processor but not bad for the price.

oh my....


They're regressing to the lollipop shagged a TV stage. With no ventilation... These will actually be slower than their laptop counterparts.

Next they will sell us regular PCs at 3x the price, and the de-transformation will be complete. We will be back to the days of the pepsiman.

It’s an iPad Pro with a bigger display...
 
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oh my....


They're regressing to the lollipop shagged a TV stage. With no ventilation... These will actually be slower than their laptop counterparts.

Next they will sell us regular PCs at 3x the price, and the de-transformation will be complete. We will be back to the days of the pepsiman.

Edit: is that a headphone jack? Why? I'm so confused...
There is ventilation. The problem is the base model is ok. But paying $200 more for 2 USB ports and an ethernet port is not OK. That should be included. Then $200 more for 8GB ram. Then $200 more for 256GB SSD more. So yeah it is actually a whopping ~$2000 for a standard basically 4 core AiO with integrated graphics. That is ridiculous. $600 more for 8GB/256GB/ethernet upgrade. I can't even...

1080p/120hz, ethernet included for free, better GPU (RTX 3050 level, double the M1 at least) would be the minimum for me. It is a pass from me. 24", lol. The hope that ARM meants good products at lower prices, that ended. Apple is increasing the price of everything. An ethernet port has never been so expensive.
 
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4k retina with 400x300px virtual resolution.
I don't understand why are they wasting energy on those fake pixels.
 
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oh my....


They're regressing to the lollipop shagged a TV stage. With no ventilation... These will actually be slower than their laptop counterparts.

Next they will sell us regular PCs at 3x the price, and the de-transformation will be complete. We will be back to the days of the pepsiman.

Edit: is that a headphone jack? Why? I'm so confused...
No ventilation is required. That is the beauty of the M1 chip. I've been using the M1 MacBook Air for about a month now, and it is still mind boggling to me that I am using a laptop that is nowhere a compromise in terms of performance, and yet, running fully passive. As a comparison, my previous ThinkPad's fan runs at a high speed whenever I watch a Youtube video. One runs on an AMD processor and other runs on Intel Ice lake U chip.

There is ventilation. The problem is the base model is ok. But paying $200 more for 2 USB ports and an ethernet port is not OK. That should be included. Then $200 more for 8GB ram. Then $200 more for 256GB SSD more. So yeah it is actually a whopping ~$2000 for a standard basically 4 core AiO with integrated graphics. That is ridiculous. $600 more for 8GB/256GB/ethernet upgrade. I can't even...

1080p/120hz, ethernet included for free, better GPU (RTX 3050 level, double the M1 at least) would be the minimum for me. It is a pass from me. 24", lol. The hope that ARM meants good products at lower prices, that ended. Apple is increasing the price of everything. An ethernet port has never been so expensive.
I don't disagree. The upgrade prices are absurd. I was contemplating whether to upgrade to 16GB from the base 8GB on my Air, but after reading reviews, I decided not to donate the money to Apple. For the first time in my life, I've walked away from a RAM upgrade. Knowing that RAM is actually not expensive on the PC, it makes it hard to swallow the amount I got to pay for a meagre 8GB bump. In this case, the same goes for the additional USB and Ethernet ports. The latter I can forego, but USB should come as default and even if it comes as an upgrade, it should not cost that much.
 
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No ventilation is required. That is the beauty of the M1 chip. I've been using the M1 MacBook Air for about a month now, and it is still mind boggling to me that I am using a laptop that is nowhere a compromise in terms of performance, and yet, running fully passive. As a comparison, my previous ThinkPad's fan runs at a high speed whenever I watch a Youtube video. One runs on an AMD processor and other runs on Intel Ice lake U chip.


I don't disagree. The upgrade prices are absurd. I was contemplating whether to upgrade to 16GB from the base 8GB on my Air, but after reading reviews, I decided not to donate the money to Apple. For the first time in my life, I've walked away from a RAM upgrade. Knowing that RAM is actually not expensive on the PC, it makes it hard to swallow the amount I got to pay for a meagre 8GB bump. In this case, the same goes for the additional USB and Ethernet ports. The latter I can forego, but USB should come as default and even if it comes as an upgrade, it should not cost that much.
It's really painful depending on your own preferences. For myself, I spent my life with horrible internet because I'm living in shared accommodation, and I finally switched to ethernet only, I have a 100 foot cable if I need it, and I only move in to a place if I can use it. So for me it is $200 USD more for an ethernet port, that really bugs me. My current computer doesn't have WIFI, intentionally. I'm ok with leaving USB-A behind for example, but ethernet? Yikes, that has NOT been replaced, it is the most recent standard.
 

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Hopefully they are configurable at purchase for 16GB RAM. 8GB doesn't seem like enough these days especially if you're working on multimedia creation. You can add more RAM at purchase for the Mini, so I'd presume this would be the same, but you never know.

Interesting they have met in the middle and just offer a 24" model now.

as cheap as ram is when buying in bulk, this seems like a horrible oversight... the year is 2021... not sure what they smokin. Apple be doing this kind of crap often over the years.
 

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There is ventilation. The problem is the base model is ok. But paying $200 more for 2 USB ports and an ethernet port is not OK. That should be included. Then $200 more for 8GB ram. Then $200 more for 256GB SSD more. So yeah it is actually a whopping ~$2000 for a standard basically 4 core AiO with integrated graphics. That is ridiculous. $600 more for 8GB/256GB/ethernet upgrade. I can't even...

1080p/120hz, ethernet included for free, better GPU (RTX 3050 level, double the M1 at least) would be the minimum for me. It is a pass from me. 24", lol. The hope that ARM meants good products at lower prices, that ended. Apple is increasing the price of everything. An ethernet port has never been so expensive.
The first $200 also gets you an additional GPU core....
 
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The first $200 also gets you an additional GPU core....
Until you've reached the slowest of the slowest (how about a GTX 1650?) more cores is just more nothing. You can't play a single major title released since 2013 using integrated graphics. Just esports and Xbox 360 era titles. Try to play Hearthstone with a Mac Mini and see how bad it is.

So I just went to make my order and compare. Yeap, the old price is $1350 CAD in Toronto, the new one is $1850 with ethernet. A $500 price increase. If this was just the story of the new iMac, I'd be happy.

This is actually the story of how the iMac switched to ARM and Apple increased the price by $500. Same ram and storage. That should have been every website's headline. "Apple introduces new iMacs $500 more than the previous models."
 
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Until you've reached the slowest of the slowest (how about a GTX 1650?) more cores is just more nothing. You can't play a single major title released since 2013 using integrated graphics. Just esports and Xbox 360 era titles. Try to play Hearthstone with a Mac Mini and see how bad it is.

So I just went to make my order and compare. Yeap, the old price is $1350 CAD in Toronto, the new one is $1850 with ethernet. A $500 price increase. If this was just the story of the new iMac, I'd be happy.

This is actually the story of how the iMac switched to ARM and Apple increased the price by $500. Same ram and storage. That should have been every website's headline. "Apple introduces new iMacs $500 more than the previous models."
Have you actually played anything on M1 mini?
 
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Until you've reached the slowest of the slowest (how about a GTX 1650?) more cores is just more nothing. You can't play a single major title released since 2013 using integrated graphics. Just esports and Xbox 360 era titles. Try to play Hearthstone with a Mac Mini and see how bad it is.

So I just went to make my order and compare. Yeap, the old price is $1350 CAD in Toronto, the new one is $1850 with ethernet. A $500 price increase. If this was just the story of the new iMac, I'd be happy.

This is actually the story of how the iMac switched to ARM and Apple increased the price by $500. Same ram and storage. That should have been every website's headline. "Apple introduces new iMacs $500 more than the previous models."
I think you underestimated the GPU in the M1 chip. There are reviews out there where it is capable of gaming at 1080p on games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider. In games that it can run, it is possible to get close to a dedicated card, and easily outpacing the Vega 8 and Xe graphics. You can see the bench results as well as Rise of the Tomb Raider being tested on 1080p on high graphic setting running with extra overhead from Rosetta 2 since this is not M1 optimised.


The first $200 also gets you an additional GPU core....
I don't know if 1 extra GPU core is worth the 200 bucks with say an 8GB RAM upgrade or storage upgrade. Haha. Its an added incentive if one decides to upgrade RAM or storage.
 
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I think you underestimated the GPU in the M1 chip. There are reviews out there where it is capable of gaming at 1080p on games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider. In games that it can run, it is possible to get close to a dedicated card, and easily outpacing the Vega 8 and Xe graphics. You can see the bench results as well as Rise of the Tomb Raider being tested on 1080p on high graphic setting running with extra overhead from Rosetta 2 since this is not M1 optimised.

Not really. 39 fps is not "capable of 1080p gaming". That was Rise OTTR, Shadow OTTR is even worse, believe me, I have the M1 Mac Mini. This is a May 2021 product. It will be less than 1/2 the speed of the RTX 3050 mobile, never mind desktop 3050. Try Hearthstone with an M1 Mac Mini. That is not acceptable for a $2000 in Toronto 24" iMac imo. I can already buy an RTX 3060 laptop for $1350.
 
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Not really. 39 fps is not "capable of 1080p gaming". That was Rise OTTR, Shadow OTTR is even worse, believe me, I have the M1 Mac Mini. This is a May 2021 product. It will be less than 1/2 the speed of the RTX 3050 mobile, never mind desktop 3050. Try Hearthstone with an M1 Mac Mini. That is not acceptable for a $2000 in Toronto 24" iMac imo. I can already buy an RTX 3060 laptop for $1350.
I think you need to figure out what are you getting your computer for in the first place. If you tell me that your key usage is gaming, then I will point you to another direction. Mac is not exactly a gaming centric platform to begin with. In addition, a gaming capable iGPU in a slim profile laptop or system to me is an added bonus since I am using it mostly for surfing net, streaming shows, doing some personal photo editing and for work. The same applies to Windows based laptop running ultra low power CPU with iGPU. The RTX 3050 is clearly a superior product, but it also pulls more power and generally requires a laptop that is thicker in order to cool it. So again, it really boils down to what is your priority when choosing a Mac or PC. There is no right and wrong answer here.

By the way, I generally won't recommend any gaming laptop because they run hot, sound loud and tends to throttle. If space or use case permits, I would recommend getting a proper PC instead. Of course the problem now is that you can't get a good discrete graphic card easily.
 

TheLostSwede

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I don't know if 1 extra GPU core is worth the 200 bucks with say an 8GB RAM upgrade or storage upgrade. Haha. Its an added incentive if one decides to upgrade RAM or storage.
Well, you do get an Ethernet port, two 10Gbps USB 3 ports and touch ID on the keyboard as well for that extra money...
I mean, how much do you want Apple to sweeten the deal for you?
 
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I think you need to figure out what are you getting your computer for in the first place. If you tell me that your key usage is gaming, then I will point you to another direction. Mac is not exactly a gaming centric platform to begin with. In addition, a gaming capable iGPU in a slim profile laptop or system to me is an added bonus since I am using it mostly for surfing net, streaming shows, doing some personal photo editing and for work. The same applies to Windows based laptop running ultra low power CPU with iGPU. The RTX 3050 is clearly a superior product, but it also pulls more power and generally requires a laptop that is thicker in order to cool it. So again, it really boils down to what is your priority when choosing a Mac or PC. There is no right and wrong answer here.

By the way, I generally won't recommend any gaming laptop because they run hot, sound loud and tends to throttle. If space or use case permits, I would recommend getting a proper PC instead. Of course the problem now is that you can't get a good discrete graphic card easily.
We should expect more for desktop computers, this isn't a thin and light laptop. This is a desktop computer. RTX 3050 mobile 30W chips are not too much to ask. Apple really pulled a number on us. We thought they were going to build a desktop ARM chip but they just put the iPad in the iMac and made it worse than the Mac Mini, and massively raised the price for old conveniences like ethernet. Can't play Diablo 2 remastered here. Can't do anything much. I just wanted the option to pay $400 more for more performance or a 120hz screen. I want to love the new iMac but it feels all wrong. Like they only had one product but they just had to artificially make it three different models and killed it.

Well, you do get an Ethernet port, two 10Gbps USB 3 ports and touch ID on the keyboard as well for that extra money...
I mean, how much do you want Apple to sweeten the deal for you?
Yeah, they give you back your USB ports and Ethernet port that were part of the base model Mac Mini. It is genius. Release the 24" iMac at a much higher price, worse in every other respect vs the base model Mac Mini. Then charge people $200 to make it back into the Mac Mini. I was honestly shocked today at the reveal.
 
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Hopefully they are configurable at purchase for 16GB RAM. 8GB doesn't seem like enough these days especially if you're working on multimedia creation. You can add more RAM at purchase for the Mini, so I'd presume this would be the same, but you never know.

Interesting they have met in the middle and just offer a 24" model now.
They are actually. You can go 16GB.
I checked the specs and it doesn't say anywhere, what is the refresh rate of the screen. I assume it is standard 60Hz?
 
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I work in video production, how would this thing handle rendering a 20 minute 4K video in After Effects? I suppose to be more direct - how does the M1 CPU fare against a behemoth 5950X for such rendering tasks?

I hear a lot of hype about the M1 but I want to know the actual practicalities of it for my personal rendering use.

EDIT:

Found the answer:




"That means that the new Apple M1 MacBooks again perform about on par with a decently configured desktop PC that is around 4-5 years old."

So very poor for rendering workloads like AE. Fact is, you could build a workstation for a LOWER price than this iMac and enjoy 2-3X the performance in one of the very biggest rendering workload, which is nuts.
 
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Wonder if my previous app that I bought on x86 iMac 2017 works on this new platform.
 
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I work in video production, how would this thing handle rendering a 20 minute 4K video in After Effects? I suppose to be more direct - how does the M1 CPU fare against a behemoth 5950X for such rendering tasks?

I hear a lot of hype about the M1 but I want to know the actual practicalities of it for my personal rendering use.

EDIT:

Found the answer:




"That means that the new Apple M1 MacBooks again perform about on par with a decently configured desktop PC that is around 4-5 years old."

So very poor for rendering workloads like AE. Fact is, you could build a workstation for a LOWER price than this iMac and enjoy 2-3X the performance in one of the very biggest rendering workload, which is nuts.
No. See, you're doing this all wrong. The ONLY productivity application that you need to benchmark is Final Cut. Nothing else is even worthy of consideration, and in that, the M1 works fantastic! Sure, there's no way to compare it to a Ryzen System (unless you're into hackintosh, but that doesn't count), but if you're thinking of using Adobe products, stop right now. Final Cut is the only video processing program the entire world needs, and in that, the M1 works spectacularly against the Intel option! /s
 
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No ventilation is required. That is the beauty of the M1 chip. I've been using the M1 MacBook Air for about a month now, and it is still mind boggling to me that I am using a laptop that is nowhere a compromise in terms of performance, and yet, running fully passive. As a comparison, my previous ThinkPad's fan runs at a high speed whenever I watch a Youtube video. One runs on an AMD processor and other runs on Intel Ice lake U chip.
I have an XPS 17 9700 with 10300H CPU. Under Windows 10, the fan is pretty much constantly on. I never really planned to run Windows on it, so the first thing I did was put Linux on it. When using the powersave governor, it doesn't clock nearly as high, but the fans never turn on (it has a rather large cooler on it since the 10300H is a 45W chip). I can always enable the full performance of the CPU with a click, but I really rather like a passively-cooled 17" laptop in a 15" body.

My point is that for anything the M1 can't do, there is a pretty substantial value to a completely silent machine, IMO. Performance for most folks is really good enough. In my case, the most demanding thing I do is edit photos, which doesn't require sustained performance, making something passively cooled work just fine. I've long debated going with an M1 MBA, but I'm still holding out. I just wonder how much better Apple will make their next generation of SOCs, the M1 is already pretty big and 5nm, so what extra tricks can they employ to boost performance another 10-15%? Maybe just better clocks?
 
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Well, you do get an Ethernet port, two 10Gbps USB 3 ports and touch ID on the keyboard as well for that extra money...
I mean, how much do you want Apple to sweeten the deal for you?

Also 2 USB ports and an ethernet port is worth about $10. Any $50 motherboard already has them for free. Apple is charging for something you used to get for nothing.

I have an XPS 17 9700 with 10300H CPU. Under Windows 10, the fan is pretty much constantly on. I never really planned to run Windows on it, so the first thing I did was put Linux on it. When using the powersave governor, it doesn't clock nearly as high, but the fans never turn on (it has a rather large cooler on it since the 10300H is a 45W chip). I can always enable the full performance of the CPU with a click, but I really rather like a passively-cooled 17" laptop in a 15" body.

My point is that for anything the M1 can't do, there is a pretty substantial value to a completely silent machine, IMO. Performance for most folks is really good enough. In my case, the most demanding thing I do is edit photos, which doesn't require sustained performance, making something passively cooled work just fine. I've long debated going with an M1 MBA, but I'm still holding out. I just wonder how much better Apple will make their next generation of SOCs, the M1 is already pretty big and 5nm, so what extra tricks can they employ to boost performance another 10-15%? Maybe just better clocks?
Yeah I'd like 10 percent higher clocks and a doubling of the GPU. I still have a little hope, but this iMac kind of killed all my enthusiasm. If Apple makes billions of dollars selling 256GB machines without ethernet ports, why make a better machine reasonably priced... 27", 120hz, double the GPU, keep the price under $1800 USD (like the old 27" iMac) and I might still be interested.
 
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