Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I think this has to be one of my all time favourite macrumors comments.

Every single day with 100% guarantee I am using at least 24gb RAM. This routinely goes above 32gb RAM, hence I have 64gb in my main desktop.

Why don’t you answer my question if it’s your favorite comment? What software are you running? For the vast majority of users, 32GB is a waste of money, let alone 64GB. Not saying you’re not an exception, but it’s not because macOS allocates all the system’s memory, it’s actually doing something relevant with it causing huge performance gains.
 
Last edited:
We've known that the Apple Silicon replacement to the 21.5" iMac would come out around now. Late 2020/Early 2021 was always the target, especially since the 27" iMac got an upgrade in 2020 while the 21.5" iMac didn't.

I think the real question is whether or not the Apple Silicon replacement to the 27" iMac is going to debut alongside it, or if that's still going to be a ways off (late this year or early 2022 perhaps?).


The last time they changed screen sizes and bezels on an iMac, this was the latest and greatest iPhone.

View attachment 1758782
Man, way to make me feel old. :p
 
  • Like
Reactions: peanuts_of_pathos
10C5DD46-C140-4307-9342-44A3572A8CD9.jpeg


I have a feeling we are going to see the smaller iMac (which will have a larger screen than 21.5”) come in multiple colours and the M1 chip inside.

Speculation currently of it being called the iMac Air, with the pro line coming later in the year with the M1X.
 
Why don’t you answer my question if it’s your favorite comment? What software are you running? For the vast majority of users, 32GB is a waste of money, let alone 64GB. Not saying you’re not an exception, but it’s not because macOS allocates all the system’s memory, it’s actually doing something relevant with it.
Yep, have to agree. With about 10 programs open, mostly Adobe, I use 12/13Gb out of my 16Gb.
 
  • Like
Reactions: hagar
Apple hasn't seemed to show any compunction in introducing weird resolutions in the past. I'd be very surprised if they kept the same resolution on a larger screen.
Anything is possible, but IMO it just becomes too-similar to the 27 5K.

You'd need it to run at around 4560x2565 for basically the same PPI as the 27" or the existing 21.5" (if it were 24" on the nose).. at which point it's barely different than the 5K 27", both in terms of physical size and in terms of resolution.
 
Once you actually have a child of your own, the last thing you would ever do is sell it for a throw away in a few years Apple consumer product
This is true. In a scenario like that, you probably have to give money and/or Apple consumer products to convince someone else to take the little hell spawn off your hands.

Edit: yes, I am a parent.
 
If the iMac we see on Tuesday has the M1, then no.
There’s no reason why the M1 cannot address more than 16GiB of memory. I’m sure the M1 memory controller is able to address terabytes of memory. Most likely for Apple to limit the base M1 Macs to 16GiB is due to the models they are replacing also have the same limit.

Using the currently shipping M1 128-bit data bus, the M1 Macs only need 17 address pins to address up to 16 GiB. Extremely unlikely this is a physical limit of the M1 memory controller. Adding just an additional address bus pin doubles it to 32 GiB and another pin will again double to 64 GiB.

If Apple doubles the M1 iMacs data bus to 256 bits (assuming the memory controller can handle 256 bits data bus), using just 17 address pins will make M1 iMacs memory space addressable up to 32 GiB. Really up to Apple to design their board layouts.
 
Anything is possible, but IMO it just becomes too-similar to the 27 5K.

You'd need it to run at around 4560x2565 for basically the same PPI as the 27" or the existing 21.5" (if it were 24" on the nose).. at which point it's barely different than the 5K 27", both in terms of physical size and in terms of resolution.
Why do you assume that the larger model is staying at 27"/5K? It will almost certainly get an upsizing as well. 24" and 30" sounds about right.
 
The M1 devices were Apple‘s last test drive of their chip. Apple is now ready to fully unveil the chip in their newly redesigned iMac. The iMac won’t have the base M1 in it. Whatever follows the M1 will be the first, truly unleashed chip. This is why the iMac is the perfect machine to do it. It isn’t their top seller, but it’s still the centerpiece to the Mac lineup. It will get the biggest redesign since the iPad Pro in ‘18!
 
  • Like
Reactions: peanuts_of_pathos
Why don’t you answer my question if it’s your favorite comment? What software are you running? For the vast majority of users, 32GB is a waste of money, let alone 64GB. Not saying you’re not an exception, but it’s not because macOS allocates all the system’s memory, it’s actually doing something relevant with it causing huge performance gains.

Just from a mediator‘s point of view, 40gb is the sweet spot in my 2017 27”.

;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: peanuts_of_pathos
They ship the current model with an i3.

I would not be surprised at all if an M1 replaces the i3 in the base model. It’s still a big speed upgrade and more than enough power for many iMac applications from classrooms to reception desks for years to come. There will be plenty more expensive iMac models with ridiculous performance yet to come.
 
Using the currently shipping M1 128-bit data bus, the M1 Macs only need 17 address pins to address up to 16 GiB. 2 GiB.
Do M1 packages have any address pins? If all the RAM memory die are inside the package, there may be no external “address pins”, or even anything that looks like a standard circuit board memory bus.
 
Well besides not having to worry about a battery, a desktop Mac (IMac) usually gives you WAY better bang for the buck
If you use your Mac for work, you still need a battery. Otherwise, Murphy says the power will go out just as you are about to save an important doc.

However small UPS boxes are pretty cheap.
 
Do M1 packages have any address pins? If all the RAM memory die are inside the package, there may be no external “address pins”, or even anything that looks like a standard circuit board memory bus.
The M1 Macs memory are not on die. It’s on the SoC package. You still need traces from the SoC memory controller to the memory ICs. Just shorter traces. Not dissimilar to HBM memories if I’m not wrong.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.