Apple's $1,299 M1 iMac Available in Blue, Green, Pink and Silver, With Yellow, Orange and Purple Limited to $1,499 Versions

[LonderJan]

It is a bad joke regardless of how well M1 uses memory. Because RAM is far cheaper these days than it was eight years ago, and Apple could well put 16 GB inside the base iMac.

I don't think we are talking about the same memory here in terms of price comparison. With the M1 chip memory is part of the chip itself. There are no memory slots nor are there any areas when memory is actually soldered on the board. So I don't think its as easy to say "memory is cheaper so they could have added more". In terms of pure material cost, this would be neglect able yes, but you also have to understand that this is a business. Equipping a base model with enough memory that will last you for 10 years is not a really smart thing to do from a business point of view. There is a lifecycle to these designs and not only from a hardware point of view.

In my case, my 10 year old iMac is still doing a pretty good job hardware-wise (even if it only has 8GB of storage). I draw frequently in Sketchup (works fine) and use Vector programs. Office is a bit slow but it always was slow to begin with and that is why I switched to Pages and Numbers which are "free". Currently, I am running into numerous sorts of software restrictions. I can't upgrade the OS anymore, as a result I can't update Numbers or Pages anymore and I made the mistake of opening documents on my iPad which has a newer version of those applications. As a result, all my document got upgraded and now I can't open them anymore on my iMac. Many things are done by design. It's how businesses make money.

I always struggled with RAM in Macs. I had three Macs, and, in all of them, I struggled much more with memory than I do under Windows. I bought a MacBook Pro with 8 GB in 2013, and I had to buy a new computer in 2016 because, among other reasons, RAM was not enough. And it was five years ago, when software was less memory-hungry than today.

It's a new architecture. Their baseline has been completely reset and how it evolves from here is a bit of a discovery. If you don't feel comfortable with 8GB you can always go for the 16GB. That extra cost is going to be neglectable over a period of about 10 years. But you have to believe at some point that the models and options offered at this moment in time are balanced and thought through and will provide you something to hold on for the next couple of years.

You could also go for the Mac Pro if the iMac doesn't do it for you.

Now, after my experience, how would I trust Apple and buy an uber-expensive iMac (yes, they are incredibly expensive in Brazil) with 8 GB RAM just to test it and see whether the M1 processor miraculously makes it enough for me for the next five years or so?

Apple does not offer a 14-day returns period in Brazil?

About being eco-conscious, that was not my point. It would be far more eco-friendly if Apple put 16 GB in the iMac instead of 8 GB, so users would stick it for more time.

The future looks different for everyone. You need to look at the demographic that is targeted here and if the majority of them would not exceed 8 GB of memory usage over the lifespan of their iMac then building in 16GB (as a default) is not eco-friendly. Frankly, I'm betting many iMac's are just sitting there on a table with only Safari running and e-mail. Why in the world would you you have to have 16 GB of memory for that?

The base model of any product is alway basic and you can alway say "aaaah .. why didn't they put in this or that, this wouldn't have cost a lot more money for them".

 

[LonderJan]

The audio jack on the left side is gonna look really dumb when something is plugged into it.

I have some really nice Bose Speakers that I've been using for many years with my 2015 iMac. I guess I'll have to see if the sound on this new iMac is comparable but I somehow doubt it.

You can't please everyone, all the time. Some people complain about the fact that the connections are on the back, some complain that they are on the side ... some complain about the fact that they removed connections and others complain that they are even there because they move one from wires ... you can't please everyone, all the time.

I also have speakers connected via a jack so I will need to come up with a solution for that. The jack is green and would fit the green iMac. From an external speaker perspective, they should have added a jack on the power brick but then you would have the headphone people complaining.

The iMac is going to sound nicer because the speakers are not from Bose (don't take it as an insult man, speakers are extremely personal)

 

[LonderJan]

"Why is there no white color?"

Because you can't anodise aluminum white. You would need to move to another material or lacker it.

 

[LonderJan]

,,,

 

[Rck1984]

Oh lord, this is ugly... I hope the new Macbooks will get a better design.
Is this Apple, or Playmobil?

 

[skaertus]

I don't think we are talking about the same memory here in terms of price comparison. With the M1 chip memory is part of the chip itself. There are no memory slots nor are there any areas when memory is actually soldered on the board. So I don't think its as easy to say "memory is cheaper so they could have added more". In terms of pure material cost, this would be neglect able yes, but you also have to understand that this is a business. Equipping a base model with enough memory that will last you for 10 years is not a really smart thing to do from a business point of view. There is a lifecycle to these designs and not only from a hardware point of view.

In my case, my 10 year old iMac is still doing a pretty good job hardware-wise (even if it only has 8GB of storage). I draw frequently in Sketchup (works fine) and use Vector programs. Office is a bit slow but it always was slow to begin with and that is why I switched to Pages and Numbers which are "free". Currently, I am running into numerous sorts of software restrictions. I can't upgrade the OS anymore, as a result I can't update Numbers or Pages anymore and I made the mistake of opening documents on my iPad which has a newer version of those applications. As a result, all my document got upgraded and now I can't open them anymore on my iMac. Many things are done by design. It's how businesses make money.

I understand that the product has cycles and that Apple wants users to change computers every "X" years. However, even Apple cannot predict how the market will develop in the next 5 years and if 8 GB will still be enough after this time. I may be wrong, but it seems low for me.

As for my use, I have to use Microsoft Office and there is no way around it. I understand that there is less memory-hungry software, but I have to stick to Microsoft Office for work. Plus, Pages and Numbers do not have the features I need. The apps in Microsoft Office consume too much memory, and I found that 16 GB on a MacBook Pro is enough for now. I cannot say how much memory I would need in 4-5 years.

It's a new architecture. Their baseline has been completely reset and how it evolves from here is a bit of a discovery. If you don't feel comfortable with 8GB you can always go for the 16GB. That extra cost is going to be neglectable over a period of about 10 years. But you have to believe at some point that the models and options offered at this moment in time are balanced and thought through and will provide you something to hold on for the next couple of years.

Unfortunately, I live in Brazil and prices are astronomical. I would have no problem in paying $200 to upgrade a $1299 or even a $1699 iMac so it can have 16 GB of RAM. The problem is, the base iMac will sell for $3160 and, if I want 512 GB storage (which I would want), it will go north of $4000 (with 8 GB RAM). And I would expect a $4000 computer to hold its own for much longer than something I would pay less than $2000.

You could also go for the Mac Pro if the iMac doesn't do it for you.

The cheapest Mac Pro costs $14400 here in Brazil, without any extras, and it can go quickly north of $25000 without even the monitor. So, it is kind of out of my budget.

Apple does not offer a 14-day returns period in Brazil?

Companies are required to offer one week return for all online sales. I have yet to test Apple, but most stores create several difficulties to accept the product returned even during this deadline. I have just once taken back a product, and it was very, very difficult as the store would not accept it back.

The future looks different for everyone. You need to look at the demographic that is targeted here and if the majority of them would not exceed 8 GB of memory usage over the lifespan of their iMac then building in 16GB (as a default) is not eco-friendly. Frankly, I'm betting many iMac's are just sitting there on a table with only Safari running and e-mail. Why in the world would you you have to have 16 GB of memory for that?

The base model of any product is alway basic and you can alway say "aaaah .. why didn't they put in this or that, this wouldn't have cost a lot more money for them".

Well, it seems to me that Apple is targeting this iMac to the low-end spectrum. When Apple starts to put vibrant colors in the products, it kind of denounces that.

The iPhone has more vibrant colors than the iPhone Pro, and the iPad Pro is only available in one color, while the iPad Air is in many. The iMac could go the same route.

It seems to me that Apple is preparing an "iMac Pro" to be released shortly. Which kind of makes me think that the demographic of this iMac is people with more basic requirements.

 

[DotCom2]

Isn't the stock usually down after an event? Buy on the rumors, sell on the news.

ALWAYS!

 

[buckwheet]

The appeal of an iMac is that it's an all in one device. Having to now incorporate a power brick makes it a lot less elegant.

Also the base model iMac doesn't even have a ethernet port on the power brick. Such a joke.

hehe... well, you just want to be pissed, and that's all good.
I see no reason why a base model should have ethernet. A lot of people today don't even know when ethernet is, let alone "need" it (in quotes because it's hard to need something you don't even know exists).

My personal opinion is that these iMacs look kinda weird, and are clearly for the consumer (not even the "prosumer"), but will probably be popular. And actually, when I try to imagine what they were going for with the design, I kinda get it—I think it's got a kind of retro-futurist chic to it. More like a magic terminal for consumers than a "computer"... it makes sense, in a way.

Looking at these, I think it's extremely likely we'll see new iMac Pros in the near future—probably alongside the redesigned MacBook Pros.

 

[blairh]

This is criticising for the sake of criticising (and without thinking).

I have yet to come across an iMac (in a household environment) that is connected via ethernet. I'm sure there will be exceptions to that (and those people will have to pay a little extra), but the vast majority is using WiFi. It makes sense not to include a port that isn't going to be used anyhow on the base model.

This idea that people don't use the ethernet port on their iMacs is absolutely mind blowingly stupid.

 

[blairh]

I wish

Up to 16 GB RAM available as an option. Ethernet power brick is available as an option on the 7-core GPU system.

Sweet. I have to pay extra for a ***** power brick.

I'm sure 16 GB is a fortune too.

 

[blairh]

hehe... well, you just want to be pissed, and that's all good.
I see no reason why a base model should have ethernet. A lot of people today don't even know when ethernet is, let alone "need" it (in quotes because it's hard to need something you don't even know exists).

My personal opinion is that these iMacs look kinda weird, and are clearly for the consumer (not even the "prosumer"), but will probably be popular. And actually, when I try to imagine what they were going for with the design, I kinda get it—I think it's got a kind of retro-futurist chic to it. More like a magic terminal for consumers than a "computer"... it makes sense, in a way.

Looking at these, I think it's extremely likely we'll see new iMac Pros in the near future—probably alongside the redesigned MacBook Pros.

No, I really don't. My criticism is completely legit. And this idea that people don't know what ethernet is absolutely absurd.

 

[blairh]

Seeing a wire protruding from the side now for your speakers is a disaster.

 

[buckwheet]

No, I really don't. My criticism is completely legit. And this idea that people don't know what ethernet is absolutely absurd.

I worked doing Apple support back in 2001 and even then a lot people that would fit the type of "consumer" these are clearly targeted at didn't know what ethernet was—"you mean the big phone cable?" Almost everybody is on wifi exclusively these days, and Apple laptops haven't had ethernet for years. Aaaaanyway... Yes, these machines are absolute f***ing s*** and useless to everybody. Cheers.

 

[blairh]

I worked doing Apple support back in 2001 and even then a lot people that would fit the type of "consumer" these are clearly targeted at didn't know what ethernet was—"you mean the big phone cable?" Almost everybody is on wifi exclusively these days, and Apple laptops haven't had ethernet for years. Aaaaanyway... Yes, these machines are absolute f***ing s*** and useless to everybody. Cheers.

You are being absurd. All I hear about is fast home gigabit internet speeds provided by ISP’s. People aren’t stupid. You want those speeds, you need an Ethernet cable. It’s not a thing of the past whatsoever. Downplay it all you want mate. It’s a ridiculous thing to omit in a machine that costs $1,300.

 

[cosmolv]

They go up to 2TB SSD and 16GB DRAM

Yeah, now i see it on apple page, but cannot find where it can be configurable.

 

[Mimiron]

Have a look at some of the reviews on YouTube about the M1 Mini.
Plenty of reviewers are doing video editing on a daily basis and they seem to be pretty impressed.

Would you mind sharing any relevant links?

 

[Apple_Robert]

I think a lot of people here forget that Apple does not build Macs just for MR members. These new iMacs will be very popular with families with younger kids, not to mention adults who don't mind a little splash of color. Its not the end of the Mac world. There may be higher end iMacs coming later this year that look more traditional for those who feel angry about the colors.

 

[Arcade]

If I were to buy one I would get the orange.

 

[Dom_]

Why don't they just put the whole computer part in the power brick and remove the chin? Oh wait, that's basically a Mac Mini connected to a display. Sounds actually like a nice solution. Hook it up to a nice looking monitor (with black bezels) and you got a really nice setup.

 

[Dom_]

Why don't they just put the whole computer part in the power brick and remove the chin? Oh wait, that's basically a Mac Mini connected to a display. Sounds actually like a nice solution. Hook it up to a nice looking monitor (with black bezels) and you got a really nice setup.

To build upon the idea. Image they would make a really nice monitor (with black bezels and not hilariously priced) with great speakers and a good webcam (maybe even with FaceID), maybe even the headphone jack and a USB port on the side for quick access. And then you could either add a "computer power brick"/Mac Mini or a MacBook, Thunderbolt should be sufficient for that, so just one cable to connect. That would be a really nice setup.
Because right now, the only annoying things with the Mac Mini + Display solution to me is
- ugly monitors
- without webcam
- without good speakers
- without FaceID integrated

 

[sublunar]

You are being absurd. All I hear about is fast home gigabit internet speeds provided by ISP’s. People aren’t stupid. You want those speeds, you need an Ethernet cable. It’s not a thing of the past whatsoever. Downplay it all you want mate. It’s a ridiculous thing to omit in a machine that costs $1,300.

I'll back @buckwheet on this - Apple is clearly looking at consumers who don't want unsightly cables about the place and use wifi. Most domestic situations will see the convenience of wifi beating running unsightly cables around the house from wherever the house router is.

Just look at the prevalence of Mesh wifi setups, range boosters and powerful routers these days. Just because YOUR use case demands ethernet it doesn't invalidate Apple's research which I'd wager suggests that a significant number of users are not using ethernet.

And it might have escaped your attention but Apple's M1 machines have Wifi 6 - which actually brings Gigabit like speeds to wireless with the right router. And let's not forget that coming later down the line is Wifi 6e for even faster speeds and lower latency.

Now, if you're online gaming and need ultra low latency I can appreciate your need for ethernet, but Wifi is catching it up fast and is very much more convenient for average folks.

The thinness of the 24" iMac enclosure has meant that the headphone socket goes on the side now (because the case physically now can't support an ethernet port or 3.5mm jack poking out the back) and people in this forum are crying about unsightly cables coming out the side when I think consumers will be using Bluetooth for headphones and perhaps even eternal speakers or sound bar if they really want such a setup.

For the hard core wired enthusiasts there's a range of Dongles - $20 for USB-C to Ethernet (and let's not forget that you can also purchase an external 10Gig connector if you really need even faster wired speeds but obviously you need a currently expensive 10gig network switch and cabling - do you have that? 2.5 Gig networking is cheaper and a bit faster), up to $100 for multi purpose USB-C hubs, or $200 for Thunderbolt hub, and you can even buy a USB-C DAC if you are really an audiophile.

 

[sublunar]

Who wants to watch a 24" TV from any sort of distance like you would have in a living room?

That looks like a bedroom in the picture.

 

[blairh]

I'll back @buckwheet on this - Apple is clearly looking at consumers who don't want unsightly cables about the place and use wifi. Most domestic situations will see the convenience of wifi beating running unsightly cables around the house from wherever the house router is.

Just look at the prevalence of Mesh wifi setups, range boosters and powerful routers these days. Just because YOUR use case demands ethernet it doesn't invalidate Apple's research which I'd wager suggests that a significant number of users are not using ethernet.

And it might have escaped your attention but Apple's M1 machines have Wifi 6 - which actually brings Gigabit like speeds to wireless with the right router. And let's not forget that coming later down the line is Wifi 6e for even faster speeds and lower latency.

Now, if you're online gaming and need ultra low latency I can appreciate your need for ethernet, but Wifi is catching it up fast and is very much more convenient for average folks.

The thinness of the 24" iMac enclosure has meant that the headphone socket goes on the side now (because the case physically now can't support an ethernet port or 3.5mm jack poking out the back) and people in this forum are crying about unsightly cables coming out the side when I think consumers will be using Bluetooth for headphones and perhaps even eternal speakers or sound bar if they really want such a setup.

For the hard core wired enthusiasts there's a range of Dongles - $20 for USB-C to Ethernet (and let's not forget that you can also purchase an external 10Gig connector if you really need even faster wired speeds but obviously you need a currently expensive 10gig network switch and cabling - do you have that? 2.5 Gig networking is cheaper and a bit faster), up to $100 for multi purpose USB-C hubs, or $200 for Thunderbolt hub, and you can even buy a USB-C DAC if you are really an audiophile.

WiFi 6/6e will achieve said speeds in optimal settings. However there are a variety of reasons why a wired ethernet connection is going to give you the faster speeds in comparison in most use cases. You also can include an ethernet port and simply not choose to use it. There is literally no reason not to offer such an option for your $1,300 base model machine without having to pay extra for it. (In the form of that horrific new power brick or an upgraded iMac model.)

Again, if I want to use wired computer speakers I now have to swallow having a cable sticking out from the side of the iMac (which is horrific). All done in the name of getting a desktop machine (that you'll never probably move) to be as thin as possible.

 

[klky]

I kinda like the white bezels, they are not as harch as black and the anodised frames are all light and bright colors so I think it’s a better fit. Besides, it wouldn’t be a new design if it looked like the previous iteration.

You’re right, white bezels do match these colors better. I guess its more the colors I’m not crazy about, although I’m sure many will love them.

 

[Michael Scrip]

The audio jack on the left side is gonna look really dumb when something is plugged into it.

I have some really nice Bose Speakers that I've been using for many years with my 2015 iMac. I guess I'll have to see if the sound on this new iMac is comparable but I somehow doubt it.

I'm thinking a lot of USB DACs will be sold to new iMac customers just so they can plug them into the USB ports on the back of the iMac for their speakers.