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So many people will be disappointed they 'didn't wait' when this appears.

So many people on the other hand had the chance to get a working M1 system for half a year already. There’s always a better spec around with the next update, that’s to be expected.
 
I hope the bigger imac will have more ports. I mean a desktop shouldn't have to compromise on ports. sd card atleast?

Totally related to the chip production story.
But yes more ports are nice on stationary computers.
 
But cores and RAM DO affect performance. And that's why some professionals, whose work is dependent on those specs, DO care about them.

Even in Apple-only discussion, you see lots of people here posting that they are waiting for 32GB RAM and higher.

Your paragraph is one huge No-True Scotsman post.
The conversation changes a bit, I think, when you start talking about actual devices being made, though. If the top end Mac that Apple is selling comes with 12 cores and 32 gigs, and that’s IT (and it does all of their work considerably faster than the Mac they have, of course) then they can care about RAM and cores. They can have ALL the cares in the world. Won’t change anything though.

They NEED 64 cores? Then, they NEED… another system made by another vendor. :) Apple could lose every single customer that NEEDS 64 cores today and it wouldn’t even show up as a percentage of a blip. Wait, does Apple make anything with 64 cores? So, 0% subtracted from 100 issss…
 
But cores and RAM DO affect performance. And that's why some professionals, whose work is dependent on those specs, DO care about them.

Even in Apple-only discussion, you see lots of people here posting that they are waiting for 32GB RAM and higher.

Your paragraph is one huge No-True Scotsman post.
Then I suggest you re read it my post. It specifically mentions performance and the requirements of the user. So RAM and Cores MAY affect performance, but the ultimate criterion is whether the set up will perform the task the user requires of it, whereas I'm afraid many seem to quote Cores and RAM as a mantra outside of what their main criterion is for doing the job they are buying the computer for.
 
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You get the speed gains from a limited amount of RAM with the processor. If you want 64 GB RAM, and there are people who want that, or if you want 1.5 TB of RAM, and Apple has actual customers who bought that, you get most of the speed gains with a small (8 to 16 GB) amount of RAM on the chip. It's called a "cache". The 8 or 16 GB that are the complete RAM on an M1 will be an enormous L3 cache on the high-end chip.

What makes M1 fast is that it has unified memory on the chip, not that it has no non-unified memory outside the chip. Apple decided that M1 is low-end, so they could get away with excluding the hardware to access memory outside the chip, and live with a 16 GB limit instead. For a high-end chip, limiting RAM to what fits on the chip is an absolute NO. Doubling the on-chip memory to 32 GB wouldn't be enough for a high-end chip.
There are swaths of markets where Apple doesn’t currently compete. I’m guessing that number may increase. There’s a LOT more money in consumers hands than there are professionals hands.
 
Interesting development that will affect Apple and could affect any owner of comparatively new computing equipment. Spain has now increased the manufacturers guarantee to THREE YEARS, which for me is how it should be! No doubt the EU will follow suit, and it will be difficult for Apple and others to give a three year warranty to some consumers and not others.

There is also more emphasis on right to repair, which at present does not include computers, but where its likely to in the near future.

That would in my opinion mean doing away with glued screens in favour of more accessible ones, and for me that would also potentially do away with ANY bezels, as if the case wrapped round just 3-4mm then if access was from the rear of the computer via screws, it would do away with bezels and hopefully rid the nightmare of ungluing screens, using suction caps etc., in favour of easier access with the screen going into the case first with the rest of the computer in the back of the case, with that being screwed in place.
 
Correct. It's part of the package, but not part of the silicon die on which the CPU/GPU cores and other gubbins live.

You can see why the M1 is limited to 16GB. Until the individual chips with >8GB capacity are widely (and cheaply) available, the maximum RAM is limited to 16GB by the size of the SoC package.

It follows that the next gen M2 will need to be significantly larger in order to have 32GB or more RAM, or use a newer smaller generation of RAM chips.
In a System on a Chip design, memory is one of the functional components that have to reside on chip. So, academically, that entire package, RAM included is the “Chip” in System on a Chip.
 
The M1 MBA and MBP replaced the entry-level Intel models that also had only two TB3 ports and up to 16GB of RAM, so no reduction there. However, the previous Intel models could support 2 external displays, so it is true that they lost that capability.
The M1 mini loses TB3 ports compared to the i3 it 'replaces' and loses a supported external display.

The M1 iMac loses between 2 and 4 USB3 ports compared to the 21.5" and loses a supported external display.

Overall, the M1 Macs have reduced/worse I/O. The machines that had minimal I/O initially are the least affected - but they are still affected.

I also wouldn't say that the capabilities were deliberately "gimped";
I'm not necessarily saying the changes were a deliberate design goal. But they were apparently an acceptable trade-off for Apple.

All I'm saying is, let's get back to what we had (or have, for those of us with Intel models still) before worrying about ridiculous core counts. This applies to more than I/O - the memory limit is quite low too - the i3 mini supported 4x what the m1 mini supports.

Again - I understand they're entry level machines. But so were the machines they replaced, and they're still worse-off in various ways.

So why are they finding it so difficult to implement display support? Even ancient QuickDraw Macs seemed to work well with multiple screens.
Again, I didn't say it was a difficulty for them. I'm talking about what is being shipped, vs what it replaced, not the reasons. It could be deliberate, to differentiate from future pro models. It could be about engineering priorities. It could be about the time requires to scale out various aspects of a SoC.

I don't care really what the reason is.


One company has got an 80 core ARM chip running already.
Great. Good for them. But do you really think "80 cores" is the most important milestone apple should be aiming for next, when their current M1 has worse external display support than a i3 Intel from 3 years ago?
 
It could definitely use a little more multi-core performance for multithreaded workloads. And it definitely needs to support more RAM. And the GPU needs beefing up. But it’s a fantastic processor that covers the needs of 95% of the market.
I think the number is closer to like 98%, but your point is well taken.

M1 should do the trick for the vast majority of users.

That's good, because I have a feeling the Pro machines are going to see some price jumps.
 
Apart from the black edge to the monitor, the previous 2008 24in. design in my opinion is better than the new 24in.
but incorporating thinner new 24in. iMac but based on the older design, it would not now need the black edges or white or black bezels at all as the screen is kept in by the wrap around casing.
My dad has that computer and it still works! Insane. I was actually a bit surprised with how large the chin in on the new 24” iMac.
 
The M1 mini loses TB3 ports compared to the i3 it 'replaces' and loses a supported external display.

The M1 iMac loses between 2 and 4 USB3 ports compared to the 21.5" and loses a supported external display.

Overall, the M1 Macs have reduced/worse I/O. The machines that had minimal I/O initially are the least affected - but they are still affected.


I'm not necessarily saying the changes were a deliberate design goal. But they were apparently an acceptable trade-off for Apple.

All I'm saying is, let's get back to what we had (or have, for those of us with Intel models still) before worrying about ridiculous core counts. This applies to more than I/O - the memory limit is quite low too - the i3 mini supported 4x what the m1 mini supports.

Again - I understand they're entry level machines. But so were the machines they replaced, and they're still worse-off in various ways.


Again, I didn't say it was a difficulty for them. I'm talking about what is being shipped, vs what it replaced, not the reasons. It could be deliberate, to differentiate from future pro models. It could be about engineering priorities. It could be about the time requires to scale out various aspects of a SoC.

I don't care really what the reason is.



Great. Good for them. But do you really think "80 cores" is the most important milestone apple should be aiming for next, when their current M1 has worse external display support than a i3 Intel from 3 years ago?

I agree with you! Display support is clearly not good enough as you have demonstrated.

(edited to include 'not')
 
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I agree with you! Display support is clearly good enough as you have demonstrated.
I dunno if you missed out the word "not", or are being sarcastic, or didn't understand my post, but display support is definitely not good enough.
 
think M1x seems more realistic I don't think they jump to M2 But will see I guess. 14 inch pro will be tempting.
 
think M1x seems more realistic I don't think they jump to M2 But will see I guess. 14 inch pro will be tempting.
This is all assuming the M moniker isn’t specifically going to be used for the low end/iPad Pro.

A previous interview at WWDC with Apple’s chip lead made it clear they’re developing a “family” of chips. So it’s entirely possible that the true Pro devices may have a different line entirely (in terms of naming) like the “P1” processor.
 
This is where Apple is going to find their profit margin, with the markup for a new 16-inch MacBook Pro and/or 27-inch iMac. The M1 is the equivalent of an "end-cap" of the aisle item, the thing that is on sale to get you into the aisle and spend real money. I still think the M1 will be the better deal in terms of performance per dollar.
 
The M1 RAM is only "on the chip" in the sense that it is on the same package. It it not on the same die as the CPU & GPU cores in the way that L2 (& usually L3) cache is. I'm not sure if it correct to call the LPDDR4 RAM "L3 cache" - AFAIK it behaves exactly the same as ordinary DDR4 RAM, interfacing with memory controllers on the silicon die but with both the same package, which shortens the connection paths and no doubt speeds things up.
It becomes "L3 cache" when you combine 8GB or 16GB of the current fast RAM with 64GB or more of traditional RAM. It becomes "cache" by adding something that is slower :)
 
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Well, let Apple to name it as they wish. What I would like to know if new chip is Armv8 or Armv9. Guess it will be Armv8, and Armv9will be for real M2.
 
Maybe Apple is rewriting the rules of the game by making it so that I don’t have to eat so much to begin with?
I lol'd at this. But if it's true, then does it mean that I can't have pie anymore?
I am still trying to figure out how exactly the M1 chip works, but it seems that it allows PCs to make do with fewer ram what would we would normally be accustomed to. Apple seems to be pretty good when it comes to managing this sort of bottlenecks.
This sounds like my own assessment.

This is my purchase parameter too. If the next-gen chip (whatever it's called) can get very close or beat the Radeon 5600M in the top-end MBP16, and have approx 50% better CPU performance than the 8-core i9, but in a 14" body, I'll probably buy it.

This is quite a tall order I think - making an integrated GPU match or beat the best available dedicated mobile GPU - but if they do it, it would be a great achievement.
But like others have said, aren't you just using your old benchmarks to decide what you want in today's technology?

I mean, back in 1985 I would never have entertained driving a car with an engine having less than 5.0 displacement and 8 cylinders.

But since then, I've driven plenty of speedsters with 4 or 6 cylinders. In EVERY case, they outperformed my old Trans Am, in every important benchmark. Speed, handling, cost to operate, and most importantly: Reliability.

Maybe defining ARM in the light of Radeons and Geforces is not as helpful as looking at the performance, reliability, and cost to operate at the user's end of the technology.
 
Well, let Apple to name it as they wish. What I would like to know if new chip is Armv8 or Armv9. Guess it will be Armv8, and Armv9will be for real M2.
That’s assuming Apple isn’t going with their own ISA. It appears that’s what they’ve been doing for years and just make it appear to be Armvwhatever.
 
That’s assuming Apple isn’t going with their own ISA. It appears that’s what they’ve been doing for years and just make it appear to be Armvwhatever.
As a part of their license, the processor must support the entire ISA. HOWEVER, that license was updated in the last few years (can’t find the article now) indicating that licensees can ADD any instructions they like, as long as they adhere to the formal ISA. So, there could be an instruction there, but, if Apple creates an improved custom one that works better for their OS’s, they’re free to have their compiler compile to that.
 
Because if it's not cheaper it has to offer something to justify giving up portability.
The 24" iMac offers simplicity. As an AIO, buyers needn't make a bunch of decisions and buy an array of different components all plugged together with various cables.

Why that may not provide any value to you, it does to enough people that I expect this will sell pretty well.

With the adapter it requires the exact same assembly steps.
Huh? Makes no sense.

imac: Power adapter to wall, power adapter to iMac. Done.

Mini: power cord from mini to wall. Monitor power cord to wall. Video cable connect between monitor and mini. Connect speaker wires to mini. Attach web cam to monitor, connect cable to mini.

Not the exact same assembly steps at all.


Yes, that's why I am calling it just a ploy to effectively raise prices.
Not sure I follow?

2019 base 21.5 iMac 4K was $1299 and had a slow 5400rpm spindle drive.
2021 base 21.5 iMac is $1299 with larger 4.5K display and internal SSD.

Which price was raised?
 
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