M1 iMac Configurations and Pricing Breakdown

[antonrg]

Ive also designed some stinkers. His talents are world class, but he hit a wall with apple and needed to move on.

Forcing new products and branding to be “Ive compliant” wasn’t moving anything forward, and really just forced apple products to exist within a narrowing set parameters based on Ive’s precidents.

I don’t know who is heading product design now. (I hope it is a woman and/or person of color) but they are doing a bang up job. We are slowly leaving Ive’s design language and adopting something a bit friendlier that doesn’t put too many demands on thinness of products. Also, these new products are not nostalgic throwbacks either. It’s new and inviting.

Be brave. Put the yellow iMac on your desk.

With all due respect, the person leading a design team should be chosen based on their merit and skill and not on their gender or race. But that's another subject for another forum, not here.

As for the current direction of products, not everyone finds orange and other colours brave or new. To some people less hysteria (and that's how I would describe these designs) on their work desk is a better option. Ive knows how to create a product that adds value without distractions. Steve saw that. Having said that, I do like the designs of iPads (Pro and Air) and iPhone 12 models.

 

[RammyXX]

You're missing the point.

Hah, no I don't.
You pedantically pointed out one thing that Jony Ive during his 27 years at Apple did not design as well. I am not taking you seriously enough to continue this conversation. Bye!

 

[antonrg]

Ah you mean all those amazing products Ive designed such as the iPhone 4 with the non-working antenna?

The no-screen iPod Shuffle that Apple quickly discontinued since people didn't care for not being able to see what song was playing or choose which song to play? Ive designed it.

The iPod nano with the easy to scratch screens?

The sunflower iMac (while beautiful and innovative) with the wobbly screen that Ive just couldn't get to work right even after a few generations?

The PowerMac G4 MDD with the extreme noisy fans that were easily heard all around the Apple stores?

The iPod Hifi that Apple couldn't even sell so the immediately discontinued it?

How about the Trash Can Mac Pro. Another amazingly beautiful and useless Ive innovation.

It's also interesting how for many years while Ive was at Apple that people right here complained how Apple is so obsessed with THINNESS but those were design choices by Ive.

Nobody is perfect, but Ive has created far more revolutionary designs that other companies copied and copy to this day... Design has always been a central focus of Apple's identity. He delivered it.

 

[Maconplasma]

Is there a reason as to why I cannot find a Red imac.
Only tried viewing via incoming e-mail today.

Pink is available, where is new Red M1 imac please.

t.i.a

The Pink one is Red on the back. 😉

 

[neilw]

Is the original question regarding the option of an extended numeric keypad? If so, the article mentions it, though no pricing yet available. I'm sorry barbs were traded over something as easy to clarify as this.

I wonder how much they'll charge for the numerical keypad?

I'm guessing £30?

In the US it's $30.

Follow these links to the full pricing pages for each iMac model. The keyboard upgrade info is in there.

• Entry-level iMac
• Mid-range iMac
• High-end iMac

 

[The Cockney Rebel]

Ive also designed some stinkers. His talents are world class, but he hit a wall with apple and needed to move on.

Forcing new products and branding to be “Ive compliant” wasn’t moving anything forward, and really just forced apple products to exist within a narrowing set parameters based on Ive’s precidents.

I don’t know who is heading product design now. (I hope it is a woman and/or person of color) but they are doing a bang up job. We are slowly leaving Ive’s design language and adopting something a bit friendlier that doesn’t put too many demands on thinness of products. Also, these new products are not nostalgic throwbacks either. It’s new and inviting.

Be brave. Put the yellow iMac on your desk.

Why do you hope it’s “a woman and/or person of color”?

 

[bandrews]

Nobody is perfect, but Ive has created far more revolutionary designs that other companies copied and copy to this day... Design has always been a central focus of Apple's identity. He delivered it.

I'm honestly curious as to what about these iMacs is distinctly different from what Ive might design?
Is your "hysteria" purely down to the colours? I'm sure they'll release an iMac Pro in professional and manly black.

 

[Maconplasma]

Nobody is perfect, but Ive has created far more revolutionary designs that other companies copied and copy to this day... Design has always been a central focus of Apple's identity. He delivered it.

Nothing in my previous post stated that Ive wasn't a good designer. Of course he was amazing but certain people here are putting him on pedestal of Living Perfection and he's had a good share of blunders that have embarrassed Apple. Let's be real about it. What I tend to see on this forum is when someone is gone from Apple they tend to live in the past as if Apple is suddenly a company that makes crap products now that their "savior" no longer exists in the company. Perfect example, the famous nonsensical line here of "Steve Would've Never Done That".

 

[DanTSX]

Why do you hope it’s “a woman and/or person of color”?

🤷🏼

Yeah I forgot where I was going with that. 🤣

 

[enigmatut]

This is how I read the configurable options as well.

It seems like the base model is going to be configurable with ethernet, similar to the touch id keyboard.

Seems to be a hotly debated topic here about "gigabit ethernet" being configurable on the base model, as if perhaps by default it comes with ... 100MB Ethernet?
I think it's a safe assumption that "Configurable with Gigabit Ethernet" means no ethernet by default, which likely means there are two versions of the power brick (one with an ethernet port and one without).

 

[JJSantoro]

That is one ugly machine. The huge bezels are still there and that huge chin at the bottom. Why not all screen? Where is the 27 incher or the 30 incher?

 

[ForkHandles]

Curious - why you would get this instead of what you have? Sound similar.

I won’t be buying one because, as you say, it’s a very similar spec. This new iMac is a cheaper configuration, much better value for money than a mini plus 5K display plus new keyboard plus trackpad.

 

[Hexley]

The chin on the iMac is fine. It's been that way for years. At least it's fully justified since it carries all the electronics, cooling system and speakers. Unlike these ugly Thinkpads with a huge chin at the bottom of the screen which is completely Unjustified. At least Apple continues to innovate the iMac. These Thinkpads are never innovated year after year and they are just as pricey as Macs.

View attachment 1761396

I think the design is ugly because it's more than 2/3rds cheaper than the $999 Macbook Air.

Beautiful design does cost money... while ugly design can be done by people with a skill set of a free intern.

 

[Maconplasma]

With all due respect, the person leading a design team should be chosen based on their merit and skill and not on their gender or race. But that's another subject for another forum, not here.

As for the current direction of products, not everyone finds orange and other colours brave or new. To some people less hysteria (and that's how I would describe these designs) on their work desk is a better option. Ive knows how to create a product that adds value without distractions. Steve saw that. Having said that, I do like the designs of iPads (Pro and Air) and iPhone 12 models.

I don't know how long you've been aware of Apple and it's products but Ive and Jobs certainly felt that customers found colors to be brave, new and exciting which is why the iMacs of the past came in rainbow colors and were very successful. These new ones are not exactly my cup of tea but they will sell immensely. To be frank about it, most people over the age of millennials not exactly Apple's target here. I think they are really trying to separate the consumer line from the Pro line which has always been a grey area with Apple products. Perfect example the M1 Air vs. the M1 MacBook Pro. People are still confused if the Pro is even worth it. Not enough separation between the two for an easy choice.

 

[mattopotamus]

I think the better value is a Mac mini with your choice of displays or even a MacBook Air. I was really hoping this would have been more around the $1099 price point, this is essentially a permanently docked iPad Pro. And the external power brick is not going to be popular in education.

That is my exact thought. It is really hard to buy this over a MacBook Air and my own display, plus you get the portability aspect. 24" is just too small IMO.

 

[STC1709]

Well, there you go. Was waiting for this announcement to make the final call on what to replace my 2009 imac with, and as I thought it will be a mid range mac mini M1. I like the oversized ipad pro look, but the prices just don't make sense. And that many pixels in a 24" screen is overkill.

Im in the exact same spot as you with an 09 and thats how im feeling and leaning

 

[neilw]

Seems to be a hotly debated topic here about "gigabit ethernet" being configurable on the base model, as if perhaps by default it comes with ... 100MB Ethernet?

Nothing to debate. From this page:

 

[enigmatut]

In the US it's $30.

Follow these links to the full pricing pages for each iMac model. The keyboard upgrade info is in there.

• Entry-level iMac
• Mid-range iMac
• High-end iMac

Hot damn, good find. Hahah, took me way too long to figure out where to expand the keyboard option and see price, but more useful (to me) is the actual pic of the numeric keypad version when you click "Which keyboard is right for you?"

 

[Bonte]

The 24" with a power adapter of 143W...that means apple is thinking way ahead with the next M3 M4 chips that will require that power or they created 1 power adapter for the 24" and for the bigger 30" imac ?!

Great observation. The iMacs use a new magnetic connection to easily switch locations so it seems logical that all of these power bricks have the same specs for as long as possible. All of the newer Macs will have these but I'm not sure if they are powerful enough for a real Mac Pro machine.

 

[antonrg]

I'm honestly curious as to what about these iMacs is distinctly different from what Ive might design?
Is your "hysteria" purely down to the colours? I'm sure they'll release an iMac Pro in professional and manly black.

As a proud owner of MacBook in rose gold, an iMac, several iPhones in rose gold, white, gold, black and silver, I would say that "manly black" is the least of my concerns when I shop for a product. The previous models look high-end, expensive, they fit in every setting and interior. Whereas the new models look very restricted. There is only so much you can do with an orange computer at home or at an office. And this is just about the look and visual design of the machine. I think the tech part has been covered by other members of the forum extensively.

 

[jaybar]

Thinking of a new iMac. Currently we have a 2017 27 5K. 16GB RAM. 512GB SSD. To date we have used 120GB of storage things are reasonably responsive. Memory pressure is never an issue.

it is unlikely that our desk (small) can accommodate a 30 inch plus iMac that is rumored.

we do fairly non taxing stuff. MS word. Quicken, internet browsing, YouTube. We don’t stream, but might.

The two essential things are MS office and ability to log into my work computer, using VMWare horizon.

what iMac is best? 2021 or 2020 5K? Accessing work is not an issue with my current 2017 iMac. Running Big Sur.

 

[FranzMarc]

That is my exact thought. It is really hard to buy this over a MacBook Air and my own display, plus you get the portability aspect. 24" is just too small IMO.

I would prefer that as well, but have a hard time finding a display that is not just cheap plastic, looks nice, has decent sound, a webcam and usb-c.

Maybe they'll indeed launch a decent standalone display sometime this year that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.

 

[Pugly]

Now that everything is consolidating on an M1 chip, the big price differentiator is the display... It's crazy that you get the same basic computer now in 3 different price categories. A 16GB 1TB MacBook Air is $1649 and the mini is $1299...

Is the display/keyboard/mouse worth $600 over the mini? Is the 2 more ports, touch ID and ethernet worth $200?... yikes. The Intel cpu differences helped make the iMacs worth their extra cost... now you have to really love the design... the colors probably go a long way towards that.

 

[DanTSX]

I don't know how long you've been aware of Apple and it's products but Ive and Jobs certainly felt that customers found colors to be brave, new and exciting which is why the iMacs of the past came in rainbow colors and were very successful. These new ones are not exactly my cup of tea but they will sell immensely. To be frank about it, most people over the age of millennials not exactly Apple's target here. I think they are really trying to separate the consumer line from the Pro line which has always been a grey area with Apple products. Perfect example the M1 Air vs. the M1 MacBook Pro. People are still confused if the Pro is even worth it. Not enough separation between the two for an easy choice.

The alternative color iMacs never really sold well. People would revert to the bondi blue when presented with choices. Then would later opt for the special edition grey or “snow” whites once those were out. The green, purple, orange and pink ones say around forever until you’d get some lady that would have to have everything in her life pink or purple or whatever and based her computer decision on that. The Dalmatian sold well as it was funky but the flower power was a tough sell.


I see Steve as a “take the one color I chose for you, or leave it” type of guy, rather than one to celebrate multiple color choices. He probably hated any choice in colors. If I’m not mistaken, didn’t he have his personal apple devices sometimes made up in colors to his own spec?

 

[Donfor39]

The Pink one is Red on the back. 😉

Not required, considering for myself.

Sky Blue is next choice then, as I've exhausted Silver ios devices.

Need to consider if this makes my 11" ipad pro redundant, and if I'll make use of imac.

Thanks