My Issue with the New iMacs...

[Bodhitree]

These are powerful, very unique looking devices that will no doubt serve their purpose for years to come, BUT... we're already halfway through the M1 processor cycle. As early as this summer we will most likely start seeing the M2 so this next gen MBP (and possibly MBA) will outperform the just released iMac just a few months after release... Thoughts?

Side note: I'm WELL AWARE that "something better is always around the corner". But that better thing is like RIGHT around the corner...

I don’t think we will start seeing Mac processor updates on a yearly cycle. Intel does that, and the Macs often skipped a generation to avoid having to change the hardware every year. So I believe Apple will establish a cadence that suits them, perhaps updating hardware revisions every two years, when the yearly updates to the A-series chips can be rolled into a large upgrade for the Mac.

It looks like there will be a new processor for larger iMacs, larger MBP, and a new option for the Mac Mini, but I don’t think the MBA and 24” iMac will see significant updates in the next year. It would be a very bad signal to send to obsolete products so quickly.

 

[crazyjorgito]

My question is, will Apple update the 24" M1 iMac with the new M1X (whatever is called) this year?

I want the 24" display size, but it seems like graphically, the M1X is going to be considerably more powerful. And If I buy right now this one i would feel pretty bad if there is an update in 6 months.

 

[coso]

My question is, will Apple update the 24" M1 iMac with the new M1X (whatever is called) this year?

I want the 24" display size, but it seems like graphically, the M1X is going to be considerably more powerful. And If I buy right now this one i would feel pretty bad if there is an update in 6 months.

It would be dumb to update it this year, it would piss off a lot of people. Must be spring 2022 at the earliest

 

[PeterJP]

Yeah, I’ll be keeping my 16” MBP until it gives up the ghost. Even if updates slow it down, the screen is amazing, and I doubt I’ll be spending this much on another laptop again.

Worth checking software/hardware compatibility if you’re going to be making music on an M1 - I notice NI’s Reaktor for example isn’t compatible, which is an issue for me. But on the plus side, some of the £3k’s worth of music apps I have might be!

I'm using Logic, so that's fine. But VSTs/AUs are another worry. Can Rosetta convert them so we can use them as usual? I honestly have no idea. I'm running plenty of Intel software on my M1 mini at work, but nothing critical like a DAW with plugins. I'll search on some music forums and see if I can get an answer before I order the 30" Apple silicon iMac, for sure.

 

[Fishrrman]

They just started shipping the m1 24" iMac.
There isn't going to be "a replacement" for it until mid-2022, at least...

 

[glenthompson]

These are powerful, very unique looking devices that will no doubt serve their purpose for years to come, BUT... we're already halfway through the M1 processor cycle. As early as this summer we will most likely start seeing the M2 so this next gen MBP (and possibly MBA) will outperform the just released iMac just a few months after release... Thoughts?

Side note: I'm WELL AWARE that "something better is always around the corner". But that better thing is like RIGHT around the corner...

For those of us that don’t want/need a large screen iMac the wait for the next generation M chip will be long. I also don’t need a large screen laptop. My MBA will suffice for my travel needs for a couple of more years at a minimum. As to performance, the M1 is 3x the single core and 6x the multi core performance of my MBA. I think it will be plenty for quite a few years.

 

[macintoshmac]

These are powerful, very unique looking devices that will no doubt serve their purpose for years to come, BUT... we're already halfway through the M1 processor cycle. As early as this summer we will most likely start seeing the M2 so this next gen MBP (and possibly MBA) will outperform the just released iMac just a few months after release... Thoughts?

Side note: I'm WELL AWARE that "something better is always around the corner". But that better thing is like RIGHT around the corner...

While this is purely Apple's way of doing business, ensuring that not all models are up-to-date at the same moment in time, but there are reasons such as availability of chipsets and production issues and quantity (considering/ not considering the pandemic) that go into such decisions as well. So, while this looks like they could do better, they probably cannot, but most likely do not want to as well. It is working for them adequately. People open their wallets to them whenever they release something, regardless of the fact that an update might be one quarter away.

 

[macintoshmac]

They just started shipping the m1 24" iMac.
There isn't going to be "a replacement" for it until mid-2022, at least...

The OP is probably talking about the fact that we might see MBPs with better chipsets in the Fall, and he contends that the iMac could well have been released at that point with the new chipsets from this year, not last year.

 

[PlayUltimate]

I typically purchase a device as close to release as possible so that I can emotionally lessen the “but in 6 months. . . “ mindset. That being said, this colorful iMac is not designed for pro users that need the latest and greatest. Most purchasers will continue to happily use it for years after purchase. I saw a professional at a local coworking still using a 10 year old iMac (had a DVD slot) the other day. I asked him about it and he said that it still did what he wanted it to do.
As others note, there is always something new around the corner. And just because something new comes out, that does not mean that the older device stops working.

 

[Freeangel1]

The M1, even on 8gb of RAM (you can see all the video reviews on YT) does literally everything. Even 8k video editing.

Have you done 8k editing on an 8GB M1 yourself?
I have seen at least 2 videos that show it can't be done.
Show me the proof?

 

[macintoshmac]

For those of us that don’t want/need a large screen iMac the wait for the next generation M chip will be long. I also don’t need a large screen laptop. My MBA will suffice for my travel needs for a couple of more years at a minimum. As to performance, the M1 is 3x the single core and 6x the multi core performance of my MBA. I think it will be plenty for quite a few years.

If it is the MBA in your signature, my own MBA 2017 is chugging along just fine for my needs! I suppose they might stop software support for it in 2022, and that is when I will get myself something from that time.

I only use it to type out content for my business, and occasional graphics work is handled through Affinity Publisher and Designer. This little computer is capable enough without keeping me waiting enough to think that I could do with a faster computer. It works perfectly fine for my needs even today.

I got this to replace my 2016 MBP 13 that I sold for various reasons (all related to Apple and that god-forsaken hardware and no, not the typing experience on the keyboard but the reliability was one issue). Since selling that computer in 2018, I got this used, display-piece MBA to replace that computer. 3 years and counting, I am as happy as I was on my 2011 MBP 15. I was never this satisfied on the 2016 MBP.

I would like to think that the m1 series computers will finally make people as happy as those computers did. The 2016-18 lineup was shameful in the least.

 

[joshwithachance]

I typically purchase a device as close to release as possible so that I can emotionally lessen the “but in 6 months. . . “ mindset. That being said, this colorful iMac is not designed for pro users that need the latest and greatest. Most purchasers will continue to happily use it for years after purchase. I saw a professional at a local coworking still using a 10 year old iMac (had a DVD slot) the other day. I asked him about it and he said that it still did what he wanted it to do.
As others note, there is always something new around the corner. And just because something new comes out, that does not mean that the older device stops working.

Oh I agree. But with this release being SO CLOSE, like literally just a few months, to the next gen M-series chip I know I would get buyers remorse so damn quick.

 

[matrix07]

there’s a very good chance that Apple’s laptop computers will outperform this desktop computer within 6 months.

Those laptops will be more expensive than this iMac with smaller screen.

 

[matrix07]

In three years, the new macOS will make M1 feel "laggy" and "choppy", if not outright "buggy".

This doesn't happen to my 2011 MBA. It feels fresh many years, not just 3, after I purchased it. M1 is even a leap on the CPU than the one in that MacBook.

 

[familychoice]

I'm using Logic, so that's fine. But VSTs/AUs are another worry. Can Rosetta convert them so we can use them as usual? I honestly have no idea. I'm running plenty of Intel software on my M1 mini at work, but nothing critical like a DAW with plugins. I'll search on some music forums and see if I can get an answer before I order the 30" Apple silicon iMac, for sure.

I haven’t got an M1 yet so can’t confirm, but checking the Native Instruments list (I use Komplete, and a Maschine Mk3, as well as Logic, Ableton and Reason) there are a couple of gaps in their VST’s. Reaktor’s an issue for many, as it’s a host in itself for hundreds of instruments.

The bonus is M1’s being able to run iOS apps, though I think they’re a bit hit and miss at the moment.

The Moog apps are free at the moment, if you don’t have them, and have an iOS device.

 

[esphil]

I typically purchase a device as close to release as possible so that I can emotionally lessen the “but in 6 months. . . “ mindset. That being said, this colorful iMac is not designed for pro users that need the latest and greatest. Most purchasers will continue to happily use it for years after purchase. I saw a professional at a local coworking still using a 10 year old iMac (had a DVD slot) the other day. I asked him about it and he said that it still did what he wanted it to do.
As others note, there is always something new around the corner. And just because something new comes out, that does not mean that the older device stops working.

I personally still use my 2010 iMac as my daily device, and I finally am upgrading it to this imac. I just built a very beefy windows desktop that is next to it with 32gb of ram and 8 cores. And I bought a i7 macbook pro last year. However I still use the iMac more than all of them. Its literally been running 24/7 since 2010 and the only thing I've done to it was replace the drive with a SSD. I've thought about if I should wait for the next one, but this one honestly needs to be replaced, and a i3 has not given me many issues over the years. It should be a big jump in performance.

 

[PeterJP]

I haven’t got an M1 yet so can’t confirm, but checking the Native Instruments list (I use Komplete, and a Maschine Mk3, as well as Logic, Ableton and Reason) there are a couple of gaps in their VST’s. Reaktor’s an issue for many, as it’s a host in itself for hundreds of instruments.

The bonus is M1’s being able to run iOS apps, though I think they’re a bit hit and miss at the moment.

The Moog apps are free at the moment, if you don’t have them, and have an iOS device.

Waoh, you just ruined my wife's weekend with that short last sentence!

Edit: Just to add some useful content to this post. When you say Reaktor's "not compatible", do you mean it's not supported native (but it might with Rosetta)? Or do you mean it just doesn't work at all?

 

[familychoice]

Waoh, you just ruined my wife's weekend with that short last sentence!

Edit: Just to add some useful content to this post. When you say Reaktor's "not compatible", do you mean it's not supported native (but it might with Rosetta)? Or do you mean it just doesn't work at all?

I think it’s more a Big Sur issue than M1, their list is here:

macOS 11 (Big Sur) Compatibility News

Apple has announced the release of macOS 11 (Big Sur) for November 12th, 2020. We are currently conducting systematic tests with the release version of macOS 11 (Big Sur) in order to offer full com...

support.native-instruments.com

Enjoy the Moog’s - very good synths, I paid about £20 each for them originally, so grab them while they’re free!

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Oh I agree. But with this release being SO CLOSE, like literally just a few months, to the next gen M-series chip I know I would get buyers remorse so damn quick.

Are you willing to wait an entire year for the current 24" iMacs to have an upgraded processor? Then wait. The chances are, this brand-new model won't be refreshed for quite a while.

The M1X (or whatever) that is expected in a few months will be going into higher-end configurations, not the entry-level models that have been released so far - the MBA and iMac models that still have Intel inside. If you want one of those higher-end models, then why are you even thinking about the 24" iMac that has just been released?

Typically, the 21.5" iMacs have not been available with higher-end configurations/chipsets - those have been available only in the 27" iMac. So again... are you waiting because you're just worried about chip-envy, or because you actually need a higher-end model anyway?

 

[PeterJP]

I think it’s more a Big Sur issue than M1, their list is here:

macOS 11 (Big Sur) Compatibility News

Apple has announced the release of macOS 11 (Big Sur) for November 12th, 2020. We are currently conducting systematic tests with the release version of macOS 11 (Big Sur) in order to offer full com...

support.native-instruments.com

Enjoy the Moog’s - very good synths, I paid about £20 each for them originally, so grab them while they’re free!

The NI site also explicitly says their software is not currently supported on M1. So I'll need to be pretty careful. Not too many plug-ins I'm using at the moment, but there's the worry if it'll be compatible as I expand.

Just found this: https://www.macprovideo.com/article/ipad-2/using-ipad-synths-in-logic-pro-x. It explains how to use an iPad softsynth as an external instrument in Logic. The trick is to add a MIDI interface to your iPad, so it should also work with NI.

 

[familychoice]

The NI site also explicitly says their software is not currently supported on M1. So I'll need to be pretty careful. Not too many plug-ins I'm using at the moment, but there's the worry if it'll be compatible as I expand.

Just found this: https://www.macprovideo.com/article/ipad-2/using-ipad-synths-in-logic-pro-x. It explains how to use an iPad softsynth as an external instrument in Logic. The trick is to add a MIDI interface to your iPad, so it should also work with NI.

Yeah I just record them in at the moment via IDAM as digital audio. I’ll checkout proper plugin hosting when I order an M1.

I also use my MIDI sequencers via Bluetooth, which is useful for recording arps and chords. Just about to buy the new Chordjam app, which looks really good for generating MIDI chord sequences.

 

[Serban55]

Consumers and the pro know what they need
So, if a consumer needs an 24” imac, he will get this one..until next year is a long way and the diff between m1 and m2 is marginal
If they want a portable consumer mac, then its a bit tricky since the m2 mba can come in novemeber, but still, portable mac and not an desktop
Who want an mbp they will not buy at this moment the m1, they already did bought it last year , or they wait for the new one with more ram ,ports and display support

 

[Racineur]

there is always a faster cpu on the horizon.

 

[Racineur]

And I said that to a friend with whom I had this discussion many times: "Don't ever buy a computer. Buy nothing actually. Sit on your couch in front of the TV and wait until 2080 at least when Quantum computing will be the norm and you'll be able to transform a photo before even taking it". Then he asked me to stop being sarcastic. I said : "No!".

 

[ravinder08]

This is the correct response to the OP's question

Are you willing to wait an entire year for the current 24" iMacs to have an upgraded processor? Then wait. The chances are, this brand-new model won't be refreshed for quite a while.

The M1X (or whatever) that is expected in a few months will be going into higher-end configurations, not the entry-level models that have been released so far - the MBA and iMac models that still have Intel inside. If you want one of those higher-end models, then why are you even thinking about the 24" iMac that has just been released?

Typically, the 21.5" iMacs have not been available with higher-end configurations/chipsets - those have been available only in the 27" iMac. So again... are you waiting because you're just worried about chip-envy, or because you actually need a higher-end model anyway?
Perfect answer to the OP's question