Report: Apple Silicon iMac Featuring Desktop Class 'A14T' Chip Coming First Half of 2021

[bklement]

I'm a little surprised the Mac mini isn't going ARM early on given its lower usage in the home and industry. Sounds like a good and fairly low-impact early product for this. They have some balls to begin with laptops of all things!

Lots of minis are used as build servers for ios. "The industry" is bigger than effecting 4k videos.

 

[Hypnoswan]

I assume this will be the 24 inch and the 27 inch replacement won’t come for another full year or so. I’m also trying to decide which to get. It would certainly be nice to be able to run boot camp on an Intel 5k iMac.

I assume this will be the 24 inch and the 27 inch replacement won’t come for another full year or so. I’m also trying to decide which to get. It would certainly be nice to be able to run boot camp on an Intel 5k iMac.

I am also thinking of upgrading my aging 27 iMac before the ARM ones come out but unclear whether suggestion is new 27 inch coming before ARM versions

 

[bklement]

Yeah tough time to be buying a Mac.. you don't want to be Gen 1, but you don't want to be left in the dust on the last version of Intel either.

What's all this fuss with gen1? The cpu's are already proven for years in ipads, so they are not gen1's, all the problems should come from arm macos being gen1, which will be upgradeable and gradually fixed.

 

[SubduedTiger]

I want that mockup in my world right meow. It looks so accurate.

 

[hellosil]

Wait! My savings for the Apple Silicon iMac 27" aren't ready until fall 2021 😅

 

[manu chao]

I wonder how the release schedule for the A series chips will affect the updates of the Mac lineup. As the A series are used in the yearly refreshed iPhones and iPads they come out - surprise surprise - every year but will this mean that the Macs will be refreshed yearly or will they be more spaced out.

Apple currently uses five different mobile processors in its laptops (even after ignoring differently clocked processors): MBA, 2-port 13" MBP, 4-port 13" MBP, 6-core 16" MBP, 8-core 16" MBP. The latter two are pretty similar processors, though, mainly differing in the number of cores.

Ignoring the question whether Apple would want to offer the same A-series processors with different clock speeds, Apple at the very least needs two different mobile processors to justify price differences between a MBA and a 16" MBP and possibly even more to differentiate between a 13" MBA and a 13" MBP. It is thus likely that Apple will initially suffer a bit from having not enough differentiation betweeen its laptop lines on the processor side, since I don't think they'll start with more than two Mac laptop processors. Maybe they actually put the 'plain' A14 (with more RAM) into a MBA, the A14X in a 13/14" MBP and maybe even the A14T both into the 16" MBP and a 24" iMac.

 

[bklement]

Might be because they’ve already announced a developer version of that so there would be less WOW factor with a release for it. They’d go for iMac or MacBook I think.

I expect any new mac mini to be smaller, somewhere between the current size and the apple tv.

 

[PlayUltimate]

Early next year may be about the right time to replace my 2017 27" iMac.

 

[J.J. Sefton]

*JJ Sefton strokes chin contemplatively*

 

[fivenotrump]

I wonder if there will be a price point drop as the chips are cheaper than Intel?

Wait for the rev B model. Always.

some of us are more adventurous

 

[-BigMac-]

I like the redesign, but honestly, will miss Boot Camp.
I like Mac AND Windows. Not having windows might be a deal breaker for me, I love MacOS but I do dabble gaming every now and then

 

[fivenotrump]

And z from the a12z stands for what?

zettaflops

 

[Chompineer]

Yeah tough time to be buying a Mac.. you don't want to be Gen 1, but you don't want to be left in the dust on the last version of Intel either.

The dust of working software and usable bootcamp?

 

[PsykX]

What's all this fuss with gen1? The cpu's are already proven for years in ipads, so they are not gen1's, all the problems should come from arm macos being gen1, which will be upgradeable and gradually fixed.

Couldn't agree more.

The chip itself is actually their 11th generation.
macOS, will indeed be their 1st-Gen Arm desktop OS.

 

[Elijen]

I wonder if there will be a price point drop as the chips are cheaper than Intel?

Wait for the rev B model. Always.

No.

1) It's Apple
2) They need to recover R&D cost
3) It will be much faster than Intel
4) It's Apple

 

[randian]

Give us a 32" iMac!!!

Indeed. I won't be buying an Apple Silicon iMac until a 27", or preferably a 32", unit is available to replace my 2017 27" iMac.

 

[Xavier]

Oh man, it's going to be an expensive year for me!

 

[TheralSadurns]

Can’t decide whether to order a MacBook (Air or Pro) now or wait.

Even if I did order today, wait times even for stock models are up to 4 weeks in the UK, minimum 2.

Now is LITERALLY the worst time to order any MacBook. Most of them are like 1+ year old etc.. At LEAST wait exactly ONE month... for Black Friday. If nothing happens until then... you'll at least get decent discounts!!!

 

[Logic368]

"T" for "Turbo"?

My bet is on “Titan”... or “Tabletop”? Haha

 

[guzhogi]

I'll believe it when I see it.

I hope that it gets a nice 144hz display

Would be nice. 240Hz would be nicer, but seriously doubt it.

Also would like to see FaceID and TouchID builtin.

I'd also like to see the iMac turn into something like the Microsoft Surface Studio. Moveable touch screen with Apple Pencil support. Would help with graphic artists. And Big Sur allows iPad apps on Macs, a touchscreen would help.

 

[Reason077]

It stands for Tonga. Lifuka is an island of Tonga.

Are you sure it doesn't stand for Taiwan? Mount Jade is in Taiwan, not Tonga. And Tonga is the codename of the A14X, not the A14T.

 

[matrix07]

My bet is on “Titan”... or “Tabletop”? Haha

Terminator.

 

[skogkatt]

I can't stand this wait any longer

 

[predation]

And I’m sitting here staring at my unopened MacBook Pro. 😂

Good thing Costco has a 90 day return policy. Will patiently wait until ARM is unveiled. I have until dec 15th to return.

 

[MysticCow]

WAIT...if I'm looking at the graphic correctly, Apple Integrated Graphics are only going to be in the iMac and NOT the MacBook Not Pro?

Something doesn't smell right here...