My parents usage and typical "general user" usage - one browser tab, maybe word/pages and mail. That is all. I do not know when this trend started where something isn't able to open "200 tabs".
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The latest iMac is a pitiful computer
- Thread starter Kung gu
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I completely agree. By the time I need to get more RAM, just getting a new computer would be a FAR greater advantage than just putting in more RAM. I JUST NOW got to PCIe 3 (yes....3), NVMe drives, built in USB 3.1 and more on my gaming computer since my old computer was still running just fine with a GTX 1080.I've been using Mac's for year's professionally and I've yet to have issue with 8GB on a 13". A 16" MBP (more likely a PC) I'd be looking at 16Gb/32GB depending on the project. Even one of my far older 8GB 13"s (2014) could handle 10 virtual desktops fully populated with the Memory Pressure occasionally just clipping into the yellow.
People sweat on this far too much, by the time the SSD is done the Mac in question will be near redundant. Same 2014 13" was repurposed as a HTPC/media server years ago, it must have countless terabyte's of writes on the internal SSD with the failure of the drive being not remotely on the radar.
As for pricing I think is fair for what you now get with M1, not bargain priced mind nor is Apple noted for being so. Apple has always been "cheap" regarding RAM & storage. Forcing upgrade's with excessive margins on those that do have need. Bottom line is if you need more you'll likely know so.
Is very simple to me; if the Mac/PC doesn't do what I need or I consider it a bottleneck I'd just replace it. This Asus ROG notebook was rerolled as a workstation with 32GB for purpose, I stand by what I said average user is fine with 8GB as the OS is far more efficient now. Think about it 🤔 Apple is all about the user experience, if 8GB negatively impacted that experience, Apple would bump up the RAM, potentially the price and it may.
Apple in many respects is correct; just buy your Mac, use and enjoy it, don't get into all the scare mongering. Vast majority of my Mac's have been no issue and they've all been thrashed on engineering projects from the sub artic to the jungles of Papua Ne Guinea. Sure Apple has royally screwed up at time's and does it's level best to avoid any responsibility until faced with court action that it can not possibly win or defend. Had a few myself and continue to retain one of the notoriously ill fated 2011 15" MBP's with the auto destruct Radeon dGPU, yet despite all the abuse it continues to run, stock HW and never clean installed. At this point in time it's just an exercise in curiosity as to how long it will last 😆 Like all in life, there's good & bad in all
A long time ago I ceased using system monitors and the likes. If I think the design is solid I'll move forward, if I think the design is flawed I'll avoid. M1 is the first Mac since 2015 as we need portables and the 2016 design was hopeless and only went on to prove it's unreliability...
Is my M1 MBP perfect? No it remains port constrained and has other HW/SW issues multiple display's etc. and Big Sur is what it is. Are the current M1's a poor design no. I strongly suspect that they will be prove to be some of the most reliable of the MBP line as the chassis is now well tried and proven. 2nd Gen M1X/M2 I'll skip as will be a new chassis and display technology. Apple can be overly ambitious & arrogant as we know all too well, 3rd Gen we'll see.
I think Apple is listening as the 2013 Trash Can Mac Pro and the 2016 MacBook Pro were lacking to say the very least and Apple very much needs that professional user endorsement, equally Apple has to deliver. Overall I think the future for the Mac is bright...
Q-6
While I have used these technologies on Macs, it is incredible performance improvements on my Windows PC. Getting stuck in the "upgrade for years" path is not a good thing sometimes. You miss out on critical technologies.
Now the configuration page is up, turns out that you can add Ethernet to the base model for $30 (probably just a different power brick).
I‘m pretty sure Apple could have included the two USB ports and a regular, built-in Ethernet port in the base model while still making money hand over fist - this is about pricing strategy, to create an attractive base-price and a compelling up sell, not bill-of-materials. Not clever, but not really a deal breaker. Whether Ethernet in the power brick is a good thing depends on where your Ethernet port is...
We probably won’t know until someone gets one and tests it, but there’s no obvious reason why it should be different from the MBP 13.
If you cant afford it then buy a PC.
I set my company's computer budget is ~$600 so I have to settle with a Lenovo ThinkPad.
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It’s the same M1 as in the mini, MBA, and MBP. All of those have 2 Thunderbolt controllers in the M1 SoC so the iMacs will as well.
I’m not sure I qualify for answering this as I kinda like the new iMacs. I like the concept, have owned four since the Bondi Blue and still use a 27” from 2009. (2560x1440 IPS useable as a monitor by my PC.)
But. These iMacs lack conceptual integrity.
They are big mains powered iPads, and don’t take any advantage of the fact that they are stationary and tethered with a cord. No interchangeable RAM or SSD, limited support for screens and a scarcity of ports, et cetera.
It would be a much better product if you stripped out the computer and sold it as a screen with matching keyboard and mouse/trackpad. Then you could connect other computers to the screen simultaneously, have a beautifully matching multi monitor setup, could exchange the connected computers freely without the screen loosing any value or utility and so on.
From a more personal shopping perspective, my 2009 iMac already has 16GB memory and a 4TB ssd enhanced disk. If I try to configure this iMac so I can just migrate over I need at least 16GB of RAM and 2TB of SSD, and we are at $2500 plus taxes for something that still carries the limitations of an (albeit very performant in its own right) iPad chip. And I can’t even use it as a monitor.
It doesn’t make sense.
I actually like its looks, the screen promises to be great, I love the silent cooling. But from a cost-utility point of view, it is the first iMac that I just can’t even consider buying. It feels made to be a prop in interior design magazines rather than a thing to actually be used by people wanting a stationary computer. All IMHO obviously.
They lost the plot.
Why? The price is pretty much identical to the previous 21" model, but you get a faster computer/better computer.
I agree however that a desktop could have been something more... it does feel a bit lackluster. One would expect a desktop to offer more performance than an iPad or an entry-level laptop.
The part they never include in the price :
Decent keyboard and mouse.
Decent webcam.
Very good speakers (iMac has those).
And will never consider :
The clutter of cords on your desk you avoid with the iMac.
Your PC will sound like a jet engine the moment you do anything meaningful with it.
While I agree that a separate screen like that would be fantastic, saying that it’s just an iPad makes no sense.
only because Apple managed to create a CPU that powerful that also powers an iPad Pro, doesn’t make it any less good in an iMac. I also think that Ram and SSD prices are way too high in Apple products, but that’s how Apple worked forever now.
you either accept it and make peace with it or buy something else.
Exactly - many seem to view the system they complain about through the narrow focus of their own specific needs and priorities, without spending any effort to understand that they just might not be the folks the system is being targeted towards.
There's a market for AIO computers, which is distinct from the market for desktop multi-component setups.
Having taken a quick look at HP/Lenovo/Dell AIO offerings in the 24" display size, I've yet to find one with even a 4K display let alone a wide-gamut P3 500 nit display. Just 1080p displays, generally lower nits, and even those aren't cheap either.
Probably never gonna happen again, the RAM on the processor die is part of the M1’s efficiency. A removable SSD would just be “dumb” memory since the M1 has the memory controller on the chip itself. Meaning standard SSDs wouldn’t work.
People seem to be caught up in the “it’s just a mobile chip” fallacy when this “mobile chip” is trading blows with mid-to-high end PC processors, and easily tops the integrated graphics. Granted, it loses to a 5700x in multi core, big ****ing deal.
Agree.
I love my M1 Mini and looking forward to my base M1 iMac in 8 days!
My wife uses the AIO iMac since 2013 and currently on the 2019 4K model - I think she will want the new 4.5K M1 iMac for herself after she sees mine.
BTW: If I needed graphical power, I just move over to my dedicated flight simulator setup with a very pricey graphics card on a Dell Alienware gaming monitor, 32GB RAM, i9, etc....
The Jet engine part is the entire reason why I'm on the older pro line. I have enough with my i5 pro's fan going from 0-100 when I open more than 10 tabs.
To split hairs just a little, I'd say it's more a matter of being stuck in an old paradigm of "mobile" chips having significant performance trade-offs to achieve their low power consumption / heat dissipation levels.
With what Apple's done to the computations-per-watt curve, that paradigm is largely gone for the time being.
Hmmm, this seems to be a common response (on these forums) regarding the limitations in Apple's current hardware lineup..."If I want to do any real intensive work, I'll use my Windows PC...".
LOL, just wait until the MacBook Air rolls out in the same colours and white bezels 😆
Q-6
Probably under the glass, like all of the aluminum iMacs models have been constructed.
More likely: We will see high quality, pre-cut, bezel skins in various colors (including matte black) to apply over the white bezel from several vendors.
no more apple stuff for lil' o me anymore, thankfully the nearest apple store is very far!
Because Apple has not released anything beyond the entry-level hardware yet. Of course it won’t be suitable for really demanding work. I am very confused that people still seem to have a problem with this very simple concept.
I can see it coming the design language is already here; the "Pro" line will be more restrained, the consumer line will be more exuberant & playful in design. Personally I don't care as the client only sees the end product, and of you don't care for the colourisation there will be a ton of skins in no time at all
Q-6
Admittedly, reviewers have been doing a bit of a disservice here. There was a lot of hype and people were blown away by the workloads the M1 can handle, especially compared to the hardware that has been replaced. If M1 is going to be the new low bar, it bodes well for future products.
I personally prefer a larger laptop display, but I know lots of people who carry the larger MBPs because they need the power. They would love to be able to downsize to something like a MBA. Now, many of them can.
All you are doing is pointing out that this iMac doesn't match YOUR requirements, and from that position you are stating that Apple have lost their way. I disagree with that position, and think the iMac is a very good All-In-One system for a large number of users.
More memory and storage options will be released over time for the folks who need 16 or 32 Gigs