Originally published at: Apple Releases New M1-Based 24-inch iMac in Spring Colors - TidBITS
Apple has introduced its next M1-based Mac—a 24-inch iMac in a colorful new industrial design that makes it perfect for use in the home. Its specs are likely similar to the M1-based Mac mini models, and the prices are entirely reasonable.
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Guess we have to wait for the 32-inch higher speced version. Nice to have an SD card slot too, one can hope. TouchID “finally” on a desktop.
12mm thick! As Adam suggested, a keyboard-operated iPad with a stand built in.
Finally businesses that still use Bondi iMac for their coolness factor have a replacement.
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As far as I can see all colour options have WHITE bezels…UGH!
They might have put black on one option.
Fortunately I am not in the market for an iMac at present.
Mike, you could get black vinyl tape and put it over the white bezel.
Why only 16GB RAM? Is 32GB now considered Pro and they want to have 5k $ for a decent amount of RAM?
Fortunately, my 2018 iMac still is fast enough.
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First, this isn’t a Pro Mac. Second, this is an M1 machine. This is new and very different machine from an Intel machine. 9 to 5 Mac tested an M1 MacBook Air with just 8Mb of memory. According to the article, that minimally configured Mac did just fine.
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I guess I’ll have to keep waiting. I need to replace my mid-2010 27" iMac, but I’m not going to a smaller screen. I wonder if all iMacs at the new larger size will have a ‘Pro’ designation?
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I like the colors, the nice screen, Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad, and of course M1.
I laugh at Apple for having the gall to sell a $1499 iMac with 256 GB SSD. And the fact that there’s still no height adjustment is IMHO shamefully lacking ergonomics.
I’m not so sure white bezels are a good idea. I’m also not sure I see the point in further reducing thickness while leaving a big nasty chin smack in the middle. Personally, I’d prefer no (or at least minimized) chin, potentially offset by some added thickness. Of course that should by no means lower the screen which would further exacerbate lack of height adjustment.
And finally, is it just me or is the whole idea with running Gigabit off the power adapter a bit odd? And why MagSafe on a desktop? Personally, I’d prefer power never coming loose on a Mac without any battery.
Only way for 11.5mm thinness to be obtained. Regular plug, Ethernet and audio outlets would all require it to be thicker.
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Almost makes you wonder what’s so special about 11.5 mm to make it worth all that. Even more so considering that big nasty chin was left there unchallenged and right in every iMac user’s face.
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According to Jason Snell, the force required to pull the cord is the same as if it were a full plug.
Love the colors. Ok with separate power and ethernet (one less cable in back). Thinness of the design leaves me at odds (ok, it DOES have a 3.5mm headphone jack…LOL). Along with it predecessor, the 21.5", this will likely be too easy to accidentally move. Not happy about no height adjustment (If Apple is all about accessibility, why is this design not height adjustable? Tilt is alone not enough. But I understand there is a VESA option - no stand just mount, so that would allow use on something adjustable.)
Not impressed at limit of configuration to 16GB. Apple says that 8GB on the M1 is equal to 16GB of the past. Tell that to App devs like Adobe which Photoshop and Premiere have always consumed all ram you throw at it and surprisingly absent from the demo (it was all Apple’s apps). Agree with others that 256GB is anemic… 512GB today is inexpensive and typical storage (especially when Apple pushes 256GB and higher iPhone/iPads). Ok, it can go up to 2TB storage, but I expect when in that territory, Apple’s PhDs of Pricing will tip you over the $2K price range. You have to get the Gigabit option to get two legacy USB ports along with Tbolt4 pair. Which again, means you likely need a hub, which is a cable to more cables. And no expansion (likely Apple’s plan all along).
Since Apple is yet to allow configuration, I can’t get total peak cost for fully “spring” loaded iMac.
Now, if the MacMini (quietly gets 10Gb upgrade option) was in colors too… we can still hope for iMacPro M1, along with some MacSemiPro M1…
Raise hand if you understand that Apple wants one OS, one design to rule them all. Nice colors, wish for larger display, about time they put 1080P camera onboard.
I don’t think PoE is a new idea, is it?
Oh my. I’m about to replace my aging iMac and now it can be pretty. 
PoE is nothing new. It is (in its simplest form) adding a DC bias voltage to the differential Ethernet signals, which devices can use to power themselves.
But that’s not what Apple is doing. Instead, they have a proprietary cable with a magnetic connector that delivers both Ethernet and power.
Whether the two are sharing the same wires a-la PoE remains to be seen, but even if it does, it will still be a proprietary solution because the Mac is not drawing power from an ordinary Ethernet cable.
I think they look great – even the chin. A totally-screen design would just look like a monitor.
Interesting that Apple is now positioning the 24 inch iMac as the consumer iMac (and likely education – the low-end with 256 GB screams of being a school lab computer). That means the larger one will likely have whatever the professional M chip is (and be able to take more than 16 GB of RAM, among other things).
I assume he was joking.
The main board, speakers, and fans have to go somewhere…and putting them behind the screen would either result in a big bump out the back bottom or a much thicker overall dimension…and Apple is into thin as you know.
It would be Ethernet over power instead of PoE I think… it I doubt it is either. Most likely there are separate power and Ethernet connections over the custom cable and connector…especially as Ethernet over power lines introduces some noise and unless it has gotten better since the last time I researched it years ago won’t do gigabit Ethernet. Also. The Ethernet over power from the past was over the AC power line and the power to the iMac is DC at low voltage.
I don’t need to replace my current 2017 27-inch iMac any time soon, so I’ll pass on these new iMacs. But I could definitely see this as an eventual replacement for my mother’s 2014 21.5-inch iMac, as she mostly uses it for email, browsing and occasionally BBC iPlayer. The lack of ports on the base model wouldn’t be an issue either, although I’d need replacement cables and perhaps a new USB hub to connect her existing devices.