APPLE IMAC M1 REVIEW, iMac 24-inch: Apple iMac M1 Review
Apple iMac M1 Review: It's an iMac unlike any other iMac we've seen before, and it all comes down to the M1 chip.
There are, of course, some other differences between this 24-inch iMac and the 2019 21.5-inch model that's replacing it. There are better microphones and better speakers. There are fewer ports, and some of them have been moved around. The screen is bigger and better. The keyboard now has TouchID. But M1 is the star of the show.
It's not just an increase in performance. It's not just the fact that you can natively run iOS and iPadOS apps on the system. It's not just the new advanced image signal processor that helps produce better low-light images than I've ever seen from an integrated webcam. It is also the unprecedented efficiency with which this processor runs, which has enabled Apple to create a slim, sleek, and quite a unique iMac chassis.
GOOD STUFF
- Great processor
- Fun colors and sleek design
- The webcam is actually good
BAD STUFF
- Limited port selection
- Not the best value for its price
- Can’t upgrade anything after purchase
iMac M1 - Apple iMac M1 Overview
Apple iMac M1 Review: Whether you really get every upgrade here depends on the configuration you choose. The entry-level iMac is $1,299 for 256GB of SSD storage, two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, 8GB of unified memory, and a seven-core GPU—but it's only available in four colors and doesn't come with TouchID. The model I tested bumps storage up to 512GB and memory up to 16GB. It has two USB-3 ports, in addition to two Thunderbolt, an eight-core GPU, Touch ID, and a Gigabit Ethernet port (which is in the power brick). I also got both a Magic Mouse and a Magic Trackpad with my model. You'll have to pay a total of $2,028 to receive everything Apple sent me (and which I'll send back for the record).
In short, this tool costs money. And it's true that if you plugged the Mac Mini into an external display, you'd get similar performance and save a few hundred bucks. But this iMac has almost everything most people need in one package: processing power, sure, but also a camera, speakers, microphone, a keyboard, a mouse, a trackpad, and a display. And they are all good. It's the kind of computer you can put on your desk and never think about it again. And for the target audience of some iMacs, it's probably worth the extra money. You are paying for simplicity.
Apple iMac M1 Review: the M1 processor uses what’s called a “hybrid” configuration. The easiest way to conceive of this is that most competing Intel and AMD chips have a number of equally “okay” cores, where Apple’s M1 has four very fast cores and four lower-powered high-efficiency cores. This allows M1 devices to deliver arguably the best performance-per-watt in the world. It also means that they’re nearly unbeatable in single-core workloads.
That advantage bore out in our benchmark testing. This iMac model achieved a higher score on the Geekbench 5 single-core benchmark than any Mac we’ve ever seen before — even the iMac Pro. That means if you’re looking for a device for simpler everyday tasks that don’t scale to every available CPU core (and that largely seems to be the demographic that Apple is trying to sell this machine to), there has literally never been a better iMac for you to buy.
These results help illuminate where this iMac fits into Apple’s all-in-one lineup, and where its limitations are. The 24-inches is a significant improvement over the 21.5-inch iMac in both single-core and multi-core workloads. And it’s very comparable in graphics tasks — which is quite impressive, given that the 21.5-inch iMac has a discrete GPU and this one relies on what’s integrated with the M1.
On the other end, these results (with the exception of single-core performance) are not close to what we’d expect from the 27-inch Intel iMac with discrete graphics. In this comparison, multi-core results are more important. They indicate that the 27-inch iMac is going to do much better on the types of tasks that owners (or prospective buyers) are likely to be doing: intense multitasking, computations, design, video work, and other more complex loads that may leverage the GPU.
There are other limitations that may put some workloads out of reach. As is the case with the MacBook Pro and Mac Mini, you can’t configure the iMac with more than 16GB of memory and 2TB of storage; we wouldn’t recommend those specs to anyone who regularly edits 4K or 8K video, for example. The memory and storage are soldered, so you can’t upgrade them after purchase. Only one external display is supported (up to 6K resolution at 60Hz). Ports are also bizarrely limited; the base model has just two Thunderbolt / USB-4 ports and a headphone jack, while more expensive models have an additional two USB-3 ports and Gigabit Ethernet. These all may be reasons Apple is pushing this iMac as a “home and family” PC, even though its processor is clearly capable of all kinds of professional work.
Apple iMac M1 Review: When I review a computer, my job is usually to find out what the computer is designed for.
But all kinds of people use iMacs, from college students to accountants to podcast producers to retired grandparents. And this model has arguably the broadest consumer appeal of any iMac that Apple has produced in recent years. That's why it's pretty easy to figure out what this iMac isn't made for.
It's not for people who can't handle dongles and docks; I kept a USB-C to USB-A dongle next to me on my desk when I was testing the iMac, and I used it quite often. It's not for those who already own a 27-inch iMac, as it will be a drop in display size and quality, port selection, upgradability, and raw power. And it's not for people with serious performance requirements.
It is not for those looking for the best value for their money. Most people won't need the specs and accessories I tested here, but even that $1,299, the base price, is certainly something a lot of people want to spend on a computer. The base Mac Mini is $600 cheaper than the base iMac; Plug it into a monitor and some speakers (you can find plenty of good ones for less than $600), and you'll get the same M1 performance at a hefty discount.
YOU’RE PAYING FOR THE IMAC’S SIMPLICITY
Apple iMac M1 Review: And that, right there, is the biggest reason why this iMac, despite its power, is primarily targeting the family market. Because it's asking you to pay more for less. You're paying $600 for not researching and budgeting on monitors, speakers, webcams, docks, keyboards, and mice. You are paying for not arranging thousands of things at your desk. You are paying for a device where everything, out of the box, works well. You are paying to eliminate the nuisance.
Tech enthusiasts (especially those who want to open up their machines and upgrade their own) may see this as a waste of money. And for them, it probably is. But they are not the target audience for this Mac - even if its specifications fit their needs.
Could Apple have done more with this iMac? Of course. I was expecting to see a 30-inch, 6K iMac with a powerhouse 12-core workstation chip this month as much as the next person. But I'm confident we'll get one in the future - and in the meantime, I'm glad Apple released it. It is not earth-shattering in its design; It does not redefine its category. but it's fun. It improves upon the 21.5-inch iMac to offer a simple, attractive, and very functional device for all kinds of categories of users. It's not the iMac to beat—but it's the iMac to buy for most people.
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