The new iMac 24 with M1 processor amazed and thrilled us as we testify in our article on unboxing. It is a new concept, even in the details. What many reviewers don't find and don't see is precisely the novelty and freshness of Apple's approach. But we found it, right from the box. Now we need to get to the heart, however, is to see what is inside. Next!
The impact of the processor and monitor
We are running the first benchmarks, especially those that come from user experience as well as those “cold” to calculate the numbers. However, we have already clearly understood, from having tested both the MacBook Pro 13 M1, the Mac mini M1 and the MacBook Air M1, that the performance of this iMac 24 is essentially identical to that of other computers equipped with the same processor. If you glue a Mac mini with the same features (number of cores, Ram and SSD) behind a monitor you would have practically identical benchmarks. In summary: the iMac 24 is fine.
Same thing for the monitor: it is a quality laminated screen with a reflective surface that has a good viewing angle, excellent brightness and excellent color rendering. It reflects ambient light and you have to think about where to place it if you use it in environments with uncontrolled light, but this applies to all laminated LCD screens.
There are still no solutions found for the iPad M1, which have technologies in the 11-inch size to dramatically increase the contrast and color rendering (and especially black), making them also black wells with regard to reflected light, and probably for a few more years we will not see a similar solution on large screens, both for reasons of cost and processing of the panels. It is not a professional computer but lifesytle and it would make no sense to look for a calibrated monitor here for referencing 8K videos or something like that. The resolution of the monitor is 4.5K, i.e. 4480 × 2520 pixels.
Usb-C, audio and peripheral ports input
Our model has four USB-C ports: two are Thunderbolt and two are not. And this will certainly generate a bit of confusion because, although the Thunderbolt are marked with the lightning symbol, they are on the back and therefore it is not possible to see which are which. However, the equipment is more generous than that of the basic version which has only two (both Thuderbolt). Aside from the minijack and the power button, there are no other ports or buttons. They are few? They are a lot? It depends on the use. We instinctively lack an SD Card port, which could have been placed sideways with that of the audio mini jack.
Speaking of audio: the six speakers embedded in the base of the display, four woofers coupled in anti-phase to eliminate vibrations and two tweeters, are excellent. The rendering is very good: it is not a soundbar and you cannot expect an explosive audio output, especially in the bass that are limited. But they are very rich in sound quality, colorful and capable of excellent dynamic range. They surprised us and are in the same class as the MacBook Pro 16 speakers, in our opinion.
The input devices are the Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad and Magic Mouse. All three in the same color as the iMac, with a style and a refinement for coordination that is truly enviable. We have verified, they are identical to the traditional versions, with two differences only as regards the Magic Keyboard. The first is a different organization of the multimedia keys, with those at the four corners dislodged. The other, which many were waiting for, is the presence of Touch ID. The sensor, which looks cut out of an iPhone SE 2, works perfectly.
It is also very fast considering it is located not on the computer motherboard but at a distance of Bluetooth. In any case, we used it while we were setting up the machine and were using it to install the first software and start working on it. There is no perceptible difference to Touch ID on a MacBook Pro or Air.
The keyboard is configurable to be used with a Mac mini M1 as well, but it's not (yet) sold separately on the Apple Store, which is a real shame. We have verified that there is also the version with extended keyboard (with the numeric keypad) that can be purchased with a surcharge. Instead, as standard the basic iMac 24 have the normal keyboard (always colored in the same color but without Touch ID) which must be explicitly requested with a surcharge at the time of purchase. We strongly recommend it right now.
Positioning and taste of the iMac 24 M1
The iMac is back. We don't know how else to say. This is a computer for families, for the home, for offices where jobs have to be done in which the design aspect has its weight and justifies the cost, if only for the psychological well-being of those who use it. It costs a lot more than a Mac mini because of course there is a monitor. But you might find a bigger, cheaper monitor in the same price range. The point is not so much to have a computer-monitor-keyboard, as to have a combination of this quality and beauty. That is, harmony and balance of the components.
The positioning of this computer is definitely for those who need a computer that is not a gamer or multimedia creative workstation, but something elegant that looks good in the room, at home, in the office, in the shop. Apple has created a product that brings back lightness and color, a breath of optimism. But it is a product that places itself exactly on the other side, for example, of the MacBook Pro 16 Intel Core i9 by order of this reporter.
Both the MacBook is a “serious” and tough machine, designed in every way to give legs to the creativity of a professional, as the iMac 24 M1 is an elegant machine designed to be a point of reference, something beautiful that however, under the hood (very small actually) it has power to spare thanks to the M1 processor, which scratches and bites if necessary, as we know.
From the benchmarks it appears that in fact the “raw” performance of the iMac 24 M1 eats the 21.5 iMac with Intel top of the range alive and reaches the levels of the aforementioned MacBook Pro 16 Intel Core i9, at least as regards the processor effort . Where, on the other hand, the MacBook Pro has much more inspiration is in the graphics sector because the discrete graphics card makes a lot more (and it is the reason why for example the iMac 21.5 Intel suffers so much) and calmly holds its own against the new iMac 24 M1.
In conclusion … for the moment
We have just started. This computer will run for the Cyberlayman editorial team so that the editors can test and try, to build a profile as complete as possible of its capabilities. It is a machine capable of gaming at excellent levels, if your definition of gaming is that of Apple Arcade.
It is a perfect machine for personal productivity (from personal accounting management to medium-level youtuber) and for the office, it is the perfect machine for example for a job as a journalist from home who has to write, edit photos and short videos, upload news like that on websites.
It is also suitable for all uses of a Mac mini M1, and you can connect external monitors with the Thunderbolt 4 port. Of course it can also be used by a pro user who has to work in a business environment, but for what the writer would wait to see what is about to arrive with the new processors from Apple. It's easy to forget that the iMac 24 M1 is an entry level computer, just as it's easy to forget it for Mac minis and others. But in a few months we will see it and we will all understand it better.
