iMac (Apple silicon)

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iMac (Apple silicon)
iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021) in orange
DeveloperApple Inc.
TypeAll-in-one
Release dateMay 21, 2021 (M1)[1]
November 7, 2023 (M3)
Operating systemmacOS
System on a chipApple M-series
PredecessoriMac (Intel-based)
RelatedMac Mini, Mac Pro
Websiteapple.com/imac

The Apple silicon iMac is a line of all-in-one desktop Macs made by Apple Inc. The first Apple silicon iMac, with a 24-inch screen and an Apple M1 chip, was released on May 21, 2021, replacing the 21-inch and 27-inch Intel iMacs.

Overview[edit]

On June 22, 2020, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the Mac would shift from Intel processors to Apple's own in-house designed processors that use the ARM64 architecture, branded as Apple silicon. On April 20, 2021, Apple announced a 24-inch iMac based on the Apple M1 system on a chip.[2]

The iMac with M1 features a 4480-by-2520 (4.5K) built-in display, 1080p FaceTime camera with an improved image signal processor and three-microphone array, and a six-driver stereo speaker system with a pair of force-canceling woofers and a tweeter per side, that supports Dolby Atmos and spatial audio. It also adds support for Wi-Fi 6, USB4/Thunderbolt 3, and 6K output to run the Pro Display XDR. External display support is reduced to one display over USB-C/Thunderbolt; the previous 21.5-inch Intel-based model could drive two 4K displays over USB-C/Thunderbolt.[3] The models also include a magnetic power plug and external power supply that can be configured with a Gigabit Ethernet port.[4] On previous iMac models, the power brick was internal to the iMac. The M1 iMac's power cable is braided, and color-matched with the iMac.[5]

The iMac with M1 ships with a Magic Mouse 2 or Magic Trackpad 2 with a color-matching aluminum underside. It can be configured with one of three updated Magic Keyboards with rounded corners: a standard version, a version with a Touch ID sensor, and an extended layout version with a numeric keypad and Touch ID. The Magic Keyboards with Touch ID are compatible with other Mac computers with Apple silicon but only ship with the iMac.[6]

On October 30, 2023, Apple announced updated iMac models with the Apple M3 chip, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.[7]

Design[edit]

The iMac with M1 is the first iMac with a major redesign since 2012, with slimmer bezels, a flat back and seven color options, including silver and the same six colors used in Apple's first official logo.[8] It is the first iMac available in multiple colors since the iMac G3.[9] Jony Ive contributed to its design.[10]

Reception[edit]

Katie Collins from CNET said the design was a statement piece that served as a "symbol of hope" while working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic; and also considered this to be part of an anti-minimalism trend, an end to "austerity" in product design.[8] Technology blogger John Gruber called it elegant and cheerful, and complimented its display, speaker quality, performance, and the addition of Touch ID to the keyboard.[11] Monica Chin from The Verge called the M1 iMac "simple, attractive, and very functional", concluding that it has "arguably the most widespread consumer appeal of any iMac"; she also found that the machine achieved higher single-core Geekbench performance scores "than any Mac we've ever seen before — even the iMac Pro".[12]

The M1 iMac has a repairability score of 2 out of 10.[13]

Specifications[edit]

Discontinued Current
Model 24-inch, M1, 2021 24-inch, M3, 2023
Timetable Announced April 20, 2021 October 30, 2023
Released May 21, 2021 November 7, 2023
Discontinued October 30, 2023 In production
Unsupported Supported
Model Model identifier iMac21,2[14] iMac21,1 Mac15,4 Mac15,5
Model number A2439[15] A2438[16] A2874 A2873
EMC no. 3664[15] 3663[17] 8207 8206
Part number MGTF3 (Silver), MJV83 (Green), MJV93 (Blue), MJVA3 (Pink) MGPC3 (Silver), MGPM3 (Green), MGPK3 (Blue), MGPH3 (Pink) MGPD3 (Silver), MGPJ3 (Green), MGPL3 (Blue), MGPN3 (Pink) MGPF3 (Yellow), MGPR3 (Orange), MGPP3 (Purple) MGPG3, MGPQ3, MGPT3 (Yellow, Orange, or Purple build-to-order)[14] MQR93 (Silver), MQRA3 (Green), MQRC3 (Blue), MQRD3 (Pink) MQRJ3 (Silver), MQRN3 (Green), MQRQ3 (Blue), MQRT3 (Pink) MQRK3 (Silver), MQRP3 (Green), MQRR3 (Blue), MQRU3 (Pink) MQRL3 (Yellow), MQRX3 (Orange), MQRV3 (Purple) MQRM3, MQRW3, MQRY3 (Yellow, Orange, or Purple build-to-order)
Colors
   
   
Silver
   
   
Blue
   
   
Green
   
   
Pink
   
   
Yellow
   
   
Orange
   
   
Purple
   
   
Silver
   
   
Blue
   
   
Green
   
   
Pink
   
   
Yellow
   
   
Orange
   
   
Purple
Display Size 23.5 in (600 mm)
Dimensions and details 4480×2520
500 nits brightness
Wide color (P3)
True Tone technology
Performance System on a chip Apple M1 Apple M3
Processor 5 nm, 3.2 GHz 8-core ARMv8-A
4x "Firestorm" performance cores + 4x "Icestorm" efficiency cores (big.LITTLE)
3 nm, 4.0 GHz 8-core ARMv8-A
4x performance cores + 4x efficiency cores (big.LITTLE)
Memory 8 GB unified in-package LPDDR4X-4266 memory
Optional: 16 GB at time of purchase only
8 GB unified in-package LPDDR5-6400 memory
Optional: 16 GB or 24 GB at time of purchase only
Graphics 7-core GPU 8-core GPU 8-core GPU 10-core GPU
Storage (SSD) Standard 256 GB 512 GB 256 GB 512 GB 256 GB 512 GB 256 GB 512 GB
Optional 512 GB or 1 TB at time of purchase only 1 TB or 2 TB at time of purchase only 512 GB or 1 TB at time of purchase only 1 TB or 2 TB at time of purchase only
Connectivity Wi-Fi 6 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 6E (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Bluetooth 5 Bluetooth 5.3
Gigabit Ethernet (integrated into external power supply, build-to-order) Gigabit Ethernet (integrated into external power supply, standard) Gigabit Ethernet (integrated into external power supply, build-to-order) Gigabit Ethernet (integrated into external power supply, standard)
Camera 1080p FaceTime HD camera
Video out Supports one display up to 6K resolution at 60 Hz
Audio Six speakers and two force-cancelling woofers audio system with Dolby Atmos compatibility.
3.5mm headphone jack
Peripherals Thunderbolt 3/USB-C 4.0 ports up to 40Gb/s (no support for eGPU) Thunderbolt 3/USB-C 4.0 ports up to 40Gb/s (no support for eGPU)
Additional 2× USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 ports up to 10Gb/s
Thunderbolt 3/USB-C 4.0 ports up to 40Gb/s (no support for eGPU) Thunderbolt 3/USB-C 4.0 ports up to 40Gb/s (no support for eGPU)
Additional 2× USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 ports up to 10Gb/s
Operating system Initial Release macOS 11 Big Sur macOS 13.5 Ventura
Latest Release macOS 14 Sonoma

Timeline of iMac models[edit]

Timeline of iMac and eMac models (sorted by screen sizes)
Mac StudioApple WatchiPadiPhoneMacBookMac MiniPower Mac G5iPodPower Mac G4 CubeiBookPower Macintosh G3iMac (Apple silicon)iMac (Apple silicon)iMac ProiMac (Intel-based)iMac (Intel-based)iMac (Intel-based)iMac (Intel-based)iMac (Intel-based)iMac (Intel-based)iMac (Intel-based)iMac (Intel-based)iMac (Intel-based)iMac (Intel-based)iMac (Intel-based)iMac G5iMac G5iMac G4iMac G3#2nd generation: Slot-loadingiMac G4eMaciMac G4iMac G3

References[edit]

  1. ^ "iMac, iPad Pro, and Apple TV 4K in stores Friday". Apple Newsroom. Archived from the original on 2021-05-18. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  2. ^ "iMac features all-new design in vibrant colors, M1 chip, and 4.5K Retina display". Apple Newsroom. Archived from the original on 2021-04-20. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
  3. ^ Kastrenakes, Jacob (2021-04-20). "Apple announces thinner iMac with M1 chip and bright colors". The Verge. Archived from the original on 2021-04-20. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  4. ^ Gonzalez, Oscar. "New iMac comes with magnetic power plug that doubles as Ethernet cable". CNET. Archived from the original on 2021-04-20. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  5. ^ Miller, Chance (2021-04-20). "New M1 iMacs come with color-matched braided USB-C to Lightning cable". 9to5Mac. Archived from the original on 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  6. ^ "Magic Keyboard With Touch ID Compatible With All M1 Macs, But Only Sold With iMac For Now". MacRumors. Archived from the original on 2021-04-20. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  7. ^ Song, Victoria (2023-10-31). "Apple announces a speedier M3 iMac". The Verge. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  8. ^ a b Collins, Katie. "How Apple's new iMacs color-matched today's home fashion trends". CNET. Archived from the original on 2021-05-01. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  9. ^ Nieva, Richard. "New iMac gets jolt of color in Apple's first redesign since 2012". CNET. Archived from the original on 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  10. ^ White, Jeremy. "The 2021 iMac is a great family computer, thanks to Jony Ive (again)". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Archived from the original on 2022-04-07. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  11. ^ "The 24-Inch M1 iMac". Daring Fireball. Archived from the original on 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  12. ^ Chin, Monica (2021-05-18). "Apple's new iMac is fun and functional". The Verge. Archived from the original on 2022-11-07. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  13. ^ Porter, Jon (2021-05-25). "See inside Apple's colorful new M1 iMac, thanks to iFixit's latest teardown". The Verge. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  14. ^ a b "Identify your iMac model". Apple Support. Archived from the original on 2021-05-25. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
  15. ^ a b "iMac 24-Inch "M1" 8-Core 3.2/7-Core GPU/2 USB Specs (iMac (24", M1 2021), MJV93LL/A*, iMac21,2, A2439, 3664): EveryMac.com". everymac.com. Archived from the original on 2021-05-27. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
  16. ^ "iMac "M1" 8 CPU/8 GPU/4 Ports 24" Specs (iMac (24", M1 2021), MGPK3LL/A*, iMac21,1, A2438, 3663): EveryMac.com". everymac.com. Archived from the original on 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  17. ^ "iMac M1 24" Teardown". iFixit. 2021-05-24. Archived from the original on 2021-05-27. Retrieved 2021-05-27.

External links[edit]