JULY 2021 T 3 69Apple iMac M 1ere aretwo main models.
A low-end one that getsyou an
eight-core processor, seven-core
GPU, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage, two
USB Type-C/underbolt 4 ports,
and is available ingreen, pink, blue
and silver.Note that this model
doesn’t include a couple ofclever
features:the Touch ID fingerprint
security on its keyboard, or the
Ethernet porton its power brick.
If youwantthose, you’llneed to
step up to the more expensivemodel,
which is the same but addsone core to
the GPU,and two moreUSB 3 Type-C
ports on the back. ere’s not a lot
between the models, and of course
you cancustomise them both by
adding more RAM (max 16GB, a drop
from the 32GBmaxthatthe older
model offered) or internal storage
(max2TB).
So what elseis new?
What’s new in the 24-inch M1 iMac
compared to the 21.5-inch Intel model
it replaces? Literally everything. Not a
singleaspect remains unchanged in
some way. Let’s start with the screen,
which is a 23.5-inch, 4480x252 0
display – Apple is calling this‘ 4 .5K’,
which makes senseif you knowthat
4K just means ‘any screen around
4,000pixels wide’.is one has
slightly more pixels. Easy!
e screen offers 500 nits of typical
brightness, and P3 wide colour gamut
support, bothof which arebig
improvementson youraverage
monitor.You also get Apple’s True
Tone system, which adjuststhe
colours based on the lighting in your
room, and makes a big,big difference
for eye comfort, in our experience.
For power,you’ve got the ARM-
based Apple M1, an eight-core
processor – with four high-power
performance cores and fourlower-
speed ‘efficiency’ cores – that also
provides graphics, with seven or
eight cores of GPU power depending
on the model youchoose.It also
includes a ‘Neural Engine’,which
can beused by apps that include
machine learning toolsto massively
speed uptasks – this is niche, but
some Mac appsare starting to make
good use ofit.At the top is a 1080p Full HD
webcam, which usesthe M1chip
for image processing,though it
disappointingly doesn’t include the
useful‘Center Stage’ featurethatthe
iPad Pro (2021)has,which keepsyou
in the middle of frame even if you
move around.
e image wasalso softer than the
Logitech webcam wecompared it to,
and sodoesn’t feel likeit’s fully taking
advantageof the Full HD resolution it
promises. For delivering your visage
to other people in ameeting,this is all
just fine – but streamers should stick
with the dedicated hardware.e
microphones deliver nicely too,
picking up voicesreally clearly.
e speakers are one of the most
interesting upgrades.ere are six
drivers in total,with three in each of
the bottom corners. e reallyclever
part is theuse of two woofers on
each side, exactly positioned to
oppose each other and cancel out
residual vibrations... yetyou put in
double the drivers!Big sound, small
negativeeffect. ese are then paired
with a dedicated high-end driver. InApple is calling the
display 4. 5 K,as it
has slightly more
than 4 , 000 pixelsSUPREME SCREEN
This gorgeous 23.5-inch
display drops 4.5K on your
retinas. Coupled with a typical
brightness of 500 nits and P3
wide gamut support, this will
allow you to enjoy wonderfully
crisp, bright images.SPEED DEMON
With Apple’s M 1 chip, the
new iMac is implausibly
fast. It will obliterate
every task you’re likely to
throw at it.