The iMac M1 goes neo-retro

After removing the corners in lieu of curves in their devices (except in the Macbook lineup), Apple went back to it starting with the iPad Pro, then the iPhone, and now the latest member of the flat-edge club is the iMac M1. 

Modern with a touch of vintage

The design was made possible thanks to the capabilities of the M1 processor. By having the CPU, memory, graphics, neural engine, and storage built-in the chip itself, it allowed Apple to downsize the motherboard significantly by as much as 50%. The M1’s efficiency and low-heat generation also mean they can use smaller fans for air circulation resulting in a flat back and a monitor that measures only 11.5mm thin. 

Speaking of the back, there’s a new connector design with a 2-meter woven, color-matched cable. The iMac with an 8-core GPU comes with a power adapter that houses the ethernet connection so that you can avoid clutter on your desk.

Apple also went back in time by utilizing pastel colors in their iMacs, which is very reminiscent of the allure of the original iMac G3 back in the late 90s. They say this is so users can personalize and elevate their spaces which is true as Macs can sometimes dull down environments with their bland color. The best thing about this is, these Macs will come with keyboards and the Magic Mouse that has the same color accent as the monitors. 

I must also say that I like that Apple retained the chin of these iMacs. It’s a dated design, but I love the option to stick post-it notes on there.

Leap in Performance

Upfront is a 24-inch 4.5K Retina display with 11.3 million pixels, P3 wide color gamut, and 500 nits of brightness. Basically it means it’s bright, blacks are black and colors are vivid so that whether you’re watching a series or doing professional work, you’re sure that colors are accurate. It also has an anti-reflective coating for less distraction while working and True Tone technology for a natural viewing experience in all lighting conditions.

With the M1 chip, it provides the same performance as the earlier released Macbooks and Mac Mini. Native apps whether for productivity, casual use, or games, are all more snappy and fluid in the M1 iMac. It has up to 85% more CPU performance than its Intel predecessor and twice as fast graphics execution.

Extension isn’t a problem thanks to two Thunderbolt ports that includes support for 6K monitors. 

Focused on the User

The new iMac has a 1080p Facetime camera that’s optimized to take advantage of the M1 chip’s capability. It has better noise reduction, dynamic range, and auto exposure unlike before. Complimenting this is a three-mic system that recognizes the user’s voice while the other mics figure out which is noise. This lets the iMac cancel out the unwanted sounds so that colleagues in your online meeting can hear you more clearly. 

Despite its thinness, the iMac M1 has a six-speaker sound system featuring force-cancelling woofers and high-performance tweeters. This lets the iMac be more accurate in its audio representation and reduce distortion, since frequencies are divided among more speakers. 

Going for the more expensive model also gives you a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID – a first in the iMac. This way, you can make verifications easier, just like how you do it on an iPhone. 

The iMac M1 will start at P73,990 for the 7-core GPU model with 256GB SSD storage and 8GB memory. The 8-core GPU model starts at P85,990 and comes with two more USB 3 ports at the back and the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID. Availability in the US starts in the second half of May, so expect it here a couple of months after that.