Are all the CPU cores firestorm cores?
All-new iMac features the M1 chip
281–290 of 551 posts
Re: All-new iMac features the M1 chip
#282Why does a stationary computer need to be so thin that they can't fit an ethernet port and have to place it in the charger?
It doesn't need to be but it is. What are you gonna do, bloat the case just to fit an Ethernet adapter? Also, what's wrong with it being in the charger? This is actually genius, this way only a single cable leads to the machine itself.
But why just Ethernet? Why not go further, make the power cord also USB-C (or even Thunderbolt) and have the power brick be a dock with USB and whatnot plugs on it?
Re: All-new iMac features the M1 chip
#283Can someone explain the 8gb obsession (edit: 16gb is possible, but why not more) ? is there a real limitation with this architecture or are they just making a business decision so they can sell multiple models over 2-3 years instead of creating what the market wants immediately
As a developer who moved from a 16gb Intel MBP to an 8gb Air, I see no difference at all. I think a combination of the nature of the SOC and the massively faster retain/release cycle just make it much less of an issue.
That said, I did straight up run out of RAM the other day, but my editor was chewing up something like 32gb of swap. Still no slowdown, though. (I suspect a memory leak, it's very new software)
Re: All-new iMac features the M1 chip
#284Earlier quoted context omitted.
Just another proprietary cable for them to sell. It is so funny the fan base just goes along with it too.
Right, because people typically need to buy several power cables over the lifetime of their desktop computer since they tend to break so often.
No, but you might need a longer power cable.
Hope you don't mind an extension cord and a weird box dangling somewhere! But at least the computer looks sleeker now!
Re: All-new iMac features the M1 chip
#285Earlier quoted context omitted.
The M1 is using LPDDR4X-4266. It's possible that packages bigger than 8GB just don't exist (8GB was all that was announced just a few years ago, and the RAM announcements usually come far ahead of shipping usages https://www.anandtech.com/show/11021/sk-hynix-announces-8-gb... ). That'd then be 1 module = 8GB, and 2 modules in a daisy chain or T-topology gets you 16GB, and there just isn't anything more to be done wit…
Samsung claims to have very large chips (96Gb) in mass production. It really seems like a reason to upgrade next year when the CPU isn't getting much faster. https://www.samsung.com/semiconductor/dram/lpddr4x/
I think you've got a bits vs. bytes confusion there. Samsung is only claiming up to 12GB modules. 96Gb(its) = 12GB(ytes). So that'd get you +50% max RAM on the M1's, which would be a nice offering, but still won't be enough to reach the 32GB+ of the outgoing Intel lineup.
Re: All-new iMac features the M1 chip
#286Did I see it correctly, that the iMac only comes with 8GB Ram configurations? Doesn't the MacBooks come with an 16GB option?
It's ridiculous that Apple ships 8GB configurations in 2021. My company bought me a MacBook pro M1 with only 8GB of ram by mistake and it's extremely frustrating to have so little ram. I look forward to replace it with a laptop with 32GB of ram. Meanwhile I run devops stuff in the cloud because the laptop has not enough ram for that. Once safari advised me to close the jira tab to save ram. Such a shame.
I have the 16GB but I push my machine hard and I usually have gigs swapped and I've been absolutely blown away by the performance of my M1 MBP. Was able to step down from a 32GB version without any issue. I'm kinda surprised you're having such a hard time with 8.
Re: All-new iMac features the M1 chip
#287Earlier quoted context omitted.
I can't see what the arrow key layout is on the narrower (non-numeric-keypad) version because a hand is over it. It looks like there's a big key where there would be space above the left / right keys on the most recent one. I've got one of the interim ones where the left / right keys are full size so it's difficult to know where they are by touch, and I'm still irritated by that. I hope they haven't gone back again.
Unfortunately the shot I saw showed the same big left right arrow keys. Small improvements to the over all design but that is still a huge tactile wart for me as well. If I end up using one of those keyboards I'll probably replace the larger arrow keys with something that has the top half recessed, or just add a dimple/bar over them for a similar sensation.
Ugh, yeah - first image down on https://www.apple.com/uk/imac-24/ That's a real shame after they temporarily rowed back on both the touch bar and the full-height left / right arrow keys.
Re: All-new iMac features the M1 chip
#288On the product page https://www.apple.com/imac-24/ the section talking about the "Brilliant 4.5K Retina display" is showing a clip from "The Croods: A New Age". I thought Apple was fairly close with Disney, so I'd have expected to see a Disney or Pixar movie, not a DreamWorks movie. Or was that only when Jobs was running things?
From Wikipedia:
"On January 24, 2006, Jobs and Iger announced that Disney had agreed to purchase Pixar... When the deal closed, Jobs became The Walt Disney Company's largest single shareholder with approximately seven percent of the company's stock."
I assume that is the primary reason Apple and Disney were close in the Jobs days.
Re: All-new iMac features the M1 chip
#289Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’m going to go ahead and say if you haven’t gotten onboard with USB C by now you’re behind. It’s been half a decade since the USB A port went away on Mac. I know everyone has their legacy peripherals they love but... it’s time to move on.
Well, this is supposed to be a professional desktop machine. I don't want to run my work machine off of wifi that could randomly disconnect in the middle of meetings though. I know I'm not the only one. They could have spent the 3 dollars per machine it would cost them to add an ethernet jack, but instead they're going to have you spend $20 on some adapter dongle. As for USB-A, there are tons of peripherals still in…
Well, this is supposed to be a professional desktop machine.
No, it's not. It's a consumer-grade machine. And clearly aimed at that market.
Re: All-new iMac features the M1 chip
#290> "iMac comes with a new power connector that attaches magnetically and a beautifully woven 2-meter-long color-matched cable." Magsafe for a stationary computer...
It wasn't marketed as MagSafe, just as a magnetic connector. And why not? Magnetic connectors are awesome. Also, putting the power brick on the floor and extending it so you can route ethernet up to the desk via a single cable is a nice idea. I hope that is a hit with customers and they expand it to other systems (namely MBP) in the future, I wouldn't mind having a couple USB-C ports down there too.
Inductive chargers have quite a bit of energy loss and introduce extra heat into the system while also increasing production cost.