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All-new iMac features the M1 chip

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Re: All-new iMac features the M1 chip

#292

Why 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?

I don’t mind the Ethernet port, but I was wondering the same thing. Is there no longer any value in making the computer larger? I’d expect that there is something that was cut for the thinness, but maybe not?

The computer is so thin, the headphone jack had to be moved to the side. Now you have desktop computer with speaker cable hanging on the side going to your external powered speakers. How's that for elegant.

Re: All-new iMac features the M1 chip

#293

Why 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?

Why 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?

Not everyone lives in a college dorm. Some people have beautiful homes with very carefully selected furnishings, and spouses that appreciate design. This fits in with that.

Re: All-new iMac features the M1 chip

#294

Look how big the escape key is on that keyboard, finally, revenge for the touch bar! I like the direction Apple is going here, I assume they will have higher end iMacs later this year or early next year, and that's what I'll be waiting for. I'd like 27 inches of screen, at least 16GB of ram, but preferably 32, and that's about all I'd ask for. My current workstation is a 2013 27" iMac fully upgraded (fusion drive, 16…

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.

If you search for the heading "All-New Design Enabled by M1" (near the beginning), then there is an image that shows the layout of the small keyboard. Further down, under "Touch ID Comes to iMac, Along with Color-Matched Accessories", there is a gallery, and the third image is of a full-size keyboard.

Re: All-new iMac features the M1 chip

#295
post #254

$200 for 2 extra ports and ethernet. And to re-enable a GPU core they disabled. 16GB ram limit 512GB storage limit un-upgradable You are better off getting a Mac Mini, its the same performance.

And the touch-ID keyboard. That's probably a decent part of the price right there.

Re: All-new iMac features the M1 chip

#296

Can 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 far as I know there are only three (four?) M1 chips in existence: M1 8GB, M1 16GB, M1 7-core GPU 8GB. There may be an M1 7-core GPU 16GB but I suspect that there is actually only ONE M1 chip (M1 16GB 8-core) and the rest are binned versions.

The CPUs are binned, the RAM is added after binning them. The RAM is created separately from the processor.

Re: All-new iMac features the M1 chip

#298
post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's the danger of late-stage minimalism. All the designs converge on featureless rectangles.

Why would anyone want their screen to be anything other than a featureless rectangle? If they had the tech, they would have done this a long time ago.

Why would anyone want their screen to be anything other than a featureless rectangle?

There's a huge market for making TVs look like anything other than a slab of glass. Aesthetics count. Is why the 17 inch iMac with the crane neck is still covered.

Re: All-new iMac features the M1 chip

#299
post #296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As far as I know there are only three (four?) M1 chips in existence: M1 8GB, M1 16GB, M1 7-core GPU 8GB. There may be an M1 7-core GPU 16GB but I suspect that there is actually only ONE M1 chip (M1 16GB 8-core) and the rest are binned versions.

The CPUs are binned, the RAM is added after binning them. The RAM is created separately from the processor.

Interesting, I was under the impression the RAM was on the same die.

Re: All-new iMac features the M1 chip

#300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems it would be really performance limiting to use the same board from the macbook air, even with a much better active heatsink/fan...

What about the board itself would limit performance? They're all using the same chip.

If it's exactly the same board and layout, an ultra slim laptop motherboard will be designed for different thermal limits than a desktop board. Also a laptop board will have its shape and orientation optimized for a very thin heatpipe + flat blower cooling system, something in a desktop might be different. Take for instance the same CPU used in a gaming laptop or in an Intel NUC/tiny box shaped PC, the heatsink/fan arrangement will be unique between the two. But then again this new imac is so thin it might as well be a laptop.
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