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Thoughts on the M4 iMac, and making peace with the death of the 27-inch model

The M4 iMac is a nice computer.

Apple's addition of 16GB RAM to the basic $1,299 model makes it a whole lot more appealing for the vast majority of people who just want to take the computer out of the box and plunk it on a desk and be done. New USB-C accessories eliminate some of the last few Lightning ports still skulking around in Apple's lineup. The color options continue to be eye-catching in a way that evokes the original multicolored plastic ones without departing too far from the modern aluminum-and-glass Apple aesthetic. The $200 nano-texture display option, included in the review loaner that Apple sent us, is lovely, though I lightly resent having to pay more for a matte screen.

The back of the iMac, where the color is the most visible. Credit: Andrew Cunningham
New USB-C accessories. Yes, the charging port is still on the bottom. Credit: Andrew Cunningham
A mildly improved 12MP webcam with a wide enough field of view to support Desk View mode in macOS. Credit: Andrew Cunningham
For models with an Ethernet port, it's still on the power brick, not the back of the machine. Credit: Andrew Cunningham

This is all I really have to say about this iMac, because it's externally nearly identical to the M1 and M3 versions of the same machine that Apple has been selling for three years now. The M4 isn't record-setting fast, but it is quick enough for the kinds of browsing and emailing and office stuff that most people will want to use it for—the fully enabled 10-core version is usually around as fast as a recent Intel Core i5/Core Ultra 5 or an AMD Ryzen 5 desktop CPU, though using just a fraction of the power, and with a respectable integrated GPU that's faster than anything Intel or AMD is shipping in that department.

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iMac (M4) review: A mini upgrade to Apple’s entry-level all-in-one

iMac is the rock of Apple’s desktop line. Over the past decade we’ve seen the iMac Pro come and go, Apple struggling to crack the Mac Pro, and largely forgetting the Mac Mini existed for more than a decade. With two years and two models under its belt, the jury is still out on the […]

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Apple Mac Mini (M4) review: More power in a tiny package

For years, the Mini was the odd man out in the Mac desktop lineup. Apple has given plenty of love to the iMac over the years. The Mac Pro has had a few false starts, but the company is clearly committed to offering a true professional-grade desktop experience. The Studio is the new kid on […]

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Apple silicon Macs will get their ultimate gaming test with Cyberpunk 2077 release

Cyberpunk 2077, one of the most graphically demanding and visually impressive games in recent years, will soon get a Mac release, according to developer and publisher CD Projekt Red.

The announcement was published on CD Projekt Red's blog and also appeared briefly during Apple's pre-recorded MacBook Pro announcement video. The game will be sold on the Mac App Store, Steam, GOG, and the Epic Game Store when it launches, and it will be labeled the Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, which simply means it also includes Phantom Liberty, the expansion that was released a couple of years after the original game.

Cyberpunk 2027 launched in a rough state in 2020, especially on low-end hardware. Subsequent patches and a significant overhaul with Phantom Liberty largely redeemed it in critics' eyes—the result of all that post-launch work is the version Mac users will get.

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Apple’s M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max compared to past generations, and to each other

Apple's week of Mac announcements has wrapped up this morning with the launch of the new M4 MacBook Pros, and we now have a full picture of the M4 chip lineup that will drive the Mac for the next year or so (excepting the M4 Ultra, if we end up getting one).

Because Apple staggered its product and chip announcements, we've gathered some basic specs from all versions of the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max to help compare them to the outgoing M2 and M3 chip families, including the slightly cut-down versions that Apple sells in the cheaper new Macs. We've also rounded up some of Apple's performance claims, so people with older Macs can see exactly what they're getting if they upgrade (Apple still likes to use the M1 as a baseline, acknowledging that the year-over-year gains are sometimes minor and that many people are still getting by just fine with some version of the M1 chip).

Comparing all the M4 chips

CPU P/E-cores GPU cores RAM options Display support (including internal) Memory bandwidth Available in
Apple M4 (low) 4/4 8 16/24GB Up to two 120GB/s $1,299 iMac
Apple M4 (high) 4/6 10 16/24/32GB Up to three 120GB/s $1,499 iMac, $599 Mac mini, $1,599 MacBook Pro
Apple M4 Pro (low) 8/4 16 24/48/64GB Up to three 273GB/s $1,399 Mac mini, $1,999 14-inch MBP
Apple M4 Pro (high) 10/4 20 24/48/64GB Up to three 273GB/s $1,599 Mac mini, $2,199 14-inch MBP, $2,499 16-inch MBP
Apple M4 Max (low) 10/4 32 36GB Up to five 410GB/s $3,199 14-inch MBP, $3,499 16-inch MBP
Apple M4 Max (high) 12/4 40 48/64/128GB Up to five 546GB/s $3,699 14-inch MBP, $3,999 16-inch MBP

At least as far as the Mac is concerned, Apple has technically released six different chips this week under three different brand names. The M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max all have one slightly cut-down entry-level version with fewer CPU and GPU cores and one more-expensive, fully enabled version.

Generally, in the places where Apple offers both versions of each chip, you can upgrade to the better CPU/GPU without also having to pay for more RAM or anything else. But the M4 Max is an exception—buying the fully enabled M3 Max also requires you to pay for a jump from 36GB to 48GB of memory, making the total cost an additional $500. Apple's site lists it, somewhat misleadingly, as a $300 addition, but toggling the selection also automatically selects the $200 RAM upgrade.

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Apple’s $1,299 M4 iMac at long last bumps the base model to 16GB of RAM

Apple's week of Mac announcements kicks off today with a new lineup of 24-inch iMacs, Apple's first Macs to launch with the M4 processor from this spring's iPad Pros. The new models still start at $1,299 can be preordered starting today and will begin arriving on November 8.

Processor aside, the biggest functional upgrade to the base model may be the bump from 8GB to 16GB of RAM, the first time Apple has bumped up the RAM in a base-model Mac since 2012. The base iMac's price is staying the same at $1,299, effectively saving you $200 compared to the M1 and M3 models. Base storage remains the same at 256GB, though it is at least possible to add external storage; there's no way to add RAM to a Mac after you've bought it.

The new iMacs also come with tweaked versions of the existing Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad accessories that use USB-C ports for charging rather than Lightning ports. These were some of the last remaining Lightning products in Apple's lineup; the iPhone SE and iPhone 14 are still keeping Lightning alive for now.

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Apple teases “week of announcements” about the Mac starting on Monday

Apple has released new iPhones, new Apple Watches, a new iPad mini, and a flotilla of software updates this fall, but Mac hardware has gone unmentioned so far. That's set to change next week, according to an uncharacteristically un-cryptic post from Apple Worldwide Marketing SVP Greg Joswiak earlier today.

Imploring readers to "Mac [sic] their calendars," Joswiak's post teases "an exciting week of announcements ahead, starting on Monday morning." If the wordplay wasn't enough, an attached teaser video with a winking neon Mac logo drives the point home.

Though Joswiak's post was light on additional details, months of reliable rumors have told us the most likely things to expect: refreshed MacBook Pros and 24-inch iMacs with few if any external changes but new Apple M4-series chips on the inside, plus a new M4 Mac mini with a substantial design overhaul. The MacBook Pros and iMacs were refreshed with M3 chips almost exactly a year ago, but the Mac mini was last updated with the M2 in early 2023.

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