Apple on Tuesday introduced the all-new M1 iMac featuring a much more compact and remarkably thin design vs. previous generation Intel iMacs. The new iMac offers powerful performance in a design that’s just 11.5 millimeters in depth, with a striking side profile that practically disappears. Available in an array of vibrant colors to match a user’s personal style and brighten any space, iMac features a 24-inch 4.5K Retina display with 11.3 million pixels, 500 nits of brightness, and over a billion colors, delivering a brilliant and vivid viewing experience.
The new iMac also includes a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, studio-quality mics, and a six-speaker sound system — the best camera and audio ever in a Mac. Also, Touch ID comes to iMac for the first time, making it easier than ever to securely log in, make purchases with Apple Pay, or switch user profiles with the touch of a finger.
Just like we’ve seen with the M1 MacBook Air, Pro, and Mac mini, Apple’s first desktop-class SoC outperforms a host of more expensive computers with Intel guts – including machines like its 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro.
The higher-end Apple Silicon Macs are yet to come, but the new iMac will be plenty powerful enough for regular users and even some pro workflows.
When comparing the new M1 iMac to the 21.5-inch Intel iMac, Apple says it offers up to 85% faster CPU performance, up to 2x faster GPU performance, and up to 3x faster machine learning performance. Apple hasn’t shared improvement figures when stacking up against the 27-inch iMac.
The new M1 iMac is a big step forward for Apple’s iconic all-in-one desktop. It offers a lot of value at the same starting price of the old 21.5-inch 4K Intel iMac – a larger, sharper screen, notably faster performance with the M1 chip, Thunderbolt/USB 4, all-new design, Touch ID, 1080p FaceTime camera, and more.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple’s new M1 iMac compared very favorably vs. Intel iMacs. As Potuck writes, unless you’re waiting for the higher-end iMac to be released (at WWDC in June?) or for an Apple Silicon Mac Pro, the new iMac is a compelling desktop starting at just $1,299.