FLYING COLOURS: Apple iMac M1

A great-looking machine with a fantastic screen and lots of power… but a few limitations, too

SEPCIFICATIONS

Display 23.5-inch 4480x2520 Retina

CPU Apple M1

RAM 8GB / 16GB unified memory

Storage 256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB SSD

Connectivity 2x Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB 3 Type-C (optional), 3.5mm jack, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5, Ethernet (optional)

Dimensions 461x547x147mm (inc stand)

Weight 4.46kg / 4.48kg

This is the first time we’ve been able to judge what it’s like when a Mac has been, in Apple’s words, “built from the ground up around M1”. With the MacBook Air (M1, 2020) and MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020), we got the new chip in old designs.

But this iMac is all-new, internally and externally. The characteristics of Apple’s M1 chip means that the computer can be just 11.5mm thick, not including stand, but still pack in eight cores of potent processing power, and run silently in general use.

The 4.5K resolution screen is larger than the 21.5-inch model it replaces, but the whole unit is only 2cm wider and 1cm taller – and much less voluminous. It is, simply, much more computer in a smaller space… mostly.

There are a few changes that won’t be as welcome as the upgrades we’ve mentioned, and there’s one notable thing that hasn’t changed but really should have. But overall it’s a very exciting Mac, and with its seven jaunty colours, it feels less like a new electronic appliance and more like a computer from the days when getting a new PC was cool and thrilling.