Apple on Monday announced a new generation of the 24-inch iMac, almost three years since the introduction of the M1 iMac. The new version features a similar design to the previous one, but now with the just announced M3 chip, which is faster and more efficient. Read on as we detail what’s new in the M3 iMac.
M3 iMac
Top comment by P_Devil
I was hoping Apple would use this event to not only show off a spec-bumped iMac but also updated the design and release a 27" model with roughly the same footprint, just a smaller chin. I also thought they would use this to at least update the Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard to USB-C. The bottom charging port on the Magic Mouse is already embarrassing. Make it 3mm thicker and add the charging port at the top like every other wireless rechargeable mouse.
Apple missed an opportunity with their accessories, even in keeping the iMac design the same. The Magic Keyboard should have been upgraded to USB-C and the charging port removed all together from the Magic Mouse. Add MagSafe charging to it and a MagSafe ring on the iMac's front chin. That would give people space to hang their iPhones while using their iMac and hang their mouse when not in use. Something in the base would also be nice, but I like it charging in the chin where it's front and center.
This is more business as usual with Apple doing a spec bump, nothing more. I do like that they discontinued the 13" MBP. That design was 8-years-old at this point. They brought the price of the 14" MBP down and are using the same SoC the 13" MBP would have. I know people will complain that there's nothing Pro about the M3 14" MBP, because it only supports one external display. But the same could have been said about the 13" MBP.
At least all their notebooks, except for the 13" MBA, use the same design language.
In terms of design, the new iMac looks pretty much the same as before. The display is also the same as before: 24 inches with 4.5K resolution. The biggest news here is the M3 chip, especially as the iMac hasn’t been updated since 2021 – when it got the M1 chip.
M3 is based on the A17 Pro used in the iPhone 15 Pro. It’s the first Apple chip designed for Macs based on the 3 nanometer architecture. Apple says that M3 brings great advances when it comes to GPU. M3, together with A17 Pro, are the first Apple chips to support hardware ray tracing.
The M3 CPU has performance cores up to 30% faster than M1 and 15% faster than M2. Because of the new architecture, the chip also consumes less power than previous chips, even though it offers more performance. The base model has an 8-core CPU with a 10-core GPU.
Prices remain the same as before: starting at $1299 for the 256GB storage and 8GB RAM configuration. It’s worth noting that there are no versions of the iMac with the M3 Pro or M3 Max chips. Pre-orders start today on Apple’s website, with deliveries estimated for November 7.
Read also
- Apple officially unveils M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max: 3 nanometer, Dynamic Caching GPU, more
- Apple announces new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro: M3 chip, Space Black, cheaper $1599 starting price
- Apple just killed off the last Mac with a Touch Bar
- Apple’s Mac accessories still only available with Lightning chargers
- Apple’s ‘Scary Fast’ Mac event was shot on iPhone 15 Pro Max
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