New 24-inch iMac adds M4 chip, nano-texture glass option

AppleInsider

Apple has updated its 24-inch iMac, with the all-in-one desktop Mac now sporting more performance thanks to the M4 chip.

M4 24-inch iMac - Image credit: Apple

Introduced as part of Apple's week of Mac announcements, the update to the 24-inch iMac is a classic spec-bump update. While the new model is pretty much identical to the previous generation, it still has upgrades where it counts.

Here, that means stepping up from the M3 chip in the last version and using the M4 chip instead. Apple says the M4 chip has the fastest CPU core in the world, and is 1.7 times faster than the M1 iMac in terms of performance.

The graphical capabilities include a 2.1x performance boost for gaming and photo editing versus M1.

Like the M3 version, the M4 iMac is offered in two varieties. One includes an 8-core M4 as well as an 8-core GPU, while the other has 10-core counterparts.

The base configuration includes 16GB of unified memory, up from the previous 8GB, with it able to go up to 32GB. Storage starts at 256GB, with configuration options going up to 2TB.

The 24-inch 4.5K Retina display makes a return, complete with its 4,480 by 2,520 resolution. It has 500 nits of brightness, Wide Color (P3) support, and True Tone.

This time, Apple includes a new nano-texture glass option, which can minimize reflections on the screen and create a clearer image.

Embedded in the top of the screen is the 1080p FaceTime HD camera. Once again, it's aided by an advanced image signal processor with computational video.

Audio duties are handled by a high-fidelity six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers, complete with Spatial Audio support for media using Dolby Atmos. Audio recording is performed by a three-mic array of studio-quality microphones with a high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming.

The port selection, around the back of the display, consists of two Thunderbolt, up to four in total, which can handle DisplayPort out to another display. There's also a 3.5mm headphone jack on the side.

Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E are included, though you also have wired Gigabit Ethernet also available. This is located in the power brick, so as to not affect the appearance of the iMac itself.

The new 24-inch iMac with M4 starts from $1,299, can be pre-ordered now, with availability from November 8.



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CheeseFreeze

Disappointed there is no M4 Pro option, however this remains a beautiful product to look at, and if you are okay with a base setup, it provides excellent value. When maxing out, I'm not sure if it provides great value, but it sure looks great. Also happy to see there's a nano-texture option. I get migraines and this is easier to deal with when your monitor is pointed at light surfaces in the back.

DaveyDaveDave

"Storage starts at 256GB"
Pathetic base storage, as usual.
Apple really needs to be more competitive at this base level.

tht

The higher end SKUs can support two 6K monitors and the built-in one. This was one of the things critics picked on for the base M-series Macs. Wonder if it makes it to the M4 MBA models. The M4 MBP will surely be able to simultaneously drive the internal monitor and the two external monitors.

Always a funny feature, with the way Apple does it. Hey, here's our $1500 Mac. You want to use two 6K external monitors with it? $10,000 for two PD XDRs. Or if you are more spend-thrifty, $3000 for two 5K ASD. Most people are thinking about this or that crappy 2K to 4K monitor. 

charlesn

I was thinking of trading in my M1 iMac, but the trade-in value that Apple is offering is ABYSMAL. Hard to figure how Apple offered $230 of trade-in value for an iPad Mini 6 from 2021 that originally sold for $499. But on a BTO iMac M1 from 2021 that sold for over $2100--with the higher spec'd chip, 16GB RAM and 1TB of storage--they're only offering $340. That's nuts. 

rodwslc

I see that Apple said that the M4 is 1.7 times faster than the M1, how about telling us how much faster the M4 is compared to the M2 & the M3.

Could it be that it’s not very much faster than the M3?

CheeseFreeze

rodwslc said:

I see that Apple said that the M4 is 1.7 times faster than the M1, how about telling us how much faster the M4 is compared to the M2 & the M3.

Could it be that it’s not very much faster than the M3?

I hate it when they do that. It's probably 10-20% faster, depending on single vs multi-core tasks. The NPU of-course will be much faster. 

bobcubsfan2

So "new" mouse with USB C. Is port still on bottom of mouse?

chuck burr

Where’s the larger display? Where is FaceID for the Mac?

danox

DaveyDaveDave said:

"Storage starts at 256GB"
Pathetic base storage, as usual.
Apple really needs to be more competitive at this base level.

it isn’t for you Apple offers 256GB because many people are on a tight budget a here and now budget…..

ApplePoor

The year after spending close to $7,500 on a fully speced M1 Ultra Mac Studio (128GB ram 8TB SSD), the Apple trade in value was $1,250 for the same spec M2 Ultra Mac Studio. Needless to say, I still have the M1 version. Not sure I would even consider the M4/5 next year. Apple must consider their products residual value pretty low on the totem pole and perhaps that is because they hope they will last just the factory warranty period.

I plan to look closely at a M4 Max 16" MacBook Pro laptop. But if the numbers are poor, I can survive with my 14" Max MacBook Pro (64GB 4TB SSD).

This iMac upgrade is just like the iPad mini v7 - do the least possible in a chip upgrade. Both of those devices also needed a base memory update for AI.

My M2 Pro mini sports 32GB of ram and could have been ordered with the 8TB SSD. So the M4 should be able to support 48 GB of ram

To date, Apple's hardware updates have been marginal at best and certainly not reflective of the engineering staff Apple pays every month. They wasted a fortune on the Headset debacle and are shutting down its production by year's end due to declining sales and no future for the product. It will be just like the car deal where billions were squandered.

danox

rodwslc said:

I see that Apple said that the M4 is 1.7 times faster than the M1, how about telling us how much faster the M4 is compared to the M2 & the M3.

Could it be that it’s not very much faster than the M3?

Actual final speed depends on what type of cores and how many are used, and no one will know the real improvements (speed) until people get it in their hands and actually test it.

danox

bobcubsfan2 said:

So "new" mouse with USB C. Is port still on bottom of mouse?

No one (the general public) cares other than the tech sites. The same applies to the lightning port and 60 Hz versus 120 Hz screens which is a big so what if you only have a 4K screen, the 4.5 K Apple curated screen is better than all of those 4K 120 Hz PC screens if you care about actual clarity on the screen and I’m not talking about playing games.

byronl

I prefer the previous colors. More vibrant.

m4m40

I’m surprised that nobody complains about the 24” screen size. I’d never even consider iMac simply because of that. 27” feels like the bare minimum to me. 32” would make it a decent contender. 

AniMill

ApplePoor said:

The year after spending close to $7,500 on a fully speced M1 Ultra Mac Studio (128GB ram 8TB SSD), the Apple trade in value was $1,250 for the same spec M2 Ultra Mac Studio. Needless to say, I still have the M1 version.

I sold my M1 Ultra w/ 128GB for $3250 on eBay. I still have my M1 Max 14” NBP. I’m replacing the Studio with a PC for Unreal Engine development. I loved the M1 Ultra, but Unreal just doesn’t play as nice with Mac as it does with PC… unfortunately.

macxpress

rodwslc said:

I see that Apple said that the M4 is 1.7 times faster than the M1, how about telling us how much faster the M4 is compared to the M2 & the M3.

Could it be that it’s not very much faster than the M3?

Because Apple is marketing this to those who originally purchased an iMac back in 2021 when the M1 iMac came out. They know people who recently purchased an M3 iMac most likely aren't looking to buy a new iMac again. So it doesn't make any sense to compare it to the M3 because even if you have an M1 iMac you can't get the M3 anymore. 

macxpress

chuck burr said:

Where’s the larger display? Where is FaceID for the Mac?

When were those ever expected? The iMac is a very low volume product for Apple today and I'm not sure if it will support a 2nd model and FaceID isn't going to happen anytime soon. 

macxpress

danox said:

bobcubsfan2 said:

So "new" mouse with USB C. Is port still on bottom of mouse?

No one (the general public) cares other than the tech sites. The same applies to the lightning port and 60 Hz versus 120 Hz screens which is a big so what if you only have a 4K screen, the 4.5 K Apple curated screen is better than all of those 4K 120 Hz PC screens if you care about actual clarity on the screen and I’m not talking about playing games.

Absolutely! 100%!!! 

6ryph3n

CheeseFreeze said:

I hate it when they do that. It's probably 10-20% faster, depending on single vs multi-core tasks. The NPU of-course will be much faster. 

I actually love that they did this comparison. Obviously it can be a marketing tactic, but most people aren’t upgrading from M3 to M4. I’m upgrading from M1 to M4 Mini as soon as that’s announced, so M1 vs M4 is exactly what I want to know. My guess is that they expect a lot of upgrades like me this cycle. 

docno42

DaveyDaveDave said:

"Storage starts at 256GB"
Pathetic base storage, as usual.
Apple really needs to be more competitive at this base level.

Why would a point of sale terminal need more than 256GB?   

iMacs are used for all kinds of purposes, not just what you think they should be used for.