daveflash

nicholfd said:

It requires the Secure Enclave on the CPU.  M1 CPUs have it - Intel CPUs don't.  That's not arbitrary.

well intel Macs with Touch ID would've had an T1 or T2 security chip which does the same for TouchID on those Macs, so really if it's at all a decision to push away from Intel it is just that, though technically it could also be the Bluetooth version used and the fact that this keyboard now also has it's own partial Secure Enclave like chip that does the pre-processing before communicating to a Mac. I guess we'll have to wait on a proper teardown of the keyboard to know for sure if it's special chip is the limiting factor or if it's just apple being apple being apple again and limiting it to the M1's to sell those.

crowley said:

The extended keyboard looks weird with the power button in the middle.

no it's not a power button, just Touch ID / quick lock key, but I like this placement it's logical to have it here then on the end of the extended keyboard.

mpw_amherst said:

Had hoped to get a magic track pad after sale for my 24" iMac but seems a shame to ruin the aesthetic with silver when the rest if blue.

if you already own an Apple Silicon 24 inch iMac, you might be able to order it in the matching color from the apple store location you originally bought it from, by asking for a manager and explaining the situation in person, but availability maybe sparse to non-existent, also of note is there is no official policy of allowing this, you have to have luck with the apple genius/specialist to get it.

ya know, reading these comments, it's all just speculation from all of ya.

Yes, Apple may or may not have figured out its own way of running x86_64 code on the M1, without violating Intel IP, or it may not.
Also, knowing Apple, it's not a stretch to say their implementation DOES violate Intel IP in some way or another, or it may not.
But if it does, Apple may just have internally thought to stick with it, because let's face it, they are one of the few ones to be able to get away with it in the long run I believe.

Also it's entirely within the realm of possible that Apple KNEW it would violate Intel IP in one way or another, from the get-go, and also AGAIN just went with it anyway, to make the M1 a success. (Basically giving intel, like Steve did IBM years ago, the finger... behind closed doors. ;_)

In any case, I think Apple is likely balls enough to keep Rosetta 2 around, in most of the western world where it matters, for at least this first 2 years of the announced transition time. And maybe, only maybe, given in to intel or whoever in say regions like Asia, or wherever Intel or whomever will be successful in court to stop Apple shipping Rosetta 2. If it even comes that far. Which I suspect it will not.

As a serious side note to all this speculation, the pace of incoming native *-SI apps is happening at a really steady and fast pace, so it might not matter either way. Currently for my own MBA M1 the only real hold out is Adobe's Creative Crap, which I pirate anyway, because of my objection of subscription software. All the professional software I really need, ISN'T subscription based, and I already own legally, of which are most of the big name Adobe alternatives out there, most of which, like Pixelmator, Sketch, Affinity, Davinci Resolve etc, already have complete and successive native builds for Apple Silicon.

So I'm good either way, I only keep Adobe's crap around because of stupid compatibility requirements with their native file formats... 

(*Apple logo unicode char, reads as 'Apple' in case it isn't rendered correctly for others.)

urashid said:

Probably easier to use target display mode on the 2011 iMac and have access to all the mac mini M1 ports.  

Also works with 2010 27'' iMac which I have, it's my main display now for my M1 MBA, for when I'm at home. Which is all the time, thank you corona ;_(
Will try the converter board trick at some point on my dead 2008 iMac 24 inch that's still boxed in & being stored in the cellar for years now. (couldn't part with it, even if it doesn't turn on any more.)

just gotta get the time to have it looked at, if it's unfixable, but the screen is still gut, I will follow his suggestion and mod it to a hdmi converter board to only use the screen