What lurks within the latest Big Sur beta? References to two unreleased iMac models
- Reference: 1616597238
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/03/24/big_sur_new_imacs/
- Source link:
Released earlier this week, the latest macOS Big Sur beta listed [1]two new model identifiers : iMac21,1 and iMac21,2*.
[2]
These are believed to be same machines revealed by Bloomberg [3]earlier this year , which had the internal codenames J456 and J457.
Per the report, Apple intends to replace the existing 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac models with two new designs. While it remains unknown how much screen real estate they'll carry, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed the entry-level model will pack a larger 24-inch display.
[4]
Other leaked information have pointed to a wider redesign, with Apple expected to provide a range of colour options reminiscent of the original iMac G3 as well as a flatter and slimmer chassis given the lower thermal output of Apple's homegrown ARM chippery.
Previous iMac versions contained hefty cooling fans designed to dissipate the massive amounts of heat generated by the CPU and GPU, as well as plenty of dead space to allow for airflow.
By contrast, the latest M1 MacBook Air chugs along contentedly with a [5]solid-state passive cooling system , with barely any difference between it and the fan-cooled M1 MacBook Pro in terms of performance.
How Apple's M1 uses high-bandwidth memory to run like the clappers [6]READ MORE
Further space savings could be found by removing the user-serviceable RAM and storage. Considering Apple's [7]adoption of a unified memory architecture , where the RAM sits on the same package as the CPU and GPU to allow for faster access, as well as soldered on-board memory, this seems likely. Right-to-repair advocates are less likely to be impressed, however.
In recent weeks, Apple has pared back its legacy Intel iMac portfolio, [8]discontinuing the iMac Pro and certain configurations of the base 21.5-inch model. Additionally, one developer has claimed to have received an [9]automated Xcode crash report from an unknown ARM-powered iMac . This has led some to believe that the launch of the debut Apple Silicon iMacs is imminent. Although it's not exactly certain when that would happen.
Apple was expected to hold its traditional spring launch event in mid-March, bringing with it a refreshed iPad Pro lineup, new iMacs, and the long-expected ( [10]and legally contentious ) AirTags device-tracking gadgets. With the month almost over, the grapevine is now looking towards April for Cupertino's next event.
In the meantime, if you can't wait, you can always play Dr Franken-tosh and craft your own [11]using an M1 Mac Mini and a knackered older intel iMac . Or, if you're exceptionally mad, an [12]iMac G5 that would be almost old enough to drink , were it a person. ®
[13]
*No, that's not a typo. Apple has a tendency to "think different" when it comes to its model identifiers, using a comma where other vendors might use a period.
Get our [14]Tech Resources
[1] https://9to5mac.com/2021/03/23/new-apple-silicon-imacs-referenced-in-latest-macos-big-sur-11-3-beta/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YFtwNCRgMqE9JqH0luJ64wAAAAU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-15/apple-plans-redesigned-imac-new-mac-pro-smaller-mac-pro-cheaper-monitor?sref=9hGJlFio
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YFtwNCRgMqE9JqH0luJ64wAAAAU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2020/11/20/macbook_air_pro_teardown/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2020/11/19/apple_m1_high_bandwidth_memory_performance/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2020/11/19/apple_m1_high_bandwidth_memory_performance/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/03/08/imac_pro_discontinued/
[9] https://9to5mac.com/2021/03/17/arm-imac-appears-in-xcode/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2020/04/02/apple_tile_congress_testimony/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2021/03/04/the_worlds_first_apple_silicon/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2021/03/09/m1_imac_g5/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+co%2FTpyQ+%28The+Register%29
[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YFtwNCRgMqE9JqH0luJ64wAAAAU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
comma
that comma reminds me of the "decimal comma" of my youth, I was brought up in Germany. Now whenever I see one, either when I'm on a visit back in the "alte Heimat" or when fixing a bug related to it in the software I now maintain, which is also used by my former compatriots at our German manufacturing plant, I think it's totally weird.
Re: comma
I think it’s because OpenFirmware was written in Forth. It’s been ages since I saw that console, though.
Re: comma
Ah, that's just fantastic!
Forth is still a favourite of mine and I regularly use it as a CLI for test systems.
A here's me looking to upgrade the RAM in my mid-2011 21.5" iMac from 16GB to 24GB because that seems to be the only thing slowing me down. It has a 256GB SSD running High Sierra and a Windows10 VM via Parallels; Windows is in coherent mode and the MS Office apps start almost instantaneously from that (about half the time to fire up the native Mac ones (e.g. 3sec compared with 6 to fire up an Excel spreadsheet from Finder). The iMac has an i7 CPU and a 2TB HDD as additional storage. The limit seems to be memory as writing a video file from iMovie crawls along unless I shut down the VM (CPU load never seems to get much past 50% but memory goes) - even limiting the VM to 4GB doesn't help. I could replace all four RAM blocks and go to 32GB, but that seems an extravagance.
I've looked at replacing the whole m/c but my current iMac still does everything I ask of it - well 90% and a bit more RAM should cover the extra 10%. I know I'll need to replace it some day - but I'll wait until it actually stops working.
I bought a Mac Mini for software development purposes, max’d out at 16GB RAM. In performance testing vs. my 64GB RAM Mac Pro, with 12 Xeon cores, I was surprised to see the Mac Mini come in at twice the speed - and it did it silently (the Mac Pro softly whooshes with fan noise). Twice the speed for a fraction of the power consumed. Sure, I’d like to be able to add more memory - and hopefully a Silicon Pro will let me do that - but these M1 machines punch well above their price in my experience.
A lot of discussion about the 16GB limit on the new M1 kit but, if it's faster than your 64GB MacPro, is RAM now a limitation, especially paired with an SSD? Just a thought!
"*No, that's not a typo. Apple has a tendency to "think different" when it comes to its model identifiers, using a comma where other vendors might use a period."
How very trendy. Last time I saw commas in versioning was back in Solaris 9 era packages: https://mirror.opencsw.org/opencsw/stable/sparc/5.9/
I suppose also CVS and RCS backends too.
Perhaps Apple should modernize a little? (I bet saying this will upset some fans ;)