[Closed] Apple's Spring Loaded logo...

Just made the switch from 22" 1080 monitor to 32" 4k. It's completely fine, and my nose is about 650mm from the screen. I wear varifocals though, so I'm well used to more head movement so I can see through the right part of my specs, even when no screen is involved. The difference in certain applications is game changing, think about looking at a bit of map on your phone vs spreading out an OS map on your table.

Why do some people just have to have a dig at others, simply for choosing something different to themselves? You don’t get called a ‘Ford nerd’ or a ‘Heinz nerd’ etc, simply for favouring one brand over another. So much hate.

If it helps you deal with my use of "Apple nerd" - be assured I self identify in that category. Agree with above - "fanboi" is tedious, nerd = affectionate

Been a user since 1990, current addiction level;

(Plus five Homepods and an Apple TV)

Wish Apple would go back to how they were around 2010. Proper desktop Mac Pros that you could upgrade easily.

Why does the current Mac Pro not fit that description? You can fit just about anything internally in that monster...

https://www.apple.com/uk/mac-pro/

Proper desktop Mac Pros that you could upgrade easily.

Wish Apple would go back to how they were around 2010. Proper desktop Mac Pros that you could upgrade easily.

I had one (still have it actually). All the lights in the local area would dim, when I turned it on. Uses silly amounts of power compared to today's machines. Mind you; you can install many HDD/SDDs, double optical disc drives, multiple graphics cards, all sorts, in it. Very powerful machines though. Not sure I'd want the equivalent now though, as things have changed and you don't need such power to run apps these days. I did like the 'dustbin' versions; all stupidly expensive proprietary bits, but much smaller footprint, and looked like nothing else. The new ones, I don't like so much. Huge.

Ah didn't realise they already went back to the old design. I never liked the dustbin design with very limited internal expandability.

Where as, like bridges, I much preferred the sleek "dustbin" design... but obviously would never buy one as the cost was insane. Rack mount version of the current Mac Pro is a right practical beast... of you need too much of everything, there's nothing to beat it really. There's probably two different models they need... a sleek desktop for pairing with multiple huge screens in studio setups, and in addition something that's approaching mini fridge proportions for render farms and studio servers... you can't really please both type of customer with one physical design.

New Mac Pro the cheese grater.

Anyone remember the G4 Cube? Fantastic concept, failed as a genuinely useable machine though. Overheating was a significant issue. But it did show that a powerful computer needn't be a massive box. I'm not the kind of customer a current MacPro is aimed at; that seems to be for serious high-end video/audio/3D graphics type work. A proper number cruncher. Having one of those would be like having a Bugatti Chiron, and only using it to get to the shops. To be honest, my MacPro was always massively overpowered for my own needs, but the iMacs at that time weren't great really. The iMac line has evolved massively though, so perfect for someone like me.

you can’t really please both type of customer with one physical design.

The MacMini is a fantastic format; just needs to be a bit more powerful to really appeal to someone like myself. It's not up to an iMac in terms of spec; perhaps a MacMini that is all the iMac is, minus the screen (therefore offering greater options regarding displays etc) would be a great product. Or not.

I don’t like dual monitors, fast desktop switching does if I need extra screen, but the bigger the better.

I prefer dual monitors - the laptop + a proper monitor used as the main screen. I set the laptop off to the side with the email / messaging stuff, and do all my work on the main screen. It's also good if you need to have a document open to refer to it, while working on something else.

The MacMini is a fantastic format; just needs to be a bit more powerful to really appeal to someone like myself. It’s not up to an iMac in terms of spec; perhaps a MacMini that is all the iMac is, minus the screen (therefore offering greater options regarding displays etc) would be a great product. Or not.

Have you looked at the performance of the new Mini using Apple silicon? I think you might be interested.
https://www.pocket-lint.com/laptops/reviews/apple/155424-apple-mac-mini-m1-review

Has anyone seen the event?

I'd like a colourful iMac - they look cool. Actually I'd prefer a Blue Macbook, I guess they'll come soon. The tiles look good but I don't actually know what I would do with them, and they're kind of expensive for possibly novelty things.

Interesting that they're calling everything 'M1', including the iPad (which is traditionally X14 or whatever). Clearly they're proud of their recent success.

Watched it earlier and whilst the new iMac looks very nice and is undoubtably "better" than my current iMac I'll be sticking with my 2020 27" 3.3ghz 1tb i5, its massively more than I need for browsing online and YouTube etc, same with my 2018 iPad Pro. Ive no need for airtags but I can see they'd be useful for some folks.

No new iPad mini then.

Nice set of announcements, interested in the ad-free podcasts as I listen to loads now, hopefully they bundle it into the Apple One package.

The tiles look good but I don’t actually know what I would do with them, and they’re kind of expensive for possibly novelty things.

No new iPad mini then.

They don’t care about them. They’re a handy size, but the silly big phones are their product for that market now. A shame really.

Would an air tag work as a bike tracker if yo could find somewhere to conceal it?

Superficial
Free Member

Interesting that they’re calling everything ‘M1’, including the iPad (which is traditionally X14 or whatever). Clearly they’re proud of their recent success.

All about convergence init.

You can't read a book in a more natural aspect ratio on a phone though.

I was really hoping a new mini would come out as it's my wife's birthday soon and I didn't buy the v5 last year as there were rumours that the V6 was coming 🤦

The mini is a really handy size for travel etc. I'm surprised it's not more popular at Apple HQ

The mini is a great size for out and about. Too close to their devices that they make more money on though, I suspect. The forgotten child of the range.

It's tempting to buy a v5. Her current one is an original from 2013 and has been quite tired for a couple of years

tbh probably still plenty to come, just gave out one size on most at the minute, probably be a macbook pro 16, so I'd imagine there will be other sizes, imac pro will be bigger you'd guess and mac pro to come too.

You wonder if they'll have an m2 chip for the higher up models or maybe like a 16 core m1 or something silly..

You wonder if they’ll have an m2 chip for the higher up models or maybe like a 16 core m1 or something silly..

definitely most excited for Air Tags. they’re actually as cheap as the other premium options (tile etc) but better, at least if you have UWB tech in your phone. Wallet & keys are the obvious (misplaced my spare set of van keys for 6 months once!) but there are loads of uses, especially when you factor in home automation. Automatic alert on my watch if I start to cycle home from work without my keys? (Done that before 😭). Cheap, easy to hide tracker for vehicle/bike. Going to stick one to the telly remote, always losing that 🤣🤣

I like the idea of Air Tags. I have a couple of Tiles and I like being able to find my keys, and also I put one in my bag that I check in - at least in the old days when air travel was allowed. I'm wondering juist how much better Air Tags are, in practice? Also - they are just round things so I don't see how to attach them to anything unless you buy a key-fob type thing, which doubles the price?

They are genuinely describing it as "magical".

*retches*

Completely forgot about this event, only remembered when my Google had an article on it this morning. 24" iMac!!! Thank you Apple! And so colourful too! I really like them. So thin! I'm wondering if they'll come with a detachable stand, and if wall mounting is possible (answer: yes!). Colour co-ordinated keyboard, mouse and cables! Bit concerned about the apparent 'unified memory', ie, not user configurable, so have to wait to see how much Apple will gouge people on the price of upgrading that, but for my use, I doubt much more than the base spec will be necessary anyway; I'm not rendering huge 3D projects, or encoding loads of high def video etc. No headphone socket is annoying; I regularly use my headphones connected via a lead, because it's easier than faffing with switching on the bluetooth etc. Best of all, the prices don't seem to be horrific. Previously, I'd budgeted over £3000 for a 27" intel model with upgrades, but it looks like I might be happy with a significantly lower outlay. I'll wait a bit, and see what else might appear (and for major issues to appear, if any), but for now, this looks ideal for my needs.

Airtags? Meh.

I have a 27in iMac. It's about 3 years old. Been fantastic esp WFH all the time. Also have a cheap second monitor.

The new 24s do look fantastic. I don't need the power of one, but I can see me repurposing this one for another family member 🙂

Don't get the same 'want' vibe for the iPad tho. We share one from about 3 years ago. Not sure I'd want to replace my macbook with the latest one. Just can't see the benefit esp considering the cost.

I've had Tiles before (essential if you have young kids that like to "borrow" keys) so an Apple version with replaceable battery is an easy sell to me. Always seemed unlikely that if I lost something outside home it was unlikely that another Tile user would happen to pass by - if it's anyone with an iPhone now then a much better prospect.

Just like Apple Watch straps, there'll be clones of the keyring/bag-tag things on aliexpress for a couple of quid within days.

edit: already there, hundreds to choose from!

8gb is beyond a joke in 2021 BUT apple's clever engineering means that actually it acts more like 16gb (or much more...) for normal tasks. Very heavy duty tasks that muller RAM need more ram, but multi tasking (100 tabs, and say 10 normal apps running) the M1 8gb will be completely fine

Also it does have a headphone port, on the side. It's too thin to have one on the back (the computer is 11mm thick, and minijack is 14.mm long......)

Also – they are just round things so I don’t see how to attach them to anything unless you buy a key-fob type thing, which doubles the price?

Would an air tag work as a bike tracker if yo could find somewhere to conceal it?

crudely yes, but i believe anyone with an nfc enabled phone is able to scan one and read its ID. So if a thief suspected there was a tag they could methodically scan likely hiding places and remove it. Presumably, your hiding places would be limited by needing to be RF transparent? and you'd need to be able to access it yourself to replace/recharge the battery.

So the new iMac is out, but I haven't yet seen any 'independent' reviews, teardowns etc. Apple stating deliver in a few weeks, but I do hope there's some more info out there soon. 512Gb 16GbRAM version £1849, which is considerably less than the £3k+ I'd expected to spend on the 27" older version. Got the inevitable jitters over 'what else will Apple bring out soon', but I think the 24" is perfect for me really. Going to pop into an Apple store soon, to try and see one 'in the flesh' as it were. I think it's appointments only at the moment. And does anyone know if you can do the educational discount thing in store or is it only online? I'll use my nephew to get a few quid (10%, and Apple care is considerably less?) off. But then Apple tend to do special offers to students in August...

Was also looking for reviews… I’m sure I ordered my daughters air on-line with her uni discount, Was a while ago tho. I’d rather go to the big store in Brum, pick daughter up from Uni and do it all face to face (mask to mask?). She’s home this weekend so I might pop in next week when I drop her off…

EDIT: forgot to add, was looking at a similar spec, slightly worried about 512 disc since I have a TB currently but it’s all backed up onto cloud/google/local little NAS bay so less of an issue than it used to be

The educational discount thing is easy online; you login with your uni/college etc details, and then you access the ed. discount web pages, where you can see the lower prices. You can pay using any valid card, so it doesn't matter if the card isn't in the student's own name (many parents pay for their kids' stuff anyway). I think you can go into an Apple store with student/education staff ID, and they'll do the discount there as well. I do know that it's easy to get, and Apple aren't too fussed as long as they make another sale. I've always bought using it. Pretty much all Mac users I know, get the discount, and most are nowhere near education! 😉

slightly worried about 512 disc since I have a TB currently but it’s all backed up onto cloud/google/local little NAS bay so less of an issue than it used to be

I think I'm using around 220GB of 1TB storage on my iMac, and have a 2x4TB NAS for backups and main storage. I have another 4TB single disc NAS for music and video files (streamed via Airplay and Apple TV). Video etc can be done using proxies, for faster editing. So I'm not that bothered about onboard storage. I might even get the 256GB version, to save £200. Considering 1Tb SSD's can be had for £50-60 these days, Apple really are taking the piss with their pricing. The only issue is that you can't upgrade the internal storage on the new Macs, so you're stuck with whatever you get when you buy it. That is a pain, but then the performance advantages with the new soldered in storage is perhaps a fair compromise. Reports regarding the other M1 Macs suggest the apparent 'lack' of RAM isn't the issue many think it is, as the M1 chip 'borrows' power from other components. I'm probably never going to be needing an über powerful system so the iMac is probably more than adequate.

The only real problem I have right now, is...

...which colour?

So now the new iMacs are out, has anyone got one? Or seen one in the flesh? Probably about to pull the trigger on one, but still cautiously waiting to see if there are any glaring problems, unlikely but still. Initial reports seem to be overall positive; video production seems to be surprisingly good on what is essentially more of a 'consumer' type product. If the M1 machines are this good, then the future for Apple looks pretty bright, once the more 'pro' spec machines start coming out.

was tempted to get an M1 laptop last week as there have been some great refurb deals about, but then some Googling let me to read a couple of MacRumors articles about how the M1X/M2 chips are pretty close now... there's talk about a 14" laptop with the new chip that [I]might[/I] be revealed at the software event next month, otherwise probably Sept. (Along with new iMacs). Going to wait personally! I think the currently available M1 iMacs do look good though, if they meet your needs.

What do you use your laptop for? The extra cores in the next chip might not mean much, depending on the use case.

the chip will be smaller/faster/more efficient anyway, but it's more the increase in possible RAM I'm interested in, and the larger screen.

We've just bought an M1 MacBook Air - my it zips along!

And as with all computer stuff there's always something faster - juuuust around the corner.

was tempted to get an M1 laptop last week as there have been some great refurb deals about, but then some Googling let me to read a couple of MacRumors articles about how the M1X/M2 chips are pretty close now… there’s talk about a 14″ laptop with the new chip that might be revealed at the software event next month, otherwise probably Sept. (Along with new iMacs). Going to wait personally! I think the currently available M1 iMacs do look good though, if they meet your needs.

A friend bought an M1 MacBook Air as an 'interim' measure after his MacBook Pro went pop last autumn. He fully intended to buy a new M1/2X MBP when they become available, but has found the MBA so good, he's not going to need to. Has to do on the fly quick video editing stuff, so you'd imagine a £1000 laptop might not be quite up to the job, but he's found quite the opposite. Says it's faster than his old machine, and that was I think quite a recent model, 2018. So I think from what I've read/heard, that unless you're doing some pretty heavy video/3D type work, or anything that requires serious processing power, the current M1 models are probably more than adequate. There's one review where the reviewer says the new iMac can even handle an 8k video stream, so that is extremely impressive!

I'm now pretty sure I don't need anything more than the iMac, and that's going to save me a lot of money. Which I can then spend on other Apple products! 😀

I'd be keen to see if the new higher end macs can handle what used to be memory hungry tasks. I do a lot of work in Photoshop and that needs memory above anything else.

@hot_fiat
I have an iphone 12 in a quadlock case, it will charge wirelessly, but seems a little sensitive to exact placement on the (non magsafe) charging mat.
Edited for spelling.

Well, I also use PS a fair bit, so have been looking for how it performs on the new machines and many indications suggest it's better on the M1. This guy has been testing a base model 13" M1 MBP against other machines, and it performs pretty favourably, especially considering it's just the 8Gb RAM version, and a fraction of the cost of other machines.

https://photoshopcafe.com/photoshop-new-apple-m1-macbook-pro-13/

I think the M1 native version of Ps is going to be the difference. And once the 'pro' Macs emerge, we'll get a much better picture of how far forward Apple have moved the game.