Living with the M1 iMac: A Month Later

This is the 2021 M1 iMac. It's Apple's M1 refresh of their old 21in 4k iMac. I've had this iMac since the day it launched. But the question is, are the flashy colors just for show, or is there some substance to this iMac? Should you buy this iMac? Is it worth your hard earned cash? Well, let's find out with a little review. When you open the box, you'll get the iMac itself, a ten-keyless version of the bluetooth magic keyboard, a magic mouse, a braided magnetic power adapter, and a braided usb c to lightning cable to charge the magic keyboard and magic mouse. The M1 iMac starts at $1300 US but the middle priced model introduces an ethernet port on the power brick, has 4 usb 4 ports of 2 of the base model. Beyond that, the middle model has 8 instead of 7 graphics cores meaning it will perform slightly better with graphics like photo, video editing, and games. The iMac now comes in 7 different colors. Blue, Green, Pink, Silver, Yellow, Orange, and Purple. The backs of the iMacs are bolder shades of the colors on front of the device. You'll notice that the accessories that come with the M1 iMac matches with the iMac itself. The bodies of the keyboard and mouse, are pink. The braided power cable, and provided charging cable, are also pink. And the magnetic part that attaches to the back of the iMac, matches the back too. The wallpapers and color scheme of the UI of the Mac are defaulted to also color code to match your particular model. Looking at the iMac's settings, and even on the Find My App, the Mac is the exact same color as the model you purchased. Amazon Affiliate Links to the Products Mentioned in the Video: 2021 M1 iMac: https://amzn.to/3gH8fON Mx Anywhere 3: https://amzn.to/3xx80N7 Amazon Affiliate Links to Gear I use: Sony A7S III: https://amzn.to/3jD0fxC Vanguard Alta Pro 263AB Tripod: https://amzn.to/2O7V8Yn M1 Macbook Air: https://amzn.to/3rV5Zru Philips Hue Light Strip: https://amzn.to/2VZq2EV Godox SL-60W: https://amzn.to/37LsdT0 Rode VideoMic NTG:https://amzn.to/2RKHVrL Shure SM7B: https://amzn.to/30Dxji7 Logitech MX Master 3: https://amzn.to/30G1GV2 Logitech MX keys: https://amzn.to/3bHytQ8yo 0:00 Introduction 0:25 Unpacking the iMac 1:11 Design and Physical Features of the iMac 3:56 User Experience 5:35 Performance 8:21 Alternatives: M1 iMac vs M1 iMac Mini 9:42 Conclusion The body of the iMac is much more flat than last year's model. It does have a headphone jack and the front now has a thinner, but white bezel. The entire front is now a giant sheet of glass, unlike before where the bottom bezel was aluminum. The sides, back side, and stand, are aluminum with a giant apple logo on the back. And since it's an all-in-one computer, there's only the power cable that sticks out of it, leaving you a really clean and minimal looking desk. The white bezels blend in real well in a room, since the majority of my walls are white. These iMacs feel like they're supposed to be in living areas and not shoved into the corner. And that's what Apple showcases in all of their marketing for this machine. But I can definitely see why people are upset though. The screen is glossy, and is nice to look at. It's a 24inch 4.5k display and gets plenty bright. The usb 4 ports are still on the back, and are still as annoying as ever to reach behind and try to plus something in. The speakers sound good considering how thin the overall machine is. And the webcam got upgraded to 1080p. Which is a step up from the 720p ones in previous models. And what you're hearing right now are the mics on the M1 iMac. But like previous models, the screen can only be tilted up and down. The Magic keyboard feels just like their other magic keyboards, but now has a fingerprint sensor on the middle and higher end models. The fingerprint sensor works well enough just like the one on other M1 Macs. The Mouse? Well, it's the same one apple has had for a while now. If you don't like it, the Logitech Anywhere 3 in pink looks like it'd be a fantastic fit with the iMac in Pink. They also have a silver variant that matches well with the silver iMac too. I want to talk about the comparison people make between the M1 Mac Mini and M1 iMac. The Mac mini has the exact same m1 chip, so performance is equal, but is cheaper because it is just the computer. On the M1 iMac, all of that is either wireless or already integrated into the machine. On the other hand, the M1 iMac, when it's time for it be replaced, you'll have to replace the whole thing, since you can't just rip the display, webcam, and speakers off to use with a new computer you buy. With the M1 Mac Mini? Just replace the little $700 box and you're good. But if you try to buy stuff for the M1 Mac Mini to make it comparable to the M1 iMac, it ends up at roughly the same price. So, really, if you're looking at these two machines, know their tradeoffs before finally deciding.