I think the majority of this 2D target group will indeed go with a Macbook Pro
and an external Monitor.
While the 2D desktop/iMac lovers may be even fine with the M1 iMac.
Or maybe with some extra Monitors, like Apple’s rumored smallest Screen.
The only problem that I see is, in a few cases, the is M1 16 GB memory limit.
I know a web programmer and interface designer that went from M1 Mini
to a MBP just because of the 32 GB option. Not performance wise.
And it looks like all non-Pro users without any performance wishes are also
super happy with their colored iMacs.
My wife is a web designer who faces this dilemma. Her current iMac is my old one: Late 2013 27-inch model, 3.5 GHz Intel Core i7 Quadcore CPU, 16 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M 4 GB. It’s the last NVIDIA-based iMac.
She’s hoping to upgrade to Apple Silicon, but iMac Pro is too powerful and pricy for her needs, and the screen of the small consumer iMac is too small.
As I haven’t got experience with Macbook Pro models: can you easily hook it up to any desktop monitor, and can you easily connect an Apple wireless keyboard to it? Then she could opt to put a Macbook Pro on a platform like a monitor, and use an external keyboard on desk level.
Hmmh,
on my Windows PC I have a small cheap Dell 24" 4k Monitor.
As 4k are very sharp, even when scaled up a bit, it is not
uncomfortable to work with.
Because of the sharpness, I can keep my Palettes and Icons
a little smaller so I still get enough content in.
I just sit in a bit less distance in front of it and generally need
glasses for reading
I would recheck that M1 24" iMac’s screen for desired
resolution scaling and size again.
My beloved Cinema 30" 2560x1600 power supply died lately
so I currently work with the 4k Dell on PC and the old non retina
Wacom Cintiq 27" 2560x1440.
Never liked working on 2 Monitors, better a single large highres.
I think I would be fine with a 27" 5k iMac like screen.
If it would be larger I would just extend my viewing distance.
I see no problem with connecting wireless keyboard and mouse
or external Monitor(s) to a MBP.
It is just that HDMI can be a bit tricky and requires good cable
so you should inform about which works better.
And you may want/need a dock for more ports. (extra costs)
For me it is just a bit pity,
that I, as a desktop fan that needs no mobile, would wear the
battery for nothing and hide that beautiful mini LED screen
always in clamshell mode …
Beside that, I would also use it in the setup you are aiming to.
I would wait a bit longer if Apple will really not release an affordable 17" iMac
and just offer the small restricted 24" iMac and a high end 27" or larger
iMac Pro with nothing in between !?
I use Nec MultiSync EA271U (27", 4K) connected to MBA M1. It is OK (after a firmware update) but I suppose it is not even close to quality of coming iMacs mini-LED displays. When you buy an iMac, you’re paying also for the best monitor on the market, which for a designer can be quite important.
HI. I downloaded some of the 3.1 and 3.2 beta builds, but can’t see any option for Metal GPU rendering. Any idea if it’s in yet (or am I just thick and missing something?) I have a Mac Pro with a 5700XT and W6800X Duo, and an accelerated version of CyclesX would mean saying so long to cash-hogs C4D and Octane.
I have Monterey 12.3 PB 3.
PB 3 seems to have solved the GPU crashes for Blender 3.2 Alpha
and Twinmotion now.
Also Trash Can Intel does no more crash with GPU and BMW scene.
I spent the better part of my last two months in ‘mobile’ mode:
Part of it with a M1 Air 16GB (my favorite laptop so far ever) connected to an HDMI 1080p monitor and via Sidecar to an iPad Pro for a total of three effecting screens. Silent, useful, close to perfect if you ask me. The macbook screen I would put it on an elevated metal thing that was lying around, also keeps it cooler (like the TwelveSouth or RainDesign lifters).
Second part with a M1 Pro, same screens configurations.
To be honest, the real state of the 14” vs 13” isn’t that remarkable, I wouldn’t decide only on that. The Air can drive easily a Thunderbolt display and these screens come with all sorts of USB and extra ports. In my case, how I hade it via HDMI, was using the Apple multimedia dongle (HDMI, USBC Power pass through, 1x USB-A) and it worked perfectly fine.
For the M1 Pro, the screen is definitely tons nicer and everything in 120Hz feels faster and snappier, no need for HDMI dongles since it comes with one and all. Now, I used it for the most part as a secondary screen along with the Sidecar enabled iPad so all the benefits when used like so aren’t that visible.
For both, connecting magic keyboards, Logitech wireless mouse (one with a wireless dongle), etc was painless and out of the box. Booting and transferring users from an old MacBook Pro 2014 to the new ones was also painless and straight forward, I used the migration assistant and didn’t seem to pay any sort of performance price for doing that.
Where the M1 Pro shines (and by extension the Max) is editing video and whatnot, hot da*n, just got back to the trusty iMac 27” 2020 and it smokes it at least in FCP, also in booting time, in opening files, in loading stuff, everything… the iMac wins only specific raw power requirements, like opening 40GB+ of RAM worth of assets and the main screen real state.
Ah, didn’t think of this, I was looking around and was skipping anything 4K since I assumed that it is still 1080p realstate just sharper… but true that, being sharper things can be tighter and still readable. To take into account from now on.
Definitely, with the latest rumors pointing to macs, screens, etc… maybe Mac Mini’s and a screen makes more sense than an iMac to many here. I have read comments of people using Mac mini’s in quite portable ways since it’s so small and wireless, just need that single power cable somewhere. Some use LunaDisplay to use a Mac mini as a plugged laptop when needed, the ipad being the main and only screen in this case.
