512 Pixels

Apple is at it again this morning, this time updating its iMac line:

Apple today updated its iMac line with up to 8-core Intel 9th-generation processors for the first time and powerful Vega graphics options, delivering dramatic increases in both compute and graphics performance. From consumers to pros alike, users will notice their iMac is faster for everyday tasks all the way up to the most demanding pro workloads. This boost in performance, combined with its gorgeous Retina display, sleek all-in-one design, quiet operation, fast storage and memory, modern connectivity and macOS Mojave, makes iMac the world’s best desktop.

Speed

Let’s talk about specs.

All 27-inch 5K iMacs now start with six cores. The two lower models with 8th generation Intel i5s, while the $2,299 SKU comes with 9th-gen chips. The 5K iMac can be optioned with a 8-core Intel i9 for a few hundred dollars.

Interestingly, the only way to get an i7 iMac is to custom-build a 21.5-inch 4K machine. Here, the base machine comes with a quad-core i3, while the $1,499 4K iMac comes with a six-core i5.

All Retina iMacs come with Radeon Pro GPUs with GDDR5 memory, but custom-built machines can be outfitted with Vega parts. The 4K machine can ship with a Radeon Pro Vega 20 GPU with 4 GB HBM2 memory; the 5K machine gets a Vega 48 and 8 GB HBM2 memory.

While still shy of what’s in the iMac Pro, these GPUs mean the regular iMac has a lot more grunt in terms of video processing.

The iMac is still shy of the iMac Pro’s $4,999 price point, but like before, a fully decked out iMac will cross that line. For $5,249, you can get an iMac with an 8-core i9, 64 GB of RAM, 2 TB of SSD storage and the Vega 48 GPU. My entry-level iMac Pro has less RAM and a smaller SSD, but should still outperform this machine in most tasks — especially those that are multithreaded. The iMac is still going to beat it in singlethreaded tasks, however.

A Complaint About Storage

Every 27-inch iMac comes standard with a Fusion Drive — even at the top end of the range. It’s $100 to go from a 2 TB Fusion Drive to a 512 GB SSD, and over $1,000 to match the Fusion Drive’s capacity. I understand why Apple continues to do this, but I wish it wasn’t so.

Here are the default storage options for the 27-inch machines:

My bigger problem is with the 21.5-inch machines. The non-Retina machine and the entry-level 4K model both come with 1 TB hard drives spinning at a pitiful 5400 RPM, which really take the wind out of the sails when it comes to performance. Just look at these default options:

If we can’t live in an all-SSD world yet, I would like to see these slower systems put out to pasture. A spinning drive really brings these machines to their knees. There’s nothing like seeing the spinning beach ball on a brand-new iMac.

Modernizing the iMac? Check Back Later.

While the new CPU and GPU options are welcome, they are all that is really new about these machines. They use the same case design, which harkens back to the Late 2012 iMacs. This includes the same cooling system, which worries me.

Before I bought my iMac Pro in December 2017, I tried out an i7 iMac with the 5K display. The fan would loudly spin up under any load, making it untenable for recording audio. I can’t imagine that the 8-core i9 will do any better. If you value a quiet desktop, you may be in for a surprise here.

Then there’s the matter of the T2 chip which is noticeably absent from these machines. That means that all the security benefits it brings are not available on Apple’s most popular desktop models. The iMac doesn’t have the secure boot capabilities and fast (and encrypted!) data access¹ that something like the MacBook Air boasts.

That’s … not great.

All in all, today’s iMacs are a spec bump. While I’m pumped to see the iMac continue to get more powerful CPU and GPU options, I was wanting Apple to modernize the iMac, bringing it in line with its other machines. There’s always next time, I suppose.

With its media event just a week away, it seems that Apple is clearing the decks a bit.

This morning, the company announced a new iPad, as well as an updated iPad mini.

iPad Air

The new non-Pro iPad is now called the “iPad Air” again, and sports a 10.5-inch screen, like the old iPad Pro. While the 10.5-inch Pro was on sale yesterday, it is now gone. It supports both the Smart Keyboard and first-generation Apple Pencil, and it comes with a fully laminated display unlike the cheaper 9.7-inch iPad.

It seems that the product has morphed into this new iPad Air in the form of a spec bump, but without support for ProMotion or for storage options larger than 256 GB. The Air also lacks the Pro’s quad speaker setup, and can only capture 1080p video, not 4K footage.

In short, the iPad Air is better than the old 10.5-inch iPad Pro in some ways, but worse in others.

The new iPad Air is powered by the A12 Bionic, but doesn’t support Face ID. It comes in Silver, Space Gray and Gold, starting at $499 for a 64 GB model. A 256 GB model can be picked up for $649, with LTE models $130 more.

iPad mini

The new iPad mini may be a more surprising announcement. Still 7.9-inches and complete with a Home button, the new iPad mini is powered by the A12 Bionic chip, and supports the first-generation Apple Pencil. It also comes with True Tone and wide color support for the first time.

(The previous iPad mini 4 was launched in September 2015, so it had some catching up to do.)

Like the Air, the mini cannot capture 4K video, and comes with a two-speaker audio system.

The iPad mini comes in Silver, Space Gray and Gold, starting at $399 for a 64 GB model. A 256 GB model can be picked up for $549, with LTE models $130 more.

The 2019 iPad Family

The new iPad Air sits between the 9.7-inch iPad and the iPad Pro, as Apple notes in its press release:

The new iPad Air and iPad mini join the most affordable 9.7-inch iPad and the most advanced iPad Pro models, offering the best, most innovative iPad lineup ever. The complete lineup now includes Apple Pencil support, best-in-class performance, advanced displays and all-day battery life6 for an experience unmatched by any other device.

To be clear, there are a lot of iPads to choose from now, but I think the line forms a pretty clear picture now. If you want the cheapest iPad you can get, buy the 9.7-inch. If you want something small, the iPad mini is for you. If you want a keyboard, but don’t want to spring for the more expensive iPad Pro, the new iPad Air looks like a real winner.

I think the iPad Air may become the new default iPad. It supports the Pencil, Smart Keyboard, and is noticeably larger than the 9.7-inch model. It even sits at the classic iPad price point of $499.

John Koblin at The New York Times, writing about Apple’s media event happening a week from today:

The event at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino is also meant to drive home — for iPhone fans and anyone in Hollywood who hasn’t been paying attention — just how many shows Apple has pulled together. Five series have completed filming. Around a half dozen more are on the verge of wrapping production, according to several people familiar with the shows who were not authorized to speak publicly. And the number of original productions is expected to increase in 2020.

This week on Mac Power Users:

When thinking about making an iPad a notebook replacement, there are a lot of factors to consider. David and Stephen talk through the hardware and software that can make — or break — this experience.

This is perhaps the most interesting topic in the Apple universe right now: when is macOS the answer, and when is it not.

My thanks to our sponsors this week:

• Sanebox: Stop drowning in email!
• TextExpander from Smile: Get 20% off with this link and type more with less effort! Expand short abbreviations into longer bits of text, even fill-ins, with TextExpander from Smile.
• eero: Never think about WiFi again. Get $100 off the ‘Eero base unit and 2 beacons package’, and a year of eero Plus.
• Luna Display: The only hardware solution that turns your iPad into a wireless display for your Mac. Use promo code POWER at checkout for 10% off.

Phil Schiller made an appearance on this week’s ATP, talking about WWDC and much more, including the Macworld when he jumped off a platform to show off the iBook’s wireless networking.

Oh, and boxed lunches. And white cars.

Marco, John and Casey did a great job in this interview. The whole time, it felt like a regular episode of ATP, for all the reasons I love the show. That’s hard to do with a guest so important as Schiller, whose presence on any podcast is good for our corner of the industry. The boys did a great job, and you should check it out.

We mark a special occasion on today’s Ungeniused. My thanks to Water Cooler Trivia for supporting the show.

This week, on a packed episode of Connected:

Stephen introduces his co-hosts to a groundbreaking iPad drawing application, Federico starts a new mini-series and Myke buries the lede concerning Spotify.

It was one of those weeks where we had to burn down the show prep document the day of recording, but I think this came out well. The Spotify story is endlessly fascinating, and doesn’t have to devolve into a flame war, believe it or not.

We also announce the return of my favorite merch of all time:

We believe that technology should be for everyone, not just us nerds. Good technology gets better when everyone can use it, and we like to be reminded of that. To that end, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to App Camp for Girls.

The t-shirt will be on sale for just 14 days, and the stickers are limited in number. We would love if you would check them out.

My thanks to our sponsors:

• TextExpander, from Smile: Recall your best words. Instantly, repeatedly. Get 20% off your first year.
• Luna Display: The only hardware solution that turns your iPad into a wireless display for your Mac. Use promo code CONNECTED at checkout for 10% off.
• Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code CONNECTED at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.

It’s a busy week on Liftoff:

Stephen and Jason get into the details of the proposed 2020 NASA budget, the future of the SLS rocket, then review the film Apollo 11.

The bit about the SLS rocket, NASA’s next big launch vehicle is particularly interesting.

My thanks to our sponsors:

• eero: Never think about WiFi again. Get $100 off the ‘Eero base unit and 2 beacons package’, and a year of eero Plus.
• Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code LIFTOFF at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.

Apple Support:

The most common cause for the ribbon to stop spinning intermittently is a worn spring: the spring that maintains constant tension on the nylon wire that drives the ribbon-drive gear assembly. If the spring is worn, the constantly-varying tension within the ribbon cartridge (transmitted to the gear assembly), causes the nylon wire to slip.

Remember when Apple made printers?

BananaPaint is an iPad app that looks (and feels) like MacPaint. What more do you need to know?

The best part? The developer says the app will save and open original MacPaint documents. I don’t have any sitting around to test this, but that is a fantastic feature.

This week’s MPU features one of my favorite people in our corner of the Internet:

Shawn Blanc returns to the show to talk about his move to the iPad Pro and how he manages the growing team behind projects like The Sweet Setup and The Focus Course.

Shawn was the first person to pay me for work on the Internet, writing over at Tools and Toys. It’s amazing to see how his company has grown since those early days.

My thanks to our sponsors this week:

• 1Password: Have you ever forgotten a password? You don’t have to worry about that anymore.
• The Omni Group: We’re passionate about productivity for Mac, iPhone and iPad.
• Luna Display: The only hardware solution that turns your iPad into a wireless display for your Mac. Use promo code POWER at checkout for 10% off.
• Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code MPU at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.

I can’t stop laughing about this.