Thoughts on the M4 iMac, and making peace with the death of the 27-inch model
The M4 iMac is a nice computer.
Apple's addition of 16GB RAM to the basic $1,299 model makes it a whole lot more appealing for the vast majority of people who just want to take the computer out of the box and plunk it on a desk and be done. New USB-C accessories eliminate some of the last few Lightning ports still skulking around in Apple's lineup. The color options continue to be eye-catching in a way that evokes the original multicolored plastic ones without departing too far from the modern aluminum-and-glass Apple aesthetic. The $200 nano-texture display option, included in the review loaner that Apple sent us, is lovely, though I lightly resent having to pay more for a matte screen.
This is all I really have to say about this iMac, because it's externally nearly identical to the M1 and M3 versions of the same machine that Apple has been selling for three years now. The M4 isn't record-setting fast, but it is quick enough for the kinds of browsing and emailing and office stuff that most people will want to use it for—the fully enabled 10-core version is usually around as fast as a recent Intel Core i5/Core Ultra 5 or an AMD Ryzen 5 desktop CPU, though using just a fraction of the power, and with a respectable integrated GPU that's faster than anything Intel or AMD is shipping in that department.