The reviews are out, the extended reviews are coming and overall the new 24” iMac
with M1 is….pretty good. That means that this iMac isn’t perfect and there are a
few things that can make it even better.
Hey, I’m Jerry and right out of the box the new M1 24” iMac comes with everything
you need to get started. I mean, Its an All In One, right? SO you obviously get the computer
with the M1 system in package which has the processor, gpu, and memory….. You get a
beautiful, class leading 24”, 4.5k display that almost no third party displays can match…….You
get built-in speakers, microphones, and a camera for all of your AV needs, and you get
the peripherals that you need and for most people that is keyboard and mouse.
Now, just because the iMac comes with all of these things, doesn’t mean that you want
to stick with them, or that you should. We are going to talk about a few things that
can upgrade your iMac experience but I thought I should start with the 1 thing I think you
should keep using with your new iMac, and that is the Magic Keybaord…..
Yes, this magic keyboard is pretty much the same as it has been for the last few years,
but you know what? This is my favorite keyboard to type on. Apple calls all of their keyboards
the Magic Keybaord now including on MacBooks and the keyboard case for the iPad, but this
one feel ever so slightly different then all the others. I like the way it feels, I find
it quiet enough, and I prefer the compact size of the regular version.
New to the 24” iMac is the color matching of the keyboard and iMac and new function
keys including the search, dictation, and do not disturb….which is the best function
key. I don’t need my mac alerting me every time I disconnect an external drive so I leave
DnD on all the time.
Then, if you get the upgraded iMac model or just upgrade the keyboard on the base iMac,
you get touch id which is actually a breath of fresh air for a desktop Mac. Just like
on macbooks and i-devices with touch ID, its fast, and easy to log in, buy with apple pay,,
or authenticate across the system.
Next to the keyboard most people have a Magic Mouse, but I think that the Logitech mx master
3 is a far superior mouse that I have been using for most of the last year. I find it
more ergonomic in my hand which causes less fatigue throughout the day, and when you buy
the non mac-specific version you have the option of using the RF dongle or Bluetooth
and you can connect it to up to 3 devices.
On the top you have a scroll wheel of course which you can change between a clicky wheel
and a free scrolling wheel with this button right here. In free scrolling mode you can
flick your finger and whatever page or doc you are in will continue to scroll just like
the magic mouse.
On the side is a horizontal scroll wheel for going left and right, but you can also use
it to swipe away notifications in the system or archive mail in some apps. There are customizable
buttons that I usually use for going forward and back on the web then this little function
button which you can use for macos gestures like switching between full screen apps, or
bringing up expose.
The Mx master 3 just feel more fluid in every day use than the magic mouse and I never feel
the need to go back.
On the other side of my keyboard I do keep a magic trackpad just to change things up.
Sometimes I want to give my right hand a break or use it simultaneously with the mx master
3 to zoom in and out or switch apps.
Apple just makes the best trackpads, they are large, glass, multi touch, what else is
there to say?
Now when it comes to expanding what you can do with the new M1 iMac, you have a couple
of Thunderbolt and USB-C ports on the back, depending on the model you get, and if you
need to connect more I would pick up a CalDigit TS3 Plus thunderbolt dock. With a single cable
to the iMac you can add 15 additional ports to your new computer including 5 USB-A ports,
2 USB-C ports, thunderbolt, display port, sd card slot and audio in/out.
This is really the one dock that can do it all and brings everything back to the iMac
that Apple removed for this new version….like the USB and SD card slot I just mentioned,
but also for the next couple of things I want to show you.
If you don’t want to or cant afford Apple prices on additional SSD drive space, then
there are a literal ton of options out there. You can go with a USB or USB-C SSD like this
tuff nano from CalDigit or this Samsung T7. These drives can take advantage of the 10gbps
USB speed which usually will give you more than 700MBps of read speeds depending on the
drive. And that is fast enough for almost any use case. You should have no problem moving
your music or photo library over to a drive like this and it can be used for long term
storage or active projects.
If you want the FASTEST external storage for your new iMac you need to look at a thunderbolt
drive like the Envoy Pro FX from OWC which actually beat 3 other thunderbolt drives on
the M1 Macs in my testing and if you are interested in that video check it out up here…..
A thunderbolt drive can get read speeds that are 4 times faster than a USB SSD, or more.
This Envoy Pro FX is the most consistent drive I tested and held its speed even with consistent
long term reading and writing where other drives slowed down as they heated up.
Apple built a whole new speaker system for the new imacs that sound really good. They
are clear, but they are small. They have 2 force-canceling woofers on each side but you
cant feel them. If you want a bit more oomph in your sound you need to check out the Kanto
Yu2 speakers.
Each of these speakers is 25wats with a 3” woofer and ¾” tweeter and the amount of
sound that these guys kick out is just miles ahead of anything Apple can build into their
all in one. ……They actually connect to a computer via a USB DAC to produce it’s
own sound and allows you to adjust the volume with the built in volume controls on the Mac.
The right speaker connects with regular speaker wire so you can separate them as far as you
want for a true stereo sound. These are not the cheapest speakers but at around $240 they
sound fantastic.
With the M1 iMac you can connect a single external display for expanding your virtual
desktop. This Samsung UR55 is a decent 28” IPS display that won’t break they bank at
around $350 or less when on sale. It is a 4k panel that works really well in conjunction
with the 4.5k display on the iMac. I have it connected via displayport through the caldigit
ts3 plus but you can connect via HDMI as well if you want to.
This Samsung panel looks good. It does not get as bright as the built-in panel or have
the same p3 colors but with just a couple changes like bringing down the red the panels
look really close to each other for regular, everyday use.
Design wise, it’s pretty minimal with tiny bezels and a small chin. It comes with a stand
that is not adjustable in any way so I attach it to a cheap monitor arm so that I can line
it up exactly the way I want it.
The last accessory I recommend is a stand for the new 24” iMac. Unfortunately, Apple
still did not create a stand that allows for height adjustment on the iMac and if you are
anything over 5 and a half ft tall then you will need to be hunched over looking down
at the imac. For ergonomic reasons this Kalibri bamboo stand is great.
This stand raises the iMac up about 3 and ¾” off the desk and is about 20” wide
and 9” deep. I am 5’6” and this stand raises the iMac to the perfect height for
me where my eyes line up in the top third of the screen so I sit up a little straighter
and feel better.
The space underneath is perfect for adding some of the things we talked about like a
thunderbolt dock and external storage, keeping things a little more tidy and clean on my
desk.
So those are all the accessories I am using today with my new M1 iMac. The iMac is a fantastic
computer but things can always be better, right? SO let me know below what accessories
you use with your imac and let me know what else I should be using. If you are still deciding
between the base line iMac and the mid-tier imac I have a great video comparing them and
hopefully that will help you decide. Hit the thumbs up button if you liked it, hit subscribe
if you want and Ill see you next time.