Last week, Apple significantly updated three macOS hardware lines, and modified the base configurations for a fourth. Taken together, these four hardware lines account for over 95% of macOS hardware purchased by University constituents.
iMac now satisfies a full range of mainstream desktop needs
The most significant change for Apple's iMac all-in-one is the upgrade from the M3 processor to the M4 processor. In particular, RAM can now be specified to 32 GB.
In addition to the headlining processor change, the M4 iMac also includes an improved camera and a new nano-texture display option. What it doesn't include is any display size choice beyond 24 inches—something that the iMac last offered in 2022 as the 27-inch version faded away.
With the upgrade to the M4 processor, the iMac can now satisfy the full range of desktop configurations in the updated Desktop Purchasing Guide. As always, ISC suggests purchasing any iMac with standard gigabit Ethernet, which removes the lowest-end version as a reasonable option but increases long-term flexibility.
Mac mini gets a significant revision, generally for the better
Of all the new Macs for October 2024, the Mac mini is the only one to receive a case redesign. The mini is now notably more mini—about 60% of the cubic footprint of the previous version. The new mini is half an inch taller and resembles a larger silver version of the Apple TV.
With that substantially smaller configuration comes the lack of any USB-A ports (the previous Mac mini included two USB-A ports). There are now two USB-C ports in the front and three Thunderbolt/USB-C ports in the rear. These changes make for a net gain of one USB-C port and split the difference between the previous Mac mini's two or four Thunderbolt ports, which depended on whether an M2 or an M2 Pro chip was specified.
Apple continues to make two slightly differentiated versions of the Mac mini available, separated by whether they have an M4 or an M4 Pro chip. In addition to raw processor capability, M4 Pro systems have increased memory bandwidth, increased RAM expansion options, and Thunderbolt 5 instead of Thunderbolt 4. The M4 and M4 Pro versions of the Mac mini both offer a 10 Gigabit Ethernet option.
ISC believes this new version will serve most of the University's Mac mini users well. Classroom and lab uses have more challenges, mainly with the change in size and the lack of USB-A ports. ISC's Classroom Technology Services and others across the University will test the new Mac mini over the next few months.
Depending on configuration, the Mac mini is one of the components of the Desktop Purchasing Guide and (in its lower-end versions) also serves as Apple's entry for the updated Value Desktop Purchasing Guide.
New MacBook Pro generally "speeds and feeds"
The headline new feature of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros are three versions of the M4 processor. MacBook Pros can (somewhat confusingly) be purchased with M4 (14-inch only), M4 Pro, or M4 Max processors. Each processor delivers different RAM choices and the M4 Pro and M4 Max systems add Thunderbolt 5 connectivity.
At this time, ISC remains with the "Pro Pro"—the MacBook Pro 14-inch with the M4 Pro processor—as the Mid-weight system in the updated Notebook Purchasing Guide. This is mainly on the belief that University constituents who commit to the Pro 14's greater weight and larger size over an M3 MacBook Air 13-inch should have higher capability (more CPU cores, more GPU cores, greater memory bandwidth, Thunderbolt 5) than they get with the base M4 systems. ISC will be evaluating the real-world differences between the M4 and the M4 Pro 14-inch, and is highly interested in feedback from the University's macOS community.
Minimums of 16 GB of RAM across the board
Apple has not so quietly stopped selling any systems with 8 GB of RAM. Penn and other enterprises have long requested this, but it's unclear why Apple picked this particular time to make a sweeping change.
The new RAM baseline of 16 GB challenges some of the University's Windows system vendors who still sell 8 GB systems that are otherwise appealing. It also means that Apple's Value Desktops (lower-end M4 Mac mini) and Value Notebooks (M2 MacBook Air) now fit comfortably under the $1,000 threshold.