Category: Computing

The 2024 iMac looks the same as ever, but there’s one update that promises to change the lineup dramatically. It’s not the M4 processor, although that’s nice. No, I’m talking about the increase in base memory that finally takes the entry-level model from a poor 8GB to 16GB. This, along with the new chips, promises to finally make the $1,299 iMac cost-effective for most buyers.

There are a few other changes, like an optional nano-coated display, an updated 12-megapixel webcam, and an assortment of new colors. Otherwise, things are pretty much the same as last year, which might leave you wondering if it’s worth the upgrade. After testing one for content creation, gaming, and productivity, I can tell you the answer is definitely yes.

Apple iMac M4

Apple’s 2024 iMac comes with the powerful M4 chip and starts with 16GB of RAM, making it a better value than previous models.

What’s new in the latest iMac

The 2023 and 2024 iMacs look pretty much the same. The 24-inch 4.5K 500-nit display and the computer itself are housed in the same thin 0.43-inch (11.5mm) thick frame. It’s still sitting on a petite stand that tilts but doesn’t have an adjustable height setting.

While tilt-only is a common setup on all-in-one PCs, at this point it would be nice to see Apple also do the simplified height adjustment it does on the Studio Display.

On the plus side, there are two Thunderbolt 4 ports on the base model and four on the more expensive versions, plus a magnetic power connector and 3.5mm headphone jack on the left side — all the same as before.

What’s new is a higher quality 12MP webcam that’s a huge change from previous models. It finally delivers sharp and color-accurate video on par with the rest of the computer, so you can look your best on FaceTime or Zoom.

It supports Apple’s Center Stage feature that auto-centers the subject during video calls, even if you’re moving around. The new webcam also works with the new Desk View feature that lets you show objects below your screen.

You can now get the iMac with optional nano-textured display glass that prevents glare, even if the light is directly on it. Although it does reduce sharpness a bit, I’d recommend it if you can afford the extra $200.

Otherwise, it’s the same clear and colorful display with 500 nits of brightness, a wide P3 gamut, and a resolution of 4,480 x 2,250, all of which are the same as before.

The 24-inch size might be too small for some people, but I found it to be adequate for most tasks, and I’m used to using dual 32-inch screens. Still, given that the iMac is Apple’s only desktop model with integrated displays, it would be nice to see a 27 or 32-inch option on a future model, even if it does make it less compact and portable.

The iMac M4’s color palette has also been refreshed a bit. Although it still comes in the same seven colors as before, they’re now in slightly lighter shades that Apple calls “refreshing.” In fact, the model I tested is a very light green that’s so subtle it’s hard to see even in low light. I’m a fan of light colors, but anyone expecting bright colors may be disappointed.

Accessories have also been updated. Both the new Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard (with optional Touch ID) now charge via USB-C rather than Lightning like the iMac M3, which negates a major complaint in our last review. As always, all accessories, including the cable, are colour-matched to your iMac – a lovely touch.

I love the feel of Apple’s keyboards for speed typing, as I don’t use mechanical keyboards. The Magic Mouse is a familiar one, but the slightly firmer click pressure and accuracy suits my tastes and I like the ability to scroll side-to-side as well as up and down.

Yes, the charging port is on the bottom, which is a bit of a design letdown, but it can hold a charge for up to a month – and you just need to plug it in for a few minutes to get enough power for a workday.

The main updates are inside with the M4 processor, which is available in two variants. The base $1,299 model comes with an 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports. All other versions have a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and four Thunderbolt ports, starting at $1,499 with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. There is no M4 Pro option, and therefore no Thunderbolt 5 port on any 2024 iMac. Every version except the base model also has Gigabit Ethernet (on the power brick) and Touch ID on the Magic Keyboard.

The model I’m testing shows that Apple’s upgrades are still very expensive. It has a 10-core M4, 24GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and four Thunderbolt 4 ports, as well as a nano-textured screen. These three options (an additional 8GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and an updated screen) raise the $1,299 price to $2,299. However, the good news is that not buying them won’t cost you an unacceptable amount of memory like before.

Anker makes a lot of our favorite charging gear, not only because their products perform quite well, but also because there are options for every kind of budget. Black Friday tech deals can provide great opportunities to get some of Anker’s expensive gear for less, and we’re already starting to see Black Friday Anker deals. For example, the 200W Prime Power Bank is currently 41 percent off and priced at $110 — and that includes the power brick and its dedicated charging base.

Anker’s 200W Portable Charger is our pick for the best premium power bank, as it has features like charging an iPhone in an average of one hour and 48 minutes. The best part of the power bank is its sleek screen, which shows if power is coming or going and how much battery is left in the accessory. This feature is much more accurate than the four dots on my cheaper (but still favorite) Anker Nano Power Bank.

Both the power bank and charging base feature one USB port and two USB-C ports, so there are multiple ways to charge your devices. The base uses magnets to secure its pins to the power bank and charge it straight away. Our biggest complaint with the power bank was its high price, but with this sale it’s definitely worth a look.

But there was a small group of new products that rose above the rest. Our list of CES 2025 winners covers a variety of categories, from common areas like home entertainment, transportation, and smart home to themed topics like sustainability and accessibility. After our team shortlisted the nominees and voted on the best for various categories, we conducted another round of voting to decide on the best product of the show.

The ASUS Zenbook A14 feels impossibly light, weighing between 2.2 and 2.4 pounds, and has a gorgeous 14-inch OLED screen and a nice array of ports (USB-C, USB-A, and HDMI)! What else could you need in a MacBook Air competitor? After years of copying Apple’s MacBooks, ASUS has proven it can outperform Apple without resorting to gimmicks like dual screens or bright lights.

The Zenbook A14 is a compact little laptop that feels great in your hands, thanks to ASUS’ unique CeraAluminum case material. ASUS claims it can last up to 32 hours when playing video, which is way more than the 18 hours Apple estimates for the MacBook Air. It might seem strange that the least bright laptop at CES 2025 is one of our favorites, but sometimes pure practicality can’t be denied.

Google now offers a dedicated Gemini AI app on iPhone. First spotted by MacRumors, the free software is available for download in Australia, India, the US, and the UK following a soft launch in the Philippines earlier this week.

Prior to today, iPhone users could access Gemini through the Google app, although there were some notable limitations. For example, the dedicated app includes Google’s Gemini Live feature, which allows users to interact with the AI ​​agent from their iPhone’s dynamic island and lock screen.

As a result, you don’t need to have the app open on your phone’s screen to use Gemini. The software is free to download – although a Gemini Advanced subscription is required to use every available feature. Gemini Advanced is included in Google’s One AI premium plan, which starts at $19 per month.

The app is compatible with iPhones running iOS 16 and above, meaning those with older devices like the iPhone 8 and iPhone X can use the AI ​​agent. I’ll note here that the oldest iPhone running Apple Intelligence is the iPhone 15 Pro. Of course, that’s not exactly a fair comparison; Apple has designed its suite of AI features to rely primarily on on-device processing, and when a query requires more computational horsepower, it goes through the company’s private cloud compute framework.

Either way, Google bringing a dedicated Gemini app to the iPhone isn’t surprising. Prior to WWDC 2024, Apple was reportedly in talks with the company to integrate the AI ​​agent directly into its devices.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has begun the process of placing Google under federal oversight, an action that could set new standards for how the federal government can monitor big tech if the effort succeeds.

Coming under the CFPB’s oversight would allow Google to face regular oversight and scrutiny, though the exact objectives of the department’s efforts have not been fully disclosed.

This has been a project in the works for some time, though, as sources told The Washington Post that Google has been fighting the CFPB’s move for months.

The department was created in 2008 in response to the financial crisis that year, and aims to protect consumers from unfair or deceptive financial practices.

The CFPB primarily focuses on businesses like banks and credit unions, but director Rahit Chopra has shown interest in recent years in subjecting tech companies that offer financial products to similar oversight.

For example, the bureau launched investigations into the app store payment systems of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, PayPal, and Square in 2021.

The initial move by the CFPB to oversee Google, and the full scope of the agency’s operations, will likely be affected by Donald Trump’s return to the presidency in early 2025.

But there was a small group of new products that rose above the rest. Our list of CES 2025 winners includes a variety of categories, from general areas like home entertainment, transportation, and smart home to themed topics like sustainability and accessibility.

After our team shortlisted the nominees and voted on the best for different categories, we conducted another round of voting to decide on the best product of the show.

Did you think Teenage Engineering would go another full year without introducing something extremely cool and extremely expensive? Think again. The company recently announced the long-rumored OP-XY groovebox. It looks like the OP-1 Field, but plays like the relatively old OP-Z. It also costs $2,300.

The OP-XY is described by the company as “a powerful synthesizer and composer with deep, direct sequencing capabilities.” That sounds about right. The primary workflow here is sequencing, as opposed to the simulated tape recording found with its OP-1 siblings. The groovebox has a small keyboard and a strip of 16 LED-equipped buttons to control the sequencer.

Inside the box is a multisampler, plus some great-sounding synth engines, a drum kit, and a number of useful effects, including the punch-in effects of the original OP-Z. As for the specs, this little beast comes with 512GB of RAM, a dual CPU system that is “capable of ultrafast processing power and efficiency” and 8GB of internal storage.

Teenage Engineering boasts about the Groovebox’s “brain chord progression”. It lets players program chord sequences by letting them “talk with their hands”. We don’t know exactly what this means, as hands are usually used when programming any chord sequence. We’ll have to wait for a hands-on experience to understand its essence. It allows live recording, which is cool.

Just like the OP-Z, it has a built-in gyroscope that allows players to adjust parameters by moving the device around. For connectivity, it has a USB-C port, 3.5mm stereo input, MIDI in, MIDI sync and a new multi-output port that can send MIDI, CV, gate or sync data. It also has Bluetooth MIDI.

It looks really cool too. This thing is awesome, replacing the toy-like OP-Z with something that resembles the OP-1 Field, although the color has changed to matte black. It has a bright OLED display and many of the multi-function buttons and knobs found on the original OP-1 and Field. It looks great and I want it to be a great device. It is.

As mentioned earlier, there is one problem. The OP-XY costs $2,300. You read that right. That’s $300 more than the OP-1 Field. Heck. You could buy a brand new standard OP-1 and OP-Z and still have some money left over for cables and other accessories. Despite the price, I’m optimistic about this one. I absolutely love the OP-1 Field and I don’t care who knows it.

This is actually the first ultra-expensive instrument the company has released since the aforementioned OP-1 Field. Last year’s EP-133 and its medieval-flavored follow-up both cost $300. The OP-XY is available now.