Apple iMac 24″ (M4) vs Apple Macintosh Classic
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleiMac 24″ (M4) | AppleMacintosh Classic | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | November 2024 | October 1990 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | Apple M4 | 68000 8 MHz (Macintosh Classic) |
| CPU cores | 8 or 10 | 1 |
| Graphics | 8-core GPU or 10-core GPU | – |
| AI engine (NPU) | 38 TOPS | – |
| Memory | 16 GB, 24 GB or 32 GB (better) | 1 MB or 2 MB |
| Storage | 256 GB to 2 TB (better) | 40 MB |
| CPU | 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores (two-port model), or 10-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores (four-port models) | 8 MHz 68000 with 16-bit data path; no PMMU, FPU, cache or second processor |
| Memory type | – | 1 MB onboard, expandable to 4 MB using a memory expansion card and two paired 30-pin SIMMs; current support sheet specifies 120 ns modules and 256K or 1 MB sizes, excluding two-chip 1 MB modules. Older Apple technical library lists 150 ns and 32-pin; current support sheet controls. 512K ROM |
| GPU | Hardware-accelerated ray tracing | – |
| AI engine | 16-core Neural Engine | – |
| Memory bandwidth | 120GB/s | – |
| Storage type | SSD | 1.44 MB removable floppy; optional 40 MB internal SCSI hard disk. Original capacity units retained. Apple Australia October 1991 brochure explicitly offers 2 MB floppy-only and 2 MB/40 MB configurations; original 1 MB floppy-only base is identified by contemporary model descriptions |
| Expansion slots | – | No processor expansion slot; memory expansion card required beyond 1 MB |
| Media engine | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW; video decode engine; video encode engine; ProRes encode and decode engine; AV1 decode | – |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 24″ | 9″ |
| Resolution | 4480 × 2520 (better) | 512 × 342 |
| Panel | IPS LCD | CRT |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | – |
| Brightness | 500 nits | – |
| Display type | 4.5K Retina display; actual diagonal 23.5 inches | Built-in 9-inch monochrome CRT, 512 × 342 pixels; original Apple technical library and Australia brochure corroborate the explicit support-sheet correction to its generic 512 × 384 table |
| Pixel density | 218 ppi | – |
| Display features | 1 billion colours; wide colour (P3); True Tone; nano-texture glass option on four-port models | – |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 2 × Thunderbolt 4, headphone jack | Headphone jack |
| External displays | Up to 1 | – |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6E | – |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | – |
| Camera | 12MP Center Stage | – |
| Back ports | 2 × Thunderbolt / USB 4 (two-port model) or 4 × Thunderbolt 4 (four-port models), each with Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s), USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s) and DisplayPort; Gigabit Ethernet on the power adapter, standard on four-port models and optional on the two-port model | One ADB, DB-19 external floppy, DB-25 SCSI, printer and modem serial ports, and sound output; no built-in Ethernet or external video port |
| External displays | Two-port model: one at up to 6K 60Hz; four-port models: two at up to 6K 60Hz, or one at up to 8K 60Hz | – |
| Camera | 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View; 1080p HD video recording; advanced image signal processor with computational video | – |
| Speakers | High-fidelity six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers; wide stereo sound; Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos | Four-voice 8-bit sound at 22 kHz; built-in speaker and headphone output described in Apple technical library |
| Microphones | Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming | – |
| Keyboard and mouse | Magic Keyboard (two-port model) or Magic Keyboard with Touch ID (four-port models), and Magic Mouse; Magic Trackpad or Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad available instead | Apple Keyboard II and ADB mouse, according to original Apple technical library |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | All-in-one | All-in-one |
| Weight | 4.42 kg | – |
| Width × depth × height | 547 × 147 × 461 mm | 246 × 285 × 336 mm |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Size and weight detail | – | Apple technical library gives 33.6 cm height × 24.6 cm width × 28.5 cm depth; current support sheet gives 16 lb. Internal drive affects weight, so no single converted weight supplied |
| Power supply | 143W external power adapter; power lead (2 m) | Current support sheet specifies maximum 76 W, 120 V, 47–63 Hz and 0.63 A; 3.6 V lithium clock battery. Older Apple technical library states 100 W, retained as a source conflict |
| Materials | 100% recycled aluminium in the stand; more than 15% recycled content overall | – |
| Colours | Blue, Purple, Pink, Orange, Yellow, Green, Silver | – |
| In the box | iMac, Magic Keyboard (with Touch ID on four-port models), Magic Mouse, 143W power adapter, power lead (2 m), USB-C Charge Cable, polishing cloth (nano-texture glass only) | Original system software 6.0.7. Apple introduction 15 October 1990 is not treated as exact first sale; October 1990 sale month comes from Wikipedia's historical model account, cross-checked against contemporary November and February retail coverage |
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