iFixit Tears Down 24-Inch M1 iMac [Updated]

Apple last Friday released the first M1 iMac models to customers and began selling them in stores, and iFixit has now started one of its traditional teardowns on the new machines.

ifixit imac teardown 1
iFixit is tearing down the mid-tier purple ‌iMac‌ model with an 8-core CPU, an 8-core GPU, and 8GB RAM. It's worth noting that the internals of this model will look different than the internals of the base model with a 7-core GPU as the two machines have different cooling systems.

The base ‌iMac‌ has a single cooling fan and a heat sink while the higher-end 8-core GPU models have two fans and a heat pipe along with heat sinks, so expect the internals to look different if you have a 7-core GPU ‌iMac‌.

The teardown starts off with a detailed x-ray, and the x-rays are always fun to look at because they give us a look at the internal components without opening up the machine. There are two main metal plates inside and an RF passthrough for antenna hardware in the Apple logo.

ifixit imac teardown 2
The ‌iMac‌ is sealed with what iFixit says is "classic ‌iMac‌ adhesive," which is not as gloopy and hard to work with as adhesive Apple uses for products like the iPad.

Since the front of the ‌iMac‌ is a single piece of glass, there's no separate front to the chin that blocks access to the internals as on past models. The chin houses the logic board, and there are two fans blowing inward. A copper heatpipe and two short heatsinks draw heat away from the ‌M1‌.

iFixit detailed the components on the logic board, which include SK Hynix memory, Kioxia NAND flash storage, and an Apple-designed ‌M1‌ SoC, Bluetooth/WiFi module, and power management IC, among other components.

There is a "mystery button" with three LEDs below it, that iFixit says will be revealed later. iFixit also plans to share Magic Keyboard Touch ID sensor details, info on the speakers, and a repairability score.

iFixit's teardown won't be completed until tomorrow, but MacRumors readers interested in seeing inside the ‌iMac‌ can follow along on the iFixit website as new components and details are unveiled.

Update: iFixit has now completed part two of its teardown, giving us a full look inside the ‌iMac‌, the ‌Touch ID‌ Magic Keyboard, and power supply.

Related Roundup: iMac
Buyer's Guide: iMac (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iMac

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Expected Next Week - Here Are the Release Notes

Friday March 28, 2025 2:01 pm PDT by
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect. There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone

Friday March 28, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things. Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple ...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
Facebook Feature

Facebook's New iPhone App Feature Turns the Clock Back to 2007

Thursday March 27, 2025 1:59 pm PDT by
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Facebook was all about staying connected with friends and family. However, as the social media platform added new features and grew over time, that core experience began to get drowned out. That changes starting now, according to Meta, which today introduced a new feature that will "bring back the joy" of classic Facebook. Specifically, Meta has redesigned the...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

iPhone Foldable Display Said to Feature iPad-Style 4:3 Aspect Ratio

Friday March 28, 2025 3:44 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming "iPhone Fold" will feature a foldable screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio, according to a Chinese leaker who previously leaked the book-style device's display dimensions. The Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station claims that Apple will adopt a "roughly" 4:3 aspect ratio on the inner display in order to achieve consistency between the outer display, as well as to ensure parity...

Top Rated Comments

ian87w Avatar
50 months ago

I wonder what that mystery button is.
It's the self-obsolescence button. Tim Cook will go to your house during Thanksgiving and press that button so you will have to buy a new iMac for Christmas... :D
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dlewis23 Avatar
50 months ago
Can't wait for a larger more "Pro" iMac. Hoping for a 30" display.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jclardy Avatar
50 months ago
I feel like it is a bit sad with all the bezel space + free space + thickness in the machine they couldn't add the center stage camera from the iPad. The 1080p camera is a nice upgrade, but then they one-upped themselves in the presentation a few minutes later having a much better camera in a thinner, cheaper, and smaller tablet.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SamRyouji Avatar
50 months ago
I just love that the X-ray shows the Apple logo on the back is perfectly center aligned with the rounded-square internal area in the middle.

That's what I called obsession: the desire to perfectly design anything down to the smallest detail, even if it's just an alignment between something you see and you don't.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
1madman1 Avatar
50 months ago

I just love that the X-ray shows the Apple logo on the back is perfectly center aligned with the rounded-square internal area in the middle.

That's what I called obsession: the desire to perfectly design anything down to the smallest detail, even if it's just an alignment between something you see and you don't.
I'm going to assume you've never seen inside an iMac before - that "rounded square" IS the logo. It's a plate thats hot staked (or now maybe glued?) into a gap in the back panel.

The actual square in the middle of the logo is a WiFi antenna - as the logo is plastic it's the only place on the back they can put it.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nexusrule Avatar
50 months ago

I feel like it is a bit sad with all the bezel space + free space + thickness in the machine they couldn't add the center stage camera from the iPad. The 1080p camera is a nice upgrade, but then they one-upped themselves in the presentation a few minutes later having a much better camera in a thinner, cheaper, and smaller tablet.
Cheaper? It’s a 11-13” tablet, half or less than half the screen estate, way lass glass and metal, no thermal system, no mouse, no keyboard… the iPad is more expensive than the iMac.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)