Apple has introduced a couple of important updates to its iMac lineup. While the upgrades are several, the biggest are in terms of the display.
The 27” iMac with 5K display
Apple first announced its 5K iMac earlier this year but now it’s expanding the technology to even more models. As of now, every 27” iMac out there comes with 5K resolution, whether you need that many pixels or not.
Not only that, Apple is also following up by reducing the price of the entry-level model by $200 to $1,799. The displays are also getting better, with 25 percent higher color gamut. Apple’s also using a new “red-green phosphor” LEDs, which aid in the reproduction of reds and greens at the pixel level.
Skylake is featured for the first time, with the entry-level iMac coming with a 3.2 Ghz Core i5 option, going all the way to 4.0 Ghz Core i7. The amount of RAM starts at 8 GB DDR3, going all the way to 32 GB. Graphics are handled by AMD’s Radeon R9 series, with option of either a M380 unit with 2 GB RAM or M296X with 4 GB RAM available.
You can get a 1 TB Fusion Drive at option. Connectivity is via 4 USB 3.0 ports, 2 ThunderBolt ports and gigabit Ethernet.
Pricing starts at a very competitive $1799 and goes up to $2299 for the top-of-the-line package.
The 21.5” iMac with 4K Retina Display
The biggest update to the smaller Apple offering comes in the form of the new 4K display option. The ordinary 1080p resolution will still be there by default.
These displays are also getting better with the “red-green phosphor” LEDs and 25 percent more colours. Under the hood, you’ll get a 1.5 Ghz dual-core Intel Core i5 Skylake processor, or a 3.1 Ghz Core i7 on the 4K model. Graphics of these two models are Iris Pro 6200 and AMD Radeon R9 M380 with 2 GB RAM, respectively.
Amount of RAM is 8 GB DDR3 on both models, while the storage is via a 1 TB hard drive. Pricing starts at a competitive $1499 and goes up to $1799 for the 4K model.
New Keyboard, Mouse and Trackpad
Apart from announcing updates to its iMacs, Apple also kept itself occupied with new announcing new hardware for the input devices, namely the new Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad 2 and Magic Mouse 2. And yes, there isn’t a typo there.
Arguably the most-impressive is the new Magic Trackpad 2 which gets the all-important addition of ForceTouch. It’s wider now, slopes forward and can be touched everywhere, finally. The design is different with a metal finish and a whiter surface. It’s available at a mammoth $125 but you don’t really need it now, do you?
Next up is the new Magic Mouse, which looks exactly the same as before, but has been made slightly longer. The weird battery opening at the bottom is gone for good, though. It costs $69.
Finally, you have the Magic Keyboard, which is getting a few changes. It slopes down from back to front and is made from a single slab of metal. The keys are wider with less gaps, but resemble that of the new MacBook now, which is to say they are shallower. It costs $99, $30 more expensive than before.
A new addition shared across the board is the replacement of AA batteries for rechargeable ones. The new ones are said to last a month on charge, and also provide nine hours of charge with 2 minutes of plugging. All these devices are available now.
Whoa, no matter how “Magical” it is, who in their right mind would buy a trackpad for $130? Other than iSheeps of course. But they don’t really have a brain…
@homeshopping.pk When is this going to be available in Pakistan…