The Apple iMac got a refresh today in terms of design and processing power. The desktop computer now has the Apple M1 chip that made its debut in the MacBook last year powering it and also comes in seven colors.
Apple says the new iMac is 11.5 mm thick which is thinner than two iPhone 12 Minis placed on top of each other. The All-in-One has a 24” 4.5K Retina Display with support for 1 billion colors. It has True Tone technology which it uses to automatically adjust the color temperature based on your environment.
The iMac has the Apple M1 chip and is available in two versions – one with an 8-core CPU and a 7-core GPU and another with an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU. You get 8GB of RAM on the base model of each version and 256GB of storage. There is an option to upgrade the storage of the less-powerful version to 512GB or 1TB while the more powerful version can be upgraded up to 16GB of RAM and 2TB of storage.
For ports and connectivity, the new iMac has two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports (the more powerful version has two extra USB 3 ports), Wi-Fi 6, an ethernet port that is built into the power brick. The power connector attaches to the back via magnets and you get a color matching cable. There is a 1080p FaceTime HD camera that takes advantage of the ISP of the Apple M1 chip to enhance image quality. It also has studio-quality microphones and a six-speaker system. An audio jack is on the left side of the frame.
The new iMac and iPhone work better together. Your calls and texts appear on the desktop, so you don’t have to pick up your phone to reply to that text. There is also a universal clipboard that makes it easy to copy text, images, links, and more between devices.
Apple also announced a new wireless Magic Keyboard that has Touch ID built-in. You can unlock your device, make payments, and download apps with just your finger. Apple says there is a security chip inside the keyboard that communicates directly with a secure enclave inside the M1 chip and provides end-to-end encryption for your data.
There are two keyboards – one without a numeric keypad and one that has a numeric keypad. Both have keys for Spotlight, Dictation, Do Not Disturb, and emoji. And they are available in the same colors as the iMac. There are also matching Magic Mice and Magic Trackpad.
The new iMac starts at $1299 for the standard version. This doesn’t have an ethernet port and the Magic Keyboard doesn’t have Touch ID. The version with an 8-core GPU starts at $1499 and has an ethernet port and a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID. Pre-order starts on April 30 and availability is in May.
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