New Retina iMacs Cometh; Bringing Force Touch To The Desktop
Apple updated the entire iMac family on Tuesday, bringing a new Retina 4K display to the 21.5-inch iMac for the first time and the Retina 5K display to every 27-inch iMac. The updated iMacs also feature more powerful processors and graphics, two Thunderbolt 2 ports and new storage options that make the high-performance Fusion Drive more affordable.
Apple also unveiled a new lineup of wireless accessories including the new Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Trackpad 2. The Magic devices have been redesigned to feel more comfortable and feature rechargeable batteries that Apple says completely eliminate the need for disposable batteries. The new Magic Trackpad 2 also brings Apple’s Force Touch interface to the desktop, adding a new dimension to the iMac experience.
Photo Courtesy Apple
“From the first iMac to today, the spirit of iMac has never wavered deliver the ultimate desktop experience with the latest technologies, gorgeous displays and cutting-edge designs,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “These are the most stunning iMacs weve ever made. With our gorgeous new Retina displays, more powerful processors and graphics and all-new Magic accessories, the new iMac continues to redefine the ultimate desktop experience.”
The 21.5-inch iMac is available with the new Retina 4K display featuring a 4096 x 2304 resolution and 9.4 million pixels, 4.5 times more than the standard 21.5-inch iMac display. Every 27-inch iMac features a Retina 5K display, the worlds highest resolution all-in-one display with 14.7 million pixels, 7 times more pixels than an HD display.
The new Retina displays feature a wider color gamut that brings more brilliant and true-to-life colors to your desktop. With standard sRGB-based displays, many of the colors you see in real life never make it to your screen. The new Retina 5K and 4K displays feature a wider P3-based color gamut that provides a 25 percent larger color space, and with more available colors, images are more vivid, reveal even greater detail and appear more lifelike.
Photo Courtesy Apple
Faster and more powerful than ever, the new 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display now comes with sixth-generation Intel Core “Skylake” processors and the latest AMD high-performance graphics that deliver up to 3.7 teraflops of compute power. The new 21.5-inch iMac with Retina 4K display features a fifth-generation Intel Core processor and enhanced Intel Iris Pro Graphics. Two Thunderbolt 2 ports now come standard on all iMacs and deliver up to 20Gbps data transfer speeds for external drives and high-performance peripherals. And three stream 802.11ac Wi-Fi allows iMac to support up to 1.3Gbps wireless networking.*
Fusion Drive combines the large storage capacity of a hard drive with the high performance of flash to deliver shorter boot times and faster access to apps and files. Fusion Drive works in conjunction with OS X to adapt to the way you use your iMac and automatically moves the files and apps you use most often to flash storage. The performance of Fusion Drive is now more affordable with a new, lower-priced configuration that pairs a 1TB hard drive with 24GB of fast flash. Fusion Drive is also available with 2TB and 3TB configurations with 128GB of fast flash for more demanding workloads. For the ultimate in storage performance, optional all flash storage is available up to 1TB and is now up to 2.5 times faster.**
Photo Courtesy Apple
The all-new Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Trackpad 2 are claimed to be more comfortable, capable and environmentally friendly. Designed around a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery, all three accessories eliminate the need for disposable batteries and feature a noticeably more solid internal structure and quality feel. The new Magic Keyboard features a full-size keyboard in a new design that takes up 13 percent less space on your desktop with a new scissor mechanism and lower profile. The new Magic Mouse 2 is lighter, sturdier and features an optimized foot design for a smoother glide. The new Magic Trackpad 2 features a 29 percent larger surface and brings Force Touch to the desktop for the first time. Force Touch enables a range of ways to interact with your Mac, including the new Force click to quickly look up a word, preview a file or bring up a map from an address. The new Magic devices pair instantly with your Mac as soon as they are plugged in via the Lightning-to-USB charging cable, and can last about a month or more on a full charge.***
The 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display is available now at Apple.com, Apples retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers. The 27-inch iMac comes in three models starting at $1,799 (US), $1,999 (US) and $2,299 (US). Additional technical specifications, configure-to-order options and accessories are available online at:
http://www.apple.com/imac
The 21.5-inch iMac is available now at Apple.com, Apples retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers. The 21.5-inch iMac is available in three models starting at $1,099 (US) and $1,299 (US) and with a Retina 4K display starting at $1,499 (US). Additional technical specifications, configure-to-order options and accessories are available online at:
http://www.apple.com/imac.
Every new iMac comes standard with the new Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2, and customers can order the new Magic Trackpad 2 as an option. The new Magic accessories are also available at Apple.com, Apples retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers. Magic Keyboard is available starting today for $99 (US). Magic Mouse 2 is available starting today for $79 (US). And the Magic Trackpad 2 is available starting today for $129 (US).
*Actual speed will vary based on range, connection rate, site conditions, size of network and other factors.
**Testing conducted by Apple in September 2015 using preproduction and shipping 27-inch iMac configurations. For more information visit www.apple.com/imac/features.
***Testing conducted by Apple in September 2015 using preproduction Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Trackpad 2 devices, firmware and software with shipping iMac systems.
Source: Apple