Apple Introduces M4 iMac

Today Apple unveiled a new iMac, one powered by the M4. While it might seem like a small update from the M3, there are a number of improvements, including the M4, ports, and colors, just to name a few items.

M4

The 24-inch iMac is powered by the M4 chip. This comes in two processor configurations, an 8-core CPU with 8-Core GPU model, and a 10-Core CPU with 10-Core GPU model. According to Apple, the M4 iMac is up to 1.7x faster for daily productivity and up to 2.1x faster for graphics editing and gaming; at least when you compare it to the M1 iMac.

Display

The size of the iMac has not changed, but there is a new option, a nano-texture display option. This is a similar display as on the iPads and on the Apple Studio Display. This is an option and will cost $200 more. This option is only available on the

Beyond this, there is a new 12Megapixel Center Stage camera. This should provide even better quality, because this camera is capable of providing Desk View, which is the ability to show your desk while in a video call, the previous iMac could not provide you this functionality.

Colors

The 24-inch iMac has come in a variety of colors. The available colors have been updated. There are seven options:

• Silver
• Blue
• Purple
• Pink
• Orange
• Yellow
• Green

Unlike like the previous model, all of the colors are available for any processor choice. There is a difference depending on the model, and that is with the ports. To go with this, are new color-matched accessories, including the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Mouse. These all now have USB-C cables, instead of the previous lightning. Beyond the port change, the design and port locations have not changed at all.

Ports and Connectivity

Depending on the processor, you will either get two or four ports. The 8-Core CPU model has two thunderbolt/USB 4 ports. The 10-core CPU models have four thunderbolt 4 ports. All of the iMacs have Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. The four thunderbolt four ports means that you can have up to two 6K external displays, which is an improvement over the M3 model, which only supported one external 6K monitor.

Pricing

There are actually four different configuration options available. These starting configuration options are:

• 8-Core CPU with 8-Core GPU, 16GB of unified memory, and 256GB of storage - $1299
• 10-Core CPU with 10-core GPU, 16 GB of unified memory, and 256GB of storage - $1499
• 10-Core CPU with 10-core GPU, 16 GB of unified memory, and 512GB of storage - $1699
• 10-Core CPU with 10-core GPU, 24 GB of unified memory, and 256GB of storage - $1899

You can configure the 10-Core models with up to 32GB of unified memory and up to 2TB of storage. The 10-Core models also come with Ethernet, whereas the 8-core model is Wi-Fi only, but you can add Ethernet to that model for $30.

Closing Thoughts

You can pre-order the new iMac today and they will be available starting on Friday, November 8th. If you are looking for a new iMac, now is the time to upgrade, particularly if you have an Intel machine, or want to upgrade from an M1 iMac.

Source: Apple Newsroom