Today, Apple announced a new entry-level iMac priced at $1099 – $200 less than the previous entry-level model (which, like all the other iMac® models, remains current). It retains many features identical to its two 21.5-inch brethren:
- 21.5-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology, 1920×1080 pixels
- 8GB DDR3 memory (not expandable)
- FaceTime HD camera
- Built-in downward-firing stereo speakers
- Dual microphones
- Headphone/optical digital output
- Four USB 3.0 ports; Two Thunderbolt ports; SDXC card slot
- Gigabit Ethernet; 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 4.0
- Apple Wireless Keyboard and wireless Magic Mouse
- OS X Mavericks operating system
So what’s different? A few key changes have been made to reduce the cost:
- 1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, with Turbo Boost up to 2.7GHz. Contrast this with the substantially faster (2.7GHz and 2.9GHz) quad-core processors in the other two models. The L3 cache is smaller, too, and shared by the two processor cores.
- 500GB 5400 RPM SATA hard drive, in place of the 1 TB hard drives in the other models.
- Intel HD Graphics 5000, in lieu of Intel Iris Pro graphics in the $1299 model, and the 1GB NVIDIA GT 750M graphics in the $1499 model.
To better see how the new model fits in with the other 21-5-inch models, click here.
AVAILABILITY: We’ll be accepting orders for this new iMac model immediately. Fulfillment will depend on initial supplies and demand, which could push delivery to as much as two weeks away.
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