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iMac
From £1,249
Ever since the Bondi Blue iMac debuted in 1998, Apple’s all-inone desktop computer has been setting standards in gorgeous design and powerful performance. And Apple’s April 2021 Spring Loaded event delivered the new, colourful 24in iMac, available in green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver. The larger screen has also been bumped up to a 4.5K Retina display with a 4480x2520 resolution.
Inside, Apple’s own M1 chip combines with macOS Big Sur, and Apple promises up to 85% faster CPU performance and up to two times faster graphics performance than the 21.5-inch iMac models. All the models come with 8GB of unified memory (upgradeable to 16GB). The eight-core CPU/sevencore GPU option comes with a 256GB SSD (configurable to 512GB or 1TB). The eight-core CPU/eightcore GPU versions come with either a 256GB or 512GB SSD and can be upgraded to 1TB or 2TB.
The new iMacs all feature a 1080p FaceTime camera, a highfidelity six-speaker system, a studioquality three-mic array and support for spatial audio. You’ll also find two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports on each model, with middle- and high-end options gaining two additional USB-C ports. Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, DVI and VGA are supported using adaptors.) All come with a Magic Keyboard, with the mid- and highend versions boasting Touch ID. Prices start at £1,249.
The 27in iMac, last updated mid 2020, sports SSDs across the line and you can choose from six-core tenth-gen Intel Core i5s on the entry level models, or an eight-core tenthgen Intel Core i7. The 27in iMacs also boast AMD Radeon Pro 5300 graphics on the entry and midrange models, and an AMD Radeon Pro 5550 XT GPU on the £2,999 model. All three models have 5K Retina displays with True Tone. You can add up to 128GB of memory and up to 8TB of solid-state storage.
In November 2020, Apple rather surprised the tech world with an earlierthan-expected release of the first MacBook Pro with its own custom designed 5nm Apple M1 chip.
The eight-core CPU is said to offer 2.8 times faster performance over its predecessor, while the eight-core GPU has five times faster graphics. The 16-core Neural Engine completes the powerhouse spec sheet for advanced machine learning. All this, coupled with a 61W battery, translates to the longest battery life for a MacBook Pro so far, with an impressive 17 hours of web browsing and 20 hours of video play. The Pro comes with 8GB of unified memory but you can upgrade to 16GB. Storage starts at 256GB SSD, and can be configured up to 2TB.
The physical build remains the same as the May 2020 model (1.56x30.41x21.24cm), and still features the Magic Keyboard, Touch Bar, Touch ID and Force Touch trackpad. There are now two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports. As well as Bluetooth 5.0, the 13in Pro now supports 802.11ax Wi-Fi.
13-inch model pricing starts at £1,299; while upping the unified memory to 16GB
and opting for the top SSD storage of 2TB takes the price to £2,299.
So far, only the 13-inch model has been updated to the M1 chip, but the 16-inch is obviously due to follow. The 13-inch 2.0GHz Intel Core i5 Quad Core model with Intel Iris Plus Graphics, starting at £1,799, is still available. As are the 16-inch ninth-gen Intel Core models, which start at £2,399.