As highly anticipated, the first set of this week’s announcements just dropped, and the first Mac to be introduced with the next-generation M4 chip is the all-in-one 24-inch iMac. That iMac was introduced back in April 2021, and it was last updated in October 2023 with the M3 chip. Now, for this week’s update, the iMac is getting a lot of cool new features many Apple enthusiasts didn’t expect. Let’s break down all the details for the all-new iMac.
M4 chip
First, the iMac features the supercharged M4 chip to support Apple Intelligence, which is designed to be intelligent and with privacy in mind, thanks to its newer Neural Engine that’s over 3x faster than on the iMac with M1. Compared to the M1 model, the new iMac is up to 1.7x faster for daily productivity, and up to 2.1x faster for demanding workflows, especially when playing games with support for hardware-accelerated ray-tracing, thanks to the second-generation 3nm process. Even better, the new iMac finally comes with 16GB of faster-unified memory standard – configurable up to 32GB.
New Colors
Both the M1 and M3 iMac models have had stunning colors with pastel colors in the front and strikingly bolder colors in the back. Now, the M4 iMac gets a refreshed palette of fun colors that pop even more for all the existing colors: green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and the classic silver.
Magic Accessories
The Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad are also color-matched with the newer shades of colors as previously mentioned, and this time, each of the three accessories features a USB-C port, so you can use the same cable to charge your iPhone 15 or 16, AirPods 4 or Pro 2, or even iPad.
New Nano-Texture Display Option
The new Nano-Texture display option was first introduced in the Pro Display XDR, and it made its way to the last 27-inch iMac (Intel), Studio Display, and even the iPad Pro (M4). Now, the 24-inch gets the optional treatment for the first time, which allows reduced reflections and glare on the stunning 4.5K Retina Display.
New 12MP Center Stage Camera
The MacBooks and iMacs have had cameras that haven’t been up to par compared to iPhones and iPads, but now that has changed as the new iMac gets a big upgrade in the built-in camera as it’s now a 12MP camera with Center Stage. This is the first time on any Mac with Center Stage built right-in as you could previously get it on only the Studio Display. Otherwise, you would have to use a paired iPhone with the right mounting accessory to take advantage of Center Stage.
Thunderbolt 4 standard on all USB-C ports
For both the M1/M3 iMac models, you have only two Thunderbolt ports whatever model you choose. (The 2 USB-C port model is both Thunderbolt-enabled; the 4 USB-C port model has two Thunderbolt ports and two USB-C ports). Now, Thunderbolt is enabled on all USB-C ports no matter which model you choose, especially the model with 4 USB-C ports.
Pricing Breakdown
Here are the prices for all the standard configurations:
- $1,299:
- 8-core CPU/8-core GPU/16GB memory/256GB storage
- Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports
- Magic Keyboard
- $1,499:
- 10-core CPU/10-core GPU/16GB memory/256GB storage
- Four Thunderbolt 4 ports
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Magic Keyboard with Touch ID
- $1,699:
- 10-core CPU/10-core GPU/16GB memory/512GB storage
- Four Thunderbolt 4 ports
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Magic Keyboard with Touch ID
- $1,899:
- 10-core CPU/10-core GPU/24GB memory/512GB storage
- Four Thunderbolt 4 ports
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Magic Keyboard with Touch ID
The new iMac can be configurable up to 32GB of memory and 2TB of storage, and it’s now available for pre-order today with initial shipments hitting Apple Stores and homes on November 8.
