It’s been over three years since the very first Mac went Retina, and we’re still waiting for every model to get the upgrade. But this year, the scales started to tip in Retina’s favor. We got an all-new Retina MacBook in the spring, and today Apple is killing the 27-inch non-Retina iMac and introducing a new 4K model at the top of the 21.5-inch lineup.
The 4K iMac starts at $1,499 and does for the 21-inch iMac what the 5K version did for the 27-inch iMac a year ago: it gives it a Retina screen and leaves pretty much everything else alone. You do get a handful of nice internal upgrades, including Intel’s Broadwell CPUs and GPUs, Thunderbolt 2 support, and faster storage and RAM (all also available on the refreshed non-Retina 21.5-inch iMacs). But for most intents and purposes, this thing is just a 2012-era iMac chassis with a nice sharp screen installed in place of the old 1080p display.
Believe it or not, but that $1500 base model? It comes with a 5400RPM hard drive. Unacceptable.
In any event, Apple also replaced its keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad. As a fan of Apple’s current keyboard (I know I’m the only person who actually seems to really love it – it’s the only keyboard I use, on my PC even), I’m excited about the new model because you can also use it wired. That said, it’s a whopping €129 here, which is kind of insane.
I would say something about 5400 RPM but then I remembered that all the newest Seagate SSHDs come with 5400 RPM mechanical parts, and they’re just as fast if not a bit faster than the older version that was 7200 RPM.
The tricky part is that it is not a hybrid drive… but then again, I can definitively see that it is OK for educational institution purposes. Anyone else would shell out at least an extra $100 dollars for the fusion drive.
Yeah, if you put a large enough solid state cache on that, the slower speed has benefits in noise (and pitch), heat and power usage. Higher speed doesn’t mean higher performance.
This is Apple though, they do have a tendency to make offensive decisions on the components for the bottom end of their product lines.
Yeah, SSHD is just $20 more to get 64MB buffer and 8GB NAND MLC from the same 7200 rpm drive, with the benefit that common files gets SSD speed.
I think he meant that such an expensive pc should have an ssd as primary storage. I agree. The primary component you should start with these days is an SSD. After that you can play with the other components to get to the price you want.
Is the Magic Mouse 2 Force Touch or still a large physical click device?
If I had an arch-enemy, it would be those Mac keyboards and mice. Crappy little keys with no tactile or audible feedback make these among the worst keyboards ever designed.
And the mice… like those horrible laptop touch pads except wrapped around a 3-dimentional object. No buttons, no feedback, and no way to prevent accidentally activating something with even the slightest touch.
Thumbs Down and a big raspberry noise.
I cannot agree more.
I just actually have bought a DasKeyboard to replace my Apple Keyboard and after using it for some days, the Apple Keyboard feels like a toy.
The new one is very expensive and I could assert it will be still less durable than its predecessor.
Ouch, those look nice but sure are expensive.
I’m a fan of the Keytronic keyboards. $25 each, and every computer in the house has one.
This is a company that ships a US$650 phone with 16GB storage in 2015. Totally believable.
Sigh,
for some people 16Gb is fine. not everyone is an APP addict you know. Just because your use case needs more RAM then not everyone is like you.
My iPhone is a company supplied one so I’m not paying for it anyway but for my use case 16Gb is fine. At the moment there is 4.8Gb free.
I get what you are saying, but my Walkman had 16gb of storage 7 YEARS ago and that was just for music (probably around 15GB after formatting etc).
Also thats 16GB -minus the OS so around 12GB, and if you ever need to upgrade just on the phone you need 1GB for the installer and 5GB free to install it. So realistically after all that you have to use only 6GB of your iphone next time you want to upgrade. Or 12GB if you only want to upgrade tethered to a computer.
That is not acceptable in 2015.
16 GB of storage is fine…in a 100 dollar phone, not in a 650 dollar phone that takes live-images by default (twice the normal size) in 12 MP (1.5 the previous size) while also being able to record 4K (uhm…nope on 16 GB)
Apps are not going to fill this thing up, but Audio and Video files will!
There are only 2 reasons the 16 GB exists:
1) So Apple has something new to sell to THEIR lowend customers
2) To make the 64 GB an easy upsell
Actually, that is only 1 reason:
1) Because Apple can get away with filling their pockets like this.
If the iPhone would have a microSIM for later expansion, that would make some sense, but people that buy a “cheap” 16 GB now will be the ones needing to buy a newer one the first
That’s the part I don’t get. Why bother with 16 at all if you’re going to put the 64 gb model at the price point that used to hold the 32 gb? Just cut the 16 and put the 32 as the baseline model and you’d make out with just as much profit while not looking dated.
No, you wouldn’t
Old situation (for iPhone 5S):
16 GB = 650 dollar, 32 GB = 750 dollar
and I don’t entirely understand what you meant by “cut the 16 and put the 32 as the baseline”. But lets see both scenarios:
Your possibility 1 (for iPhone 6):
32 GB = 650 dollar, 64 GB = 750 dollar
You are now offering larger storage for the same prices as before, basically eating your margins and lowering your profits on the baseline model. Also, the gap between 32 and 64 is 100 dollar so most people will stay with the 650 dollar phone that is already good enough.
Your possibility 2 (for iPhone 6):
32 GB = 750 dollar
You have now made your baseline model too expensive.
So this is what Apple did instead (for iPhone 6):
New situation (iPhone 6):
16 GB = 650 dollar, 64 GB = 750 dollar
Now the margins on the baseline model are intact (and because of pricedrops for Apple actually increased). Also, the gap between 16 and 64 is 100 dollar so it is a much easier to upsell to the 750 dollar phone (16 isn’t enough for most people and you get 48 extra for your money).
What Apple did is brilliant from their point of view. Of course it shows them like the moneygrabbers that they are to geeks like us, but as long as the general buyers let them get away with it they are golden.
And best of all, when the iPhone 7 comes out and they (finally) “reinvent the entry level market by offering everyone at least 32 GB” they will get a giant applause.
There are different rules for Apple….deal with it
Rather defensive… and besides, I don’t think the iPhones have 16 gb of ram. Hell, if they did that’d be pretty amazing. Even my primary computer doesn’t have that much; I only have 8 gigs in there.
The speed of the CPU in the $1500 4K retina version is about the same as the Macbook pro and not that far ahead of the Macbook Air.
It also does away with a dedicated GPU and you don’t have the option to add even a mobile GPU.
It has 8G memory and a 5400 1TB HDD that’s not hybrid. I would say the costs are in the display but even the 21.5″ 1080p version is $1300.
The max resolution for the integrated GPU on the i5 chip the 4k version uses is 4096×2304@24Hz so only 24 Hz max if you use the monitor at the resolution it supports.
Source: http://ark.intel.com/products/87715/Intel-Core-i5-5675R-Processor-4…
It’s pretty obvious they are taking a huge profit margin on these things. You could put an A10 APU on a mini-ITX board with an SSD in a tiny case and pick up a 1080p monitor all for about $500 and it would beat the $1300 iMac in most ways.
Edited 2015-10-14 05:34 UTC
Actually the commercial resolution of 4k consumer devices is 3840 x 2160 which the Intel GPU supports up to 60 Hz. The 4k resolution you are referring to is the max specified HDMI output resolution, but even a 4K UHD TV has “just” a 3840 x 2160 panel.
bye
Edited 2015-10-14 08:35 UTC
Actually, that iMac is really running 4096*2304 so if it runs that at 24Hz…ouch for gaming.
SPECS AT A GLANCE: 21.5-INCH 2015 4K IMAC
SCREEN 4096×2304 21.5″ IPS display (217 ppi)
They even put the older CPU inside because it has a slightly better GPU that makes this barely acceptable.
This seems to be an iPad 3 situation where they make the screen Retina without making the hardware powerful enough. (Of course the price is still powerful enough to punch a big whole in your pocket)
My bad, I was misguided by the early rumours and i did not check the actual press release. Anyway the Ars review notes that :
“Because of this slightly-higher-than-standard resolution, Apple is still using the custom timing controller from the 5K iMac to drive the display at its full resolution at 60Hz.”
24 Hz display would be a pain to use, even my smartphone has a 60 Hz refresh rate !
And I would not buy the iMac for gaming, I think that was quite clear since several years ago …
bye
Very nice follow-up info!
but the iMac comes with 4096*2304 resolution
I love the chiclet Apple Keyboard too and I use it everywhere (Mac, PC even the iPhone).
BTW 129 euros… that’s a crazy price… If you think about it… Apple is the only hardware company that increases their prices over time for no reason giving you the same product. Apple works like a fashion company, they don’t follow the rules of the tech market.
For example, I purchased the chiclet Apple Keyboard I’m using right now when It was just launched like 8 years ago and I payed $70 for it (It was an ok-ish price cause there was no other keyboard like it). Now, 2015, almost the same product is launched for $99!! Incredible.
And the saddest part… I will pay $99 because I love it. They know it… that’s the problem.
I have to agree with you. Dont get me wrong i love mechanical keyboard and have one on my home pc, it’s a real pleasure to type on.
However saying that i also love my apple keyboards, i love the spacing and the feeling of the keys of the apple keyboards. However to use an odd word, but my hands are ‘Calibrated’ to the apple keyboard, meaning that when i move between my MacBook Air, iMac and work pc (mechanical at work would be far too noisy unfortunately). The keyboards both have the same spacing, same tactile feedback, even the onscreen iPad Keyboard has the say spacing, so i find i can type incredibly quick.
You thing 129 euros is bad? Just wait until they release the special edition Hermes Apple keyboard.
I’d have thought a ‘Burberry’ edition was more likely.
Just right for the Chav market.
That’s no problem. They provide a product that you love and you’re willing to pay for it. If it really were a problem then you wouldn’t be buying. Apple has managed to do that, and I understand because I’m willing to do the same though with a different Apple product. After supporting 200 plus Windows PCs at work, it’s a relief to get home and use OS X again– an operating system that gives me far, far less trouble. Yeah, my Macbook Air cost me a bit more than something like a Dell XPS 13 and I don’t get the raw performance, but what I I do get is a mostly stress-free experience. People often don’t understand just how much value some of us place on that. Btw, I’m probably going back to an iPhone from Android for the same reason: I’m tired of having to maintain my phone.
Don’t trust Thom’s keyboard opinions. Death to Mac peripherals.
So basically Apple became Dell? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeiI8cd5rO4
(and Dell now makes those infinity screens)
I recently replaced a Mac laptop with a sad with an iMac. And never again. Even with the 7200 speed drive. It’s sooooo slow. I can’t believe how much the hard drive is the bottleneck. I will never again use a hard disk for anything other than backup.
Not all the iMacs have Retina screens now. There is a 21.5in Retina version, but they still have two standard screen 21.5in models (one with a 1.6Ghz processor and one with 2.8Ghz). I’ve seen the standard screen version and despite it having the same resolution as my £250 23.5in Iiyama HD monitor, it looks poor quality – you can see the black spaces between the dots very clearly, unlike on mine.