Apple brings M4 processor and 12MP camera to the iMac

The new iMac is a slim all-in-one computer with a 24 inch, 4480 x 2520 pixel display, and support for up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage. But that could also describe last year’s model.

Here’s what’s new for 2024: Apple has upgraded the processor from an M3 chip to M4, which should bring CPU, graphics, and AI improvements. The webcam has been upgraded from 1080p to 12MP. And the new iMac supports up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports instead of two.

Prices start at $1299 for a 2024 iMac with an Apple M4 chip featuring 8 CPU cores, 8-core graphics, 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and two Thunderbolt/USB4 ports.

Or you can pay $1499 and up for a model with a 10-core CPU, 10-core graphics, and four Thunderbolt 4 ports.

It’s nice to see that base models now come with 16GB of memory rather than 8GB. But upgrades are still very expensive. If you want a 24GB model you’ll have to pay $200 more, and you can double that if you opt for a 32GB version.

Storage upgrades are equally expensive. Apple lets you configure the new iMac with 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB of storage, but charges $200, $400, or $800 to do that.

Apple doesn’t really expect anyone with a 2023 iMac to upgrade to the new model, so instead of offering direct comparisons between this year’s model and its predecessor, the company notes that the new iMac with M4 is “up to 1.7x faster for daily productivity, and up to 2.x faster for demanding workflows like photo editing and gaming” than an iMac with M1 released in 2021 and “up to 6x faster” than the “most popular Intel-based iMac model.”

The computer ships with macOS Sequoia 15.1, making it the first Mac to ship with Apple Intelligence features enabled out of the box, including Writing Tools (proofread, rewrite, and summarize text), a next-gen Siri with better support for natural language interactions, improved natural language search in the Photos app, and Priority Messages in the Mail app.

But macOS Sequoia 15.1 is also now available for all Macs with M1 or later chips, which means that if you’re happy with an older Mac, there’s no need to upgrade your hardware in order to get the latest software features.

The new iMac is the same size as the previous generation, at 547 x 461 x 147mm (21.5″ x 18.1″ x 5.8″). The computer weighs less than 10 pounds and comes with a Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse (with optional support for a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and a Numeric Keypad and a Magic TrackPad)

Other features include a 3.5mm audio jack, an array of 3 “studio quality” microphones, six speakers, support for WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3,  and Gigabit Ethernet (standard on models with four Thunderbolt 4 ports or optional on systems with two Thunderbolt/USB4 ports).

press release