This week, Apple announced a “major” update to its 27-inch iMac model, as well as smaller improvements to the 21.5-inch iMac and the iMac Pro, making each device more powerful.
Calling the new iMac Apple’s “most powerful and capable… ever,” Apple confirmed that it the 27-inch iMac Pro has been handed up to ten cores, its memory capacity has been doubled, new AMD graphics have been added, and super fast SSDs have been included, offering four times the storage capacity as the previous generation, as well as 1080p FaceTime camera.
Speaking of the new device, Tom Boger, Apple’s senior director of Mac and iPad Product Marketing, said: “Now more than ever, our customers are relying on the Mac. And many of them need the most powerful and capable iMac we’ve ever made.
“With blazing performance, double the memory, SSDs across the line with quadruple the storage, an even more stunning Retina 5K display, a better camera, higher fidelity speakers, and studio-quality mics, the 27-inch iMac is loaded with new features at the same price. It’s the ultimate desktop, to work, create, and communicate.”
When you compare the new iMac to its predecessor, the 2020 27-inch iMac offers up to 65% more plugins in Logic Pro X, up to 40% faster transcode in Final Cut Pro X, and up to 35% faster rendering in Arnold.
In terms of graphics performance, Apple says the new iMac offers up to 50% faster demo fly-through in Unity Editor, and 30% faster timeline rendering in FCP.
Apple also emphasized the T2 Security Chip, which offers data encryption for everything stored on the SSD, and performs regular checks to ensure the software has been properly loaded during the boot process and has not been tampered with.
What’s important to note, however, is that Apple is moving to its own custom ARM chips from the end of 2020, and so this may be the last iMac with an Intel chip.
Consumers who are looking for a powerful machine for everyday use should upgrade with confidence, but those wanting to access cutting-edge features and software from day one should hold off until the new ARM-powered iMacs arrive in 2021.
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