Slimmer iMac with Kepler Graphics Next Month
Apple today unveiled its next iMac. The most obvious difference is the new slimmer screen (it’s an incredible 5mm thick), with the optical drive having been removed (and must now be purchased as a separate external unit), and with Nvidia Kepler-series graphics upgrades (the resolution remains unchanged). That gives Nvidia less than a month to sort out their drivers. The other thing to note is that the graphics chips are of the “M” (or “MX”) variety, so don’t expect them to compete with Windows-based variants.
Other updates include new Hybrid SSD drives that Apple’s calling “Fusion Drives” as if they invented the bloody things. The drives combine solid-state and spinning rust technology, which combine to give almost the performance of regular SSDs under some conditions.
The 21.5 inch model will be available from November with either Nvidia 640M or 650M configurations, starting at $1299. The 27-inch will be available from December with Nvidia 660M, 675MX, or 680MX graphics, and starts from $1799.
Update: Macrumors is reporting that the 21.5 inch model will not have upgradeable RAM slots, so you’ll be stuck with the 8 or 16 GB at the time of buying. The 27-inch on the other hand will have 4 upgradeable slots.
Also on the desktop front, the Mac Mini has also been given a bit of a processor bump, but is lumbered with therather terrible Intel HD 4000. To no-one’s surprise, the Mac Pro was left out in the cold again.