Apple’s iMac Is the Best in a Small, Weak Class

Apple’s iMac is the best-looking, most compelling all-in-one computer on the market. Available in a range of pastel colors — a nod to Apple’s most iconic desktops, the iMac G3s from the 1990s — it could do with a more adjustable stand and a larger screen option. Yet nothing else in this sector matches the iMac’s premium looks or abundant performance. Everything else in this sector is underpowered — even for the rather modest compute tasks handled by a computer like this — and almost impressively boring.It’s likely this lack of competition that has led Apple to leave it unchanged since unveiling it in October 2024, and they’ve probably only updated it now because it’s more convenient to use the new M6 chip, and it’s nice to bring it some more attention anyway.Courtesy of AppleThat is the only main upgrade here. The screen is unchanged — in both the gloss and reflection-reducing nano-texture versions, the latter of which is only available on the 12-core model — as is the body, which still needs a more adjustable stand, and comes in blue, green, pink, yellow, purple, orange, or silver. It has the same 12-megapixel Center Stage camera; the same six speakers and three microphones; and the same ports, with two Thunderbolt 4 USB ports plus a headphone jack; and it still comes with the ridiculous, unergonomic Magic Mouse and Apple’s color-matched keyboard. And you still have to pay the $80 upgrade on the $1,499 model if you want Touch ID on the keyboard, which you do.Courtesy of AppleBut the iMac is exceptional, so this fairly unexciting upgrade is enough, as the leap from the M4 to the M6 chip — Apple’s first on a 2-nanometer process — is a big deal. The $1,499 model has a ten-core CPU and ten-core GPU, which should be good for almost all users, but the $1,699 model adds one performance core and one efficiency core for its CPU, and the graphics chip also bumps up to 12 cores. Memory starts at 16 gigabytes and storage at 256 gigabytes, but nobody should buy those configurations. You can’t upgrade the RAM, and you don’t want this computer to age quickly. I would recommend the ten-core model with 24 gigabytes of RAM and 512 gigabytes of storage for $1,899; or the one-terabyte option if you do things like photo or video editing, and have lots of apps, for $2,199. It’s pointless to buy far more performance than you could ever use, but you should still have some performance headroom.Speaking of which, there’s also still no iMac Pro, which would be cool but wouldn’t sell, as Apple’s power users are happy buying the Studio Display or Studio Display XDR, plus a Mac mini or Mac Studio. The Studio now also comes in new specs, with a top-of-the-range version — equipped with an M5 Ultra processor and 512 gigabytes of RAM — costing an astonishing $22,299. Apple will sell precisely none of those, but it’s the only exciting, tweet-worthy thing about the new Studio.

Apple’s iMac Is the Best in a Small, Weak Class

Apple’s iMac Is the Best in a Small, Weak Class

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