Apple Shows Off iMac With A ‘5K’ Retina Display, And Updates Mac Mini

Apple has upgraded its iMac all in one with a ‘5K’ retina display and faster processing and graphics performance alongside an updated version of its budget Mac Mini.

The headline feature of the ‘iMac with Retina Display’ is alluded to in its title, with the 27-inch system boasting a 5,120 x 2,880 screen that produces 14.7 million pixels.

Apple claims this four times the pixels of the previous iMac and 67 percent more than a 4K display. The pixels on the oxide TFT-based panel are controlled by a custom timing controller and the use of more power efficient LEDs results in a 30 percent decrease in energy use.

“It’s the world’s highest resolution display,” said Phil Schiller. “This is an incredible feat of engineering.”

iMac with Retina Display

The standard iMac with Retina Display comes with a 3.5GHz quad-core Intel i5 processor with 3.9GHz turbo boost and AMD Radeon R9 M290x graphics, but this can be upgraded to a 4.0GHz i7 Intel chip with 4.4GHz turbo boost and R9 M95 graphics. Apple says these are the most powerful graphics capabilities ever included in a Mac.

A 1TB Fusion Drive and 8GB of RAM now comes and standard, but power users can get a 3TB Fusion Drive or 1TB of all-flash storage and 32GB of RAM if their needs require it.

All new iMacs ship with the latest version of Apple’s Mac operating system, OS X Yosemite, and its iWork suite of productivity applications. The basic model starts at £1,999 and Apple is accepting orders straight away.

Mac Mini

The Cupertino-based company has also released a new model of its entry-level Mac Mini, which now has fourth generation Intel core processor, integrated graphics that are up to 90 percent faster, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and two Thunderbolt 2 ports.

The Mac Mini still claims to be the world’s most energy efficient desktop and ships with OS X Yosemite and iWork in three standard models, all of which can be customised.

The cheapest is £399 and comes with a 1.4GHz dual core Intel i5 chip, 4GB of memory, 500 GB of storage and Intel 5000 HD graphics and the most expensive is £799, complete with a 2.8GHz dual core processor, 8GB of RAM, a 1TB Fusion Drive and Intel Iris graphics.

Apple hopes that by refreshing its entry level and top-end consumer desktops it can help maintain the recent success of the Mac range, which Apple says has bucked the trend of slowing PC sales with 18 percent year-on-year growth and outsold the likes of Lenovo and Acer in the market.

The company has also announced new versions of the iPad Air and iPad Mini, while it also revealed release information for iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite.

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