Apple goes 5K -- ‘world’s highest resolution display’ -- with new iMac
A 5K Retina display -- yes, not 4K -- is the highlight of the new iMac desktop computer that Apple began selling Thursday.
At a price of $2,499, the new iMac comes with a 27-inch display that packs in four times more pixels than its predecessor, seven times more than a high-definition television set or even more than 4K cinema screens. It’s the “world’s highest resolution display,” Apple said.
As with most upgrades to Apple products, the new iMac comes with a powerful processor and slimmer design than its predecessors. It includes a 1-terabyte hard drive.
Apple also announced an upgrade to the Mac mini, a cracker-box-sized, display-less computer, that will now cost $499 for the cheapest version, down $100 from the version released two years ago. The company calls the mini the world’s most energy-efficient desktop based on tracking by Epeat.
No updates were unveiled for Apple’s line of laptop computers, with rumors in the last few days suggesting that the company couldn’t get upgrades ready in time for the holiday rush.
The new computers Apple did announce come with OSX Yosemite, the latest version of the Mac operating system. On older computers, Yosemite is available as a free update beginning Thursday. It’s compatible with most laptops built in 2009 or later and most iMacs built in 2007 or later.
The most-touted feature of Yosemite operating system is seamless transitioning between iPhones and laptops or desktops. For example, one could begin a call on the phone then finish on the laptop. Or an SMS message sent to the iPhone would show up on the iPad if that’s the device the user is working on. The feature works with the iWork productivity applications, so you can “pick up where you left off” and not hunt around.
Elsewhere in Yosemite, users can expect to find that the Safari Web browser is faster, less draining on the battery and more helpful because of a search tool built into the address bar.
The email app has “functional” improvements, like the ability to draw on photo attachments from within the application. ITunes, iWorks and Messages received minor improvements, too.
Twitter: @peard33
