Thursday, October 16th 2014
Apple Introduces 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K Display
Apple today unveiled the 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display, featuring the world's highest resolution display with a breathtaking 14.7 million pixels. At this amazing resolution, text appears sharper than ever, videos are unbelievably lifelike, and you can see new levels of detail in your photos. With the latest quad-core processors, high-performance graphics, Fusion Drive and Thunderbolt 2, iMac with Retina 5K display is the most powerful iMac ever made - it's the ultimate display combined with the ultimate all-in-one.
"Thirty years after the first Mac changed the world, the new iMac with Retina 5K display running OS X Yosemite is the most insanely great Mac we have ever made," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "With a breathtaking 14.7 million pixel display, faster CPU and graphics, Fusion Drive, and Thunderbolt 2, it's the most beautiful and powerful iMac ever."
iMac with Retina 5K display delivers an amazingly immersive user experience. With a resolution of 5120 x 2880, iMac with Retina 5K display has four times more pixels than the standard 27-inch iMac and 67 percent more pixels than a 4K display. Text looks as sharp as it does on a printed page, and you can see more of your high-resolution photos with pixel-for-pixel detail. In apps like Final Cut Pro X, you can view 4K video at full size while still leaving plenty of room for your assets and editing tools.
The display on the new 27-inch iMac has been engineered for performance, power efficiency and stunning visual quality. iMac with Retina 5K display uses a precisely manufactured oxide TFT-based panel to deliver vivid display brightness from corner to corner. A single supercharged Apple-designed timing controller (TCON), with four times the bandwidth, drives all 14.7 million pixels. iMac with Retina 5K display also uses highly efficient LEDs and organic passivation to improve image quality and reduce display power consumption by 30 percent, even while driving four times more pixels at the same brightness. To improve the contrast ratio, iMac with Retina 5K display uses a new photo alignment process and a compensation film to deliver blacker blacks and more vibrant colors from any viewing angle. In addition, every iMac with Retina 5K display is calibrated using three state-of-the-art spectroradiometers to ensure precise and accurate color.
Not only is iMac with Retina 5K display more beautiful on the outside, it is also more powerful on the inside. It comes with a 3.5 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.9 GHz, and for the first time can be configured with a 4 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 4.4 GHz. Every new iMac with Retina 5K display also comes with AMD Radeon R9 M290X graphics and can be configured with AMD Radeon R9 M295X graphics, delivering up to 3.5 teraflops of computing power, the most powerful graphics ever offered on an iMac. iMac with Retina 5K display comes standard with 8 GB of memory and a 1 TB Fusion Drive for the first time. The new iMac can also be configured with up to 32 GB of memory, a 3 TB Fusion Drive, or up to 1 TB of super-fast, PCIe-based flash storage. In addition, iMac with Retina 5K display includes two Thunderbolt 2 ports that deliver up to 20 Gbps each, twice the bandwidth of the previous generation.
Every new Mac comes with OS X Yosemite, a powerful new version of OS X, redesigned and refined with a fresh, modern look, powerful new apps and amazing new Continuity features that make working across your Mac and iOS devices more fluid than ever. OS X Yosemite is also engineered to take full advantage of the iMac's Retina 5K display, delivering stunning clarity across all your apps.
iMovie, GarageBand and the suite of iWork apps come free with every new Mac. iMovie lets you easily create beautiful movies, and you can use GarageBand to make new music or learn to play piano or guitar. iWork productivity apps, Pages, Numbers and Keynote, make it easy to create, edit and share stunning documents, spreadsheets and presentations. iWork has been redesigned with a new look, support for iCloud Drive and a host of new features, including a new comments view in Pages. iWork for iCloud beta lets you create your document on iPad, edit it on your Mac and collaborate with friends, even if they're on a PC.
Pricing & Availability
iMac with Retina 5K display begins shipping today with a 3.5 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.9 GHz, AMD Radeon R9 M290X graphics and a 1 TB Fusion Drive for a suggested retail price of $2,499 (US). Customers can order iMac with Retina 5K display through the Apple Online Store.
"Thirty years after the first Mac changed the world, the new iMac with Retina 5K display running OS X Yosemite is the most insanely great Mac we have ever made," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "With a breathtaking 14.7 million pixel display, faster CPU and graphics, Fusion Drive, and Thunderbolt 2, it's the most beautiful and powerful iMac ever."
The display on the new 27-inch iMac has been engineered for performance, power efficiency and stunning visual quality. iMac with Retina 5K display uses a precisely manufactured oxide TFT-based panel to deliver vivid display brightness from corner to corner. A single supercharged Apple-designed timing controller (TCON), with four times the bandwidth, drives all 14.7 million pixels. iMac with Retina 5K display also uses highly efficient LEDs and organic passivation to improve image quality and reduce display power consumption by 30 percent, even while driving four times more pixels at the same brightness. To improve the contrast ratio, iMac with Retina 5K display uses a new photo alignment process and a compensation film to deliver blacker blacks and more vibrant colors from any viewing angle. In addition, every iMac with Retina 5K display is calibrated using three state-of-the-art spectroradiometers to ensure precise and accurate color.
Not only is iMac with Retina 5K display more beautiful on the outside, it is also more powerful on the inside. It comes with a 3.5 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.9 GHz, and for the first time can be configured with a 4 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 4.4 GHz. Every new iMac with Retina 5K display also comes with AMD Radeon R9 M290X graphics and can be configured with AMD Radeon R9 M295X graphics, delivering up to 3.5 teraflops of computing power, the most powerful graphics ever offered on an iMac. iMac with Retina 5K display comes standard with 8 GB of memory and a 1 TB Fusion Drive for the first time. The new iMac can also be configured with up to 32 GB of memory, a 3 TB Fusion Drive, or up to 1 TB of super-fast, PCIe-based flash storage. In addition, iMac with Retina 5K display includes two Thunderbolt 2 ports that deliver up to 20 Gbps each, twice the bandwidth of the previous generation.
Every new Mac comes with OS X Yosemite, a powerful new version of OS X, redesigned and refined with a fresh, modern look, powerful new apps and amazing new Continuity features that make working across your Mac and iOS devices more fluid than ever. OS X Yosemite is also engineered to take full advantage of the iMac's Retina 5K display, delivering stunning clarity across all your apps.
iMovie, GarageBand and the suite of iWork apps come free with every new Mac. iMovie lets you easily create beautiful movies, and you can use GarageBand to make new music or learn to play piano or guitar. iWork productivity apps, Pages, Numbers and Keynote, make it easy to create, edit and share stunning documents, spreadsheets and presentations. iWork has been redesigned with a new look, support for iCloud Drive and a host of new features, including a new comments view in Pages. iWork for iCloud beta lets you create your document on iPad, edit it on your Mac and collaborate with friends, even if they're on a PC.
Pricing & Availability
iMac with Retina 5K display begins shipping today with a 3.5 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.9 GHz, AMD Radeon R9 M290X graphics and a 1 TB Fusion Drive for a suggested retail price of $2,499 (US). Customers can order iMac with Retina 5K display through the Apple Online Store.
79 Comments on Apple Introduces 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K Display
"Ifs" are a good thing because they're tailor-made for the client. The one-size-fits-all mentality of Apple disgusts me.
What disgusts me is that you complain about how apple makes one size fit all but can't seem to make a half decent argument about how its bad other than the fact that your biased against and are are disgusted by it, but I've seen that to work in our case so it's clearly your own bias.
We're clearly not going to see eye to eye on this as your bias and unfounded loathing seems to be the only thing you care about.
You should really stop talking like everyone has the same exact needs as you.
Edit: Apple doesn't even sell a computer that can hold three hard drives, nevermind six, anymore.
I understand you don't like Apple, a lot of people are that way, but I would make sure your bashing it for the right reasons and in all seriousness, for me it's just the price tag that makes it really any different and the UI is all that is impacts in terms of usability from any other computer.
I prefer Linux, but I can do my job in Windows, OS X, or Linux just as well. So I can accept you saying you don't like the GUI, the price tag, or the compatibility with Windows software, but in so many instances, an Apple product will work just as well as a PC (from a usage perspective). When I hear something like your quote I included above, I hear "I do something because I've always done something," which leads me to think its really the GUI and OS you don't like when the product in reality can do so much a PC can do and the reality of it is that you just don't want to use it to do whatever you have to do.
I don't say this to start an argument, but I really don't understand what about Apple products you dislike so much because you haven't said anything concrete as to why other than "I hate one size fits all". That's not an answer, that's being stubborn.
Edit: Doesn't even look like it could drive my second monitor and that...would suck.
I could tell OS X to play one stream to audio device A and B, stream two to B C, stream three to A, B, and C, and 3 more streams on each device. On top of that a microphone input might be routed direct to the output of another device. Try doing that in Windows without any extra software. I know PulseAudio can do stuff like that, but you need to really know what you're doing to get it to work.
I completely understand the video card bit though. I would never buy a Mac to play video games, but audio mixing would be a huge reason to have a Mac IMHO, not for the hardware but for the OS.New Mac Minis have two mDP, it can drive 2 non-Apple displays no problem. Even the old ones could do two displays, one HDMI, on mDP, so as long as you're not using VGA on an older Mac Mini, you'd be fine.
Also the newest Mac Mini have two mDP plus HDMI and an option for Intel Iris. The CPUs can display 3 devices including the HD 4400 and up, I don't know if the Mini itself can though.
I need both and it is illegal to sell NTSC without ATSC.As I thought, not useful to me. I could elaborate why but that is off topic. The fact my $400 speakers would be dormant in the name of that is insulting (directed at Apple).I like Audacity, thank you very much.Guess what? I need VGA. My KVM is DVI+VGA and I work on a lot of computers that are exclusively VGA (I know, this region is way behind the times).My current graphics card can do that with a lot more gusto behind it.
Edit: But whatever, this conversation has dragged on long enough.
Smart ass...Then get a mDP to VGA adapter and stop complaining.So can mine, that's not the point. You don't buy a Mac Mini for graphics power.
Can you give a response without making it attack? It's like you're taking this personally when you shouldn't...
*more snippage*Or not get a Mac.
-No room for at least 3 internal storage devices = deal breaker.
-No ability to drive 5.1 analog speakers = deal breaker.
-No capability to handle ATSC/NTSC over coaxial cable = deal breaker.
-No VGA support = deal breaker.
-No graphics card suitable for gaming = deal breaker.
Sure, you can argue most of that stuff can be external, plugged into the computer via Thunderbolt ports but not only are you then talking a price tag easily in excess of $5 grand, you're also talking about one hell of a mess on my desk that should be neatly contained in a case. The entire idea of it is ridiculous. Apple sells appliances, not personal computers.It is illegal to sell a NTSC tuner post-2009. The only way you can get a NTSC tuner is to buy a combo tuner which has ATSC + NTSC. I can't put it any more plainly than that.
Edit: Straight from the mouth of the lion:* There's a caveat that all TVs must include BOTH types of TV tuners. Devices like computer and DVR tuners only require ATSC. Case in point, my DishNetwork DVR has dual ATSC tuners, no NTSC.
In all seriousness, it's not realistic to think Apple is thinking to themselves, "How do we make a cheap Mac Mini that suits all of Ford's needs." Seriously man, be realistic. Your demands aren't normal and Apple isn't going to cater to such a small group of people. There is no money in it, but that doesn't make Apple products bad...What the hell are you trying to say, Ford? I've been agreeing with you on this.
SSD = OS and fast access games
HDD1 = general applications and temp to reduce wear
HDD2 = Origin + Steam + GOG
Apple only moves 5 million Macs/year. Even Acer can beat Apple in that metric. Apple is Henry Ford of today: you can have any color you like so long as it is black. There's 54 million people like me that can never buy a Mac because it doesn't do anything useful to us and at a much steeper price at that.
Mac stats: www.nextpowerup.com/news/14641/mac-sales-reach-high-during-fiscal-q4.html
Apple (5.52 million) is more on par with Asus (5.77 million) than Acer (6.83 million) looking at the most recent data available.
All I'm trying to say is that the Mac Mini doesn't cater to you, but it does cater to a lot of other people's needs for a reasonable price.
Worldwide Apple sales: 5.52 million
Total: 84.91 million
Apple percentage: 6.5%
Small fish in a big pond.
I'm saying no Mac product caters to me (probably never will) and Apple's prices are not reasonable. Just in the example with me, its too easy to dismiss all of the external peripherals that rapidly add to the cost of ownership. Apple makes primitive computers for people's primitive needs and nothing more. If all I needed from a computer is to play music, word process once in a while, browse the internet, and check email, Mac, *nix, Android, and Windows would all work for me. But I'm a "power user" which rules out Mac entirely...
The point is, Apple is not a bad product because it doens't cater to your specific needs at a cheap price, and your needs are very specific. I think that's an unrealistic expectation since to meet your own goals, you would probably build a tower anyways, right? So no pre-made tower would actually be very beneficial to you in the first place. My point is for most people, Apple products are fine, and that you and I are not most people.
Also 500 USD for a mini isn't too bad if you want OS X and you won't be gaming. Also for a form factor like that at 300 USD you'll probably end up getting a J1900 Celeron instead of an i5. So I think the price here is reasonable. I do think iMacs and the Mac Pro are ludicrously expensive but Apple's laptop prices have been slowly inching down over time.
I really don't know why you like (rather, pushing) the Mac Mini so much. It's basically just an ITX motherboard with its components soldered in.
Motherboard $90: www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157526
802.11ac $30: www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833106190
Processor $140: www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116945
RAM $40: www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820239312
HDD $50: www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2W01AZ5317
Case $50: www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163242
PSU $50: www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256097
That comes to $450 and that processor is desktop versus mobile which translates to about twice as fast. Add in an OS and it is a bit more than the cheapest Mac Mini but completely serviceable with room for expansion (throw in three more drives, another stick of RAM, and a half-height PCI Express card). It also has a quality internal power supply as opposed to a cheap external power supply. And I didn't cut any corners in the above selections. I went with quality parts from reputable manufacturers.
The cost difference can be made up via not buying Apple keyboards, mice, and monitors. If I had to buy 100 systems for basic computer use, I'd go with what I spec'd above over Mac Mini because long-term operating costs will be lower.
That ITX system you built it's not exactly the same. It's bigger. Also the PSU in the mac mini is internal.
Besides the fact that you should add the price of the OS.
Don't get me wrong. I have a custom built PC. It's cheaper if you want to add some fancy graphic card and hard drives, but by no means the things you want to do with it can't be done on a mac, one way or another.
>B-but muh gaymen rig!!1
Not everybody wants a ricer gaming rig and not everybody uses their machines mostly for gaming. Deal with it.
You are correct on the Mac Mini having an internal power supply. I saw the picture of the back of it with the standard positive/neutral plug and assumed there was a brick between it and the outlet. The website plainly states there isn't. Still, the power supply I gave is more than four times the output of the 85w unit in the Mac Mini and likely far more efficient at that. What I have selected is clearly overkill depending on whether or not a discreet graphics card is installed and what is placed in the 2.5" bays. One could save some money there by downgrading it to ~100-150w.
Edit: This $20 PSU is probably on par with the Mac Mini considering the gap between laptop and desktop power requirements: www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817154024
Correction: most people DO game (what is Solitaire?) but most computers do not require a discreet video card. This is a point Aquinus keeps stressing and I keep ignoring because it is stating the obvious. I gave numerous reason why Apple does not make a product for me. I have not and will not make claims that me implies everyone. That's stuffing words in my mouth that simply do not exist (I thought I made that abundantly clear in post #70).
The point is if changes are made like this then the individual employees have to go along with it or find employment elsewhere. It wasn't a particularly difficult change to adapt to for the individual employees or at least it wasn't in this case. I haven't heard of even one hold out or complaint due to said change and I believe that their was a BYOD policy prior to the move and most if not all devs that took advantage of it were bringing in Macs anyway.
Its similar to how some people may use Mac's at home but must use Windows at work. Either way the individuals should be able to adapt and do their job at work. I won't speculate as to the quality of the tools necessary to do the job without having very specific information about the development environment and additional requirements.
My point still stands and its a very simple one. Not everyone has a choice as to what hardware and software they use in their work environment.