Apple launches new entry level iMac for £899

Apple has introduced a new 21.5in iMac that costs just £899. Unveiled earlier today after the Apple Store was briefly down for maintenance, the new all-in-one has a 1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor that can Turbo Boost up top 2.7GHz, 8GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive.

This new entry in Apple’s iMac range is £150 cheaper than Apple’s previous entry level iMac, which is still available for £1,049, bringing the total number of iMacs on sale to five. 

Apple hasn’t revealed any more detail about the exact processor model for the new iMac, but it looks to be a Core i5-4260U, the same processor we think powers Apple’s current crop of Macbook Air laptops. This means its raw processing power is unlikely to exceed Apple’s ultraportable laptop, making it a lot less powerful than Apple’s other 21.5in iMacs. Until now, all iMacs had quicker quad-core Core i5 processors. However, the Macbook Air certainly isn’t sluggish by modern Ultrabook standards and we’ve seen plenty of more expensive all-in-one PCs produce slower results in our multimedia benchmark tests.

Compared to the top-spec 11in Macbook Air, which also costs £899, you also get a lot more for your money with the new iMac, as you get double the amount of RAM and almost double the amount of storage as well. 

The only downside is that the new iMac doesn’t have many customisation options. In fact, the only thing can upgrade is the 500GB hard drive. For an extra £40, you can choose a 1TB hard drive or, for another £200, you can choose a 1TB Fusion drive or 256GB SSD. Otherwise, you’re stuck with its default specification. 

We’ll have to wait until we get our hands on a review unit before we deliver our final verdict, but if you want to take a closer look, the new iMac is available to buy now direct from Apple.