Apple updates the iMac with new colors and an M4 chip

Apple is updating the iMac with an M4 chip. The new iMac, announced this morning, includes an M4 chip with an 8-core CPU and up to a 10-core GPU. The entry-level model costs $1,299 while the higher-end models start at $1,499.

Base RAM has been doubled to 16GB over the prior model. Like the prior model, the new iMac has a 24-inch 4.5K display. And it’s now bundled with accessories that use USB-C charging ports instead of Lightning. The new iMac is available to preorder today, with availability starting November 8th.

The new desktop computer from Apple arrives just about a year after the announcement of an M3-powered iMac. The M3 chip was the primary change with that computer; otherwise, it looked just like the M1 iMac from 2021, which arrived with a major redesign. Apple said the M3 model was more than two times faster than the M1 version.

Apple first announced the M4 chip alongside new iPad Pros in May, but the chip hadn’t made the leap to the Mac lineup until now. The M4 chip in the iPad Pro is built with what Apple calls “second-generation” 3nm technology, and the company says the chip has a CPU with up to 10 cores and a 10-core GPU.

The new M4 iMac follows a surprise announcement earlier this month of a new iPad Mini, which was last revised in 2021.