Your complete guide to the best Apple hardware and third-party accessories

EDITED BY ROB MEAD-GREEN

The iMac’s all-in-one design combines power and poise – especially in the higher-end 27in models.

EXPECTED MAY 2021 UPDATED AUG 2020

iMac

From £1,049

Ever since the famous Bondi Blue iMac debuted in August 1998, Apple’s all-in-one desktop computer has been setting standards in gorgeous design and powerful performance. Apple’s innovation was as clear back then as it is today – the iMac was the first Macintosh to drop the floppy drive in favour of USB, and its colourful aesthetic set it apart as a playful option in a world of beige boxes.

The current entry-level 21.5in was finally updated in August 2020, although its specs remain largely unchanged from March 2019. What changes there are, are confined to your storage options – Apple has finally dropped the 5,400rpm hard drive in favour of SSDs across the board. Fusion Drives are now only available as Build To Order options.

The biggest changes can be found in the 27in iMac, which also got an August 2020 update. It too now sports SSDs across the line and you can choose from six-core tenthgen Intel Core i5s on the entry level and mid-range models, or an eightcore tenth-gen Intel Core i7 on the top-end – Apple says the new iMacs offer up to 65 per cent faster performance than the models they replace. The 27in iMacs also get AMD Radeon Pro 5300 graphics on the entry-level and mid-range models with an AMD Radeon Pro 5550 XT GPU on the £2,999 model, and up to 55 per cent more graphics power than before.

Other changes include improved speakers and studio-quality mics. You can also add up to 128GB of memory and up to 8TB of SSD storage if you wish, although the prices are eye-watering.