Apple kit

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

EDITED BY ROB MEAD-GREEN

The 24in iMac released in April 2021 brought with it a return of colour to the Apple spectrum.

iMac

From £1,249

› Ever since the Bondi Blue iMac debuted in 1998, Apple’s all-inone desktop computer has been setting standards in gorgeous design and powerful performance.

And Apple’s April 2021 Spring Loaded event delivered the new, colourful 24in iMac, available in Green, Yellow, Orange, Pink, Purple, Blue, and Silver. The larger screen has also been bumped up to a 4.5K Retina display with a 4480x2520 resolution.

Inside, Apple’s own M1 chip combines with macOS Monterey, and Apple promises up to 85% faster CPU performance and up to two times faster graphics performance than the 21.5-inch iMac models. All the models come with 8GB of unified memory (upgradeable to 16GB). The 8-core CPU/7-core GPU option comes with a 256GB SSD (configurable to 512GB or 1TB). The 8-core CPU/ 8-core GPU versions come with either a 256GB or 512GB SSD and can be upgraded to 1TB or 2TB.

The new iMacs all feature a 1080p FaceTime camera, a highfidelity six-speaker system, a studioquality three-mic array and support for spatial audio. You’ll also find two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports on each model, with middle-and high-end options gaining two additional USB-C ports. Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, DVI and VGA are supported using adaptors. All come with a Magic Keyboard, with the mid-and highend versions boasting Touch ID. Prices start at £1,249.

In a surprise move, following its Peek Performance event in March 2022, Apple discontinued the 27-inch version of the iMac – one of the last Intel holdouts in its Mac lineup. While Apple is currently said to have no plans to replace its biggest all-in-one desktop, it may not stay that way for long. Several analysts are predicting that a new iMac Pro may surface either later this year or in 2023, echoing the design of the current 24-inch Mac and possibly sporting M1 Pro or M1 Max chips.

The MacBook Pro 14-and 16-inch models can be specced with either an M1 Pro or an M1 Max chip.

MacBook Pro

From £1,299

› In October 2021, Apple released the first MacBook Pros with its revolutionary new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. While the 8-core, 13-inch MBP is still available with an M1 chip, Apple launched new 14-and 16-inch supercharged MacBook Pros.

The base 14-inch model comes with an 8-core CPU but can be configured to 10-core. The 14-inch also comes with either a 14-or 16-core GPU but can be customised with an up-to-32-core GPU. All the 16-inch variations come with a 10-core CPU as standard and an up-to-32-core GPU.

The upgraded CPU is said to offer up to 3.7 times faster performance over its predecessor, while going for the 32-core GPU means up to 13 times faster graphics performance. Combined with the 16-core Neural Engine, the new models boast up to 11 times faster machine learning.