Apple kit

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

EDITED BY ROB MEAD-GREEN

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 Big Sur, 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.

The 27in iMac, last updated mid 2020, sports SSDs across the line and you can choose from six-core 10th-gen Intel Core i5s on the entry level models, or an 8-core 10th-gen Intel Core i7. The 27in iMacs also boast AMD Radeon Pro 5300 graphics on the entry and midrange models, and an AMD Radeon Pro 5550 XT GPU on the £2,999 model. All three models have 5K Retina displays with True Tone. You can add up to 128GB of memory and up to 8TB of solid-state storage.

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

> Choose an iMac

The new 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, 13in MBP is still available with an M1 chip, Apple launched new 14in and 16in supercharged MacBook Pros.

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