AppleInsider Staff
Apple on Tuesday unveiled a new entry-level $1,999 configuration for its ultra high-resolution 5K iMac while dropping the price of the top-end model to just $2,299, making it easier for consumers to get their hands on Retina-quality displays for the desktop.
The new $1,999 configuration comes with a 3.3-gigahertz quad-core version of Intel's Core i5, an AMD Radeon R9 M290, 8 gigabytes of RAM, and 1 terabyte of internal storage — Â though it does not offer Apple's Fusion drive as standard. It also adds twin Thunderbolt 2 ports.
Meanwhile, the top-end model maintains the same technical specifications as before while shaving $200 off of its price. It went on sale last October for $2,499.
"Customers love the groundbreaking iMac with Retina 5K display, and now with a new lower starting price, even more people can experience the best desktop we've ever made," Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller said in a release.
The iMac with Retina 5K display represents Apple's first move to bring ultra high-resolution displays to the desktop, after years of use on its iOS devices and MacBook line.
Alongside the new 5K iMac configurations, Apple also revealed an updated lineup of 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops. The new laptops feature Apple's Force Touch trackpad and faster flash memory.
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Readers planning to purchase Apple's new 15-inch MacBook Pro, 27-inch iMac, 12-inch MacBook or otherwise may want to lock in a cash buyback offer from AppleInsider partner Gazelle on their old model, before payouts fall. See our previous coverage on Gazelle's buyback programs for more details.
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
51 Comments
I don't [I]see[/I] it in the Store yet [IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/59166/width/400/height/800[/IMG]
Wow this might become my work from home machine after all.
I'm glad I'm not the only one having issues seeing the Apple store page. I got through to it another way. They dropped the higher end non-Retina iMac, added a lower end Retina and dropped the price of the upper one. I can get Apple products through a special deal offered to retirees so my configuration comes out almost $200 less than it used to for the top end iMac 5K. I already bought my additional memory months ago then held off buying the iMac. Now it looks reasonable. Getting an quad i5 would be ok but I've seen what a quad i7 can do on a MBP and it isn't that much more.
edit: I get a 17% discount, that's why the price is low.
edit2: the full website finally shows up.
There is a typo in the beginning: "AMD Radeon R0 M290" It should read R9 M290. That being said, can domeone explain the difference between the M290 in the $1999 model and the M290X in the $2299 model? Thanks for posting this quick.
[quote name="fruitstandninja" url="/t/186328/apple-lowers-price-of-5k-imac-adds-new-1-999-configuration#post_2724858"]There is a typo in the beginning: "AMD Radeon R0 M290" It should read R9 M290. That being said, can domeone explain the difference between the M290 in the $1999 model and the M290X in the $2299 model? Thanks for posting this quick.[/quote] The X likely has more compute cores or a higher clock speed. Surprised they kept around the non-Retina 27", they must think the $200 is worth it.