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Who are the new 27-inch iMacs for?

In early August 2020, Apple renewed its range of iMacs. The star of the announcements is the 27-inch model, which receives latest-generation components and optional nanotextured treatment on its 5K display. But between the Mac mini, the iMac Pro and the Mac Pro, a question arises: who is this range for?

A last generation and then go? This is what one might think of the unveiled iMac early August 2020 by Apple. The “all-in-one” desktop computer, which is not often renewed, may be living its last life in this now well-known form. For sure, it will be reborn: we can already imagine, in broad outline, a revolving iMac format under Apple Silicon processor which will perhaps be the occasion to inaugurate a new design and add some components from the mobile (Face ID, for example).

But now is the time for improvement. This is what emerges from the latest Apple news: MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iPhone SE and iPhone 11 are devices oh so pleasant to use, because they arrive at the end of the cycle, embedding controlled characteristics, refined to the extreme. The iPhone 11 range was quite exemplary of this Apple era and the 27-inch iMac is the last machine to enter this cycle, which finally answers an essential question from any potential buyer: will we regret having cracked on this generation? Clearly, in 2020, the answer is no.

And yet, the 2020 27-inch iMac isn’t for everyone, now that Apple has solid proposals on the mini, iMac Pro, and Mac Pro lines. Small overview, after our first hours on this new machine.

Who is the $ 2,099 27-inch iMac for?

As often, the entry-level iMac has its pros and cons. The advantages are simple to understand: for the lowest price asked for this range, it embeds the same innovations as the most upscale model. We find a 5K screen calibrated P3 which could already justify the price of the product, the least screen with the same resolution costing more than 1000 €.

But also, we find in this machine the three-component microphone “studio quality” which does not spoil its name, which we greatly appreciated in the MacBook Pro 16 at the end of 2019 and a FaceTime Full HD camera. The whole thing is completed by the famous T2 chip encrypting data in real time and, of course, latest generation components (processor and graphics card side in particular).

The 27-inch iMac of 2020 // Source: Louise Audry for Numerama

Therefore, for this price, we end up with a luxury machine dedicated to productivity. Its new components will make it an ally of videoconferencing and the whole is perfectly coherent for many independent workers who do not have intensive use of graphics processors. However, we regret that the basic configuration does not come with 16 GB of RAM: it is not a luxury on such a machine and it is difficult to believe that the 8 GB by default is enough to run many applications launched simultaneously, this which is not uncommon in many trades.

But beyond that, we can be sure that such a product will be a versatile computer, elegant and offering a magnificent 5K screen still rare on the market. The equivalent on the PC side will be found on premium configurations, certainly more powerful, but which do not come with such a screen… nor macOS.

iMac, iMac Pro or Mac Pro?

The configuration we have tried is around € 5,000. It ships the most high-end Core i9 (+ € 505), 32 GB of RAM (+ € 750), the Radeon Pro 5700 XT (+ € 625) and the nanotextured glass coating (+ € 625). We are therefore in a different context when we talk about such a price range. As much as the entry-level iMac can be an access door, expensive but general public, to a 5K screen, as much when one goes upmarket, one touches above all professionals, in company or independent.

And for those who choose the Apple ecosystem, 2020 is a somewhat disturbing year. The entry price of an iMac Pro is € 5,499, or more or less what Apple asks for a 27-inch iMac configured for professional use. The Mac Pro, on the other hand, asks for a thousand euros more, at € 6,499. With the iMac Pro, you can mount up to 18 cores on a Xeon processor and run on Vega GPUs instead of Radeon GPUs. With the Mac Pro, we have the modularity and overpowering of components designed for image professionals, from studios to production boxes.

The iMac from behind – we can see the hatch to add RAM // Source: Louise Audry for Numerama

But in both cases, iMac Pro like Mac Pro, the floor price is not that of the most interesting configuration in terms of performance. Therefore, it becomes absurd to compare an iMac 27 for around 5,000 € with machines that can border on 10,000 or 20,000 € – without a screen in the case of the Mac Pro. And that’s where this new iMac really comes into its own: an extremely powerful setup with a Core i9 and a Radeon 5700 XT, all paired with the already mentioned 5K display, comes at a very decent price for a business. who will benefit from it or an independent who needs resources for his software.

In reality, the price of iMac 27 with muscular configurations is advantageous compared to competing offers at Apple, which only allow access to models entry level for the same rates. In addition, image professionals can choose the nanotextured coating which gives a matte appearance to the panel while preserving brightness and colorimetry: an advantage that is surprisingly not found in iMac Pro.

The new Full HD FaceTime camera // Source: Louise Audry for Numerama

The 2020 iMac 27 at a glance

It’s pretty clear: the 27-inch iMac is a luxury machine that you really enjoy working on. But in 2020, we definitely don’t pay than the brand and its ecosystem: the all-in-one has been refined down to the smallest detail to provide independent workers and individuals with an extremely versatile machine. It’s also a prime gateway to a gorgeous 5K display, still rare in mainstream offerings.

Compromises to find the good iMac will have to be done in terms of options, but as often with Apple lately, we advise to increase the RAM beyond 8 GB and to prefer external storage much less expensive than what the manufacturer offers.

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Photo credit of the one: Louise Audry for Numerama

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