Apple announces the new iMac 27-inch (2020) with big upgrades

Apple has officially unveiled the new iMac 27-inch (2020), bringing a number of big upgrades to its all-in-one PC.

With the global Covid-19 pandemic meaning many people are working from home, Apple’s new iMac for 2020 includes an upgraded Face Time webcam and improved microphones, which should make video calls, be they with workmates or friends and family, much better.

Billed as “By far the most powerful and capable iMac ever,” the new iMac 27-inch (2020) comes with 10th generation Intel Comet Lake processors. The standard configurations come with six and eight-core CPUs, but you can also configure the new iMac to come with a 10-core processor – a first for an iMac, and which is getting into iMac Pro territory.

The new iMac also gets AMD Radeon Pro 5000 graphics card options, with AMD Radeon 5300 XT and 5500 XT choices for the standard models – and can be configured up to an AMD Radeon 5700XT with 16GB of video memory. 

According to Apple, this will give the new iMac a big performance advantage over the previous iMac 27-inch (2019), with 55% faster rendering in Maxon Cinema 4D ProRender. While the new iMac certainly feels like it’s pitched at professionals, it should also bring some big improvements to gaming as well.

There was a lot of anticipation for an announcement of a 2020 iMac update at WWDC back in June, but it was a no-show at the all-digital event. However, Apple has announced that it is available to buy globally right now through Apple.com.

Apple Stores and Apple Authorised Resellers will also be getting it soon.

iMac 27-inch (2020) price

Apple has got into a commendable habit of launching new models for the same price as previous ones, and it’s the same for the iMac 27-inch (2020), with the price of the entry level model starting at $1,799/£1,799/AU$2,799.

This means you get all those great upgrades for the same price as the model from last year.

Working from home help

These powerful processors, huge amounts of storage and bags of memory all suggest that Apple is squarely pitching the new iMac (2020) at digital creatives and professionals, but it’s included some standout features for helping people work from home as well.

So, the new iMacs come with the Apple T2 Security Chip, which offers on-the-fly data encryption, and ensures that any software loaded during the boot process hasn’t been tampered with.

And, as we mentioned earlier, the new iMac comes with an improved FaceTime HD camera, with a 1080p camera, which Apple assures doesn’t make sacrifices when it comes to low light performance just for the sake of extra pixels.

In fact, the T2 Security Chip will help improve image quality from the webcam, Apple claims, with an Image Signal Processor that controls tone mapping, exposure and face detection as well.

There’s also a new studio-quality microphone array which, in conjunction with the FaceTime HD webcam, will make sure you’re seen and heard in crystal clear quality in meetings and video calls.

Also, while the physical speakers of the iMac (2020) haven’t changed, the T2 Security Chip will handle variable EQ to improve sound quality, including deeper bass.

For many people finding themselves working from home during the pandemic, an all-in-one PC is a great choice, as it is an elegant and easy-to-setup way of having a computer in the home without it taking up too much room.

The new iMac 27-inch (2020) will keep the same design as previous models, as well as the same dimensions, though the new model is slightly lighter due to it using SSDs rather than hard drives.

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