Amazon today has a big selection of discounts on Apple's M2 iPad Air, with savings of about $100 across nearly every model. Only Amazon is offering these deals right now, and you'll find early November delivery dates for most of the tablets.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Below we've collected every Wi-Fi model of the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air models on sale. In most cases, you'll find all four colors on sale for every model. There are some cellular devices being marked down as well on Amazon this week, with the same $100 discounts.
Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.
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Apple's manufacturing partner Foxconn is conducting early development of the base iPhone 17 at a factory in Bengaluru, India, according to The Information's Wayne Ma. This is considered to be a "milestone" for Apple's manufacturing efforts in India.
The paywalled report said this iPhone 17 model has already passed an early development stage, as Apple evaluates whether India-based engineers can develop iPhone prototypes that match the quality of those built at its California headquarters. Apple's goal is to start developing new iPhones as early as possible in locations closer to where final assembly takes place, which could result in lower operating costs for the company.
The report does not reveal any new features or changes planned for the iPhone 17, but Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu outlined some features that he expects for the base model in a research note earlier this month:
6.1-inch display
A19 chip
8GB of RAM
An upgraded 24-megapixel front camera
Two rear cameras, including a 48-megapixel Fusion and 12-megapixel Ultra Wide
Aluminum casing
Based on these specs, the base iPhone 17 will not be a major upgrade over the iPhone 16.
The primary development locations for the rumored ultra-thin iPhone 17, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max will still be in China, according to the report. Pu believes the ultra-thin iPhone 17 will feature a single 48-megapixel rear camera, 8GB of RAM, and more, while the iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to feature a 48-megapixel Telephoto camera, 12GB of RAM, and more. The devices should launch next September.
Popular calendar app Fantastical is expanding beyond the Apple ecosystem for the first time, bringing the full Fantastical experience to Windows. Support for Windows has been a top-requested feature for quite some time, primarily from Apple users who have the need to use Windows for work, software availability, or other reasons, so Flexibits has spent the past three years building Fantastical for Windows from the ground up for a fully native experience.
While Apple's Calendar app has improved significantly in recent years, multi-award-winning Fantastical has remained popular as a third-party option due to its support for natural language parsing, the ability to manage tasks and reminders from Google Tasks, Microsoft 365, and Todoist, scheduling features like Openings that let you open up calendar time slots for others to book and Proposals that let organizers poll potential attendees to determine the best time for an event, glanceable weather information tied to event location, and more.
Fantastical for Windows arrives as part of Fantastical 4.0, which is available for free with limited features across Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro. A Flexibits Premium subscription priced at $6.99 per month or $56.99 per year (a 14-day free trial is available) is required to unlock all features, and the new Windows app is covered under that same subscription with no increase in pricing. Flexibits Premium for Families offers up to five family members full access to Fantastical across all platforms for $10.49 per month or $89.99 per year.
Also included in a Flexibits Premium subscription is full feature unlock for Cardhop, a Contacts app alternative that works across Apple's platforms with natural language parsing, widgets, Shortcuts support, simple contact card sharing, business card scanning, and more.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Flexibits. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Apple's iPhone exports from India reached nearly $6 billion in the six months through September, representing a 33% increase compared to the same period last year, according to Bloomberg. The growth puts Apple on track to exceed its fiscal 2024 export target of $10 billion from the region.
The increase in exports is a result of Apple's expanding manufacturing network in India, where the company has benefited from local subsidies, skilled labor, and improving technological infrastructure. Apple's three key iPhone suppliers in the country are Foxconn, Pegatron, and Tata Electronics.
Foxconn's Chennai-based unit leads production and accounts for half of India's iPhone exports. Tata Electronics, which acquired Wistron's manufacturing facility last year, exported approximately $1.7 billion in iPhones from its Karnataka factory between April and September.
The growth in iPhone manufacturing has significantly impacted India's export economy, according to the report. Smartphones have become the country's top export to the United States, and reached $2.88 billion in the first five months of the fiscal year – a dramatic increase from just $5.2 million in annual smartphone exports to the US five years ago.
Apple has since deepened its commitment to Indian manufacturing, producing iPhone 15 Pro models in the country. Apple has also expanded its retail presence by opening stores in Mumbai and New Delhi, which contributed to record annual revenue of $8 billion in India through March.
Apple's manufacturing expansion in India underlines Apple's strategy to diversify its supply chain and reduce its dependence on China, where geopolitical tensions with the US and economic challenges remain. That said, China remains Apple's primary manufacturing hub, and the company has also significantly expanded its research and development capabilities in what is the world's largest smartphone market.
Apple today announced that Tap to Pay on iPhone is available in Austria, Czech Republic, Ireland, Romania, and Sweden, providing a way for independent sellers, small businesses, and larger merchants in these countries to use an iPhone as a contactless payment terminal.
Tap to Pay first arrived in February 2022 in the US, and allows iPhones to accept payments via Apple Pay, contactless credit and debit cards, and other digital wallets. All transactions are encrypted, and Apple has no information about what is purchased or the person who made the purchase.
No additional hardware or credit card machine is required to use Tap to Pay on iPhone. The feature uses NFC technology to securely authenticate the contactless payments, plus the feature also supports PIN entry, which includes accessibility options.
Starting today, Adyen, SumUp, and Viva.com are the first payment platforms to offer Tap to Pay on iPhone across all five countries. Global Payments with Erste Bank is available in Austria, Czech Republic, and Romania; Stripe is available in Austria, Czech Republic, Ireland, and Sweden; Nexi is available in Austria and Sweden; Revolut is available in Austria and Ireland; myPOS and PAYONE are available in Austria; and Zettle by PayPal is available in Sweden. hobex in Austria, BOI Payment AcceptanceGlobal Payments and Square in Ireland, and Surfboard Payments in Sweden will enable Tap to Pay on iPhone for their customers in the coming weeks. Tap to Pay on iPhone works with contactless credit and debit cards from leading payment networks, including American Express, Discover, Mastercard, and Visa.
Tap to Pay on iPhone requires iPhone XS or newer models, and works for customers as any normal Apple Pay transaction would. Sellers just need to open up the app, register the sale, and present their iPhone to the buyer, who can then use an appropriate contactless payment method.
It is now available in 17 countries, including United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan, Austria, Czech Republic, Ireland, Romania, the Netherlands, Sweden, Brazil, Italy, France, Taiwan, Ukraine, and Germany.
Amazon has seemingly leaked the rumored next-generation Mac mini ahead of Apple's announcement this week, revealing several details.
Our concept of a smaller Mac mini
According to a comparison chart on Amazon's product listing for the new iMac, the new Mac mini will be available with M4 and M4 Pro chip options, with up to a 14-core CPU and up to a 20-core GPU. In addition, the chart indicates the new Mac mini can be configured with up to 64GB of RAM, which is double the current 32GB limit for unified memory. Storage capacities for the Mac mini will apparently continue to max out at 8TB, like the previous model.
The chart includes a very tiny image of the new Mac mini that seemingly confirms the computer will feature two front-facing USB-C ports, as previously rumored. It is possible these could be Thunderbolt 4 ports, but the chart does not specify. And is that a headphone jack on the front right? The image is a little too small and blurry to say for sure.
When shown side-by-side with the Mac Studio in the comparison chart, the new Mac mini also appears to be much smaller than the current model, as previously rumored. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the computer would be closer in size to an Apple TV.
Here is the full comparison chart:
Unfortunately for Space Black fans, the chart shows the next Mac mini will apparently be available in Silver only, like the current model.
It is likely that the comparison chart graphic shown in Amazon's listing is provided by Apple, so the specifications are likely accurate.
Apple will likely announce the new Mac mini by Wednesday.
Update: Predictably, the comparison chart was removed from the Amazon listing minutes after we published, but it was likely authentic.
iOS 18.1 is the first major update to iOS 18, and it brings a slew of new features including Apple Intelligence, phone call recording, and more, plus bug fixes.
This guide highlights everything that's new in iOS 18.1.
Apple Intelligence
iOS 18.1 includes the first Apple Intelligence features for the iPhone 15 Pro models and the iPhone 16 lineup. It will take some time for Apple to roll out all of the Apple Intelligence capabilities, but a handful are available now.
Writing Tools - Writing Tools lets you proofread, summarize, and rewrite text throughout the operating system.
Siri - Siri has a new look, offers Apple device product knowledge, there's a Type to Siri feature, and Siri is able to maintain contexts between requests and understand when you stumble over your words.
Smart Replies - In Mail and Messages, Apple can suggest replies to incoming messages.
Summaries - Apple Intelligence can summarize email messages and notifications so you can see what's important at a glance. You can also get summaries of transcriptions in the Notes app, and websites in Safari.
Photos - Memory Maker lets you create custom slideshows with just a description, natural language search is supported, and there's a Clean Up feature for removing unwanted objects from images.
Focus - A Reduce Interruptions Focus Mode only shows you important notifications while filtering out everything else.
Phone App
iOS 18.1 supports recording your phone calls and getting transcriptions from the calls. Tapping on the upper left hand record button after placing a call initiates a recording, and all participants are notified that the call is being recorded.
Calls are saved to the Notes app, and the Notes app is able to generate a transcription.
Camera
Spatial photo capture has been added to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, and it joins the existing spatial video capture feature in a new Spatial camera mode. Spatial photo capture has been an iPhone 16 feature since launch.
For iPhone 16 models, Camera Control now has an option to swap over to the front-facing TrueDepth camera with press and swipe gestures. If you hold down the Camera Control button with a light press, you will also now see a bar underneath the adjustment options.
AirPods Pro 2
If you have AirPods Pro 2, iOS 18.1 adds a new set of Hearing Health features. You can do a built-in hearing test, identifying tones to check for hearing loss. Should hearing loss be detected, there is an option to use the AirPods Pro 2 as a hearing aid to boost conversations and other sounds around you.
Apple also has an option to tweak music, videos, and calls based on your hearing test (if loss is detected), and there is a hearing protection feature for all users that minimizes exposure to loud environmental noises across all listening modes.
Control Center
There are new connectivity controls in Control Center for Satellite and AirDrop, allowing these buttons to be added to Control Center individually. Previously, the toggles were only available in the all-in-one connectivity control.
Apple has also added new Measure and Level controls to the Control Center. Measure opens up the Measure app, while Level opens up the Measure app to the included Level feature.
Apple Music
Apple Music now has an option to share Apple Music songs directly on TikTok. To do so, tap on Share Song and then choose TikTok from the list of apps.
RCS Business Messaging
You can text with businesses that use Apple's Business Messaging feature over RCS.
Wallet App
In the Wallet app, if you have an Apple Card and your Daily Cash goes to a savings account, you'll no longer see the savings account balance on the main Apple Card screen. Instead, you can tap on the savings button to get your current account balance.
App Store
App Store search now supports natural language to make it easier to find exactly what you're looking for.
Game Center
You can send Game Center friend invites directly from the Contacts app and Friends Suggestions, with receivers able to see the invites in their inbox in Settings.
Bug Fixes
There are several bug fixes in iOS 18.1.
Unplayed Podcasts episodes will no longer be marked as played.
Videos recorded at 4K 60 fps and viewed in the Photos app will no longer stutter when scrubbing through the video.
A bug that could cause digital car keys not to start or unlock a vehicle with passive unlocking after restoring from a backup or transferring from another iPhone has been fixed.
iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 models should no longer unexpectedly restart.
Security Updates
iOS 18.1 addresses over 20 security vulnerabilities, which means it's a good idea to update as soon as you can.
A full list of the vulnerabilities fixed can be found on Apple's website, but it includes updates for image processing, Safari downloads, Safari private browsing, Shortcuts, Siri and Spotlight.
iOS 18.1 is the first iOS 18 update with Apple Intelligence capabilities, and that's what a lot of the coverage about the new software has focused on. If you don't have an iPhone that's capable of Apple Intelligence, you're probably wondering just what's in the update for you.
While Apple Intelligence does make up the bulk of what's new, if you have an older device, you still get some solid improvements.
Phone Call Recording
In iOS 18.1, you can record any phone call that you're on, with the audio saved to the Notes app. The Notes app is able to automatically generate a transcript of the call, which you can search.
To use call recording, just tap on the little voice wave icon in the upper left while on a call. You cannot record a call in secret - all participants are notified that a recording is in progress through an automated message.
Your recorded phone calls are saved in the Notes app. You can play a call back in its entirety or get a transcript, as well as find specific spots in a call using the transcript. Transcripts are generated automatically and can be searched.
You need an iPhone 12 or later to use call recording, and that's also the minimum device requirement for the related feature for saving voice memos to the Notes app to get a transcript.
Transcripts are available in English (U.S., Australia), Spanish (U.S., Mexico), Mandarin Chinese (China mainland), Cantonese (Hong Kong), and Korean (South Korea) right now.
AirPods Features
If you have AirPods Pro 2, you have access to all of the new Hearing Health features that are available in iOS 18.1. That includes a hearing test to check for hearing loss, as well as the option to use the AirPods Pro 2 as a hearing aid if you do end up finding mild to moderate hearing loss.
The AirPods Pro 2 can also be used to protect your hearing, listening for loud sounds around you like construction noise or shouting and minimizing them. It will work for sustained sounds louder than 110 decibels, but it's not meant for burst sounds like gunfire, fireworks, or jackhammers.
As long as you have AirPods Pro 2, the latest AirPods Pro 2 firmware (which is out now) and a device that can run iOS 18 (or an iPad with iPadOS 18) you can use the Hearing Test, Hearing Aid, and Hearing Protection capabilities.
App Store Search
The App Store now supports natural language search, so it's easier to find exactly what you're looking for. Some of the possible searches now:
Fun new games to play
Apps for learning new skills
Apps to help with physics homework
Games to compete with friends
Cooking games for kids
Best games in the world
Apps with HealthKit integration
Games with roguelike elements
Games to play without Wi-Fi
Apps to sell stuff
Apps to watch movies for free
Smaller New Features
There are a few other minor feature tweaks that are worth knowing about.
Control Center - You can add standalone buttons for AirDrop and Satellite, plus there are Control Center controls for Measure and Level.
Apple Music - You can share Apple Music songs directly to TikTok.
Wallet - The Wallet app no longer shows your Savings account balance on the main Apple Card screen, and you need to tap into it to get that info.
Bug Fixes
Along with these features, there are a couple of bug fixes.
Podcasts - Unplayed Podcasts episodes should no longer be marked as played.
Photos - When you're scrubbing through a 4K 60fps video in the Photos app, it will no longer stutter.
Car keys - If you had a problem where your digital car key would not start or unlock your vehicle with passive unlocking, the update should fix it.
What to Look Forward to Next
Apple is testing iOS 18.2 right now, and it once again focuses primarily on Apple Intelligence features. There are some non-AI changes to look forward to, though, like a whole new look for the Mail app with built-in categorization and a new interface for setting default apps to replace Apple's own apps.
Apple is launching a new Apple Card promotion for Apple Card users, providing the option to earn up to five percent Daily Cash on purchases made from November 6, 2024 to April 30, 2025.
To unlock the Daily Cash back promotion, users will need to spend between $5,000 and $15,000. At $5,000, three percent Daily Cash is unlocked. Spending $10,000 unlocks four percent Daily Cash, and spending $15,000 unlocks five percent Daily Cash.
You will need to spend at least $5,000 to get the bonus, and it is not retroactive, so it will only apply to purchases made after you hit each spending limit.
Apple says that the offer is limited to select Apple Card users who receive a notification about it in the Wallet app. Those eligible who have Apple Card participants will see shared spending count toward the total.
For Apple Card partner stores that already offer three percent cash back, there will be no additional Daily Cash increase until the four percent tier is reached. The Daily Cash bonus is available on up to $50,000 in total purchases.
Apple today updated its website to indicate that the Mac Pro now ships with a USB-C to USB-C charging cable in the box, instead of a USB-C to Lightning cable, and we have learned that the high-end desktop computer now comes with the new USB-C versions of the Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard accessories in the box as well.
There are no other changes to the Mac Pro today beyond the Magic accessories and charging cable switching from Lightning to USB-C.
Apple released the current Mac Pro with the M2 Ultra chip in June 2023, with pricing starting at $5,999 in the United States.
Update: Hours after this story was published, Apple updated the tech specs for the new iMac to indicate that configurations with the 10-core M4 chip support one external display with up to 8K resolution at 60Hz, not 120Hz. It appears that the original 8K at 120Hz specification in Apple's tech specs was an error. Apple still mentions 8K at 120Hz on its international websites, but those will likely be corrected soon as well.
This means the latest iMac is the first-ever Mac to support an 8K display at 120Hz, beating out higher-end models like the MacBook Pro, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. Apple is expected to announce new MacBook Pro models with M4 Pro and M4 Max chips as early as tomorrow, however, so support for an 8K display at 120Hz could be expanded soon.
Apple doesn't even offer an 8K display with a 120Hz refresh rate — at least not yet. Apple's higher-end Pro Display XDR monitor has a 6K resolution at 60Hz, while its lower-end Studio Display monitor has a 5K resolution at 60Hz.
Does the iMac's external display support hint at future 120Hz versions of the Pro Display XDR or Studio Display? There are no concrete rumors yet.
The previous iMac with the M3 chip supports one external display at up to 6K/60Hz, and this remains true for the latest base model with the 8-core M4 chip.
"New Apple Intelligence features will be available in December," reads Apple's article. The update will add the first image generation features, including Genmoji, Image Playground, and Image Wand, plus it includes ChatGPT integration with Siri and new, more flexible Writing Tools options. For iPhone 16 users, the iOS 18.2 update adds visual intelligence, which uses Camera Control to identify and provide additional information about objects and places.
iOS 18.2 will also see Apple Intelligence gain support for localized English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, and the UK in addition to U.S. English.
As of right now, iOS 18.2 and its sister updates are available to developers for testing, but Apple will likely make a public beta available at some point. A December release gives Apple approximately a month and a half to test the new feature set, depending on the planned release date.
Apple's .2 updates are typically released in December during the same general timeframe, so if Apple sticks to that, we could see a launch on December 9th or 10th, well ahead of the holiday period.
iOS 17.2: December 11
iOS 16.2: December 13
iOS 15.2: December 13
After iOS 18.2, Apple will start testing iOS 18.3. That update is likely to come out at some point in January or February, and it will be followed by iOS 18.4 in April.
Apple said today that it plans to bring Apple Intelligence to the iPhone and iPad in the European Union in April, plus we are awaiting other Apple Intelligence features like Priority Notifications, and Siri features that include onscreen awareness, personal context, and the ability to take new actions in and across apps.
Customers who install iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, or macOS Sequoia 15.1 on a device capable of supporting Apple Intelligence can try out Writing Tools, Smart Replies summaries, and other Apple Intelligence features as of today.
Apple introduced a new iMac today with the M4 chip and more, but that's not all, as it still has two more Mac announcements planned this week.
"This is a huge week for the Mac, and this morning, we begin a series of three exciting new product announcements that will take place over the coming days," said Apple's hardware engineering chief John Ternus, in a video announcing the new iMac.
Based on rumors, those two announcements are very likely to be new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chip options, along with a redesigned, smaller Mac mini with M4 and M4 Pro chip options and two front-facing USB-C ports. Just like the new iMac today, press releases and YouTube videos for the new MacBook Pro and Mac mini models are likely on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.
Below, we reiterate what to expect from the new MacBook Pro and Mac mini models.
MacBook Pro
Apple is expected to announce new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, including an entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip, and higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M4 Pro and M4 Max chips.
Apple last redesigned the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro in 2021, and the latest models with the M3 family of chips were released last October.
Mac mini
A concept of a smaller Mac mini
The next Mac mini is expected to be available with M4 and M4 Pro chip options. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the next Mac mini to be smaller, making it closer in size to an Apple TV, and he said that the computer will gain two front-facing USB-C ports. All in all, the Mac mini is expected to receive its biggest redesign since 2010.
Like the new iMac, the next Mac mini could also start with 16GB of RAM, instead of 8GB.
The new MacBook Pro and Mac mini models will likely be available to pre-order starting this week, and they are expected to launch in November. The new iMac became available to pre-order today, and it launches on Friday, November 8.
Apple has been gradually transitioning its products from Lightning to USB-C in recent years. This trend continued today with Apple updating the Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad accessories for the Mac with USB-C charging ports. The accessories have no other changes, meaning the Magic Mouse's charging port is still on the bottom.
For the time being, Apple is continuing to sell a Lightning version of the Magic Keyboard with a numeric keypad, but it lacks a Touch ID button. Apple has yet to release a USB-C version of this particular Magic Keyboard.
The list of Apple devices and accessories that are still sold with either a Lightning port or a Lightning connector is now quite small:
With the launch of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1, Apple is going all in on promoting Apple Intelligence. Today's iMac announcement was heavily focused on the Mac's Apple Intelligence features, and Apple has also shared two new Apple Intelligence ads.
Apple's first ad shows off Writing Tools, featuring an office worker who sends an email and uses the "Professional" rewriting feature to make it sound less casual. The well-crafted email impresses his boss.
The second ad features a woman who forgot it was her husband's birthday, so she whips up a quick Memory Movie slideshow on her iPhone as a gift.
Both Writing Tools and Memory Movies in the Photos app are new features that are available on devices running iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, or macOS Sequoia 15.1. The updates launched to the public today.
Apple plans to roll out Apple Intelligence features to iPhone and iPad users in the European Union starting in April 2025, according to information included in today's Apple Intelligence announcement in European countries.
Apple's newsroom post confirms that Apple Intelligence features will roll out beginning in April, with users gaining access to Writing Tools, Genmoji, a redesigned version of Siri, and more.
Mac users in the EU can access Apple Intelligence in U.S. English with macOS Sequoia 15.1. In April, Apple Intelligence features will start to roll out to iPhone and iPad users in the EU. This will include many of the core features of Apple Intelligence, including Writing Tools, Genmoji, a redesigned Siri with richer language understanding, ChatGPT integration, and more.
As of right now, EU Mac users can access Apple Intelligence features with macOS Sequoia 15.1, as long as the language on the device is set to U.S. English. Apple has restricted the launch of Apple Intelligence capabilities for the iPhone and iPad in order to work out "regulatory uncertainties brought about by the Digital Markets Act."
Apple in June said that it would delay Apple Intelligence, iPhone Mirroring, and SharePlay Screen Sharing until it was able to determine how to make the features compatible with the European Union's competition rules.
iPhone and iPad users in the European Union who have a U.S. App Store ID are able to use Apple Intelligence with the Language and Region on the device set to U.S. English. In a December iOS 18.2 update, Apple Intelligence will offer localized English in Ireland, as well as in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the U.K.
It is worth noting that Apple Intelligence support in European countries will likely come in an update to iOS 18, and the timing is right for iOS 18.4. Rumors suggest that iOS 18.4 will be a major update that brings improvements to Siri, including personal context and the ability for the personal assistant to do more in and across apps.
To introduce the new M4 iMac models today, Apple didn't hold a standard event, but the company did record a short keynote video to go through all of the machine's new features.
The announcement is themed just like one of Apple's full pre-recorded event videos, starting with a view of Apple Park that zooms in to Apple executives highlighting the M4 iMac's capabilities and once again walking through Apple Intelligence. The first four minutes of the video cover Apple Intelligence, so skip to 4:40 if you just want to watch the bit about the iMac.
Apple has three videos to share this week, so we can expect additional M4 Mac product announcements on Tuesday and Wednesday. We are also expecting Apple to release new M4 MacBook Pro models and M4 Mac mini models with a new design.
Pricing on the new iMac starts at $1,299, and pre-orders began today. A launch will follow on November 8.
Apple's third Apple silicon iMac gains the M4 chip alongside a range of other small but notable improvements, so how does the new machine compare to its two predecessors?
The 2021 iMac was the first of its kind to feature an Apple silicon chip, replacing previous Intel-based models with 21.5- and 27-inch displays. It offered an all-new ultra-thin design, a 24-inch Retina display, a six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers, and an array of seven two-tone color options. The 2023 model was a minor update that added the M3 chip and specification updates like Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E. One year later, the latest, M4 version of the device looks like a much more substantial upgrade, offering a dramatically more powerful Neural Engine, 16GB of memory as standard, a 12-megapixel camera with Center Stage, USB-C accessories, and a nano-texture display option.
The 2021 and 2023 iMacs have now been discontinued by Apple and prices at third-party resellers are falling. As such, some customers may be weighing up whether to pick up a 2021 or 2023 iMac instead of the latest model, while some existing iMac users may be wondering if it's now time to upgrade to the M4 model.
The three Apple silicon iMac models share the overwhelming majority of their features, so should you consider buying or sticking with the first- or second-generation models to save money? This breakdown also serves as a way to see all the differences that the 2024 iMac brings to the table.
3.5mm headphone jack with support for high-impedance headphones
3.5mm headphone jack with support for high-impedance headphones
Up to two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports and two USB 3 ports
Up to two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports and two USB 3 ports
Up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports
Wi-Fi 6
Wi-Fi 6E
Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth 5.3
Bluetooth 5.3
Available in Silver, Green, Yellow, Orange, Pink, Purple, and Blue
Available in Silver, Green, Yellow, Orange, Pink, Purple, and Blue
Available in Silver, as well as new shades of Green, Yellow, Orange, Pink, Purple, and Blue
Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse/Magic Trackpad with Lightning port
Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse/Magic Trackpad with Lightning port
Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse/Magic Trackpad with USB-C port
The 2024 iMac with the M4 chip marks a much more substantial upgrade compared to the 2021 and 2023 models. Key improvements such as the significantly more powerful Neural Engine for AI and machine learning tasks, increased standard memory of 16GB, 12-megapixel camera with Center Stage, and support for USB-C accessories make it an appealing choice for future-proofing. Performance-wise, it delivers a meaningful boost, especially for those upgrading from the M1 iMac or older Intel-based iMacs, where Apple claims up to 6x faster performance than the most popular Intel iMac.
For M1 iMac users, the M4 model could be worth considering if they require enhanced performance or a richer set of features, such as hardware-accelerated ray tracing, nano-texture display option, or simply a better webcam. However, M3 iMac users may find fewer incentives to upgrade, as the performance gap between M3 and M4 is good but not as significant in daily use unless the system is pushed to the limit. The M3 iMac is built to handle demanding tasks and will remain relevant for several more years, but M1 iMac users may want to begin considering an upgrade.
Starting at $1,299, the new iMac remains a solid investment for those looking for a device with longevity, a robust array of features, and meaningful upgrades over the original M1 model or older Intel machines. However, if you have basic needs and find a discounted 2023 iMac, this could still offer good value, though the M4 will better meet the needs of those seeking higher performance, better features, and a more forward-looking setup.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
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Our concept of a smaller Mac mini
