New iMac and Magic Accessories Tidbits: 'Then and Now', Automatic Pairing, Fast Charging and More

Apple has updated its website with a wealth of new information following its announcement of new 4K and 5K iMacs and a new Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Trackpad 2. Here are some of the more interesting tidbits that have been overshadowed by the larger announcements.

New iMacs

Then and Now — Apple has published a new "Then and Now" page that compares the 1998 iMac G3 with the 2015 iMac, showing the progress that has been made over the past 17 years. The new iMac has 14 million more pixels, 62,000 times faster graphics, 366 times more processing power, 1,000 times more RAM and 750 times more storage.

iMac-G3-vs-2015
5,400 RPM 1TB Hard Drive on 4K iMac — The new 21.5-inch 4K iMac's standard configuration for $1,499 includes a 5,400 RPM 1TB Serial ATA hard drive, which is considered long obsolete for a 2015 desktop computer. Upgrades to a 1TB or 2TB Fusion Drive are available for $100 and $300 respectively.

Fusion Drive Changes — To allow for lower prices, Apple's 1TB Fusion Drive is now a 1TB hard drive paired with a 24GB SSD. Previously, a 1TB Fusion Drive was a 1TB hard drive with a 128GB SSD. Mac users looking for 128GB of flash storage will need to upgrade to a 2TB or larger Fusion Drive. 256GB and 512GB all-flash storage options can also be ordered.

Magic Accessories

Automatic Pairing — The new Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Trackpad 2 have a new automatic pairing process with Mac using a Lightning to USB cable. Each accessory is also charged via Lightning to USB.

Magic-Keyboard-Mouse-Trackpad
2-Minute Fast Charging — The new Magic accessories each take about 2 hours to reach a full one-month charge via Lightning to USB, but early reviews found the Magic Mouse 2 can fast charge for nine hours of battery life in just two minutes.

Magic Mouse 2's fast charging is useful, since its bottom-facing Lightning port renders it unusable while charging. Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad 2 both have Lightning ports on the rear, meaning both accessories can still be used while charging.

Magic-Keyboard
Magic Trackpad 2 Requires Bluetooth 4.0 — Magic accessories connect wirelessly with a Mac via Bluetooth for a secure connection up to 30 feet away. For the Magic Trackpad 2, Apple requires a Bluetooth 4.0-enabled Mac. Magic accessories are also only compatible with Macs running OS X 10.11 or later.

Related Roundup: iMac
Buyer's Guide: iMac (Caution)
Related Forum: iMac

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Johny Srouji

Apple's Chipmaking Chief Johny Srouji Responds to Report About Him Potentially Leaving

Monday December 8, 2025 9:23 am PST by
Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji has reportedly indicated that he plans to continue working for the company for the foreseeable future. "I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," said Srouji, in a memo obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Here is Srouji's full memo, as shared by Bloomberg:I know you've been reading all kind of rumors and...
Johny Srouji

Apple Chip Chief Johny Srouji Could Be Next to Go as Exodus Continues

Sunday December 7, 2025 10:41 am PST by
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
google pixel 10

Switching Between iPhone and Android Will Get Easier With New Apple and Google Collaboration

Monday December 8, 2025 11:10 am PST by
Apple and Google are teaming up to make it easier for users to switch between iPhone and Android smartphones, according to 9to5Google. There is a new Android Canary build available today that simplifies data transfer between two smartphones, and Apple is going to implement the functionality in an upcoming iOS 26 beta. Apple already has a Move to iOS app for transferring data from an Android...
Apple Fitness Plus expansion hero

Apple Fitness+ Coming to 28 New Regions With Digital Voice Dubbing

Monday December 8, 2025 6:19 am PST by
Apple today announced that Fitness+ is expanding to 28 new markets on December 15 in the service's largest international rollout since launch, accompanied by new language dubbing and a K-Pop music genre. Apple Fitness+ will become available in Chile, Hong Kong, India, the Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan, and additional regions on December 15, with Japan scheduled to follow early next year....

Top Rated Comments

H2SO4 Avatar
133 months ago
Same speed hard drive?

EDIT: Apparently so ('https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMac_G3'). Jeez what a bunch of cheapskates.
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
morcutt11 Avatar
133 months ago
Why, on earth, would these machines come standard with a 5,400 RPM hard drive? That essentially mandates an upgrade to a Fusion drive, which now is limited to only 24GB SSD unless you go up to the 2TB Fusion Drive. It seems like a lot of upgrading just to get some decent speed performance.
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OneZweiThree Avatar
133 months ago
The hard drive and fusion drive situation really is a bad joke...
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacFather Avatar
133 months ago
Deleted.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DTphonehome Avatar
133 months ago
Apple really deserves to be hammered relentlessly over the 5400 rpm HD. It's insanity.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mattopotamus Avatar
133 months ago
... and in 2015, a mouse that doesn't make you want to just smash your fingers with a hammer and be done with it.
I have no idea how people use the magic mouse. It is the least ergonomic thing I have held.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)