New Base M4 iMac Comes With 16GB of Unified Memory

Apple has equipped its just-announced M4-powered iMac with 16GB of Unified Memory as standard, up from 8GB of RAM in the previous model. The new iMac starts at $1,299.

Apple iMac M4 lifestyle 24 inch Retina display
As rumored, Apple has upped the base memory configuration of at least one of its latest Macs. It is the first time that the company has offered the ultra-thin all-in-one desktop computer with a minimum of 16GB of memory.

All of Apple's upcoming new Macs this year are likely to have at least 16GB of RAM pre-installed as standard, breaking a years-long tradition of Apple offering just 8GB of RAM in most of its base Macs and forcing customers to pay out an extra $200+ for additional memory.

The new iMac is available in a range of new colors, and the 24-inch 4.5K Retina display offers a new nano-texture glass option. The iMac also features a new 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View, up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports, up to 32GB of Unified Memory, and color-matched accessories that include USB-C.

The new iMac is available to pre-order today, with availability beginning Friday, November 8. Apple is expected to announce new MacBook Pro models and a new redesigned Mac mini later this week.

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

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT 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 simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iOS 26 Screens

Here Are All the iOS 26 Features That Require iPhone 15 Pro or Newer

Thursday June 12, 2025 4:53 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has introduced some major changes to the iPhone experience, headlined by the new Liquid Glass redesign that's available across all compatible devices. However, several of the update's features are exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, since they rely on Apple Intelligence. The following features are powered by on-device large language models and machine...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

Apple to Let iPhone Users Watch Videos on CarPlay Screen While Parked

Thursday June 12, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple this week announced that iPhone users will soon be able to watch videos right on the CarPlay screen in supported vehicles. iPhone users will be able to wirelessly stream videos to the CarPlay screen using AirPlay, according to Apple. For safety reasons, video playback will only be available when the vehicle is parked, to prevent distracted driving. The connected iPhone will be able to...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Hate iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design? Here's How to Tone It Down

Wednesday June 11, 2025 4:22 pm PDT by
iOS 26 features a whole new design material that Apple calls Liquid Glass, with a focus on transparency that lets the content on your display shine through the controls. If you're not a fan of the look, or are having trouble with readability, there is a step that you can take to make things more opaque without entirely losing out on the new look. Apple has multiple Accessibility options that ...
Mac Studio Feature

Apple Begins Selling Refurbished Mac Studio With M4 Max and M3 Ultra Chips at a Discount

Thursday June 12, 2025 10:14 am PDT by
Apple today added Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips to its online certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and many European countries, for the first time since they were released in March. As usual for refurbished Macs, prices are discounted by approximately 15% compared to the equivalent new models on Apple's online store. Note that Apple's ...
iOS 26 Feature

Apple Seeds Revised iOS 26 Developer Beta to Fix Battery Issue

Friday June 13, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with a revised version of the first iOS 26 beta for testing purposes. The update is only available for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, so if you're running iOS 26 on an iPhone 14 or earlier, you won't see the revised beta. Registered developers can download the new beta software through the Settings app on each device. The revised beta addresses an...

Top Rated Comments

brofkand Avatar
8 months ago
I’m baffled they could afford to do this.
Score: 46 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Velli Avatar
8 months ago
Cue complaints that it’s not 32.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
btbeme Avatar
8 months ago
A powerful computer, with an outstanding display, intended to be the hub of your digital world, appropriate for editing your photos, creating your digital video content, and the centerpiece of your computing experience across all your devices.

In what world is 256gb of storage appropriate for that? 512? Do I really have to pay double the cost of the base machine in order to simply have 2tb of storage?
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
shurcooL Avatar
8 months ago
Woohoo! About time. Glad to have 16 be the new minimum. ?

Any predictions when the next bump will be? 24 or 32? In 2030-2039 or 2040+?
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NachoNoir Avatar
8 months ago
The problem has never been the base config in terms of RAM and storage. I understand that there's probably people well served by 8GB/256GB and they don't need to pay more (maybe not now with AI, but bear with me). The problem is the insane price of even the minimal upgrades.

Getting to 16GB/512GB from the base config should have always been much more reasonable, and that's the reason we're happy that 16GB is now standard; no need for a ridiculous $200 (230€) upgrade to get there. It's absurd that a Mac Mini is $600 (at least today) but you need to pay TWICE as much to get 16GB/1TB, which is a very standard configuration nowadays.

So, regardless of the 16GB base RAM, Apple has decided to stay at 256GB SSD once again. It's 2024, for crying out loud. Giving users a measly 512GB can't be that hard. Instead, Apple has chosen to leave base storage at the same point as a Pro iPhone, and to keep charging $200 (230€) to get to 512GB, or $400 (460€!!) for just 1TB. In 2024. Insane.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Slix Avatar
8 months ago
Now, can all you whiners stop complaining about RAM on here please. :p
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)