UPDATED 23:07 EDT / OCTOBER 13 2015

NEWS

All you need to know about Apple’s new 21.5″ Retina iMac, keyboard, mouse and trackpad

As expected, Apple launched a range of new products Tuesday led by a new 21.5 inch iMac and a long overdue refresh of its peripherals including a new mouse, keyboard, and trackpad.

Leading the new products naturally was Apple’s new 21.5 inch iMac, which now comes with the option of a 4k Retina screen.

The new iMac offers 4096 x 2304 resolution and 9.4 million pixels, 4.5 times more than the standard 21.5-inch iMac display, but still not as high as the 5k display in the 27 inch iMac line which offers 14.7 million pixels.

To support the new higher resolution screen the 21.5 inch iMac features a fifth-generation Intel Core processor and enhanced Intel Iris Pro Graphics, and the RAM offered as a base on the devices has gone from 8GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3 to 8GB of 1867GHz LPDDR3, upgradeable to 16GB.

The new iMac’s also get Thunderbolt 2 ports as standard, along with 802.11ac Wi-Fi and larger storage options; Apple’s Fusion Drive (a combination of a standard hard drive and flash drive) has dropped in price and is now offered in combinations including 1TB hard drive with 24GB of fast flash, or 2TB and 3TB configurations with 128GB of fast flash, with users being given the option of all flash storage available up to 1TB.

Peripherals

After waiting as long as six years, Apple has finally updated their peripheral range.

The biggest change has been with power, with Apple abandoning AA batteries in place of internal battery storage that is charged via a lightning cable; if you’ve ever owned an Apple peripheral before you’ll know this is a great step forward.

Unexpectedly, the form factor has also changed with the devices, with both the keyboard and trackpad getting new looks, be it not radically different from their predecessors.

The new Magic Keyboard features a full-size keyboard that takes up 13 percent less space and comes with a new scissor mechanism and lower profile that is said to deliver a more precise and comfortable typing experience.

Apple’s Magic Trackpad 2 has increased 29 percent in surface area and as expected now offers Force Touch, bringing the feature to the Mac desktop for the first time; the Magic Mouse 2 didn’t receive the Force Touch treatment but is instead described as being lighter, sturdier and features an optimized foot design for a smoother glide.

The new iMac is available today from Apple stores and selected retailers and starts at a base price of $1,499.

Magic Mouse 2 and Magic keyboard will ship as standard with every new iMac, with users being given the option to add the Magic Trackpad 2 at the time of purchase.

If you don’t want to upgrade your Mac but want to buy any of the peripherals by themselves the Magic Keyboard sells for $99, the Magic Mouse 2 for $79, and the Magic Trackpad 2 for $129.

Image credit: screenshot/Apple

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