Apple has decided to simultaneously treat its fans and give journalists covering the event a nervous breakdown in one fell swoop. The headline you see above is on its fourth iteration, because every time I go to write up what I’ve just heard, they go and announce something else. It’s very inconsiderate.
Still, my discomfort is also good news for Apple fans, because there’s an awful lot to go through. Let’s go through this point by point.
New iMacs for 2017
The iMacs get their first updates in nearly two years, and it’s worth the wait. Not only do all the iMacs get 7th generation Kaby Lake Intel processors, but the big screen they’re known for is described as “the best Mac display ever” with a whopping 500 nits of brightness.
Starting from £1,049 for the 21.5in iMac or £1,749 for the 27in 5K model, they’re now pretty damned powerful. The (comparatively) dinky Mac can have up to 32GB of RAM, backed by the Radeon Pro 560 graphics card. The top of the range 27in version, on the other hand, can go all the way up to 64GB RAM paired with the Radeon Pro 580. This means Mac will support VR for the first time, with a little help from the latest version of macOS: High Sierra. However, it will set you back £2,249.
But hey, if that leaves you feeling underwhelmed, and you have $4,999 burning a hole in your pocket then Apple would like that, please. What will you get in return? The space grey iMac Pro, “the most powerful Mac ever.” You’ll have to wait until December for it, but if you do, you’ll be rewarded with an 8-core Xeon processor and the AMD Radeon Vega GPU. Oh, you didn’t think five grand was the top-of-the-range, did you? Oh, you poor naive fool: you can scale this up to include an 18-core Xeon processor, but that price is only going in one direction. Better start saving.
MacBooks get a Kaby Lake boost
All of the MacBook Pros and the MacBook are getting new Kaby Lake processors. On top of that, as a pleasingly refreshing chaser to the wallet-busting iMac Pro, the entry-level MacBook Pro without Touch Bar now starts at £1,249 – the same price as the MacBook.
Even the much-neglected MacBook Air range gets a modest speed boost with a faster Intel processor, although the company barely gave it a mention. Still, looks like it’s hanging around a little longer as an entry level product, even if Apple has decided not to give it a screen upgrade or any extra ports.
Everything bar the iMac Pro is shipping from today, so fill your boots.
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