Apple cuts specs to offer £899 entry-level iMac

Apple has cut the specs of its 21.5in iMac to offer an entry-level model for £899 inc VAT – £150 less than the low-end 21.5in iMac it released last year.

The iMac is available immediately both online and through Apple stores and approved resellers, and features a 1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, Intel HD 5000 graphics, 8GB of RAM and a 500GB hard disk. As is standard with all iMac models, it also comes with 802.11ac Wi-Fi, two Thunderbolt ports, and four USB 3.0 ports.

Optional upgrades include Turbo Boost for the processor, which will bring it up to 2.7GHz, a 1TB hard disk, 1TB Fusion Drive, and up to 256GB flash storage. It also comes with free copies of iWork and iLife pre-installed.

The £899 iMac is not as powerful as the previous bottom-rung 21.5in iMac, which features a 2.7GHz Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 1TB hard disk. It is still available for £1,049, which is £100 cheaper than last year.

As OS X 10.10 Yosemite, which was announced earlier in the month, is not yet generally available, the new iMac runs on OS X 10.9 Mavericks. However, when Yosemite is released in the autumn, users will be able to upgrade free.