Apple updates flagship iMac with new release

Apple announced an update to its iMac lineup yesterday, with its desktop range now incorporating the latest Haswell processors from Intel.

According to industry experts, after launching its new iPhones, Apple seems have turned its attention to its iMac lineup.

Though the desktop computers seem to be the same, what was particularly noteworthy of its iMac range was the fourth generation Intel Haswell quad-core processors.

The 21.5in iMac comes with an Intel quad-core 2.7GHz Core i5 processor paired with new Iris Pro graphics for "unprecedented levels of integrated graphics performance.'' 

The high-end 21.5 in and 27 in models come with Intel quad-core Core i5 processors running at up to 3.4GHz and Nvidia GeForce 700 series graphics, which according to Apple offered 40 per cent faster performance than previous models.

The company had also said that customers could upgrade to Intel quad-core Core i7 processors running at up to 3.5GHz, Nvidia Geforce GTA 780M series graphics and 4GB of video memory, if they so desired.

That, however, is not all. Apple has also configured its refreshed iMac lineup with 802.11 ac WiFi for speeds three times faster than the last generation models, and PCle-based flash storage is claimed to be 50 per cent faster than before.

According to Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, iMac continued to be the example that proved how beautiful, fast and fun a desktop computer can be."

Apple's iMac which was launched last November came as a radical departure from past versions according to reviewers who praised the flat screen which was as thin as 5mm in places.

According to a report in The Telegraph,  there were gasps in the auditorium at how thin the new iMac was.

''There were gasps in the auditorium when people saw how thin the new iMac is,'' reported The Telegraph's Shane Richmond at the time. ''It's astonishingly thin at the edges – 5mm, though it does bulge a little at the back.''

The desktop boasts an 8GB memory along with a 1TB hard drive. The updated 21.5-inch iMac was retailing at £1,149 inc VAT, which increased to £1,749 for larger models.

The updated iMac's release yesterday came on the back of a busy week for Apple innovation. Last Wednesday saw the company's new operating system, iOS 7, go live.

It immediately drew complaints from users struggling to download the software.