Apple today released a new, entry-level iMac, but (not surprisingly) the machine takes a serious performance hit to justify its low price tag.
At $1,099, the new 21.5-inch iMac is the cheapest model in Apple’s current iMac lineup, but its performance and storage space are far inferior to that of the old base model, which costs $1,299.
The new iMac includes a 1.4 GHz dual-core i5 CPU, the same processor inside the MacBook Air. That’s a big downgrade from the $1,299 iMac, which touts a processor clocked at 2.7 GHz. You could turboboost the new machine’s processor up to 2.7 GHz to make up some of the difference, though.
The new machine has a 500 GB spinning disk hard drive — less space than the old entry-level model, which has a 1 TB hard drive — though you could spring for a 1 TB hard drive or a 256 GB solid-state drive instead.
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Apple may be targeting the education market with its new machine, or just people looking for the cheapest desktop price tag alongside an Apple logo. Folks waiting for a proper refresh of the iMac line, however, will have to wait a little longer.
