Apple Unveils $1,099 Entry-Level iMac

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) on Wednesday unveiled a new $1,099 entry-level iMac after rumors last week that the company will be making minor updates to its all-in-one computer line.

Credit: Apple

The new and now most affordable iMac will feature Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) signature svelte design housing a 21.5-inch screen and hardware with specifications that start at a 1.4 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, Intel HD 5000 graphics, 8GB of memory and a 500GB hard drive. Furthermore, the new iMac also has 802.11ac Wi-Fi, two Thunderbolt ports and four USB 3.0 ports.

The new low-cost iMac will be the cheapest in the range from now on. Previously, the lowest priced iMac was $1,299. That amount will now be able to buy the mid-range iMac, a computer that is powered by a 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 CPU.

According to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), the new iMac is now available. Furthermore, the iPhone-maker said that the new entry-level iMac will come with iLife and iWork. The iLife suite includes iMovie for video editing, GarageBand for music creation and editing and iPhoto for photo editing and organization. The iWork suite includes Pages, Numbers and Keynote.

The new iMac will also come powered by OS X Yosemite on the operating system side. The new OS was revealed by Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) at its recent Worldwide Developers Conference. OS X Yosemite includes new features like answering calls to your iPhone using your computer.

Other details such as screen resolution were not revealed by Apple, but a much-cited report from France suggests that the entry-level iMac will have a full-HD 1,920 x 1,080 pixel screen, 3MB L3 cache, DDR3 1,600MHz RAM, and a 5,400rpm hard disk drive.

It can be remembered that well-connected KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said last year and earlier this year that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is working on a cheaper iMac in order to compete with the likes of Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ) and Lenovo Group Limited (ADR) (OTCMKTS:LNVGY) which now see increased sales in emerging markets based on the performance of lower-priced computers.

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