Apple has announced a new "entry level" version of the 21.5in iMac priced at $1,349. What do you give up to save $250 compared with what is now the midrange configuration?
We'll start - as Apple does - with the processor, which is a 1.4GHz dual-core i5, rather than the 2.7GHz quad-core i5 in the midrange model. The difference isn't as great as having half as many cores and almost half the clock speed might make you expect, but on the PassMark CPU Mark benchmark the 1.4GHz i5-4260U (believed to be the chip used in the new iMac) scores 3,688 compared with 6,669 for the 2.7GHz i5-4570R.
The 1.4GHz model's Intel HD Graphics 5000 subsystem is also regarded as being inferior (at least in some circumstances) to the Intel Iris Pro in the 2.7GHz configuration.
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The only configure-to-order options (apart from swapping the Magic Mouse for a Magic Trackpad) concern storage. The standard 500GB hard drive can be replaced with a 1TB drive, a 1TB Fusion Drive (Apple's name for a combination of flash and disk storage that appears as a single unit), or 256GB of flash storage.
Apart from that, all the usual 21.5in iMac features are there, including a 1920x1080 screen, HD camera, stereo speakers, dual microphones, and a wireless keyboard.
The familiar lineup of ports stays the same: headphone, SDXC, four USB 3.0, two Thunderbolt, and Gigabit Ethernet. Talking of networking, there's also 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 (which you'll need if you've been eyeing Yosemite's Handoff capability.
The iMac currently ships with Mavericks, but the free upgrade to Yosemite will be available sometime in the spring.
As you'd expect, the usual collection of applications including iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand are included, with Pages, Numbers and Keynote available for free download.
Are you giving up more that $250 of value by choosing a 1.4GHz iMac instead of the midrange configuration? I'm reminded of something once said to me when I was trying to choose between two computers. One was comfortably within my budget, the other was slightly more than I was planning to pay.
The person I was discussing it with said "When did you ever hear someone complain that they bought a better computer than they needed?" I bought the higher-priced configuration and never regretted it, and with a subsequent RAM upgrade and a replacement hard disk it is still going strong seven years later.
While I'm now thinking about buying a new computer, I'm convinced that if I had bought the lesser model I would have replaced it years ago. So unless you're on a tight budget and you really want a desktop Mac so it's the 1.4GHz iMac or nothing, I'd think very carefully before buying. Even if you only keep it for three years, the difference in price works out at just $1.60 a week.
Finally, what about the so-called Australia Tax? In America, the basic 1.4GHz iMac costs US$1,099, which is equivalent to $1,169. Add GST, and the result is $1,286 rather than $1,349.
