Apple announces 24" iMac with the new M3 chip, more memory

Apple announced the new M3 chips at its "Scary fast" event and unveiled new MacBooks powered by the new Apple silicon. Additionally, the Cupertino-based tech giant also introduced the 24" iMac with the new M3 chip at the helm, more memory, and ray tracing.

The M3 iMac's design is similar to the previous generation iMac powered by the M1 chip, but the new M3 chip makes it up to 2x faster than the M1 iMac, up to 2.5x quicker than Intel-based 27" iMac, and up to 4x faster than Intel-based 21.5" iMac.

The M3 iMac - running macOS Sonoma - also has more memory onboard. The version with an 8-core GPU on the M3 comes with 8GB, 16GB, and 24GB RAM and 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB SSD storage options, whereas the 10-core GPU model gets a 2TB storage option. There's also a 10-core GPU version with 512GB of base storage.

The 8-core GPU variant features two Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 ports, while the 10-core GPU model gets two additional USB-3 ports. The former comes in blue, green, pink, and silver colors, whereas the latter has three more options - yellow, orange, and purple. Regardless of which model you buy, you get color-matched wallpapers and accessories.

In addition to the new chip, the refreshed 24" iMac gets Wi-Fi 6E for better download speeds and Bluetooth 5.3 to improve compatibility with the latest Bluetooth accessories. There's also support for Gigabit Ethernet on the 10-core GPU models, which is configurable on the 8-core GPU version.

The 24" screen on the M3 iMac is a 4.5K Retina Display of 4,480x2,250-pixel resolution and 500 nits brightness. The M3 iMac features a six-speaker system and supports Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos. It also features a 1080p FaceTime camera and a "studio-quality" three-mic array.

Apple says the M3 iMac is built using 100% recycled aluminum in the stand, rare earth magnets, and recycled tin soldering in multiple PCBs, with their plating using 100% recycled gold - a first for an iMac.

The base 8-core GPU M3 iMac is priced at $1,299, while the 10-core GPU model starts at $1,499. Both are available to order through Apple's official website in 27 countries, with shipping beginning on November 7.

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