Oliver Haslam on August 5, 2020, 12:08 am

2020 iMac Out: 27-Inch Model Gets New CPU, 1080p FaceTime Camera, T2 Chip, More, 21.5-Inch iMac And iMac Pro Also Updated

Apple today announced an updated version of the 27-inch iMac , adding in one of the most requested features in recent weeks – an improved camera. The addition of new, faster Intel chips as well as a T2 security chip shouldn’t be downplayed, either.

The newly refreshed machine can support up to ten cores in a single chip while also increasing the maximum memory capacity on offer. The two changes, Apple says, will result in as much as a 65% increase in plug-in numbers being available in Logic Pro X while developers can look forward to a 25% faster build time in Xcode as well.

Whether composing a new song with hundreds of tracks, compiling thousands of lines of code, or processing large photos with machine learning, the 27-inch iMac, with the latest 6- and 8-core 10th-generation Intel processors, has pro-level performance for a wide range of needs. For pros who need to push iMac even further, the 27-inch iMac has a 10-core processor option for the first time, with Turbo Boost speeds reaching 5.0GHz for up to 65 percent faster CPU performance. And when working with memory-intensive applications, iMac features double the memory capacity for up to 128GB.

Graphics have also received some attention, with Apple adding the Radeon Pro 5000 series graphics with an option for a huge 16GB of graphics memory available to those who need it. That’s double the amount of RAM that was available on the outgoing 27-inch iMac, by the way.

While we’re on the subject of graphics, Apple is offering an iMac with a nano-texture screen for the first time. Similar to the Pro Display XDR option, this will eliminate reflections by etching the glass at the nanometer level.

Moving on, Apple now only ships iMacs with SSD storage, killing off the spinning disk for good. There’s a new 8TB storage option for the first time, while the T2 security chip has arrived in the iMac lineup.

iMac also includes the Apple T2 Security Chip, Apple’s own custom-designed, second-generation silicon. The storage controller in the T2 Security Chip provides on-the-fly data encryption for everything stored on the SSD, so files and data are safe and secure. And the T2 chip also checks that software loaded during the boot process has not been tampered with, giving the 27-inch iMac, and any Mac with the T2 chip, the most secure storage and boot process of any computer.

Finally, there is the new 1080p camera that will be a huge improvement for those now working from home with improved microphones and speakers built into the updated 27-inch iMac as well.

The new 27-inch iMac starts at $1,799 and is available for order now.

The 21.5-inch iMac has also been updated to include SSD storage, while the iMac Pro’s base model now offers a 10-core machine rather than the 8-core that was available before.