iMac (Intel-based)

iMac (Intel based)

Late 2012 iMac
Developer	Apple Inc.
Type	Desktop
Release date	December, 2012 (current model) January 10, 2006 (original release)
CPU	Intel Core i5, Intel Core i7 (current model) Intel Core Duo (original release)

This article is part of a series on the
iMac
iMac G3
iMac G4
iMac G5
iMac (Intel-based)

The iMac is a series of Macintosh desktop computers offered by Apple Inc. The current Apple iMac features either an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processor, Nvidia GeForce 600 series graphics cards, and a choice of either a 21.5" or 27" LED-LCD display.

Previous iMac models featured either a white polycarbonate enclosure or an aluminium enclosure. The 2009 iMac model featured a unibody aluminium enclosure, which can still be seen on the current model. The current iMacs released in October 2012 also feature a much thinner display, with the edge measuring just 5mm.

History

At the Macworld Conference and Expo on January 10, 2006, Steve Jobs announced that the new iMac would be the first Macintosh to use an Intel CPU, the Core Duo. The introduction of the new iMac along with the Intel-based MacBook Pro signaled the start of a six month transition from PowerPC to Intel processors.

The features, price, and case design remained unchanged from the iMac G5. The processor speed, however, according to tests run by Apple using SPEC, was declared to be two to three times faster than the iMac G5.

Polycarbonate iMac

17" polycarbonate iMac

Alongside the MacBook Pro, the iMac Core Duo represents Apple's first computers to feature Intel processors instead of PowerPC processors, a transition that completed in November 2006. Since the introduction of the iMac Core Duo, other lines have followed, including the introduction of the Intel Core powered Mac mini on February 28, 2006, the MacBook consumer line of laptop computers on May 16, 2006, the Mac Pro on August 7, 2006, and the Xserve in November 2006, completing the Macintosh family transition to Intel processors.

In early February 2006, Apple confirmed reports of video display problems on the new Intel-based iMacs. When playing video on Apple's Front Row media browser, some 20-inch iMacs (those built-to-order with upgraded video cards) showed random horizontal lines, ghosting, video tearing and other problems. The problem was fixed with a software update.

In late 2006, Apple introduced a new version of the iMac which included a Core 2 Duo chip and a lower price. Apple added a new 24" model with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 (WUXGA), making it the first iMac to be able to display 1080p content in its full resolution, and a VESA Flat Display Mounting Interface. Except for the 17-inch 1.83 GHz processor model, this version also included an 802.11n draft card.

Specifications of polycarbonate iMacs from 2006 through 2007

Component	Intel Core Duo			Intel Core 2 Duo
Model	Early 2006		Mid 2006	Late 2006
Marketing Model No.	MA199xx/A	MA200xx/A	MA406xx/A	MA710xx/A	MA590xx/A	MA589xx/A	MA456xx/A
Model Identifier	iMac4,1		Imac4,2	iMac5,2	iMac5,1		iMac6,1
EMC No.	2104	2105	2110	2124	2114	2118	2111
Enclosure	White polycarbonate
Display	17 ", 1440 × 900	20 ", 1680 × 1050	17 ", 1440 × 900			20 ", 1680 × 1050	24 ", 1920 × 1200
	widescreen 16:10, matte display
Processor	1.83 GHz (T2400)			1.83 GHz (T5600)	2.0 GHz (T7200)	2.16 GHz (T7400)
	2MB on-chip L2 cache				4MB on-chip L2 cache
	Optional: 2.0 GHz (T2500)				Optional: 2.16 GHz (T7400)	Optional: 2.33 GHz (T7600)
System bus	667 MHz front side bus
Memory	667 MHz PC2-5300 DDR2 SO-DIMM SDRAM
	512MB (Early 2006, one 512MB/Mid 2006, two 256MB) Optional: 2GB				512MB (two 256MB) or 1GB (two 512MB) Optional: 3GB
Graphics	ATI Radeon X1600 with 128MB of GDDR3 SDRAM		Intel GMA 950 with 64MB shared memory		ATI Radeon X1600 with 128MB of GDDR3 SDRAM		nVidia GeForce 7300GT with 128MB of GDDR3 SDRAM
		Optional: 256MB			Optional: 256MB		Optional: 7600GT with 256MB
Hard drive1	Serial ATA 7200-rpm, 160GB or 250GB Optional: 500GB
Optical drive	Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 2.4x DL recording (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)		24x Combo drive (DVD-rom/CD-RW)		SuperDrive
AirPort Extreme	Integrated 802.11a/b/g				Integrated 802.11a/b/g (draft-n disabled by default)
Camera	iSight Camera (640 x 480 0.3 MP)
Maximum Operating System	OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard"		OS X 10.7 "Lion"

Aluminum iMac

20" Aluminum iMac

In August 2007, Apple introduced a complete redesign of the iMac, featuring an aluminum, glass and plastic enclosure. There is only one visible screw on the entire computer, located at the base of the iMac for accessing the memory slots. The back is no longer removable and is now a continuation of the aluminum body from the front and sides. The 17-inch model was completely removed from the lineup.

In March 2009, Apple released a minor refresh of the iMac line. Changes included a fourth USB port, removal of the FireWire 400 port, and a slightly redesigned base. The exterior design was almost identical to the older Intel-based iMacs. The models were one 20-inch configuration and three 24-inch configurations (instead of two at each screen size as before).

Apple doubled the default RAM and hard-disk size on all models, moving the RAM to the DDR3 specification. This revision also introduced a new smaller and more compact Apple Keyboard that excluded the numeric keypad and forward delete key in favor of the fn + Delete keys shortcut.

Specifications of aluminium iMacs from 2007 through 2009

Component	Intel Core 2 Duo
Model	Mid 2007				Early 2008				Early 2009
Enclosure	Aluminum, glass and plastic
Marketing Model No.	MA876XX/A MA877XX/A MB199XX/A MB200XX/A		MA878XX/A MB201XX/A MB322XX/A		MB323XX/A MB324XX/A MB388XX/A MB391XX/A		MB325XX/A MB393XX/A MB398XX/A		MB417XX/A MC019XX/A		MB418XX/A MB419XX/A MB420XX/A MC020XX/A MC021XX/A MC022XX/A
Model ID	iMac7,1				iMac8,1				iMac9,1
Display	20 ", 1680 × 1050		24 ", 1920 × 1200 IPS		20 ", 1680 × 1050		24 ", 1920 × 1200 IPS		20 ", 1680 × 1050		24 ", 1920 × 1200 IPS
	glossy glass-covered widescreen 16:10
Processor	2.0 GHz (T7300) Intel Core 2 Duo with 4MB on-chip L2 cache		2.4 GHz (T7700) with 4MB on-chip L2 cache		2.4 GHz (E8135) Intel Core 2 Duo with 6MB on-chip L2 cache		2.8 GHz (E8235) with 6MB on-chip L2 cache		2.66 GHz (E8135) Intel Core 2 Duo with 6MB on-chip L2 cache		2.93 GHz (E8335) with 6MB on-chip L2 cache
	Optional: 2.4 GHz (T7700)		Optional: 2.8 GHz (X7900) Core 2 Extreme		Optional: 2.66 GHz (E8335)		Optional: 3.06 GHz (E8435)		Optional: 2.93 GHz (E8335)		Optional: 3.06 GHz (E8435)
System bus	800 MHz front side bus				1066 MHz front side bus
Memory	1GB (two 512MB) or 2GB (two 1GB) Optional: 4GB				1GB (two 512MB) or 2GB (two 1GB) Optional: 4GB				2GB (two 1GB) or 4GB (two 2GB) Optional: 8GB
	SODIMM DDR2 SDRAM-667				SODIMM DDR2 SDRAM-800				SODIMM DDR3 SDRAM-1066
Graphics	ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128MB of GDDR3 SDRAM		ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM		ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128MB of GDDR3 SDRAM		ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM		nVidia GeForce 9400M with 256MB shared memory		nVidia GeForce GT 120 with 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM
	Optional: 2600 PRO with 256MB				Optional: 2600 PRO with 256MB		Optional: nVidia 8800 GS with 512MB		Optional: GT 130 or ATI Radeon HD 4850, both with 512MB of GDDR3 SDRAM
Hard drive	250GB Optional: 320GB, 500GB, 750GB or 1TB		320GB Optional: 500GB, 750GB or 1TB		250GB Optional: 320GB, 500GB, 750GB or 1TB		320GB Optional: 500GB, 750GB or 1TB		320GB Optional: 640GB or 1TB		640GB Optional: 1TB
	Serial ATA 7200-rpm
AirPort Extreme	Integrated 802.11a/b/g/n (draft-n enabled)
Video out	Mini-DVI								Mini DisplayPort
Optical drive	8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Camera	iSight Camera (640 x 480 0.3 MP)

Unibody iMac

27" Unibody iMac

In October 2009, a 16:9 aspect ratio screen was introduced in 21.5" and 27" models, replacing the 20" and 24" 8:5 aspect ratio screens of the previous generation. Video card options entirely switched to AMD, save for the standard onboard Nvidia card in the base model. The iMac's processor selection saw a significant increase.

Default RAM has also been increased across the iMac range. With the advent of the larger screens, Apple doubled the number of memory slots from two to four. Consequently, the maximum memory capacity was also doubled (to 16GB).

On May 3, 2011, Intel's new Core i5 and Core i7 chips, based on the Sandy Bridge microarchitecture, became available standard. The current iMac ships with Bluetooth and AirPort cards, an internal FaceTime HD camera, a power cord, the Apple Wireless Keyboard, and the wireless Apple Magic Mouse or Apple Magic Trackpad.

Specifications of Unibody iMacs from 2009 through 2011

Component	Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i5, and Core i7				Intel Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7				Core i5, and Core i7
Model	Late 2009				Mid 2010				Mid 2011
Release date	October 20, 2009				July 27, 2010				May 3, 2011
Marketing Model Number	MB950xx/A	MC413xx/A	MB952xx/A	MB953xx/A	MC508xx/A	MC509xx/A	MC510xx/A	MC511xx/A	MC309xx/A	MC812xx/A	MC813xx/A	MC814xx/A
Model Number	A1311		A1312		A1311		A1312		A1311		A1312
EMC Number	2308		2309	2374	2389		2390		2428		2429
Model ID	iMac10,1			iMac11,1	iMac11,2		iMac11,3		iMac12,1		iMac12,2
Enclosure	Aluminum and glass
Display	21.5 ", 1920 × 1080		27 ", 2560 × 1440		21.5 ", 1920 × 1080		27 ", 2560 × 1440		21.5 ", 1920 × 1080		27 ", 2560 × 1440
	glossy glass-covered widescreen 16:9, LED backlighting and IPS technology
Processor	3.06 GHz (E7600) Intel Core 2 Duo with 3MB on-chip L2 cache			2.66 GHz i5 (750) with 8MB on-chip L3 cache	3.06 GHz i3 (540) with 4MB on-chip L3 cache	3.2 GHz i3 (550) with 4MB on-chip L3 cache|		2.8 GHz i5 (760) with 8MB on-chip L3 cache	2.5 GHz i5 (2400S) with 6MB on-chip L3 cache	2.7 GHz i5 (2500S) with 6MB on-chip L3 cache|		3.1 GHz i5 (2400) with 6MB on-chip L3 cache
	Optional: 3.33 GHz (E8600) Core 2 Duo with 6MB on-chip L2 cache			Optional: 2.8 GHz i7 (860)	Optional: 3.2 GHz i3 (550) or 3.6 GHz i5 (680)		Optional: 3.6 GHz i5 (680)	Optional: 2.93 GHz i7 (870)		Optional: 2.8 GHz i7 (2600S)		Optional: 3.4 GHz i7 (2600)
System bus
	Front Side Bus			Intel Direct Media Interface
	1066 MHz Optional: 1333MHz with 3.33 GHz Core 2 Duo option			2.5GT/s
Memory	4GB (two 2GB, two slots empty) Optional: 16GB			4GB (two 2GB, two slots empty) Expandable to 32GB (16GB supported by Apple)
	1066 MHz PC3-8500 DDR3 SO-DIMM SDRAM				1333 MHz PC3-10600 DDR3 SO-DIMM SDRAM
Graphics	nVidia GeForce 9400M with 256MB shared memory	ATI Radeon HD 4670 with 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM		ATI Radeon HD 4850 with 512MB of GDDR3 SDRAM	ATI Radeon HD 4670 with 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM	ATI Radeon HD 5670 with 512MB of GDDR3 SDRAM		ATI Radeon HD 5750 with 1GB of GDDR5 SDRAM	AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 512MB of GDDR5 SDRAM	AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 512MB of GDDR5 SDRAM		AMD Radeon HD 6970M with 1GB of GDDR5 SDRAM Optional: with 2GB GDDR5 SDRAM
Hard drive	500GB Optional: 1TB or 2TB		1TB Optional: 2TB		500GB Optional: 1TB or 2TB	1TB Optional: 2TB	1TB Optional: 2TB and/or 256GB SSD		500GB	1TB Optional: 2TB and/or 256GB SSD
	Serial ATA 7200-rpm
Optical drive	8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
AirPort Extreme1	Integrated 802.11a/b/g/n
Video out	Mini DisplayPort								1 Thunderbolt port		2 Thunderbolt ports
	Mini DisplayPort to VGA, DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort adapters available								All Mini DisplayPort adapters supported
Camera	iSight Camera (640 x 480 0.3 MP)								FaceTime HD camera 720p (1280 x 720 0.9 MP)

2012 iMac

Side view of the 2012 iMac

In October 2012, a new iMac model was introduced that featured a considerably smaller monitor depth than the previous models, measuring 5mm at its thinnest point. This was partly achieved by using a process called Full lamination. The display and glass are laminated together eliminating a 2 mm gap between them. The 21.5 in and 27 in screens remained at their previous resolutions, 1920×1080 and 2560×1440 respectively.

As with the 2009 model, memory has been upgraded; the standard specification is now 8 GB, with the 21.5 in model supporting up to 16 GB and the 27 in model supporting up to 32 GB. It was reported that the 21.5 in iMac would have non-replaceable soldered memory similar to the MacBook Air and Retina display MacBook Pro though tear-downs show that is uses removable memory but accessing the modules requires ungluing the screen and removing the logic board. The 27 in version features an access port to upgrade memory without disassembling the display. Apple also upgraded the computers' processors, using Intel's Ivy Bridge microarchitecture-based Core i5 and Core i7 microprocessors.

Video cards are now Nvidia as standard. USB 3.0 ports are now included for the first time. The 2012 iMac also features the option of a Fusion Drive which combines an SSD and a conventional HDD to create more efficient and faster storage. Apple also removed the built-in optical drive starting with this iMac generation.

Specifications of Unibody iMacs from 2012

Model	Late 2012
Release date	November 30, 2012		December 2012
Marketing Model Number	MD093xx/A	MD094xx/A	MD095xx/A	MD096xx/A
Model Number	A1418		A1419
EMC Number	2544		2546
Model ID	iMac13,1		iMac13,2
Enclosure	Aluminum and glass
Display	21.5 in; 1920 × 1080		27 in; 2560 × 1440
	glossy glass-covered widescreen 16:9, LED backlighting and IPS technology
Processor	2.7 GHz (i5-3330S) Intel Core i5 with 6 MB on-chip L3 cache	2.9 GHz (i5-3470S) Intel Core i5 with 6 MB on-chip L3 cache		3.2 GHz (i5-3470) Intel Core i5 with 6 MB on-chip L3 cache
	N/A	Optional: 3.1 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 (i7-3770S)	N/A	Optional: 3.4 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 with 8 MB on-chip L3 cache (i7-3770)
System bus	Intel Direct Media Interface
	5 GT/s
Memory	8 GB (two 4 GB, not user-accessible) Optional: 16 GB		8 GB (two 4 GB, two slots empty) Optional: 16 GB and 32 GB
	1600 MHz PC3-12800 DDR3 SO-DIMM SDRAM
Graphics (GeForce 600 Series)	Nvidia GeForce GT 640M with 512 MB of GDDR5 SDRAM	Nvidia GeForce GT 650M with 512 MB of GDDR5 SDRAM	Nvidia GeForce GTX 660M with 512 MB of GDDR5 SDRAM	Nvidia GeForce GTX 675MX with 1 GB of GDDR5 SDRAM Optional: Nvidia GeForce GTX 680MX with 2 GB of GDDR5 SDRAM
Hard drive	1TB Optional: 1 TB Fusion Initially only for high-end model, later added low-end model support		1TB Optional: 3 TB HDD, 1 TB or 3 TB Fusion, or 768 GB SSD
	Serial ATA 5400 rpm		Serial ATA 7200 rpm
Optical drive	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
AirPort Extreme1	Integrated 802.11a/b/g/n
Video out	2 Thunderbolt ports (mini DisplayPort to VGA, DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort adapters available)
Camera	FaceTime HD camera 720p (1280 × 720; 0.9 MP)

Timeline of iMac models

See also: Timeline of Macintosh models and Timeline of Apple Inc. products

See also

• Apple's transition to Intel processors