The online Apple Store is back up and, as many suspected, there’s a new low-end 21.5-inch iMac for sale.
Featuring a 1.4Ghz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB memory, a 500GB hard drive, and integrated Intel HD Graphics 5000, the iMac is available for shipping within 24 hours at $1,099. The specs were leaked earlier today when French Apple website Macplus posted the below image of a box for the new iMac.
The specifications and low price will allow Apple to target lower-end consumers wanting to buy its all-in-one desktop.
Respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities had previously suggested that Apple was working on a new, low-end iMac, which would let it compete with desktops from companies like HP and Lenovo — both companies having experienced significant sales growth in emerging markets such as China.
Apple has already refreshed its MacBook Air lineup in April, adding faster processors and a smaller pricetag — making them the most affordable notebooks of their kind in Apple history.
Source: Apple Store