Nov 30 Release in UK for Ultra Thin 21.5-Inch iMac

On the last day of November, iMac 21.5-inch will go on sale in the United Kingdom. Apple announced on Tuesday that the ultra thin 21.5-inch iMac will be available in stores and online shop by Friday. For the larger version, which is the 27-inch iMac, techies would have to wait until December for delivery but could pre-order it also on Nov 30.

The iMac 21.5-inch price starts at $1,299 and $1,799 for the 27-inch model, depending on the specs of the device.

Apple used to call its computing devices Macintosh computers since its debut in 1998 but eventually referred to iMac as the desktop version and Macbook as the laptop. The unique design of CPU and monitor in one package and great graphical interface made these brand names known in global computing technology.

The New Generation of iMac

The iMac version today has much more elegant design than its previous generation, having 40 per cent less volume and its thickness is around 5 mm only. Apple uses Friction-stir welding which explains how such a thin object could contain all that is needed to function as both CPU and monitor. It is the same method used in airplane wings and rocket booster tanks.

This type of welding holds the aluminium surfaces using intense friction-generated heat and pressure which creates a seamless, precise and super strong weld.

For the display which is 5 mm thin, the technique used was to remove the 2mm gap between the LCD and the glass using full lamination process. An added benefit of this technology is it has 75 per cent less reflection.

Another improvement is the increase on overall performance. iMac now has quad-core processors with up to 60 per cent faster graphics using the Nvidia GeForce and third-generation Intel i5 and i7 with 3.2GHz or 3.4GHz overclocking capacity, respectively. Turbo boost 2.0 even increases more using i7 with up to 3.9GHz of clock speed.

The data transfer in the new iMac is improved by the Thunderbolt I/O system which has 10 Gbps data transfer to both two channels compared to the USB 3 handling 5 Gbps only.

Since it has powerful processors, energy conservation is a concern. The new iMac uses up to 50 per cent less energy in idle state with display on. Its materials are environment-friendly that are free from many toxins such as mercury, arsenic, and PVC and most of its parts are made from glass and aluminium which are recycled and reused.

Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook actually announced the 21.5-inch iMac on Oct 23, but the company took several weeks before it made the computer available on its online stores for orders.