Apple’s week of Mac announcements kicked off on October 28, and all the reveals are now official.

The range includes a refreshed iMac with the new M4 chip and updated color options, plus redesigned accessories (keyboard, mouse and trackpad) that now feature USB-C ports.

Apple also announced the rollout of Apple Intelligence, its latest artificial intelligence-based feature suite for iPhone, iPad and Mac. In addition, Apple unveiled a redesigned Mac Mini and the M4 Pro chip.

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Everything about the new iMac

The new one iMacannounced on October 28, comes with the M4 chip, with an 8-core CPU and up to a 10-core GPU. If you remember Apple’s iPad announcement earlier this yeardebuted the M4 chip with the iPad Pro (7th generation).

The new one iMac now comes with accessories that use USB-C charging ports instead of Lightning. All USB-C ports also support the fastest Thunderbolt 4 standard, allowing you to transfer large videos and other files faster. The screen is still a 24-inch panel with a 4.5K resolution, but Apple is now offering a “nano-textured glass” option for an extra $200, designed to reduce reflections and glare.

There are also a few other updates. The base RAM has been doubled to 16GB over the previous model, with an option to go up to 32GB in the more expensive version. The new iMac also includes a 12MP webcam and introduces Apple Intelligence features, which are finally rolling out. These include AI-powered writing and editing tools and a redesigned Siri, now powered by ChatGPT.

The M4 iMac is now available in new colors including green, yellow, orange, pink and purple. Silver also remains an option. It’s available for pre-order now, with shipping starting November 8. The entry-level model costs $1,299 and comes with two USB-C ports, while the more expensive models start at $1,499 and include four ports.

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Mac Mini is also getting an upgrade

As the name suggests, the Mac Mini is a compact computer that can handle some serious workloads. It was first announced in 2005 and kept the same design until 2010, but Apple eventually changed it with the latest model. They shrunk the case, reducing the volume of the computer by half. The new Mini is now a five-by-five-inch box that’s just two inches long, while the older model measures 7.75 by 7.75 inches and is 1.41 inches thick.

The main upgrade for the new computer is the addition of Apple’s latest chips, either the M4 or a more powerful version called the M4 Pro. The M4mini is equipped with two USB-C ports and a headphone jack on the front. These front USB-C ports support USB 3, with speeds up to 10 Gbps.

On the back you’ll find three USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports (up to 40 Gbps), along with Ethernet and HDMI connections. The more expensive M4 Pro model also features Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, which offers transfer speeds of up to 120 Gbps and the ability to connect up to three displays.

The starting price of the Mac Mini remains the same at $599. This base model comes with the M4 chip with 10 CPU cores and 10 GPU cores, along with 16 GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD. For $799 you can double the SSD to 512GB, while the $999 model increases the RAM to 24GB. These are solid prices, something I don’t often say about Apple products.

There’s also a $1,399 Mac Mini model with the new M4 Pro processor, which features a 12-core CPU and 16-core GPU. It also supports up to 64 GB of RAM and an SSD of up to 8 TB.

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The M4 MacBook Pros are also available

Apple has also released some major updates to the MacBook Pro range, bringing more powerful chips and new features. The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, announced on October 30, are now powered by Apple’s new M4 processors – the M4 Pro and the even more expensive M4 Max. The 14-inch base model now has an additional USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 port on the right side, along with a new space black color option.

Both the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros with M4 Pro and M4 Max are the first Mac laptops with Thunderbolt 5 ports, allowing faster data transfers and connectivity. They also come equipped with a new 12-megapixel webcam with a desktop display mode for a wider angle, plus an optional nano-textured display that reaches up to 1,000 nits in SDR and 1,600 nits in HDR.

The M4 Pro-equipped MacBook Pros start at $1,999 for the 14-inch and $2,499 for the 16-inch, both now upgraded from 18GB of base RAM to 24GB – meaning you get more memory for the same price. The entry-level 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro still starts at $1,599, but Apple has increased the starting RAM to 16 GB (a welcome boost from the previous 8 GB). These new MacBook Pros will hit stores on November 8 and pre-orders are already open.

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Kurt’s most important takeaway

Apple’s updates to the Mac lineup bring impressive changes, especially for power users. The new one iMacsnow powered by the M4 chip, offering serious performance improvements. But if you only use an iMac for general tasks like browsing or light work, you might be better off with an older model to save some money. However, the M4 Mac Mini is a great value option with a competitive price and an additional $100 education discount. For those who need even more power, the new M4 MacBook Pros feature both M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, with the base RAM now starts at 24GB on the Pro models and 16GB on the entry-level 14-inch.

Also worth mentioning is Apple Intelligence, which Apple announced in May, but is only now rolling out. I’ve tried some of these features, and while I found them useful, they’re not exactly earth-shattering.

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