First Look: Apple’s 24-Inch iMac Gets a Mighty M3 Upgrade

pcmag.com:

Skipping the second generation of Apple silicon entirely, the 24-inch iMac has arrived with M3 processing to drastically elevate Apple's all-in-one computer. With little else changed, the new iMac focuses on what more power can do to increase its versatility and ability to serve the unique needs of each family member in your home.

Apple has often positioned the iMac as a family computer, but the M3 breaks down some hurdles that prevented previous models from being of particular use to folks like gamers and content creators. Thanks to the M3, this might be the first iMac to successfully handle intense tasks, like gaming, that might have prevented you from investing in the AIO before.

We were invited to see (but not touch or photograph) the new 24-inch iMac ahead of its unveiling, complete with a demonstration of how a family might use the new computer. Here’s what to expect from the new iMac when it launches on November 7.

While Apple hasn’t changed anything about the iMac hardware design since its last revision in 2021, it didn't really have to. The iMac can use another unique port or two (or even an SD card slot), but that clearly hasn't been a deal breaker for buyers, with Apple claiming it's the best-selling 24-inch AIO around.

Just like the previous model, the iMac starts at $1,299, which gets you the base-level M3 processor, 8GB of unified memory, a 256GB SSD, and the Magic Keyboard and Mouse. (All iMac models now feature Wi-Fi 6E, too.) The M3 processor in this model runs on an eight-core CPU (with four performance and four efficiency cores) as well as an eight-core GPU. This base model comes in green, pink, blue, and silver.

If you want more graphics punch, you can pick up an iMac with a 10-core M3 GPU for $1,499,