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Save 20% on the award-winning Audio Hijack with coupon code 6C20AH!By Jason Snell for Macworld
Apple finally made the Mac that puts everything in its right place
The introduction of the Mac Studio this week got me thinking about how strange the final few years of the Intel-based 27-inch iMac were.
When the 27-inch iMac was refreshed in 2020 we all knew it was the end of the line. Apple silicon iMacs were coming, but just before Apple shut the door on the old iMac, it got a final revision out the door.
Consider the features of that iMac: An optional nano-texture display and a 3.6GHz 10-core Intel Core i9 processor. Macworld’s reviewed iMac configuration cost $4,499—clearly aimed at pro users. Now consider that the original iMac, when it was introduced in 1997, was underpowered and cost $1,299 for the general consumer. The evolution of the iMac took a strange turn. What happened?