The early reviews are out for the iMac with Retina 5K display, and the tl;dr version is: if you can afford it, buy it.
Everyone of course agrees that the key market for the machine is video professionals (beating even the base-model Mac Pro in benchmarks), the 5K resolution offering the ability to display full-size 4K video while still leaving enough room for editing tools.
But while the new iMac may be overkill for more mundane tasks, reviewers also agreed that the display is so good that even if you don’t need one, you’ll still want one …
The WSJ said that it’s the Mac that makes desktops relevant again.
Who needs a desktop in a world with laptops, tablets and even phones that are just as capable? Last week Apple introduced a new kind of desktop iMac that changed my mind […]
The Retina iMac is a game-changer for creative types […] My biggest worry was that the computer would choke while trying to drive all those millions of pixels. But performance wasn’t a problem in my tests loading giant images in Photoshop, flicking through a field of previews in Adobe Lightroom or editing 4K video in Final Cut Pro […]
Priced at $2,500 and up, you don’t need this new iMac—standard 27-inch iMacs start at $700 less. But oh boy will you want one.
TechCrunch agrees, saying Apple has built a computer that provides the future, today.
Apple has created an all-in-one that’s ideal for creative professionals, especially those with a visual focus, with the iMac with Retina 5K display. But that’s not all the company has done with this machine; instead, they’ve built a computer that provides the future, today, for anyone with the financial capability to get it […]
This is an iMac that will satisfy anyone who takes the plunge. A Mac Pro might be a more powerful performer, but for most people, the iMac with Retina display will be the best all-around computer for their needs […]
Apple’s price of admission for 5K goodness is steep, with prices starting at $2,499 (plus additional fees for custom configurations) but it’s worth every penny.
CNET says the new machine adds a stunning display to the gold standard for all-in-one desktops.
The new 27-inch Apple iMac adds a stunning 5K display for not much more than last year’s high-end model. The design, while not updated, remains the gold standard for all-in-one desktops.
[The downside is that] except for the new screen and a different GPU, the components are essentially unchanged from last year’s version. The high starting price only gets you a mid-level Core i5 processor […]
But, having experienced the 5K screen up close, it’s also hard to un-see the effect of never being able to detect the pixel grid on the screen. I’ve had several photo and video professionals tell me this is exactly what they’re looking for, and at only $500, £400, or AU$550 more than the closest comparable non-5K 27-inch iMac, it’s the equivalent of adding the cheapest possible aftermarket 4K display. If you’re in that professional or semi-pro category, the math may just work out for you on this.
PCmag declared it their Editors’ Choice for high-end, all-in-one desktops.
The Retina 5K display isn’t just good, it’s overwhelming […] I loaded up the new iMac with several 4K nature videos. The tiniest stars in a night sky rendered themselves as pinpricks of light; nooks and crannies in stone and wood showed up in minute detail. I also streamed House of Cards in 4K, and seeing Kevin Spacey’s every pore and follicle was enough that meeting the actor in person might feel like a letdown […]
The use of a discrete AMD Radeon R9 M290X graphics card means that not only does the iMac have the graphics chops for 5K video, it can also handle gaming (albeit, nowhere near 5K resolution) […] While the iMac isn’t intended to be a gaming machine, you’ll find that it will play current AAA titles at playable frame rates, provided you keep the resolution below 1080p and back off the detail settings.
The unmatched display paired with solid high-end performance at a surprisingly affordable price makes it our Editors’ Choice for high-end all-in-one desktops.
It sounds like if you don’t have a financial justification for a 5K display, you might just want to leave your wallet at home and remove your cards from Apple Pay before you next visit an Apple Store because, as Seth put it the second the iMacs were announced:
TAKE MY MONEY
— Seth Weintraub (@llsethj) October 16, 2014
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I WISH I HAD MONEY!
I still just want to know the refresh rate! Why has no one answered that question!
From what I read with Apple using a graphics card from 2012 it might only be 30Hz. I haven’t seen any definitive answers anywhere.
So, you do not know.
It’s 60 Hz. I don’t have time to find the link now, but I guarantee that statement 100%.
It’s apple.. it’s 60Hz, what did you think it would be? More to the point, why do you care? Very few if any refresh rates are anything other than 60 these days.
They’ll be taking my money on Saturday. I’ve been saving for a couple of years now for just such an occasion.
Isn’t the AMD card slightly less powerful than the one in the regular iMac? A quick google tells me so but that must be a mistake?
No. The R9 M290X is faster in most reviews I’m seeing… the GTX of that model about 5 off of the top of the line Nvidia chips.
Also factor in the fact it has more VRAM (2 and 4GB) plus the optional R9 m295x chip, and it’s considerably faster… not that the standard iMac is a slouch.
Where do I get that wallpaper? Help???
Need that too :)
Picked one up from the Apple Store yesterday, it is FANTASTIC!
It’s not even available yet I thought
It was available same day as the key note
I’m not even going to look at one. My 23″ 1080 monitor already looks pants after getting a macbook, it’s going to be like going back to a Vic 20 on a TV after after using one of those.
What color space (gamut) does it use? sRGB or Adobe or ???
Multiple color profiles could be selected on the Displays section of System Preferences (including sRGB and Adobe). These iMacs are individually calibrated to sRGB so that should be your option of choice.
One of the best features of the old iMac was that they could be used as passive monitors. This feature is removed with 5K. “but there is no interface that can support a 5K screen!”. Well.. That is Apple’s fault and that they choose AMD instead of Nvidia Gforce 9 series cards. With slight realtime compression they could have used a single DP1.2/TB cord and make this a screen.
Would love to have a 5K screen hooked to a MacPro with DUAL graphic cards.
Probably not going to see Apple support these as displays until DP 1.3 comes out which won’t be until Skylake comes out which is looking deep into 2016 now, since Broadwell is taking forever.
Which also means we won’t see a 5k Cinema Display until 2016.
With realtime compression? LOL yes because that’s what professional want, their beautiful images and colors compressed.
YEP. Got mine last night and haven’t gotten off it yet. Its amazing. There are definitely some occasional odd OS glitches that could be Yosemite or could be the need for a graphics card driver update….no doubt the latter is incoming soon.
This machine is a fantastic deal in many ways for the serious amateur and professional visual artist. Whoever said Apple was abandoning the professional visual artist was wrong in a major way.
Must buy for me!
I’m glad I went to the Apple Store today to check this out because I saw that I DIDN’T need it. The screen wasn’t any “clearer” than my 2013 iMac, it just fits more on the screen. In addition, the UI text was so small I would be constantly frustrated. This iMac is only for video editors and photographers. Anything else is a waste of your money.
Sounds like they didn’t have it set for Retina resolution. If it was in proper Retina mode it wouldn’t fit any more on the screen than the current 27″ iMac (or thunderbolt display), but it would be much clearer.
Can someone please tell us where we can score this featured wallpaper? Would be greatly appreciated.
amir
Yeah I’d like to know where to find a HD copy of that wallpaper
As tempting as this is I think it’s a bit of stopgap until the SkyLake based system comes out next year, they will comes with support for 64GB of RAM and ThunderBolt 3, which will allow you to attach external 5k screens. I currently have a triple screen setup and I want all screens to go retina at the same time.
Hi
Does any body know, or have any experience the Retina iMac graphics card when used with Adobe products. Especially Premiere Pro and After Effects.
I would very much like to purchase the iMac, but a little paranoid that the Graphics card won’t be supported.
Any advice please would be gratefully recieved?