According to a report from Digitimes, mass production of a 21.5 inch display, retina 4k iMac is currently underway, and Apple is aiming for a launch date sometime in the fourth quarter of 2015.
Production of a new 21-inch iMac featuring a 4096 by 2304 screen kicked off in early September and will be launched in the fourth quarter, with shipments in the quarter estimated at 1.4-1.5 million units, according to their Taiwan-based supply chain manufacturers.
It goes on to say that the new 21.5-inch iMac will be bolstered by a 4036 x 2034 pixel screen, which is commonly referred to by the industry jargon as 4k. These numbers mean that the new iMac will have a pixel density of 218 pixels per inch, identical to the 27-inch, 5180 x 2880 model.
Notably, only the 27-inch model has received newer versions, updates and upgrades continuously in the past two years, while the 21.5-inch model has only received its recent one in June 2014 – an entry level, low-end, 1.4 GHz, $1099 model. It was aimed towards large markets outside the United States.
It’s Not Official Yet, But You Can Count On It
While is no official word from Apple yet, but according to a code in an early version of the El Capitan OS X 10.11 beta which was released late June, the said iMac might be on the assembly line. Another report, this time from French website Consomac, said that there are images of a new, 21.5 inch, unknown iMac with a retina display, likely referring to the above mentioned iMac.
It is also rumored to not have any structural and external changes, barring the higher quality display. The computer will be a likely upgrade to the low-end model, considering that it might benefit from Intel’s Skylake processors which will bring improved graphical and computational performances.
Ultra High Resolution
With this development, it would be possible to watch videos in ultra high definition format in the smaller iMac – notably, the new iPhone 6s will be able to record video footage in the said format. This makes it possible to watch the UHD videos in their full splendor on the 21.5-inch iMac.
The news comes in a hectic month for Apple, which is busy preparing for the release of several products and software, including the new iPhone 6s, which is host to numerous added features, iOS 9, watchOS, and the new OS X 10.11 El Capitan, which is slated to be released on the 30th. The company has also unveiled their largest tablet to date, iPad Pro, and its stylus, Apple Pencil.
The company also introduced the new Apple TV, which can now play games and support third-party controllers, formalizing Apple’s entry into the gaming industry. Apple has required developers to have their apps support Siri Remote, which doubles as a TV remote and a game controller.
