Apple Joins 5K Revolution, Introduces 14.7 Million Pixel iMac
With its latest iMac, Apple's proven that it's keen on skipping over 4K, instead choosing to settle in at 5K. No one could blame you if you thought the differences between 4K and 5K were minimal, but the reality is, 5K boasts nearly 80% more pixels - it's a matter of 8.29 million vs. 14.7 million. 4K in itself is an impressive resolution, so the amount of real estate that 5K offers is simply incredible.
Apple's not the first company out the door with 5K, as Dell announced its own 5K UltraSharp last month. Given that Dell's monitor and the display in this latest iMac happen to both be 27-inch, I can't help but wonder if the panel happens to be exactly the same. That's furthered by the fact that the resolution doesn't deviate: 5120x2880.
In case I've failed at explaining just how impressive 5K is, consider this: 1080p fits inside of it seven times. As someone with less-than-stellar eyesight, that makes my eyes strain at the mere thought.
Apple's 5K iMac doesn't come cheap, though. It starts at $2,499, and that's steep for an AIO. We have a 3.5GHz Intel Core i5 quad-core, 8GB of DDR3-1600 memory, a 1TB "fusion" drive (flash + mechanical storage), and an AMD Radeon R9 M290X 2GB graphics card. If you want to go all-out on your iMac, you can shell out $4,399 for a model with a 4.0GHz Core i7 quad-core, 32GB of DDR3-1600 memory, a 1TB SSD, and a 4GB Radeon R9 M295X. Given this iMac's 5K resolution, it's of little surprise that Apple's ensuring that high-end graphics are used.
With both Dell and Apple on the 5K bandwagon, who's next?
