5 Ways Apple Just Enhanced Its iMac Desktop Computers

Apple's iMac Refresh

Standing behind its commitment to delivering "the ultimate desktop experience," Apple on Tuesday revealed refreshes to its iMac lineup, which includes the 21.5-inch iMac, 21.5-inch iMac with Retina display and 27-inch iMac with Retina display.

Apple's refresh comes after the Cupertino, Calif.-based company experienced almost no growth in the third quarter -- it registered a 13.7 percent market share, growing only 1.6 percent year over year from the same quarter last year, according to market research firm IDC.

Apple's improved iMacs include new features like better resolution, improved processors, and new keyboard and mouse accessory options. The refined devices are available via the Apple Store, the Apple Online Store and select authorized resellers.

5. 21.5-Inch iMac Gets 4K Display

Apple introduced an option for LED-backlit Retina 4K display to its 21.5-inch iMac, showing the company's recognition of the importance of crisp, big screens on PCs.

The new 21.5-inch version, which starts at $1,499, contains improved resolution with 4096 by 2304 pixels -- 4.5 times as many pixels as the previous version. Apple's 21.5-inch iMac with Retina 4K display is $400 more expensive than its standard 21.5-inch iMac, which is priced at $1,099.

The Retina display ropes in a wider color palette, boasting a 25 percent greater color gamut to make the display more vibrant.

4. 5K Display Standardized On 27-Inch iMac

In addition to adding Retina 4K display to its 21.5-inch iMac models, Apple standardized 5K Retina screens to all its 27-inch iMacs. Before, the Retina display had been available via a $700 premium for 27-inch iMacs.

The new Retina 5K display also ramps up its pixel density, quadrupling its resolution with 5120 by 2880 pixels. The new 27-inch iMacs with 5K Retina display start a $1,800, according to Apple. Like the 4K display, Apple's new 27-inch iMac also offers 25 percent more colors for a more vibrant display.

3. New Storage Options

In addition to new beautiful screens, Apple also made improvements to its iMac storage offerings.

The new desktop computers come with up to 2 TB of Fusion Drive storage for stock configurations. Fusion Drive combines speedy flash storage with a high-capacity hard drive. According to Apple, users' frequently used apps, documents and photos will stay in the faster flash storage space, while infrequently used items move to the hard drive. There's also an all-flash option that is up to 2.5 faster than the previous version, according to Apple. Apple's improved iMacs also come standard with two Thunderbolt 2 ports, on top of the four USB 3 ports.

2. Intel Skylake Processor

Apple's 27-inch iMac got a boost in performance with the addition of Intel's Core processor, built on its new sixth-generation Skylake microarchitecture.

Joining the growing list of vendors to upgrade their desktop lineup with Intel's newest 14nm platform processors, Apple beefed up its iMac with a quad-core i7 processor clocking up to 4.0 GHz and including 1867 MHz memory.

In addition, Apple's 27-inch iMacs received the latest AMD high-performance graphics, giving the computers up to 3.7 teraflops of graphics compute power.

1. New Peripherals

Apple also introduced improvements to its keyboard, trackpad and mouse. Apple's Magic Keyboard, priced at $99, is redesigned for 33 percent more key stability and more comfortable typing. The keyboard features wireless Bluetooth connectivity and a built-in lithium-ion battery that charges through a Lightning connection to USB cable.

In addition, Apple's newly designed Magic Trackpad contains Force Touch and a 29 percent bigger design, and is priced at $129.

Finally, the company's new Magic Mouse 2 contains a newly designed internal structure and a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery, priced at $79. The Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2 come in the box with new iMacs, according to Apple.