Reviewers liked the clear display and slim design, and found performance adequate for everyday tasks. Demanding workloads and games exposed the weaker processor and graphics. Slow standard storage and fixed memory limited appeal; Fusion Drive made everyday use noticeably smoother.
1.4 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost up to 2.7 GHz and 3 MB shared L3 cache; Ars Technica identifies the exact processor as Core i5-4260U
GPU
Integrated Intel HD Graphics 5000
Memory type
8 GB of 1600 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory; no memory configuration or upgrade option
Storage type
500 GB 5400-rpm hard drive; configurable to a 1 TB hard drive, 1 TB Fusion Drive or 256 GB PCIe-based flash storage
Display
Screen size
21.5″
Resolution
1920 × 1080
Panel
IPS LCD
Display type
LED-backlit display with IPS technology and support for millions of colours
Display features
Fully laminated glass and anti-reflective coating; Target Display Mode via a separately sold Thunderbolt cable. Apple does not publish brightness or refresh rate in the model's specification sheet.
Four USB 3 ports, two Thunderbolt ports with Mini DisplayPort output, SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet, headphone and optical digital audio output; Kensington lock slot. DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI need separately sold adapters.
External displays
Built-in display at native resolution alongside one external display up to 2560 × 1600; extended desktop and video mirroring
Speakers
Stereo speakers; supports Apple iPhone headset with microphone
Microphones
Dual microphones
Keyboard and mouse
Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse; optional Magic Trackpad
Design and power
Type
All-in-one
Weight
5.68 kg
Width × depth × height
528 × 175 × 450 mm
Operating system
macOS
Size and weight detail
Dimensions include the stand; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process. A built-in VESA mount version was also available.
Power supply
100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase
Noise
Apple's operator-position sound pressure is 11 dB at idle, during hard-drive seek and during its wireless-web test
Materials
Recyclable aluminium and glass enclosure; arsenic-free display glass and mercury-free LED backlight
In the box
iMac, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse and power lead; OS X Mavericks and the listed iLife apps were included
Configurations
Processor
Memory
Storage
Storage type
Intel Core i5-4260U
8 GB
500 GB
Hard drive
Intel Core i5-4260U
8 GB
1 TB
Hard drive
Intel Core i5-4260U
8 GB
1 TB
Fusion Drive
Intel Core i5-4260U
8 GB
256 GB
SSD
Pros and cons
Pros
+IPS display with laminated glass and an anti-reflective coating
+Optional Fusion Drive or PCIe SSD storage
+Four USB 3 ports and two Thunderbolt ports
Cons
−Memory is fixed at 8 GB and cannot be upgraded
−Standard storage is a 500 GB 5400-rpm hard drive
−Dual-core processor and integrated graphics limit demanding work
