iMac Late 2012

The iMac "Core i5" 2.7 21.5-Inch Aluminum (Late 2012) is powered by a 22 nm Quad Core 2.7 GHz Intel "Core i5" I5-3330S (Ivy Bridge) processor, which has four independent cores on a single chip and a 6 MB shared level 3 cache. It comes with 8 GB of 1600 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (not intended for post-purchase upgrades), a 1 TB (5400 RPM) hard drive, and a NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M graphics processor with 512 MB of dedicated GDDR5 memory. The system also features a built-in "FaceTime HD" webcam and stereo speakers, but it does not have an optical drive.

This model boasts a 21.5" 1920x1080 LED-backlit 16:9 widescreen IPS display with "cover glass fully laminated to the LCD and anti-reflective coating." Its aluminum rear casing is thicker in the middle and tapers to a remarkably thin 5 mm at the edges.

Connectivity options include four USB 3.0 ports, dual Thunderbolt ports, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0.

In addition to its slimmer case, the "Late 2012" iMac line introduced faster processors, architectures, and graphics compared to the "Mid-2011" line it replaced. It also featured faster RAM (though not easily upgradeable in the 21.5-inch models) and different connectivity options.

The "Late 2012" iMacs were bundled with a compact aluminum Apple Wireless Keyboard and the choice of either a multi-touch "Magic Mouse" or a multi-touch "Magic Trackpad," which allows for gesture-based navigation like smooth scrolling and pinch-to-zoom.

The dramatically slimmed-down design was met with technical astonishment by the market. The laminated display with its anti-reflective coating was praised for significantly improving image quality. While the quad-core Ivy Bridge i5 processor delivered solid performance, the inability for users to upgrade the RAM was noted as a major drawback for long-term use. The removal of the optical drive, though a sign of the times, was also lamented by some users. It was a model where design innovation stood out, but it left something to be desired in terms of expandability.