Apple’s new iMac models arrived in late November, but the Fusion Drive was only available as a build-to-order option with the 27-inch models. Now this has changed, since over the weekend Apple made the 1TB Fusion Drive an upgrade option for the entry-level 21.5-inch iMac as well.
When buying a new iMac, upgrading to the Fusion Drive is $250, which raises the base model 21.5-inch iMac from $1,299 to $1,549. Although not the cheapest upgrade, a lot of people will find the speed improvements well worth the extra cost.
The Fusion Drive isn’t just a solid-state drive; it also combines an SSD with a traditional disk drive to give both speed and lots of storage. According to Apple:
“Fusion Drive combines 128GB of super fast flash storage with a traditional hard drive. It automatically and dynamically moves frequently used files to flash for quicker access. With Fusion Drive in your iMac, booting is up to 1.7 times faster, and copying files and importing photos are up to 3.5 times faster.* Over time, as the system learns how you work, Fusion Drive makes your Mac experience even better. All while letting you store your digital life on a traditional, roomy hard drive.”
As of now, the 21.5-inch iMacs are shipping in 7-10 business days to customers in the United States. The 27-inch models, on the other hand, are shipping in 3-4 weeks.
