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The new iMac: first look

by Ed Parry on Mar 3, 2009 at 04:19 PM
Apple's new iMac lineup

Following on from the Mac mini, the iMac also received updates today. Though, at first glance, it seems nothing has changed. The updates today all have something in common—the changes are internal. The iMac’s seen some welcome changes, and you now have four options to choose from. Yes, four.

There’s nothing that sticks out from the crowd here. There’s just one 20-inch iMac left, and three 24-inch models. The 20-inch model sports a 2.66GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 2GB memory, 320GB hard drive, the standard SuperDrive, and the Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics chip. A pretty similar specification to the new Mac Mini, but for $1,199. The specifications of the 24-inch models can be seen below:

Apple's iMac 24-inch specifications list

As you can see, all three models have 4GB of memory and the 8x double-layer SuperDrive. The graphics, processing power and hard drive capacity all increase as the price also increases. As usual, if these specs aren’t exactly what you were looking for, Apple offers the ability to configure and personalize the iMacs before purchasing. If you take this option, the most powerful iMac would have a 3.06GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 8GB of memory, a 1TB hard drive, the usual SuperDrive and a great ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB graphics chip. While this has some serious processing power, and a brilliant graphics chip, this will set you back $3,429—just a little more than the 8-core Mac Pro.

Apple's 24-inch iMac overview

So, this is quite a desktop computer. Not only does the iMac look great, it now performs great. A 1TB hard drive, 8GB of memory and a top ATI graphics chip in just one unit a few inches thick, is a great device on any scale. The iMac mixes elegance with raw power. If you feel you need more computing power than the Mac Mini, but would prefer not to have a large Mac Pro hiding underneath your desk, the iMac is the perfect option. With 6 USB ports (4 on the device, 2 on the keyboard) and a Firewire 800, you’re not lacking in connectivity. Although working in Numbers may feel slightly different, since Apple has removed the numeric keypad from the wired keyboard that ships with the iMac. Don’t worry though, you can easily get it back by selecting the Apple keyboard with numeric keypad on the online store before buying.

Nothing special from Apple today with regards to the iMac. But as with the Mac Mini, the changes are certainly welcome and have enhanced Apple’s mid-range Macintosh computer considerably. If only my bank account had a thousand dollars to spare.

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