Y ouive asked for it, and youive been waiting; Apple has finally delivered. The company announced new iMacs this morning, bumping the processor speeds by 25%. Apple is still offering a 15" and 17" model, with the G4 processors on the units being bumped to 1 GHz and 1.25 GHz, respectively. The company has also upgraded the USB ports on the consumer Mac to USB 2.0. FireWire is still being offered as FireWire 400, the original FireWire standard, and not the faster FireWire 800 standard the company is offering on its pro desktops and 17" PowerBook models.
Other new features include:
- AirPort Extreme across both the 15" and 17" iMacs
- A 64 MB NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra graphics card in the 17" unit
- Optional internal Bluetooth in both units (previously only the 17" iMac offered this feature)
- 256 MB of DDR333 SDRAM (faster than both previous models)
- 80GB Ultra ATA hard drive in both units (15" model previously came with 60 GB drive)
Appleis press release:
Apple? today announced significant enhancements to its popular line of iMac? desktop computers, including faster PowerPC G4 processors running up to 1.25 GHz, faster 333 MHz DDR memory, faster NVIDIA graphics and the move to the faster USB 2.0 standard.
The new iMacs sport faster PowerPC G4 processors running at 1.0 GHz in the 15-inch model and 1.25 GHz in the 17-inch model. Both models include 256MB of faster DDR SDRAM running at 333 MHz and an 80GB Ultra ATA/100 hard disk drive. The 17-inch model also includes NVIDIAis GeForce FX 5200 Ultra graphics processor with 64MB of DDR video memory.
Designed around an ultra-compact base, the iMacis flat panel display appears to float in mid-air, allowing users to effortlessly adjust its height or angle with just a touch. The iMacs offer two FireWire? 400 and three high-speed USB 2.0 ports for fast, simple, plug-and-play connections to devices such as digital cameras, DV camcorders, the iPod? and the iSight? video conferencing camera. The iMac also offers the latest in wireless communications with support for 54Mbps AirPort? Extreme 802.11g wireless networking and optional built-in Bluetooth for wireless connectivity to a range of peripherals such as cell phones and PDAs.
Every iMac includes Mac OS X "Jaguar" and Appleis iLife applications, a completely integrated suite offering iTunes? 4 for managing and purchasing digital music, iPhoto? 2 for organizing and sharing digital photos, iMovie? 3 for making movies and iDVD? 3 for burning Hollywood-style DVDs. Also included is a collection of productivity and entertainment titles such as Quicken 2003 Deluxe, World Book 2003 Edition and the recently introduced Tony Hawkis Pro Skater 4.
The 15-inch flat panel iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,299 (US), includes:
- 1 GHz PowerPC G4 processor with Velocity Engine?;
- 256MB of 333 MHz DDR SDRAM;
- 32x Combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW optical drive;
- NVIDIA GeForce4 MX graphics processor with 32MB video memory;
- two FireWire 400 and three USB 2.0 ports;
- internal support for AirPort Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth;
- 80GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive running at 7200 RPM; and
- Apple Pro Speakers.
The 17-inch widescreen flat-panel iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,799 (US), includes:
- 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 processor with Velocity Engine;
- 256MB of 333 MHz DDR SDRAM;
- 4x SuperDrive? DVD-R/CD-RW optical drive;
- NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra graphics processor with 64MB video memory;
- two FireWire 400 and three USB 2.0 ports;
- internal support for AirPort Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth;
- 80GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive running at 7200 RPM; and
- Apple Pro Speakers.
You can find more information on the new iMacs at Appleis Web site, or you can order directly at The Apple Store (or TMOis affiliate Mac retailers).