The long awaited iMac upgrades are finally here. Apple
announced on Monday the first update of its iMac line since August 2007.
The new iMacs are equipped with faster Intel Core 2 Duo
processors and its high-end 24-inch model can be purchased with an optional
more powerful graphics processor.
Another change can be noticed on iMac’s Bluetooth module, which
now supports Bluetooth 2.1 that offers stronger security for paired receivers
and requires less power.
The three basic configurations available are: a 20-inch
2.4-GHz model ($1,199), a 20-inch 2.66-GHz model ($1,499), and a 24-inch 2.8-
GHz model ($1,799). There is also a top-of-the-line model available at the
Apple Stores, 24-inch 3.0 GHz, with 2 GB of memory and a 500-GB hard drive
which retails for $2,199.
iMac includes built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi
networking, Gigabit Ethernet, built-in iSight video camera, a total of five USB
2.0 ports (including two on the Apple Keyboard) and one FireWire 400 and one
FireWire 800 port.
According to Apple, the Electronic Product Environmental
Assessment Tool (EPEAT) has rated the new iMacs at Silver, which means that the
product meets all required criteria plus 50 percent of optional criteria.
The biggest improvement for Mac users is without doubt the
speed of the new product. Due to the RAM and faster processors, performance
will be improving significantly and gamers, consumers and professional users
will have a lot to gain.
For example, according to Apple, the new graphic solution, NVIDIA
GeForce 8800 GS, is able to deliver up to two times standard performance
for graphic intensive applications.
"We want to make the iMac even more appealing to even
more people, whether that's gamers looking [to play] great games or consumers
and creative professional who want to run pro-level software faster," said
Tom Boer, senior director of Apple desktop product marketing quoted by Computerworld.
Also, is very likely that the new iMacs will be an
interesting choice for the “switchers”. The term “switcher” defines the users
who are giving up their PCs in the favor of Macintosh computers.
In February, Apple unveiled updated version of its notebook
models, MacBook and MacBook Pro. Basically, the company introduced new notebooks
with faster processors, the latest Intel Core 2 Duo (Penryn), larger hard drive
and 2 GB of memory as a standard.
Also, Apple has updated the graphic “heart” of its notebooks
by including NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with up to 512MB of video memory.
With a 13-inch widescreen display, the new MacBook comes in
three versions: sleek white 2.1 GHz and 2.4 GHz models with 120GB or 160GB 5400
rpm hard drives and a black 2.4 GHz model with a 250GB 5400 rpm hard drive,
previously only available as an option.
Last week, Apple announced the financial results for its
fiscal 2008 second quarter ended March 29, 2008. During this period, Apple sold 2,289,000
Macintosh computers, a 51 percent unit growth and 54 percent revenue growth
over the year-ago quarter.
Overall, Apple posted revenue of $7.51 billion and net
quarterly profit of $1.05 billion, or $1.16 per diluted share.
