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.