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Apple announced today that it will be releasing a new iMac with better specs than previous models, continuing the presence of the all-in-one desktop in the Mac lineup, albeit also scaling it down a bit by offering only two models instead of three.
The new iMac will sport quad-core Intel i5 or i7 processors up to 3.4GHz and AMD Radeon HD graphics processors. The combination is said to make this iMac 70 percent faster than the previous model, while also tripling the speed of the graphics. The press release even boasts that the iMac will have “the most powerful graphics ever in an all-in-one desktop.”
Two models will be available, an entry-level 21.5-inch and the big 27-inch that debuted last year. The 23-inch model appears to no longer be in production with this year’s iteration.
As you might expect, the usual bells and whistles are added here. The 27-inch model includes two Thunderbolt ports (the 21.5-inch has one), which Apple developed in partnership with Intel, and first introduced in the most recent update to the MacBook Pro lineup earlier this year. Thunderbolt is a PCI Express slot that can theoretically handle speeds of up to 10Gbps, which is unbelievably fast compared to what we’re used to with USB and FireWire. The Thunderbolt plug is expected to be made available for licensing, though you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone using it right now.
Still, if you're the adventurous type, or just a hardcore gamer looking for more depth, the two Thunderbolt ports can prove useful in connecting two monitors to it. The 27-inch has an LED-backlit screen with a resolution of 2560 x 1440. Add two monitors that can push that many pixels (or close to it) and you've got a pretty serious setup. Granted, connecting two monitors to an all-in-one isn't new, but the sheer number of pixels is just crazy.
Since this updated iMac should have no problem playing any games, it might be pretty cool to have that kind of widescreen view of the action.
The entry-level 21.5-inch model comes with a 500GB hard drive, though you can pay a bit more to double that to 1TB. All the others already come with 1TB installed, but you can opt to go with 2TB for an extra cost, if you want. Alternatively, you can also choose to go with a solid state drive, but the highest they can go is 256GB.
The RAM is standard on all of them at 4GB, but you can expand that to 16GB of RAM on all except the entry-level 21.5-inch, which can only go up to 8GB. And graphics aficionados can pay more to upgrade to a 2GB AMD Radeon 6970M, if they want.
The ports in the back are identical for all models, save for the extra Thunderbolt port on the 27-inch model. That’s four USB ports, a FireWire port, Ethernet, audio in and audio out. You also get a choice between the Magic Mouse or the Magic Trackpad.
Prices start at $1,199 for the entry-level 21.5-inch iMac, but that can up to $1,499 with the upgraded package that raises the processor speed, hard drive capacity and graphics. The 27-inch model starts at $1,699, but that can bump up to $1,999 with same upgrades.
All of them are available at Future Shop right now.
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