Apple Updates the iMac

By Michael Santo
Editor-in-Chief, RealTechNews

Rumored since last week, and revealed by the typical Apple Store outage, updated iMacs are here. Same prices, better specs.

And what are those better specs? Well, as Apple trumpets in their press release, for starters, buyers can now get the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors (up to 3.06 GHz), a faster 1066MHz FSB and optional nVidia GeForce 8800 GS graphics.

In the release, Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing said:

“The iMac’s gorgeous aluminum and glass all-in-one design has been an incredible hit with our customers and is just one of the reasons Mac sales are growing three and a half times faster than PC sales. With the latest Intel processors, a faster new graphics option and more memory, customers now have even more reasons to love the iMac.”

The same $1,199 for the low-end model nets you a a 20″ iMac, 2.4GHz CPU, ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128 MB memory, 1GB of RAM and a 250GB 7200 RPM hard drive.

The high-end 24″ model starts at $1,799 with a 2.8GHz CPU, ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB memory, 2GB of RAM, and a 320GB 7200 RPM hard drive.

Move to the higher-end 24″ model (starting at $2,199) and you add a 3.06GHz CPU, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS with 512MB GDDR3 memory, and a larger 500GB hard drive.

Here are the specs for the lower-end models at each screen size:

The new 20-inch 2.4 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,199 (US), includes:

• 20-inch widescreen LCD display;
• 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with a 1066 MHz front-side bus;
• 1GB of 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM expandable to 4GB;
• 250GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• a slot-load 8x SuperDrive® with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
• ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128MB GDDR3 memory;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately);
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• the Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse and infrared Apple Remote.

The new 24-inch 2.8 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,799 (US), includes:

• 24-inch widescreen LCD display;
• 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with a 1066 MHz front-side bus;
• 2GB of 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM expandable to 4GB;
• 320GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
• ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB GDDR3 memory;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately);
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• the Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse and infrared Apple Remote.

Naturally you can add more RAM and other upgrades. Also naturally, the Apple Store is back up and these babies are available now.