The news
Apple is adding a 24in model to its iMac range of one-piece computers, all of which now centre on Intel Core 2 Duo processors, a move said to boost performance by up to 50 per cent compared to the Core Duo models launched back in January.
The 24in range-leader carries a 1,920x1,200 widescreen display, is fitted with a 2.16GHz CPU and has a VAT-inclusive suggest price of £1,349. The three other models are priced at £999 (20in, 2.16GHz); £799 (17in, 2.0GHz); and £679 (17in, 1.83GHz).
As standard, the 24-incher has 1GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (max 3GB); a 250GB/7,200rpm SATA hard drive; a PCIe-based NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT GPU with 128MB of GDDR3 RAM (a 256GB GeForce 7600 GT is an optional extra); and a DVD burner supporting DVD+R DL and DVD±R/RW.
Shared range-features include built-in stereo speakers, mic, iSight webcam and mini-DVI out (though adaptors for DVI, VGA and composite video/S-video are all sold separately). Apple's miniscule IR remote control is included in pack and all four iMacs come with a keyboard and mouse - both wireless except for with the base model.
Two networking options - Gigabit Ethernet and 802.11g wireless - are installed across the range, while Bluetooth 2.0 is found on all except the base model. Three USB 2.0 ports are fitted along with two FireWire, one them FireWire 800 in the case of the range-leader.
The iMacs come with the latest version Mac OS X - V10.4.7 (Tiger) - and a decent selection of applications. The OS itself offers Safari (web browser), Mail, iCal, iChat AV, Photo Booth and the Front Row media-PC front end - all said to run natively on Intel CPUs. In addition, there's the iLife ‘06 suite, which provides iPhoto, iMovie HD, iDVD, GarageBand and iWeb.
A listing of the basic specs of all four iMacs can be found in Apple's press release on page two of this article but, for the full specs, check out this page on Apple's site.
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