The word is out — cult-like computer company Apple (and we say that in a good way) has dropped the bomb on their latest technological advance …
Apple has refreshed its iMac all-in-one desktop line with upgraded CPUs and a few other new features. The key upgrades for the iMac refresh are the new quad-core Sandy Bridge processors and the Thunderbolt I/O port first introduced in the most recent MacBook Pro updates. Offering speeds of up to 10 Gbps, Thunderbolt provides a far faster connection than either USB 3.0 or Firewire. The iMac has also seen an upgrade to its GPUs, which are now three times faster than the previous model.
iMac 21.5"
- Price: Starting at US$1,199
- CPU: 2.5 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 or 2.7 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5
- RAM: 4GB (2 x 2 GB)
- HDD: 500 GB or 1 TB hard drive
- GPU: AMD Radeon HD 6750M or AMD Radeon HD 6770M
- Other: Single Thunderbolt port, FaceTime HD camera, aluminum and glass design, IPS LED-backlit high resolution display, Mini DisplayPort, One FireWire 800 port, Four USB 2.0 ports, SDXC card slot, Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive, Audio in/out, Gigabit Ethernet, IR receiver, 802.11 a/b/g n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and an Apple wireless keyboard with a Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad.
iMac 27"
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- Price: Starting at $1,699
- CPU: 2.7 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 or 3.1 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5
- RAM: 4GB (2 x 2 GB)
- HDD: 1 TB hard drive
- GPU: AMD Radeon HD 6770M or AMD Radeon HD 6970M
- Other: Two Thunderbolt ports, FaceTime HD camera, aluminum and glass design, IPS LED-backlit high resolution display,Mini DisplayPort, One FireWire 800 port, Four USB 2.0 ports, SDXC card slot, Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive, Audio in/out, Gigabit Ethernet, IR receiver, 802.11 a/b/g n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and an Apple wireless keyboard with a Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad.
What does this mean for you? Well, the iMac is the core of Apple's consumer computer philosophy, "computers for the rest of us," and isn't aimed at hard core hackers nor the most extreme of power users (heavy video editing, Photoshop compositing, et cetera). However, these machines have made some gamers happy, with their easy set up and lush visuals.
As well, this is the first computer Apple has released with it's new "Thunderbolt" technology. What's Thunderbolt? To make it simple, it's a new data transfer technology from your pals at Intel that promises up to ten gigbytes per second data transfers. This means it can hook up fast hard drives and huge monitors with the same kind of connection. It also supports the PCI Express protocol, it should allow for dramatic expansion off of a single port (less drama plugging things in for people, yay) and does not take away USB 2 ports, despite the older protocol puttering along at, what, 480 megabytes per second? How 2009!
If you're in the market for a basic computer that will last, have low maintenance levels and not need to be replaced in two years, this is a solid bet and another great deal from Apple.
[Source: TUAW]
