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Apple unveils new iMacs with 21.5 and 27-inch displays

Apple on Tuesday unveiled an all new iMac line dual- and quad-core iMacs featuring LED-backlit 21.5 and 27-inch widescreen displays in a new edge-to-edge glass design and seamless all aluminum enclosure.

The new iMac line, starting at $1,199, is the fastest ever with Intel Core 2 Duo processors starting at 3.06 GHz, and Core i5 and i7 quad-core processors for up to twice the performance. Every new iMac ships with a wireless keyboard and the all new wireless Magic Mouse, the world's first mouse with Multi-Touch technology pioneered by Apple on the iPhone, iPod touch and Mac notebook trackpad.

"The iMac is widely praised as the best desktop computer in the world and today we are making it even better," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "With brilliant LED displays and the revolutionary Magic Mouse, the new iMac delivers an amazing desktop experience that we think customers will love."

The new iMac features stunning LED-backlit displays with a 16:9 aspect ratio, ideal for watching high definition movies and TV shows from iTunes, or editing and watching your own videos or photos using iLife. The new 21.5-inch iMac features a high resolution 1920-by-1080 pixel display. The 27-inch iMac features a beautiful 2560-by-1440 pixel display that offers 60 percent more pixels than the previous 24-inch model. Both 21.5 and 27-inch displays use IPS technology to deliver consistent color across an ultra wide 178 degree viewing angle.

The iMac comes standard with a wireless keyboard and the new Magic Mouse featuring Apple's revolutionary Multi-Touch technology. Instead of needing mechanical buttons, scroll wheels or scroll balls, the entire top of the Magic Mouse is a seamless Multi-Touch surface. Using intuitive gestures, a user can easily scroll through long documents, pan across large images or swipe to move forward or backward through a collection of web pages or photos. The Magic Mouse can be configured as either a single button or two button mouse, according to the user's preference. The wireless keyboard and Magic Mouse work seamlessly with the iMac's built-in Bluetooth capabilities to provide a clean, cable-free desk top.

The iMac features improved graphics across the line with NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics or ATI Radeon HD 4670 discrete graphics in the 21.5-inch model, and ATI Radeon HD 4670 discrete graphics or ATI Radeon HD 4850 discrete graphics in the 27-inch model. The new iMac line now also features 4GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 memory and capacity up to 16GB across four SO-DIMM slots. Every iMac features a built-in iSight video camera, mic and stereo speakers integrated into the thin aluminum and glass design. iMac includes built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi networking, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, Gigabit Ethernet, a total of four USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port and a new built-in SD card slot.

iMac

Pricing & Availability

The new 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo iMac and Mac mini lines are now shipping and available through the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. The Intel Core i5 and i7 quad-core iMacs are available for order and will begin shipping this November. Mac mini with Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server is available from the Apple Store and Apple's retail stores.

The new 21.5-inch 3.06 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,199 (US), includes:

  • 21.5-inch 1920 x 1080 LED-backlit display;
  • 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache;
  • 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB;
  • NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;
  • 500GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
  • a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+ / -R DL DVD+ / -RW/CD-RW);
  • Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);
  • built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
  • built-in iSight video camera;
  • Gigabit Ethernet port;
  • four USB 2.0 ports;
  • one FireWire 800 port;
  • SD card slot;
  • built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
  • Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.

The new 21.5-inch 3.06 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,499 (US), includes:

  • 21.5-inch 1920 x 1080 LED-backlit display;
  • 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache;
  • 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB;
  • ATI Radeon HD 4670 discrete graphics; with 256MB GDDR3;
  • 1TB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
  • a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+ / -R DL/DVD+ / -RW/CD-RW);
  • Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);
  • built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
  • built-in iSight video camera;
  • Gigabit Ethernet port;
  • four USB 2.0 ports;
  • one FireWire 800 port;
  • SD card slot;
  • built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
  • Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.

The new 27-inch 3.06 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,699 (US), includes:

  • 27-inch 2560 x 1440 LED-backlit display;
  • 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache;
  • 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB;
  • ATI Radeon HD 4670 discrete graphics; with 256MB GDDR3;
  • 1TB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
  • a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+ / -R DL/DVD+ / -RW/CD-RW);
  • Mini DisplayPort for video input and output (adapters sold separately);
  • built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
  • built-in iSight video camera;
  • Gigabit Ethernet port;
  • four USB 2.0 ports;
  • one FireWire 800 port;
  • SD card slot;
  • built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
  • Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.

The new 27-inch 2.66 GHz Core i5 iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,999 (US), includes:

  • 27-inch 2560 x 1440 LED-backlit display;
  • 2.66 GHz Intel Core i5 quad-core processor with 8MB shared L3 cache;
  • 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB;
  • ATI Radeon HD 4850 discrete graphics; with 512MB GDDR3;
  • 1TB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
  • a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+ / -R DL/DVD+ / -RW/CD-RW);
  • Mini DisplayPort for video input and output (adapters sold separately);
  • built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
  • built-in iSight video camera;
  • Gigabit Ethernet port;
  • four USB 2.0 ports;
  • one FireWire 800 port;
  • SD card slot;
  • built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
  • Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.

Build-to-order options for the 27-inch Core i5 quad-core iMac include a 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7 quad-core processor.

Back in September, sources first told AppleInsider that Apple was ready and waiting with a redesigned iMac line with a new look.

The new 16:9 screen aspect ratio supports previous rumors that Blu-ray was planned as an option in the new iMac lineup. However, sources claimed that feature was pulled at the last minute, before manufacturing began last month.