Updated iMac, Mac Pro, Cinema Display arrive
Ah, yesterday is gone and so is Aug. 7, but today we have fresh desktops from the mothership. Visually, these products are the same, but there are changes o’ plenty under the hood.
Apple has announced an updated iMac line, which boosts processor speeds and rolls ATI graphics across the board with the Radeon HD 4670 at the low-end and Radeon HD 5670 in the other three models, as well as the Radeon HD 5750 with 1GB as a plus-$150 BTO option. Also, the iMac can now take up to 16GB of 1333MHz memory, making it the first choice for all but the most demanding applications.
There’s also the option to add a 256GB SSD drive as a primary drive for $600 or as a secondary drive for $750. So, finally, the option to put multiple drives in the iMac, which is cool except for the price and the fact that it’s only available in the 27-inch models.
Apple offers a quad-core 2.93GHz i5 option for $200 more
“We took the world’s best all-in-one and made it even better,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president, Worldwide Product Marketing. “With the latest processors, high-performance graphics and signature aluminum and glass design, customers are going to love the latest iMac.”
The one serious disappointment with these new iMacs is the lack of faster I/O. Contrary to the rumors, neither USB 3.0 nor faster FireWire made the cut, meaning the fastest you can get anything out of your shiny new iMac is still just 80MBps — a serious drawback.
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It’s the same four-product matrix and the price points are unchanged. All four models are available for order today with the promise of 24-hour availability.
Apple has also announced refreshed Mac Pros with up to 12 cores from $2,499 and updated 27-inch LED Cinema Display ($999). However, these products won’t be available until and August and September, respectively.
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