The granddaddy of the new iMacs is a 24-incher with a 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB of RAM, a 1TB HDD and a 512MB GeForce GT 130.
The lower end is the 20-incher with a 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB of RAM, a 320GB HDD, and a GeForce 9400M. The other options are in between these two, predictably enough.
The updates represent a price drop from $1,799 to $1,499 for the 24-inch model, so if you’ve been holding off, now’s your chance. Also, all iMac models can now support 8GB of RAM if you’ve got the scratch, and Firewire 400 has been removed in exchange for a 4th USB port.
24-inch iMac Starts at $1,499
CUPERTINO, California-March 3, 2009-Apple® today announced updates to
its iMac® and Mac® mini desktop lines, including a 24-inch iMac that
is priced more affordably than ever before and a Mac mini with
powerful new integrated graphics. For the same $1,499 price as the
previous generation 20-inch iMac, the new 24-inch iMac delivers a 30
percent larger display, twice the memory and twice the storage.
Delivering up to five times better graphics performance, the updated
Mac mini now features the same groundbreaking NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
integrated graphics introduced with the aluminum unibody MacBook®
family.* The Mac mini is the world’s most energy efficient desktop,
drawing less than 13 watts of power when idle.** All iMac and Mac mini
systems come with Mac OS® X Leopard®, the world’s most advanced
operating system, and iLife® ’09, Apple’s unparalleled suite of
consumer applications for managing and organizing photos, making
movies and creating and learning to play music.
“Our flagship 24-inch iMac with twice the memory and twice the storage
is now available for just $1,499,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s COO. “The
Mac mini is not only our most affordable Mac, it’s also the world’s
most energy efficient desktop computer.”
The elegant, full-featured iMac line starts with the 20-inch iMac for
only $1,199 with a 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of 1066
MHz DDR3 memory, a 320GB Serial ATA hard drive and NVIDIA GeForce
9400M integrated graphics. The 24-inch iMac features a beautiful
1920-by-1200 pixel widescreen display that offers 30 percent more
screen real estate than the 20-inch model, and starts at just $1,499.
The 24-inch iMac includes up to a 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor,
4GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 memory, a 640GB or 1TB Serial ATA hard drive, and
a variety of graphics technology from NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated
graphics to the NVIDIA GeForce GT 130 or ATI Radeon HD 4850 discrete
graphics for ultimate performance.
Every iMac features a glossy display with a built-in iSight® video
camera, mic and speakers in a thin aluminum and glass design. The new
iMac also includes a Mini DisplayPort connector for a pure digital
signal to Apple’s new 24-inch LED Cinema Display with adapters
available for DisplayPort, VGA, DVI and Dual-Link DVI displays. iMac
includes built-in AirPort Extreme® 802.11n Wi-Fi networking; Bluetooth
2.1+EDR; Gigabit Ethernet; a total of six USB 2.0 ports (including two
on the Apple Keyboard); and one FireWire® 800 port.
Starting at $599, the Mac mini is an innovative, tiny desktop
measuring only 6.5 by 6.5 by 2-inches. Available in two models, Mac
mini features a 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up to 4GB of DDR3
1066 MHz memory, up to 320GB Serial ATA hard drive, five USB 2.0
ports, FireWire 800 and a SuperDrive®. The Mac mini features NVIDIA
GeForce 9400M integrated graphics for up to five times better graphics
performance than before* and now with dual display support can drive
two Apple or third-party displays with Mini DisplayPort or DVI
connections. Using less than 13 watts of power at idle, up to 10 times
less power than a typical desktop PC, the new Mac mini is the most
energy efficient desktop in the world.**
Continuing Apple’s commitment to the environment, both iMac and Mac
mini extend their leadership in green design. Both iMac and Mac mini
exceed current Energy Star 4.0 requirements and are leading the
industry as early adopters of the more stringent Energy Star 5.0
requirements which will become effective later this year. Both iMac
and Mac mini use PVC-free internal components and cables and contain
no brominated flame retardants. Both iMac and Mac mini feature
material-efficient system and packaging designs and use highly
recyclable materials. Apple’s new desktop lineup joins its recently
introduced aluminum unibody MacBook family in achieving EPEAT Gold
status.***
Every Mac comes with Apple’s innovative iLife ’09 suite of
applications for managing photos, making movies and creating and
learning to play music. iLife ’09 features iPhoto®, which introduces
Faces and Places as breakthrough new ways to easily organize and
manage your photos; iMovie® with powerful easy-to-use new features
such as Precision Editor, video stabilization and advanced drag and
drop; and GarageBand® which introduces a whole new way to help you
learn to play piano and guitar. Every Mac also includes Leopard, the
world’s most advanced operating system which features Time Machine™,
an effortless way to automatically back up everything on a Mac; a
redesigned Finder™ that lets users quickly browse and share files
between multiple Macs; Quick Look, the best way to instantly see files
without opening an application; Spaces®, an intuitive feature used to
create groups of applications and instantly switch between them; Mail
with easy setup and elegant, personalized stationery; and iChat®, the
most advanced video chat.
Apple also announced that its popular AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi
Base Station and Time Capsule® now feature simultaneous 2.4 GHz and 5
GHz dual-band networking for optimal performance, range and
compatibility. An innovative Guest Network feature allows setting up a
secondary network for friends and visitors with Internet-only access
so you don’t have to hand out your WiFi password. Time Capsule
combines an 802.11n router and server-grade hard disk for automatic
wireless back-up with Time Machine, and is immediately available in
two models: a 500GB model for $299 and a 1TB model for $499. The
AirPort Extreme Base Station is also available immediately for a
suggested retail price of $179.****
Pricing & Availability
The new 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 new 20-inch 2.66 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,199
(US), includes:
• 20-inch widescreen LCD display;
• 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 6MB shared L2 cache;
• 2GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 8GB;
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;
• 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);
• Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);
• built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• the Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse.
The new 24-inch 2.66 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,499
(US), includes:
• 24-inch widescreen LCD display;
• 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 6MB shared L2 cache;
• 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 8GB;
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;
• 640GB 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 & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• the Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse.
The new 24-inch 2.93 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,799
(US), includes:
• 24-inch widescreen LCD display;
• 2.93 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 6MB shared L2 cache;
• 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 8GB;
• NVIDIA GeForce GT 120; with 256MB GDDR3 SDRAM memory;
• 640GB 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 & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• the Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse.
The new 24-inch 3.06 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $2,199
(US), includes:
• 24-inch widescreen LCD display;
• 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 6MB shared L2 cache;
• 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 8GB;
• NVIDIA GeForce GT 130; with 512MB GDDR3 memory;
• 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 & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• the Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse.
Build-to-order options and accessories for the iMac include: a 3.06
GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up to 8GB DDR3 SDRAM, up to 1TB Serial
ATA hard drive, and NVIDIA GeForce GT 130, or ATI Radeon HD 4850 with
512MB GDDR3 memory on the 24-inch iMac, and up to 8GB DDR3 SDRAM and
up to a 1TB Serial ATA hard drive on the 20-inch iMac. Additional
options include: Apple Keyboard with numeric keypad, Apple Wireless
Keyboard and Wireless Mighty Mouse; AirPort Express®, AirPort Extreme
Base Station, Time Capsule; Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter, Mini
DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (for 30-inch DVI display), Mini
DisplayPort to VGA Adapter, Apple USB Modem, Apple Remote, the
AppleCare® Protection Plan; and pre-installed copies of iWork® ’09,
Logic® Express 8, Final Cut® Express 4 and Aperture™ 2.
The new 2.0 GHz Mac mini, for a suggested retail price of $599 (US), includes:
• 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache;
• 1GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable up to 4GB;
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;
• 120GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm;
• a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
• Mini DisplayPort and mini-DVI for video output (adapters sold separately);
• built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000 BASE-T);
• five USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port; and
• one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both
optical digital and analog.
The new 2.0 GHz Mac mini, for a suggested retail price of $799 (US), includes:
• 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache;
• 2GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable up to 4GB;
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;
• 320GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm;
• a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
• Mini DisplayPort and mini-DVI for video output (adapters sold separately);
• built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000 BASE-T);
• five USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port; and
• one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both
optical digital and analog.
Build-to-order options and accessories for the Mac mini include: a
2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up to 4GB DDR3 SDRAM, 80GB, 250GB
or 320GB 5400 hard drives. Additional options include: LED Cinema
Display, Apple Keyboard, Apple Keyboard with numeric keypad, Apple
Wireless Keyboard and Wireless Mighty Mouse; AirPort Express, AirPort
Extreme Base Station, Time Capsule; Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter,
Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (for 30-inch DVI display),
Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter, Apple USB Modem, Apple Remote, the
AppleCare Protection Plan; and pre-installed copies of iWork ’09,
Logic Express 8, Final Cut Express 4 and Aperture 2.
*Testing conducted by Apple in January 2009 using preproduction Mac
mini units with 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processors. Based on Quake 4
using 1280 x 1024 High Quality setting. Performance tests are
conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate
performance of Mac mini.
**Claim based on energy efficiency categories and products listed
within the EPA Energy Star 4.0 database as of February 2009.
***EPEAT is an independent organization that helps customers compare
the environmental performance of notebooks and desktops. Products
meeting all of the 23 required criteria and at least 75 percent of the
optional criteria are recognized as EPEAT Gold products. The EPEAT
program was conceived by the US EPA and is based on IEEE 1680 standard
for Environmental Assessment of Personal Computer Products. For more
information visit www.epeat.net.
****AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule are based on an IEEE 802.11n
draft specification. Actual performance will vary based on range,
connection rate, site conditions, size of network and other factors.
The Mac Mini is the greatest Mac that never was, always just a little too expensive and/or a little too underfeatured to be perfect. This time it’s closer than ever to perfection—but still falls short.
It’s nice and compact, just like its externally identical predecessors
Very difficult to upgrade by hand, but at least there’s a cheap RAM upgrade
No HDMI means it can’t be a great home-theater PC
Now you can get a 24-inch iMac for the same price of the old 20-inch—$1,499—with the 20-inch dropping to $1,199. The 24-inch base model also got double the RAM and hard drive.
