In the early hours of this morning Apple announced the refresh of its iMac desktop computer range. They look much like the 2010 model, but inside they’re packing Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors, the Core i5 and Core i7. The new iMac also use Apple’s new Thunderbolt port technology. This allows 10 Gbps of throughput in both directions. That’s 20 times faster than with USB 2.0, and over 12 times faster than FireWire 800. There’s one Thunderbolt port on the 21.5-inch models, and two on the 27-inch models.
Pinched from the iPhone and iPad 2 is FaceTime, which using the iMac’s camera allow you to make video calls in 720p resolution. A wireless keyboard is part of the package, as is the choice of either a Magic Mouse or a Magic Trackpad.
iMac (2011 models) pricing
Below is the pricing and main specs for the two sizes of iMacs, the 21.5 inch screen models, and the 27-inch. As a point of interest in a time of the Australian dollar being so strong, I’ve included the US pricing in brackets. Keep in mind that the US price needs to have sales tax added.
The new Apple iMac models are available from the Apple Store
21.5-inch models
- Processor: 2.5GHz
- 2.5GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
- 1920 x 1080 resolution monitor
- 4GB (two 2GB) memory
- 500GB hard drive
- AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 512MB
- Price: $1,399.00 (US price is $1,199.00)
- Processor: 2.7GHz
- 2.7GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
- 1920 x 1080 resolution monitor
- 4GB (two 2GB) memory
- 1TB hard drive
- AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 512MB
- Price: $1,698.00 (US price is $1,499.00)
27-inch models
- Processor: 2.7GHz
- 2.7GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
- 2560 x 1440 resolution monitor
- 4GB (two 2GB) memory
- 1TB hard drive
- AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 512MB
- Price: $1,949.00 (US price is $1,699.00)
- Processor: 3.1GHz
- 3.1GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
- 2560 x 1440 resolution monitor
- 4GB (two 2GB) memory
- 1TB hard drive
- AMD Radeon HD 6970M with 1GB
- Price: $2,299.00 (US price is $1,999.00)