iMacs Now Feature Intel Core 2 Duo

Apple has announced that its entire iMac line now features the new Intel Core 2 Duo processor in every model, delivering up to 50 percent faster performance than the previous iMac.

A new 24-inch iMac with a widescreen display joins the 17- and 20-inch models, and iMac prices now start at $999.

Every new iMac includes a built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing out-of-the-box; Apple's Front Row media experience; and iLife ‘06, the next generation of Apple’s suite of digital lifestyle applications. Providing high-performance connectivity options, the iMac includes built-in 10/100/1000 BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet for high-speed networking, built-in AirPort Extreme, a total of five USB ports (three USB 2.0) and two FireWire ports (including one FireWire 800 port on the 24-inch model). The iMac also comes with the latest release of Mac OS X version 10.4.7 "Tiger" including Safari, Mail, iCal, iChat AV, Front Row and Photo Booth, running natively on the Intel-based desktop.

More from News Analysis

__PAGEBREAK__

"Every iMac - from the $999 model up through the new dazzling 24-inch widescreen model - now features blazing Core 2 Duo performance," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "And the new 24-inch widescreen iMac is the fastest, biggest and brightest iMac we’ve ever made."

The new iMac lineup includes four models: a 1.83 GHz and a 2.0 GHz 17-inch, a 2.16 GHz 20-inch and the all-new 2.16 GHz 24-inch iMac.

The 24-inch iMac features a 24-inch widescreen LCD display with a 1920-by-1200 pixel resolution that offers 30 percent more screen real estate than the 20-inch model and a brighter display to make reading text and viewing images even easier. The new iMac includes a 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4 MB of shared L2 cache, 1 GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory, a 250 GB Serial ATA hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT graphics with 128 MB of GDDR3 memory and a SuperDrive for burning DVDs. Users can configure the new 24-inch iMac with a 2.33 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up to 3 GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory, a 500 GB Serial ATA hard drive and the NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT with 256 MB of GDDR3 memory for outstanding graphics performance.

The new iMac line is shipping today and will be available through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. Apple today also increased processor speeds on both models of the Mac mini, delivering dual-core performance across the line at no additional cost. The $799 model now includes a 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, up from 1.66 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, and the $599 model now includes a 1.66 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, up from a 1.5 GHz Intel Core Solo processor.