Get More for Less with New iMac, Mac mini Models

After endless rumors of imminent upgrades to its entire line of desktop computers, the Mac maker has finally arrived with the confirmation - “Apple Updates Consumer Desktop Line” reads the latest headline over at Apple's press room. The company announced today updates to all its desktop Macs, including the iMac, the Mac mini and the Mac Pro. As the Mac Pro deserves its own piece, we will be detailing the iMac and Mac mini upgrades for now.

According to the official report, Apple has upgraded its desktop systems to include more affordable 24-inch iMac, along with a Mac mini that offers powerful new integrated graphics. The former also received NVIDIA graphics. Apple claims that the new 24-inch iMac delivers a 30 percent larger display, twice the memory and twice the storage, all for the same $1,499 price as the previous generation 20-inch iMac. For the mini, the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics (introduced with the aluminum unibody MacBook family) delivers up to five times better graphics performance.

“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.”

Apple insists on pointing out that the Mac mini is currently “the world’s most energy efficient desktop, drawing less than 13 watts of power when idle.” OK, enough small talk. Let's have a look at the specs, shall we? Below are the tech specifications for the more affordable and higher-specced 24-inch iMac, as well as the starter Mac mini model, priced at $1,499 and $599, respectively.


New 24-inch 2.66 GHz iMac

· 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;
· the Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse.


New 2.0 GHz Mac mini

· 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;
· one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog.


All iMac and Mac mini systems come with Mac OS X Leopard and iLife ’09. Visit Apple here to learn more about the new consumer desktop offerings.