The Apple iMac gets a sizable update with larger screens, and the Mac mini goes server just in time for the holidays.
In addition to the new Apple Macbook notebook computer, Apple today unveiled a range of updates to bolster their desktop lineup in time for the upcoming holiday shopping season. At the high end is the new, larger Apple iMac, now available with a built-in screen up to 27-inches diagonal. But the most fun new announcement is probably the Apple Magic Mouse that will ship with the new Apple desktop machines. We were also surprised by a Mac mini update that may indicate a new direction for the energy efficient, diminutive PC.
New Apple iMac goes large
The new Apple iMac has gotten even bigger, as the all-in-one desktop now comes in configurations with either a 21.5-inch or a whopping 27-inch display. The new 27-inch display offers resolutions up to 2560 by 1440 pixels, a 60% increase over the older 24-inch Apple iMac. Even the smaller, 21.5 inch Apple iMac boasts the Full HD resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels, so 1080p content should fit perfectly on that screen.
Both new iMacs come packed in Apple's ubiquitous glass and aluminum caing, with a seamless-looking construction and a glass front that sits the display flush with the edge-to-edge glass bezel. The new screens also use IPS technology, which will let you view them from a super-wide, 178-degree angle.
The real excitement over the new Apple iMac machines won't be for the larger screen, but for the enhanced goodness within. Base models will ship with Intel Core 2 Dup chips inside, but in November, Apple will start shipping configurations with Intel Core i5 and Core i7 "Nehalem" processors within. Apple iMacs with Intel Core i7 chips will start at $2,200, but the base iMac, with a 21.5-inch screen and a respectable 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo chip will sell for $1,200. The new Apple iMac will start with 4GB of 1066MHz DDR RAM, but the 4 internal slots can be filled with up to 16GB of RAM total.
To drive those big screens, the new Apple iMac will be available with an ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics card at the high end. Base models will ship with the more notebook-friendly NVIDIA GeForce 9400M chipset, with other options thrown in between. We're still waiting to see an ultimate gamer's version of the Apple iMac that maxes out the graphics technology and adds some cooling and other gamer-friendly specs.
On the outside, the Apple iMac comes with a fairly average selection of ports. There are 4 USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire 800 port, audio input and output, and even a new SD card slot. Apple still refuses to add Blu-Ray to their machines, so the best optical option for these high-res screens is a DVD-burning Apple SuperDrive.
One Magic Mouse to rule them all
All of Apple's new machines will ship with the new, seamless Apple Magic Mouse. The Magic Mouse is the first real multi-touch mouse we've seen. The flat surface can be used as either a single-button or a two-button mouse, and the Apple Magic Mouse will also understand finger gestures with multiple fingers. Swipe one finger to scroll and pan around a Web page. Swipe two fingers to move forward and backwards in your browser. Apple promises some customization options for the Magic Mouse gestures, as well.
The Apple Magic Mouse is a wireless device working over Bluetooth. The mouse uses modern laser technology for higher resolution pointer tracking. The Magic Mouse will ship with new Apple desktop machines, or you can pick one up for your older Mac for $70. Now that the Apple Macbook and all the Apple desktops have a multi-touch option that comes standard, hopefully we'll see more developers making use of the navigation technology.
Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server, acting up
The tiny Apple Mac mini gets a feature boost as well, and among the new configurations available, the one that grabbed our attention was the new Mac mini with Apple's OS X Snow Leopard Server preloaded. The $1000 option loads the Mac mini with 2 500GB hard disk drives for a full terabyte of storage. Memory gets maxed out at 4GB and the Mac mini server uses a 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. Otherwise, the smaller configurations of the Mac mini get a modest speed bump. For $600, you can still buy a Mac mini with a 2.26 GHz Core 2 Duo processor, or add another $200 for a 2.53 GHz processor, plus 4GB of memory and a 320GB hard disk drive, doubling the memory and storage space.
The Apple Mac mini keeps its healthy selection of ports, with 5 USB 2.0 ports (the most standard on any Macintosh), a FireWire 800 port and even a built-in SuperDrive option. Inside, the Mac mini gets graphic support from an NVIDIA GeForce 9400M chipset. Apple claims this is the world's most energy efficient desktop, in keeping with their recently polished corporate green image. The new Mac mini configurations are available now from the Apple store.
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