Tech Shout!

Apple has launched the new iMac featuring Mac OS X running on the new Intel Core Duo processor, which has a twice-as-good performance in comparison to that of its precursor.

The iMac design now incorporates dual-core processors, a built-in iSight video camera and Apple’s Front Row media experience with the Apple Remote.

According to Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, “The iMac has already been praised as ‘the gold standard of desktop PCs’, so we hope customers really love the new iMac, which is up to twice as fast.” He added, “With Mac OS X plus Intel’s latest dual-core processor under the hood, the new iMac delivers performance that will knock our customers’ socks off.”

The new iMac features Apple’s Front Row media experience and the Apple Remote, a simple way for customers to enjoy the content they have on their iMac including songs from their iTunes music library, photo slideshows from iPhoto, videos including TV shows, Podcasts, iMovies and DVDs and popular movie trailers streamed from apple.com all from across the room.

Every new iMac comes with a built-in iSight video camera for out-of-the-box video conferencing using Apple’s iChat AV software, or recording a video Podcast or iMovie using iLife ‘06. The built-in iSight video camera takes advantage of the Intel Core Duo processor to deliver up to four times the resolution over the previous model. Each iMac also includes Apple’s Photo Booth that enables users to take quick snapshots with the built-in iSight video camera, add entertaining visual effects and share their pictures with the touch of a button.

The new iMac comes standard with a SuperDrive for burning professional-quality DVDs, 512 MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory expandable to 2 GB, hard drive storage capacity up to 500 GB and ATI Radeon X1600 PCI Express-based graphics with 128 MB of GDDR3 memory. The new iMac includes built-in 10/100/1000 BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet for high-speed networking, built-in AirPort Extreme for fast 54 Mbps wireless networking, built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate), five USB ports (three USB 2.0) and two FireWire 400 ports. The new iMac now includes mini-DVI video output to connect up to a 23-inch Apple Cinema HD Display. With mini-DVI and the new iMac’s extended desktop mode feature, users can more than double their available screen real estate.

iLife ‘06, the next generation of Apple’s suite of digital lifestyle applications, features new versions of iPhoto, iMovie HD, iDVD, GarageBand and introduces iWeb, a new iLife application that makes it easy to create Web sites with photos, blogs and Podcasts and publish them on .Mac for viewing by anyone on the Internet with just a single click. All the iLife ‘06 applications are Universal applications that run natively on the new Intel-based iMacs for maximum performance.

Every new iMac comes with the latest release of Mac OS X version 10.4.4 “Tiger” including Safari, Mail, iCal, iChat AV, Front Row and Photo Booth, running natively on Apple’s first Intel-based desktop. Mac OS X Tiger integrates a software translation technology called Rosetta that lets customers run most Mac OS X PowerPC applications seamlessly.

The new iMac is available for a starting price of $1,299 through the Apple Store (http://www.apple.com/), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

The new 17-inch 1.83 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,299, includes:

- 17-inch widescreen LCD display
- 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo processor
- 512 MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM expandable to 2 GB
- 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
- PCI Express-based ATI Radeon X1600 with 128 MB GDDR3 memory
- built-in iSight video camera
- built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
- 160 GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm
- mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately)
- built-in stereo speakers and microphone
- the Infrared Apple Remote, Mighty Mouse and Apple Keyboard

The new 20-inch 2.0 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,699, includes:

- 20-inch widescreen LCD display
- 2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo processor
- 512 MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM expandable to 2 GB
- 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
- PCI Express-based ATI Radeon X1600 with 128 MB GDDR3 memory
- built-in iSight video camera
- built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
- 250 GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm
- mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately)
- built-in stereo speakers and microphone
- the Infrared Apple Remote, Mighty Mouse and Apple Keyboard

Build-to-order options and accessories include up to 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 250 GB and 500 GB Serial ATA hard drives, up to 256 MB of GDDR3 video memory on the 20-inch iMac, iWork ‘06 (pre-installed), AirPort Express and AirPort Extreme Base Station, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Apple Wireless Mouse, Apple USB Modem and the AppleCare Protection Plan.