iMac line updated with 16:9 displays, quad-core Core i5 / i7 model
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted Oct 20th 2009 12:01PM
posted Oct 20th 2009 12:01PM
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Pricing & Availability
The new 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo iMac and Mac mini lines are now shipping and available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. The Intel Core i5 and i7 quad-core iMacs are available for order and will begin shipping this November. Mac mini with Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server is available from the Apple Store and Apple's retail stores.
The new 21.5-inch 3.06 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,199 (US), includes:
• 21.5-inch 1920 x 1080 LED-backlit display;
• 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache;
• 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB;
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;
• 500GB 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 and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• SD card slot;
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.
The new 21.5-inch 3.06 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,499 (US), includes:
• 21.5-inch 1920 x 1080 LED-backlit display;
• 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache;
• 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB;
• ATI Radeon HD 4670 discrete graphics; with 256MB GDDR3;
• 1TB 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 and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• SD card slot;
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.
The new 27-inch 3.06 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,699 (US), includes:
• 27-inch 2560 x 1440 LED-backlit display;
• 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache;
• 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB;
• ATI Radeon HD 4670 discrete graphics; with 256MB GDDR3;
• 1TB 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 input and output (adapters sold separately);
• built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• SD card slot;
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.
The new 27-inch 2.66 GHz Core i5 iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,999 (US), includes:
• 27-inch 2560 x 1440 LED-backlit display;
• 2.66 GHz Intel Core i5 quad-core processor with 8MB shared L3 cache;
• 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB;
• ATI Radeon HD 4850 discrete graphics; with 512MB GDDR3;
• 1TB 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 input and output (adapters sold separately);
• built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• SD card slot;
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.
Build-to-order options for the 27-inch Core i5 quad-core iMac include a 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7 quad-core processor.
why on earth would someone want a 27 inch display as a computer monitor?
My sentiments exactly
LOL, some of us use our computers beyond gaming. I have 2 X 30" HD monitors and that's still not enough for me to edit my HD video. But I'll be your games will look great on this.
Why NOT? I mean helloooooo who can't use more screen real estate? I want to type a word document while reading a pdf book and watching youtube videos without switching windows.
To watch movies? This is aimed at students and people who don't have a lot of space. Hence the 16:9 display. There are plenty of 16:9 computer monitors available and they seem to sell well. What ISN'T to like?
I use my 26" TV as my monitor...
I'll get the rip off macs comments out of the way for us all. I've just built a similar PC (i5 but with a 5850) and even when factoring in my TV, the extra for the 5850 over the 4850 and the price hike for hardware going from the US to the UK it still cost less.
I have 3x24" 16:9 screens, because i work with design/web dev./application dev/etc. (and obiously, I'm a NERD).. but I doubt that "regular" folk will want to have something this HUGE in their home... I would at least have assumed that they offer something between 21" and 27"...
I do like the fact that they moved to 16:9...
Large displays are great for multi touch.. err....
The question really should be why would anyone want a 27" monitor that is also a computer? It's okay to swap in a 22" monitor if your 22" iMac kicks the dust (or becomes obsolete), but a 27" is still pretty expensive to replace.
To answer your question: just got a studio apartment in NY. One of these will easily satisfy my computing / movie watching needs, and save me quite a bit of space.
What a strange OP comment. Unless you are talking about a portable computer, I don't know anyone who would not appreciate a larger monitor.
I would gladly take more real estate, i work with between 8 and 15 programs open and doing things at any given time.
"I'll get the rip off macs comments out of the way for us all. I've just built a similar PC (i5 but with a 5850) and even when factoring in my TV, the extra for the 5850 over the 4850 and the price hike for hardware going from the US to the UK it still cost less."
Keep in mind your TV is not an IPS panel. The LG 24" panel that went in the old imacs were about $1200 by themselves, there isnt even a price reference for a 27" yet but i wouldnt doubt $1600+ retail.
@ ilh
And I'm sure your 26" TV has even a fraction of the resolution or quality (true IPS) that these displays have.
May be very old people with vision problems. Otherwise, its absurd, unless you are like 4 ft away from that monitor I find that resolution and size to be disturbing when close.
@ilh
You forgot to factor in the price of a monitor with 2560x1440 resolution. I believe the only TVs with that resolution run ~$10,000. If you wanted to pick up a 30" 2560x1600 new it'll cost you over $1000. I'm sure you didn't factor that into your pricing.
hey Josh! the Apple Remote got an update as well!!
http://store.apple.com/nl/configure/MB953N/A?mco=MTMzNzUyMjk
scroll down to the remote option!
Believe it or not it really can be useful. I have a Slingbox Pro hooked to a cable box and I watch the TV display for news or Bloomberg TV for following stocks in a reduced size window while surfing the internet. On that same computer I also have an EyeTV reduced size window feed for OTA channels. I sometimes watch all of this on a smallish 19" monitor and the windows overlap unless I go into deeper resolutions.
If I had that larger 27" I could put all the windows up and use them. Not that I usually have two TV feeds going unless I'm recording a program and I'll just use it to monitor what I'm recording. It's really nice to have that extra screen real estate if you need it without compromising on text legibility.
Ha ha ha! You're joking, right? Sitting here in front of a 30" & a 24" I utilize spaces bigtime and I still find myself looking for more screenspace!
Sorry, is this a trick question? 27" is too big? I wonder what you make of 30" displays...which I'd sell your left kidney for.
Why would I want a 27" computer monitor? Why would I want to sleep on a king size bed, buy a vehicle with more cargo space, write on wide ruled notebook paper, drive on 17" rims, watch movies in an iMax theater, work in a big corner office with gigantic windows, wash my cloths in a super extra large capacity washer, and roam the open plains with a big blue sky over my head ? Because I live in a free country!
I agree without a blu-ray player that we could backup our home movies at $3/25GB and watch real HD content it is lacking
I'm confused why many monitor manufacturers, and now Apple, are making 16:9 monitors the standard. Why are the 16:10 1920x1200 monitors being phased out? While it may get rid of black bars for movies, the extra pixels really help when doing practical computer work, which I'm sure people are using their computer for more than movies. Why not take advantage of the extra vertical pixels?
A 4850? Seriously Apple?
Hahaha
@10minuteHobo Its actually not a bad card. Its not a 700 dollar gaming powerhouse, but you can do just about anything with it at that resolution. Its damn nice for a mobile card, thats for sure.
Look at every single Apple product post. The first comment in 80% of them is a hate comment and the rest are replies defending. I wish I wasn't so lazy. I would post examples. It's always the first comment that is all hate.
doesn't matter what size they dish out (even a one incher), every idouch will make up a story or a reason for them wanting one. just as read ^ above
here's another perspective: i have an eye condition that is not completely correctable with glasses and never will be. i have to turn the font size up significantly to be comfortable reading, even with the glasses i do have. more pixels are about the only means i have of getting the same amount of usable "space" as most people would have on a smaller screen. now i just wish apple would follow through on their dpi-independent UI promises that started back in Tiger...
@Common Man, thats because neither of your 30 inch displays tout 2560x1440 resolution. With that, you can have your HD video in your NLE at full resolution, have tons of layers and modules open and just that tiny extra space for an IM window perhaps. Your second monitor could be used for................ uh... Crysis.
DISREGARD THAT, this is a mac.
I want one :(
I just bought the top-of-line-model 24 inch iMac back in April and I want this new model! And I'm completely happy with the iMac I have. Damn, only Apple can make you this crazy!
This is exactly how i am feeling. I am completely happy with my current one, but damn do i want to sell it and buy the new one.
You can't play the waiting game with Apple. I had a Mac Pro for years and wanted a new one after three years, but I kept waiting because I knew there would be something better in a couple months. Those months stretched into a couple more years. And that's great, my Mac Pro kept chugging along, but at some point you just have to buy something.
There seems to be less of a chin on these Mac's. Pity it does not have a VESA type mount as standard.
I did too, and then I realized that that beautiful 27" screen is set behind a big ol' slab of glass, which kind of ruins the point of having a high-quality screen to begin with.
I was waiting the new iMac to buy the old ones for cheaper price... but... jesus... this new iMac are so damn beautiful!
Always I want 1 comments ranked highly. as FIRST comments ranked low. hmm
Go big or go home.
Probably a dumb question to most of you, but here it goes: I've never used any Apple products (save for Safari on my Win pc), how big of a learning curve does one face in making the switch from Windows to Macs?
Thanks for your time and consideration
Very little. You will enjoy it for sure. Especially if you are a power user, once you get into the automator and apple script its just pure awesome.
Go for it. You'll love it. It should not take you long to love the difference.
Most of it is a pretty straight forward carry over, but there are certain major differences. I'd recommend playing with one at the Apple store and seeing how well the style suits you. I think you'll find the vast majority pretty easy to pick up, since it's really not too much different from your experience with windows. There are some quirks with copying files and downloading ones that work a bit differently from windows so I'd give that a shot at the Apple store. If you're a really hardcore power user and are going to be doing command line you can practice at home with a linux installation, since they are amazingly similar environments(you probably won't see much command line in OSX that isn't exactly the same in linux). Just be aware of the differences going in(what software works with what, prices, ease of use, etc)
There is a transition, complete with head scratching moments. However, the basics are more or less the same, and OS X is pretty simple to use.
What window have you used? I like OSX a lot but I have been hooked on Windows 7 for a month now. OSX is nice to casually use but I don't think I can go without my Win 7. It really just depends on what you do i guess.
Considering that Windows was pretty much everything taken from the Mac, (ever see Pirates of Silicon Valley?) Everyone I know that has converted from Windows to PC (cept for one person) has embraced the Mac experience. The biggest problem with switchers is that they are so used to the computer telling you how to do things, they have trouble with the concept of telling their computer to work the way "They tell it to work." I see people struggle with Mac's every day, I walk up push one button and they kinda feel stupid. I use Mac's mainly because of FCP and MobileMe.
Not a ton. The hardest thing to get used to is probably the concept that an app can be running even if it has no windows open (think of how word documents can be separate windows inside of one copy of the app.. this is how it is on a Mac, even after you close the last window.. if you want to quit the app, you quit it, rather than just closing the window. no more work, but conceptually different).
The control panels and stuff of course are done in a totally different manner, but they're centralized and more intuitive than the way many settings are spread out all over in Windows. Only a few things are tricky to find.
Most userland stuff is pretty dead simple to figure out.
You could probably pick up OsX easily enough, the real question will be which one you prefer after you've learned both. I personal don't like the look & feel of OsX Snow Leopard, so I generally live in Windows 7 and boot to OsX on rare occasions. Go with what you like!
Why is Mark ranked down. I have had plenty of battles with him over plenty of crap but nothing he wrote is incorrect. I guess thats the environment the winbots have created, seething unbridled hatred.
It's very easy to switch. I told my wife I got a new desktop on Monday (that was three months ago), showed her the 24 iMac on our desk, spent 5 mins with her showing her just a few basic things and that's it. By Friday she had it all figured out. She's been a windows user all her life and isn't very technical, and she hasn't got stuck on anything so far and she does a lot of multimedia work (photos, video, music etc...).
For someone who's heavily stuck in their windows ways, the learning curve isn't much but it'll take a good week or two before you become somewhat comfortable. It'll help if you look at a switchers' guide (there are many out there), one that I liked is on the OSX Forum at Notebookreview.com.
Good luck and chances are you'll love the switch.
Sorry Common Man, No.
So far Apple copied more on Microsoft than anything else. While you praise on you Time Machine, instant search, and all that thinking it's Apple who invented it, Microsoft announced it wall back in 2001, and presented in 2003 for the delayed OS (Vista).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9ifQvQCO7Y
Putting larger icons at the bottom of the screen doesn't immediately means Microosft copied Mac OS. If you used Win7, you would know that they work completely differently.
I don't use a Mac OS, but I don't go around saying junk, bash and lie about it, I just the facts and allow the user decide for himself which OS and xWindows (for Linux) with he person needs best. Every OS (and xWindows UI layout for Linux) has it's strength and weekness. They are no such thing as ideal, or perfect environment for all.