Amazingly Thin iMac Announced By Apple

The wait is over folks. Apple officially announced the long awaited update to their iMac line of desktop computers. I know a handful of customers that have been waiting patiently for these machines and I for one can say that Apple did not disappoint.

The new iMac is now 40% less in volume than its previous version and a significant amount lighter for both the 21.5 and 27 inch sizes. To account for this reduction in size Apple had to remove the optical drive and redesign how they assemble the iMac screen. These innovations make the iMac at it’s thinnest – 5mm. As you move to center mass, the iMac bows out allowing room for a 2.7 GHz Intel i5 processor, 8GB of memory a NVIDIA graphics processor and a traditional hard drive. Some of you might be thinking – traditional hard drive, really Apple? Well Apple also gives customers the option of buying flash storage on their iMac or this thing Apple has dubbed Fusion Drive.

Without going into crazy detail about what a Fusion Drive actually is it simply combines a solid state drive with a hard drive. This gives users a balance of speed and capacity at a reasonable price. It is true that Seagate has a hybrid drive which at first glance looks similar to the Fusion Drive but the support for optimal use of the hybrid drive with Apple seems to have been lacking. We can rest assured that Apple will have full support for their Fusion Drive.

So it’s thinner, it’s lighter (not that you’ll be carrying it any farther than from your car to your home), it’s more powerful and it’s faster. After analyzing almost every component of the new iMac and you’ll see how everything has been changed for the better, everything except for the price.

I suppose that in order to pay for that new technique of fusing the screen together Apple had to up the starting price of the iMac to $1299. Now that isn’t a huge jump, only $100 from the old version but I’d be reluctant to say that is an improvement. Regardless I like what Apple has done here. The new iMac looks sleek and has a number of much needed upgrades. I for one would need to think long and hard about what else I could have asked for in an iMac update.

Apple says that the 21.5-inch iMac will be available in November and the 27-inch will be available in December. I know we will be working as hard as we can to get these iMacs into our retail stores for you to see in person. Until then give us a call or go online to ask us any questions you might have about the new iMac.

Similar Posts

  • iPad: First Impressions

    Apple unveiled its “latest creation” this week, the massively anticipated iPad tablet. First things first – we’re blown away by the iPad’s potential….

  • In Like a Lion: 10.7 Coming in Summer '11

    When the image popped up on the web for the Back to the Mac event, the cat behind the Apple was easily recognizable, prompting the accurate speculation that the next incarnation of OS X would be branded “Lion.” Today, Steve announced that 10.7 is indeed on its way, slated for release in Summer 2011.

    Lion boasts dozens of new features, including the Mac App Store, Launchpad, Full-screen apps and Mission Control. Here’s how Apple describes it:

    “We took our best thinking from Mac OS X and brought it to the iPhone. Then we took our best thinking from the iPhone and brought it to iPad. And now we’re bringing it all back to the Mac with our eighth major release of the world’s most advanced operating system.”

    Mac App Store
    Inspired by the success of the App Store for iPhone and iPod touch and available in 90 days from today, the Mac App Store will allow you to purchase, download and install apps from the store itself—no packaging required! Developers will be able to submit apps for approval as soon as November. We’ll have more on this shortly, since this is a big change from how you’re used to getting apps on your Mac.

    Launchpad
    As Apple puts it, the Launchpad “gives you instant access to your apps—iPad style.” When you click the Launchpad icon in your Dock, your windows will “fade away,” leaving a full-screen view of all of the apps on your Mac. From there, you swipe your fingers to see multiple pages, bringing the functionality of Spaces. If you have just downloaded an app from the Mac App Store, it will automatically appear in the Dock, ready to launch.

    Full-screen apps
    This is a great way to tune out the distractions. Apps can now go full-screen natively, something people have been asking for for a long time (I used to get this question all the time from people who were switching from Windows). You will be able to bring an app to full-screen with one click, switch to another with a swipe, and then back to the desktop with another swipe.

    Mission Control
    Mission Control gives you a “bird’s-eye view of everything” all in one place. Apple describes it thusly: “With a simple swipe gesture, your desktop zooms out to Mission Control. There you can see your open windows grouped by app, thumbnails of your full-screen apps, Dashboard, and even other Spaces, arranged in a unified view.” Anything in Mission Control is accessible with one click.

    No word yet on the price tag of Lion, nor a firmer release date. We’ll be keeping you up-to-date on Lion news as we get it!

  • iOS 4.1 and iOS 4.2 for iPad Sneak Peek

    *iOS 4.1*
    Today, Apple introduced iOS 4.1. Steve Jobs noted a lot of fixes and new features, including:

    * various bug fixes for Proximity, Bluetooth and iPhone 3G
    * High Dynamic Range photos
    * HD video upload over Wi-Fi
    * TV show rentals
    * Game Center

    High Dynamic Range photos consist of essentially three separate images so that it will gather midranges, shadows and highlights effectively. As I mentioned earlier, HD video uploads and TV show rentals, and Game Center–a hub for multiplayer games.

    iOS 4.1 will be available next week for iPhone and iPod touch. More on this then!


    *iOS 4.2 for iPad*
    The iPad should feel special, because it’s getting its own (i)OS update. iOS 4.2 is all about the iPad.

    This is why it’s hot:

    * wireless printing for iOS on your iPad
    * AirPlay to stream video and audio over Wi-Fi from your iPad
    * add apps to folders, just like iPhone, as well as multitasking

    The update will be available in November, and it’s free for iPad users. We’ll be writing more on this as soon as we get our hands on it.

  • Apple's iPhone Event: The Recap

    Today was a much anticipated day: as someone quoted on Twitter, “it’s like Christmas for iPhone users.” And it kind of is! For…

  • iPhone Event Poll

    What Do You Think Apple Will Announce at Tomorrow’s iPhone Event?