Apple updates Mac mini and iMac

The second major product announcement from the folks at Apple this week is an update to its iMac® and Mac® mini desktop lines, including a 24-inch iMac. At the same recommended retail price as the previous generation 20-inch model, the 24-inch iMac update offers 30 percent more screen real estate and has twice the memory and twice the storage while the Mac mini boasts new integrated graphics.

The Mac mini

Claimed by Apple to be the world’s most energy efficient desktop computer, the Mac mini's energy efficiency equates to drawing less than 13 watts of power when idle - up to 10 times less than a typical desktop PC. It comes with a Mac OS® X Leopard® operating system and iLife® ’09 consumer applications for managing and organizing photos, making movies and creating and learning to play music.

The Mac mini measures 6.5 by 6.5 by 2-inches and features a 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up to 4GB of DDR3 1066 MHz memory, up to 320GB Serial ATA hard drive, five USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800 and a SuperDrive®.

The mini features NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics for up to five times better graphics performance than before and now has dual display support which can drive two Apple or third-party displays with Mini DisplayPort or DVI connections.

The iMac

The iMac line starts with the 20-inch iMac with a 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 memory, a 320GB Serial ATA hard drive and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics. The 24-inch iMac features a 1920-by-1200 pixel widescreen display and includes up to a 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 memory, a 640GB or 1TB Serial ATA hard drive, and a variety of graphics technology from NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics to the NVIDIA GeForce GT 130 or ATI Radeon HD 4850 discrete graphics.

The green Apple

The new iMac features a glossy display with a built-in iSight® video camera, mic and speakers. It also includes a Mini DisplayPort connector for a pure digital signal to Apple’s new 24-inch LED Cinema Display with adapters available for DisplayPort, VGA, DVI and Dual-Link DVI displays. iMac includes built-in AirPort Extreme® 802.11n Wi-Fi networking; Bluetooth 2.1+EDR; Gigabit Ethernet; a total of six USB 2.0 ports (including two on the Apple Keyboard); and one FireWire® 800 port.

Apple advises that both iMac and Mac exceed current Energy Star 4.0 requirements and they are working towards the more stringent Energy Star 5.0 requirements which will become effective later this year. Both iMac and Mac mini use PVC-free internal components and cables and do not contain brominated flame retardants. They both feature material-efficient system and packaging designs and use highly recyclable materials.

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