Apple Releases Core 2 Duo iMac, Adds 24" Model

[Foggy]

I realize it's unlikely Apple will release a Conroe minitower, but I definitely still see a place for it, and hey, one can always dream.

I asked a while back if Apple were likely to release a mini tower type machine and was quite surprised with the agreessivley negative replies some people gave all but calling me an idiot for asking for one. Some people just dont seem to get the fact there could quite easily be a machine that sits inbetween the mac mini and the mac pro even though the imac exists.

 

[Linito]

nice a 24" imac! wohooo!, but when is the 30" or 40" coming out?
the best of all this still is the fact that once again there is a sub 1000€/$ imac

 

[kangaroo]

I'll wait for the Media Centre Edition to ship - that's one of the "super secret" parts of OSX 10.5 that hasn't been shown.

Could you expand on this? What will the Media edition add to the pot? Thanks.

 

[ZoomZoomZoom]

How does the NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 128MB compare to the ATI X1600? Is it faster, better, and or more reliable? I am assuming this is also underclocked?

This has been answered several times in the past... 2 minutes...

http://www.apple.com/imac/graphics.html

 

[2ndPath]

Precisely - see my above post. As I see it, there is still a huge gap in the product line - perhaps not in price or specs, but in fundamental design philosophy. Anyone wanting an Apple desktop is forced to buy an AIO. For many people that's fine, they don't care, perhaps they even welcome it or prefer it, but for many others it's simply not an attractive option.

Nicely said. I fully agree.

 

[amols]

Wow...now what's left for Sept 12 ? iPods and iTunes??

And those waiting for MBPs........Start Crying

 

[sluthy]

See this - the price of the spec I want in US Dollars, when converted to British Pounds, is...£1337!

I like that!

I love Intel's naming scheme right now, how there's the Core 2 Duo for the desktop, and the...Core 2 Duo for notebooks...which are the same, but slightly different...and they both follow on from the Core Solo and Duo...which aren't actually Core processors...*headexplodes*

Bring on Merom MBP's! Then get them preloaded with Leopard before the end of February so I can still get it all before I graduate and get edu discount!

 

[azzurri000]

Wow, what a beauty. I am surprised that the top model didn't come with a better graphics card standard though, especially because of its large screen size.

 

[odedia]

Nope, desktop chip.

we don't know that yet.

The ATI X1600 in the "old" iMac is a mobile chip. And an UNDERCLOCKED one.

Damn it, I wanted a Conroe iMac... I wonder how different they are from the Merom performance wise?

BTW, Vesa mount is back with the 24" model.

It's pretty clear why the added the Firewire 800 port ot the iMac: Time Machine requires an external hard drive. And it would be best if it was a pretty darn fast one, as well.

 

[asiayeah]

I once considered the 20" model but found its screen a bit small for movie or TV viewing.

Now the 24" model is good enough. But will it ever have a built-in TV tuner?

 

[suneohair]

I am very impressed with Apple on this one.

Specs Bumped
Price Dropped
Gap closed

I think this put the nail in the coffin on the headless desktop between the iMac and the Mac Pro.

The only things that bugs me (probably because I bought a Mac Pro) is that the iMacs come standard with 1GB and a comparable card. Makes me wish they went at least 2GB and a 7600GT. But oh well.

Considering they added a 24" iMac, what are the chances that they will move the 23" ACD to 24"?

 

[asterizk]

Yeah, Essential Mixes I can handle uploading ya, but it would take forever to upload you HD movies - best that you be downloading those on your own...

Oh come on! Heee.... I was thinking the 1080i/p resolution might be a hint of what's to come on the 12th

 

[AidenShaw]

Could you expand on this? What will the Media edition add to the pot? Thanks.

Think FrontRow with integrated SDTV and HDTV tuners, program guide, PVR (TiVo-like scheduled recording), 1.5 TB disk for those shows....

 

[roland.g]

My debate begins - but to be decided by this time next week (all prices edu)

New iMac 24" 2.33 GHz Core 2 Duo
2GB RAM
500GB HDD
GeForce 7600 256MB
Wireless Keyboard & BT MM
Applecare

$2,748

Mac Mini 1.83 Core Duo
2GB RAM
Wireless Keyboard & BT MM
23" Apple Cinema HD Display
Applecare

$2,101

Add $149 to both orders for Final Cut Express HD.
I really like the look of the ACD. The white iMac is not as sexy.
I understand the ACD has no iSight and the Mini has integrated graphics and you can see I am getting FCE HD. I would also be spending another $299 on an IDE (not SATA) 500GB MiniStack which brings the price up to $2,400.
The Mini gives me the ability to upgrade in 18-30 months and turn it into a multimedia server at my tv, but by buying the ACD, I'm either looking at another Mini, a yet-to-be-released mid-tower, or a MacPro.

Anyone notice the 23" ACD and 24" iMac both have 1920x1200. Isn't that odd?

Any suggestions.

 

[thedonga]

Considering they added a 24" iMac, what are the chances that they will move the 23" ACD to 24"?

I hope not, the 24" panel is not as good as the 23"
I bet you see a lot of complaints regarding photo editing on the 24" iMac. The screen is way too bright, and you cannot dim it enough for true color reproduction. This is an issue that is well known with the 2407 from dell. I am assuming it is the same panel.

 

[Multimedia]

2GHz Mac Pro Is A Much Better Deal If You Already Have A Screen

Much faster. Even the 7300GT is significantly better.

Anyway, of the two NEW edition to the lineup, the 17" GMA iMac is much more important to Apple's well being. Why? Volume. They're going to sell ten of them for every 24". The 24" is a silver bullet machine. It's really cool looking, but I don't see many plunking down $2000 on a family computer. It's not going to really appeal to professionals or prosumers either because of its feature set.

So you think the $999 model will be a home run? What about all those extras you get for only $200 more? Seems to me the $999 model just gets them into the store where a sales person sells them on the upgrade to the $1199 model.

On the top, I have to say that you will be so much better off with a 3GB - third party ram - 2GHz Mac Pro and a Dell 24" screen for a total of about $3k. And if you have a screen already, then it's even more of a no brainer to buy the 2GHz Mac Pro. My slant.

 

[Yvan256]

Steve couldn't wait for september 12th?!

Is it just me, or a 24" iMac would've been nice to show on stage with whatever that "Showtime" thing might be? That would, at least, have made some sense to at least start by showing that.

Which means the september 12th presentation must be really packed with new stuff if they couldn't even announce the 24" iMac at that event. They've also bumped the CPUs on the Mac mini today, so that makes two updates on the same day too.

It's also weird to see new releases on a wednesday...

 

[suneohair]

we don't know that yet.

The ATI X1600 in the "old" iMac is a mobile chip. And an UNDERCLOCKED one.

Damn it, I wanted a Conroe iMac... I wonder how different they are from the Merom performance wise?

BTW, Vesa mount is back with the 24" model.

It's pretty clear why the added the Firewire 800 port ot the iMac: Time Machine requires an external hard drive. And it would be best if it was a pretty darn fast one, as well.

Let me give you a lesson on how CPUs are made.

Intel makes some dies. Then they go through a process called "binning". In this process the dies to test for maximum performance at a certain voltage.

Mobile C2D chips are Conroes that are binned to do the same speed at a lower voltage. So the performance is not going to be immensely different.

Depending on how you look at it, the Mobile chips are actually the cream of the crop.

 

[bringbackduo]

Well done! your info was correct again. I should open a betting book on macrumors!

What are the REAL chances of a MBP speedbump at Paris?

 

[wigga69uk]

24" Hd?

Sorry if this has been asked before but are the 24"ers High Def?

 

[HecubusPro]

Here is what I suspect...

1) If no major case changes, a quiet introduction like today's iMac
2) If a major case and feature change, a "One More Thing"© next week...
3) Perhaps the reason for the delay in introduction is the Meroms are still constrained and Apple wanted them in the iMacs first.

Either way, I'm anticipating them to be introduced soon and I'll be in line as quickly as possible along with many here to buy one.

I agree with 1 definitely. A simple chip upgrade woudn't qualify 2. 3, could be. And I'll be right there in line with you.

 

[azzurri000]

I am very impressed with Apple on this one.
The only things that bugs me (probably because I bought a Mac Pro) is that the iMacs come standard with 1GB and a comparable card.

I didn't even notice the 1GB standard RAM until you mentioned it... I hope this ushers in a change for the other pro models...

Perhaps Mac Pros don't come standard with 1GB RAM because they are supposed to be super configurable, and Apple assumes more RAM will be added anyway?

 

[HecubusPro]

I am seriously thinking of getting out of Windowsworld and the new 24" iMac looks great!

From the listed specs this will really rock.

Anybody have advice on whether I should wait for Leopard to come out or not?

Since Core 2 Duo is 64-bit, there's really no reason to wait if you need/really want a new computer right now.

 

[Chundles]

I didn't even notice the 1GB standard RAM until you mentioned it... I hope this ushers in a change for the other pro models...

Perhaps Mac Pros don't come standard with 1GB RAM because they are supposed to be super configurable, and Apple assumes more RAM will be added anyway?

The Mac Pro does come standard with 1GB of RAM. You can't configure a model with any less than 1GB of RAM.

 

[sixth]

Has anyone ordered a Macbook Pro lately and have the ship times? I think i saw someone post saying its not supposed ship until the 13th....