Apple has officially announced that its redesigned iMac line will become available in stores and online starting Friday, Nov. 30, meeting its end-of-the-month deadline.
The 21.5-inch model will be available through Apple's online store, Apple retail stores, as well as select authorized resellers. The 27-inch variety, meanwhile, will start shipping in December, but orders will begin on Friday as well at Apple's online store.
The 21.5-inch iMac will come with a 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor and Nvidia GeForce G6 640M graphics under the hood, and will be available for a suggested retail price of $1,299. A faster 2.9GHz model will be available as well, with a $1,499 price tag.
The larger 27-inch iMac will pack a 2.9GHz quad-core Intel core i5 and GeForce GTX 600M graphics, and will sell for a recommended price of $1,799. Meanwhile, the high-end 3,2GHz model with GTX 675MX graphics will go up to $1,999.
The redesigned iMac comes with a sleek aluminum and glass enclosure and packs 8GB of 1,600MHz memory, a 1TB hard drive, and standard Intel Core i5 processors that can be upgraded to Core i7. Moreover, the new Nvidia GeForce graphics processors promise up to 60 percent faster performance.
The new all-in-one (AIO) iMac desktops also come with Apple's new hybrid Fusion Drive, which gives users the capacity of a hard drive with the performance of flash. More specifically, Fusion Drive combines 128GB of flash with a standard hard drive, creating a single storage volume that manages files to optimize read and write performance. It remains uncertain at this point, however, how much Apple will charge for the new iMacs' Fusion Drive. On the Mac Mini, for instance, the single option of 1TB costs $250.
"Featuring a stunning design, brilliant display with reduced reflection, faster processors and an innovative new storage option called Fusion Drive, the new iMac is the most advanced desktop Apple has ever made," the Cupertino giant touted in the press release.
"Redesigned from the inside out, the new iMac packs high performance technology into an aluminum and glass enclosure that measures just 5mm thin at its edge end features a reengineered display that reduces reflection by 75 percent."
