Apple reveals new iMac product refresh

There's a new breed of Mac on the prowl, and Adrian Beale is on their trail.

Apple’s iMac line has not seen a major refresh since the new aluminium design was launched roughly eight months ago; it was about due for an update, and updated it is.

While the gorgeous form factor remains identical, there are significant changes under the hood. The bottom of the range iMac has had its processor boosted to 2.4GHz from 2.0GHz, in part at least due to the FSB being upped to 1066MHz from 800MHz. Cache has been increased from the previous 4MB to 6MB but the RAM remains at 1GB, somewhat dampening the mood a little.

Being Apple, the entry level model comes with a paltry 250GB drive, with an optional 320GB upgrade. This seems an odd choice, as a 500GB and 750GB upgrade fits within the slightly speedier 2.66GHz 20in iMac, which uses the exact same chassis and cooling system. It’s what you’d expect from Apple, though, given their stance on market segregation.

In the graphics department, the 2.4GHz model comes with a 2400XT. It’s miles above the X3100 Intel graphics the macbook is lumped with, but still struggles with mediocre settings, especially on such a nice 1680 x 1050 screen. The 2.66GHz model has a more capable 2600Pro graphics card, able to deliver playable frame rates in a variety of more modern games.

Those in the design business will have to look to the 24in iMacs, as the 20in iMacs still use the cheaper LCD panels, as evidenced by the lacklustre 160 degree viewing angles on both axes, and the gentle brightness graduation from the top to the bottom of the screen. Though unnoticeable for the average user, it’s enough to make Pantone weep tears of rage as its swatches change colour (slightly) depending on their location on the screen.

The biggest changes, too, have occurred in the 24in range. The introduction of the 8800GS to the top of the range, and optionally to the lower specced 24in (albeit at a price-point of $220, as an upgrade to the 2600Pro) introduces a cut down version of the successful G92 nvidia GPU core.

Given the internally modular nature of the modern iMac (since the 24in ‘white’ intel iMac) it would be nice to see the 8800GS available as a service upgrade to existing models. Whether it would require a cooling upgrade, or is even possible within the 20in enclosure, is debatable, however it would go some way to alleviating the lack of a midrange tower from Apple.

The 24in iMacs sport the 2.66GHz and custom 3.06GHz Intel processors. While Intel maintains that these processors are not running on the Montevina platform, expected in June, it appears as though these processors only differ in their heat output. The faster FSB and processor speeds are in line with what is expected from Montevina, and given the lower heat output of the new platform it’s possible a subsequent refresh could see significantly more powerful processors (Quad core, dare I hope?) installed in future iMac iterations.

The new iMacs come bundled with the usual gear from Apple: the latest version of Apple’s successful Leopard OS (10.5.2), iLife 08, and the exceptional aluminium keyboard. The new iMacs are accredited with meeting Energy Star requirements, receive a silver rating from EPEAT, and the majority of components are PVC-free and free of brominated flame retardants. Combined with the power-saving laptop components used in their construction, this makes the iMac not just a capable computer, but a less power-hungry and polluting one at that.

Despite its market driven limitations, the iMac delivers excellent performance, within a tiny footprint, replacing a desktop computer with a single all-in-one screen. Perhaps it’s more appropriate to think of it more in terms of a desktop replacement laptop without the half an hour of battery life, than a true desktop. And in that arena, it delivers capability, value and looks.