iMacs get new 24" model, faster Core 2 Duo

Apple today announced that its entire iMac line now features the new Intel Core 2 Duo processor in every model, delivering up to 50 percent faster performance than the previous iMac. The company also launched a new 24-inch iMac with a 24-inch widescreen display--in addition to its 17- and 20-inch models. iMacs are now available starting at $1000. Apple's iMacs include a built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing out-of-the-box; Apple's Front Row media experience; and iLife '06, the next generation of Apple's award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications. "Every iMac-from the $999 model up through the new dazzling 24-inch widescreen model now features blazing Core 2 Duo performance," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "And the new 24-inch widescreen iMac is the fastest, biggest and brightest iMac we've ever made." The 24-inch iMac also includes FireWire 800 port.
The new iMac lineup includes four models: a 1.83 GHz and a 2.0 GHz 17-inch, a 2.16 GHz 20-inch and the all-new 2.16 GHz 24-inch iMac, and features the new Intel Core 2 Duo processor which delivers up to 50 percent faster performance than the previous 20-inch iMac running industry standard benchmarks, according to Apple.

The 24-inch iMac features a 24-inch widescreen LCD display with a 1920-by-1200 pixel resolution that offers 30 percent more screen real estate than the 20-inch model and a brighter display. It features a 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4MB of shared L2 cache, 1GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory, a 250GB Serial ATA hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT graphics with 128MB of GDDR3 memory and a SuperDrive for burning professional-quality DVDs. Delivering greater customization for performance and expansion needs, users can configure the new 24-inch iMac with a 2.33 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up to 3GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory, a 500GB Serial ATA hard drive and the NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT with 256MB of GDDR3 memory for graphics performance.

The new iMac line is shipping today and will be available through the Apple Store.