The 2009 iMac. Image courtesy Apple, Inc.

Apple announced newer specifications on its line of iMac computers on October 20th with the introduction of larger displays, faster processors and a bevy of other niceties.

Standard features on the iMac now include a wireless keyboard and the new Magic Mouse. The Magic Mouse incorporates Apples Multi-Touch technology – the same found in the iPhone and the iPod Touch. The same gestures you already can use on those devices and the glass trackpads of the MacBook you can use with this new mouse. Similar to the Mighty Mouse, you can configure the device as either a one- or two-button mouse and reverse those commands for left-handed users. As you might expect, both the wireless keyboard and mouse are Bluetooth-linked.

For users like myself that the bain of their existence was the trackball on the Mighty Mouse, the touch gestures on the Magic Mouse will be a welcome addition from the malfunctioning ball. I distinctly remember hurling my last Mighty Mouse as a high rate of speed into a wall due to my frustration. However, for business users that rely on the 10-key functionality of the keypad, this will be a noticeably missing feature from the keyboard. I couldn’t survive without mine – even my recent loaner laptop had a keypad on it. I can see it as a great keyboard for a Mac Mini attached to a home media center, but I don’t see this as a viable alternative for a desktop machine. I could be wrong, but this is a misstep in my opinion.

All models are also equipped with built-in Airport Extreme 802.11n networking, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, Gigabit Ethernet, 4 USB ports and one FireWire 800 port. A new addition is the built-in SD card slot, located just below the SuperDrive on the right of the frame. This is a very handy feature if you have a lot of photographs to import to iPhoto, Aperture or Lightroom spread across multiple SD cards. It beats having to purchase an extra card reader and since most PC laptops and the MacBook line has this integrated, it’s about time Apple brought the iMac line up to par with the rest of the industry.

According to the press release I received from Apple, the 27” models have the capability to input as well as output video through the industry-standard Mini DisplayPort on the back of the iMac. Only output capabilities were noted to be featured on the 21.5” models.

iMac 21.5" (left) and 27" (right) displays. Image courtesy Apple, Inc.

Expanded Display Size and Enhanced Design

The revised line features a redesigned frame encompassing either a 21.5” or 27” widescreen display with edge-to-edge glass in a familiar all-aluminum closure. Native screen resolutions range from 1920 x 1080 on the 21” display to a whopping 2560 x 1440 on the 27” display.

Improved Processors and Graphics Capabilities

The iMac is equipped with a blazing 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache, which can be upgraded upon order to either an i5 or i7 quad-core processors.

The revised line features improved graphics with an NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated or ATI Radeon HD 4670 discrete graphics board on the 21.5” model and an ATI Radeon HD 4670 or HD 4850 in the 27” model.

Increased Memory Capabilities

The iMac now comes with a standard 4GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM in all models, expandable up to 16GB. As I always recommend to home users, buy your Mac with the least amount of memory you can get and purchase more from a RAM vendor later on (it seems Apple has made this easy to follow now). The reason for this is that Apple charges a premium for its RAM and it is no different that which you can buy yourself for much cheaper. (I once pulled the Apple-branded sticker off a stick of memory from a Mac only to find it was from Crucial. You literally pay extra for a fancy sticker with an Apple on it. My advice is to not throw your money away on ink, paper and adhesive.)

Shipping and Pricing

All Dual Core models are now shipping through the Apple Store website, retail stores and through Apple Authorized Resellers, with Core i5 and i7 models shipping this November. Pricing ranges from $1199 for a 21.5” iMac to $1999 for a 27” display with a Core i5 processor.

John Fox : Starting at the age of 6, John was always fascinated with computers. His first machine, an IBM PCjr, had him hooked and from that sparked a love affair with technology. Creating webpages at the age of 12 and the advent of social media that came about in his 20's, he started his own media company, New Media Designs, in 2009. Due to the success of IndyGeek.net, New Media Designs' flagship product, the NMD brand was stopped in April 2010 and IndyGeek became the name of the company founded by Fox, his wife Esther and Alex Conner.