Apple Updates iMac & Mac Mini

Author Hugo Jobling
Published 3rd Mar 2009
Apple Updates iMac & Mac Mini
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As rumoured and a little earlier than some predicted Apple has seen fit to update its iMac and Mac Mini ranges, bringing them in-line with the MacBook Air, MacBook and MacBook Pro.

For the unaware, that means both systems are now built around an nVidia 9400M chipset. Screen choices are still the traditional 20in, 1680 x 1,050 and 24in, 1,920 x 1,200 offerings so no changes there; in fact the only external change is the addition of mini-DisplayPort output, meaning you can't add a second monitor without buying a converter.


Processor choices range from a 2.66GHz to a 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo and graphics options on the iMac include the integrated GeForce 9400M and the dedicated 256MB GeForce GT 120, 512MB GT 140 or 512MB ATI Radeon HD 4850. The 20in iMac comes with 2GB of RAM as standard, while the 24in systems all pack 4GB out of the box - more memory than the average Mac user could ever possible use - with up to 8GB configurable.

Pricing starts at £892.40 for the 20in system and 1,127 for the 24in iMac - spiralling up towards the £3,000 mark with 8GB of RAM, a £752.10 option!

The Mac Mini update is definitely much more needed, as the previous system configuration was looking decidedly archaic compared to the rest of Apple's products.


Two configurations are available; the first, priced at £499 comes with a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo CPU with 1GB of RAM and a 120GB hard drive the second, at £649, with a 2.26GHz CPU, 2GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive.


As per Apple tradition - one I wish every company followed - all of these systems are available to order right now. I won't pretend I'm not extremely tempted by the iMacs!

As if that wasn't enough, Apple's Time Capsule backup device and Airport Extreme have been updated too. Both now support simultaneous 5GHz and 2.4GHz allowing devices using both bands to connect at the same time and a function called Guest Networking enables creation of a secondary, temporary network giving access to the 'net, but not the rest of the network.

Time Capsule is available as a £229 500GB or a £379 1TB model while an AirPort Extreme station costs £139.

Link:
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Latest 4 of 18 Comments

Have your say: Leave a comment below about this article.

comment Tony Walker said on 5th March 2009

Apple are taking the michael with this round of high price rises.

The price of the base Mini has remained the same in both Europe €599 and the US $599. So WhyTF have... more

comment ffrankmccaffery said on 5th March 2009

oh well it didnt take long for a machead in shaun o'flaherty to creep in to these comment sections and give a typically myopic justification for the company

comment MadMacs said on 5th March 2009

Haha, Machead or not i'm still fully aware that price rises are an inevitable part of what the economy is currently going through, and I'd be making a simmilar point if a... more

comment Tony Walker said on 6th March 2009

Mr O'Flaherty will laugh on the other side of his face when Apple dump their ROI staff for India/China (see Dell for details).

The economy is not going through ... more

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