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Intel iMac - First Looks

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So let's recap - We've got a new iMac that is two to three times faster than the iMac G5. Nice stuff. It will come in 17- and 20-inch versions.

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Now, on to this MacBook. The MacBook comes with remote and Front Row, which makes it quite the little home media machine. What's this about the MagSafe dealie?

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Very nice. I've never dragged my Powerbook around the room by its power cable, but I actually just tried to pull mine out and it took some doing. It's funny that such a silly little thing would be such a big deal, especially with all the Intel stuff, but it's great to know they're still thinking about design rather than pumping out the product.

Overall, it's kind of a slow release. Nothing that we have to run out and buy this very instant. Intel is really the big news, and it's quite a feat that EVERYTHING will be cross-compatible. I guess it had to be done, but it's quite nice that they pulled it off. We'll be getting more product shots as our boys in the field hunt down and capture some of this stuff in the wild.

Mark Spoonauer of Laptop Magazine writes:

I like it because it's the only big-name system I've seen so far that actually takes advantage of the smaller hardware footprint of Core Duo, resulting in the only sub six-pound 15.4-inch notebook we've seen. Most other duo systems that have debuted are basically refreshes on the Windows side. Integrated web cams have been done before but integration with iLife '06 makes this a pretty compelling case for upgraders if not would-be switchers. I don't like that it has ExpressCard slot only (no PC Card slot), which means those who want to plug in EV-DO or HSDPA modems will have to wait for ExpressCard versions of those cards to come out. And where are the memory card slots for digicam owners? Wintel notebooks have had those for years. X1600 graphics pretty impressive for thin and light machine as it's their second highest-end solution, so gamers will be happy provided there's enough titles coming over...

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More info after the jump.

PR Pablum Dump:

The new 17-inch 1.83 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,299 (US), includes:
— 17-inch widescreen LCD display;
— 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo processor;
— 512MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM expandable to 2GB;
— 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+R DL / DVD+/-RW / CD-RW);
— PCI Express-based ATI Radeon X1600 with 128MB GDDR3 memory;
— built-in iSight video camera;
— built-in AirPort(R) Extreme wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
— 160GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
— mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold
separately);
— built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
— the infrared Apple Remote, Mighty Mouse and Apple Keyboard.

The new 20-inch 2.0 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,699 (US), includes:
— 20-inch widescreen LCD display;
— 2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo processor;
— 512MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM expandable to 2GB;
— 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+R DL / DVD+/-RW / CD-RW);
— PCI Express-based ATI Radeon X1600 with 128MB GDDR3 memory;
— built-in iSight video camera;
— built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
— 250GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
— mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold
separately);
— built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
— the infrared Apple Remote, Mighty Mouse and Apple Keyboard.

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The 1.67 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,999 (US), includes:
— 15.4-inch widescreen 1440 x 900 LCD display with 300 cd/m2 brightness;
— 1.67 GHz Intel Core Duo processor;
— 512MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 2GB;
— 80GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion
Sensor;
— a slot-load SuperDrive(TM) (DVD+/-RW / CD-RW) optical drive;
— PCI Express-based ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128MB GDDR3 memory;
— DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included,
Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
— built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
— built-in iSight video camera;
— Gigabit Ethernet port;
— built-in AirPort(R) Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
— ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
— two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire(R) 400 port;
— one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both
optical digital and analog;
— scrolling TrackPad and illuminated keyboard;
— the infrared Apple Remote;
— 60 Watt hour lithium polymer battery; and
— 85W AC power adapter with MagSafe magnetic power connector.

The 1.83 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,499 (US), includes:
— 15.4-inch widescreen 1440 x 900 LCD display with 300 cd/m2 brightness;
— 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo processor;
— 1GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 2GB;
— 100GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion
Sensor;
— a slot-load SuperDrive (DVD+/-RW / CD-RW) optical drive;
— PCI Express-based ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB GDDR3 memory;
— DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included,
Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
— built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
— built-in iSight video camera;
— Gigabit Ethernet port;
— built-in Airport Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
— ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
— two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire 400 port;
— one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both
optical digital and analog;
— scrolling TrackPad and illuminated keyboard;
— the infrared Apple Remote;
— 60 Watt hour lithium polymer battery; and
— 85W AC power adapter with MagSafe magnetic power connector.