Apple begins shipping quad-core 27-inch iMac models
Readers have said that Apple has notified them that their hardware has finally shipped from Shanghai. One order said to have been placed a day after the systems were announced was processed last week and shipped Monday.
When they were announced in October, the new Core i5 and i7 quad-core Intel-powered machines were said by Apple to ship in November. The new iMac sports a massive 27-inch screen with a LED backlight, 16:9 ratio, and 2560x1440 pixel resolution.
The 27-inch 2.66 GHz Core i5 750 iMac has a suggested retail price of $1,999. Apple also offers a build-to-order option for $200 more with a 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7 860 processor. Both quad-core iMacs include 8MB of L3 cache, and Apple benchmarks the high-end "Nehalem" Core i7 as being 2.4 times faster than the Core 2 Duo. In all, the systems include:
- 27-inch 2560 x 1440 LED-backlit display
- 2.66 GHz Intel Core i5 quad-core processor with 8MB shared L3 cache
- 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 16GB
- ATI Radeon HD 4850 discrete graphics; with 512MB GDDR3
- 1TB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm
- A slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+ / -R DL/DVD+ / -RW/CD-RW)
- Mini DisplayPort for video input and output (adapters sold separately)
- Built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
- Built-in iSight video camera
- Gigabit Ethernet port
- Four USB 2.0 ports
- One FireWire 800 port
- SD card slot
- Built-in stereo speakers and microphone
- Wireless Apple Keyboard, Magic Mouse.
Discounted prices on the new iMac systems are available via the AppleInsider Mac Pricing Guide: