Apple’s iMac Line just added 27-inch model featuring Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i5 or Intel Core i7 Processor

Apple’s iMac line is now starting from $1199 with its 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, gorgeous Full-HD 1080p 21.5 inch display, 4GB of DDR3 Memory, 500GB of hard drive and integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics. This recent price cut of all iMac model showed how much pressure the Microsoft’s PC market is mounting on Apple, which means win-win for consumers like us.

But the big news is not the yet another price cut from Apple, the real news is iMac finally incorporated the latest Quad-Core Intel Core i5 and Intel Core i7. Although Apple has the tradition of calling their technologies “Next-Generation…”, Apple didn’t mass advertise their new hardware as new technologies this time. The marketing department at Apple seems to be aware of the fact that iMac just managed to stayed in the competitive hardware business with other ridiculously fast and cheap (in comparison with iMacs) PCs.

Apple iMac now features either 21.5 inch (left) or all the way up to 27 inch (right)

There are two models in the new iMac 27-inch model, The Core 2 Duo (Dual Core) version starting at $1,699.00 and The Core i5 or Core i7 (Quad Core) version starting at $1,999.00. The most expensive model of this line is the new iMac 27-inch model with the options of upto 2.8GHz Intel Core i7, upto 16GB of 1006MHz DDR3 memory, Huge 2560×1440 resolution display and upto 2TB of HD. Strangely after incorporating Intel Core i7, Apple’s iMacs still didn’t manage to run their memory in Tri-Channel modes like other fast PCs. Maybe the iMac Core i7 and Core i5 processors are tweaked by Apple to run dual channel faster? Well I don’t know exactly what happened. But seriously Apple, you need to have Tri-Channel memory configurations on your iMacs next time around, Dual-Channel memory configuration will soon be obsolete in the consumer computer world.

Another cool and fun fact about this new iMac 27-inch model is it gives buyers the option of choosing great graphic solutions from ATI (Sorry NVIDIA, Your GeForce 200’s series didn’t make the cut). With the Dual Core version a buyer can get high performance 256MB ATI Radeon HD 4670 and with the Quad Core version a buyer can get high-end (Top of the line) 512MB ATI Radeon HD 4850. Apple is willing to step up its graphics and that traditional gesture is qualified for my big bear huge. Thank You Apple!

Well why did Apple discontinue their iMac 24-inch model line? I think because of production cost of maintaining three models, and/or the 24-inch model actual poses as a  threat to the 27-inch model’s future market. Why would the 24-inch hinder the 27-inch’s sales, well many consumers out there would expect to have the new features in the 24-inch as well as in other iMac models, and a decent company could expect most consumers to go toward the 24-inch as the middle product – product that’s better than the start-ups but not necessarily the best. It is smart of Apple to get rid of the 24-inch line but it is not a good news for consumers who wanted more flexibility in their computer choices.

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