April 29th, 2008
Apple iMac refresh roundup
Coverage of the Apple iMac refresh fell into two camps.
The first consists of the usual specs and prices. This was a speed bump–the design of the aluminum all-in-one is unchanged–with faster Core 2 Duo processors, larger L2 cache, more memory, a faster system bus, and new graphics. Since the prices remained essentially unchanged (the high-end version is a bit cheaper), the new models are good news for those thinking of buying a new Mac.
The second, and more interesting, meme involved speculation on the 3.06GHz processor in the high-end model. As with previous product launches, Apple skipped the off-the-shelf chips. Because of the processor’s unusual specs, some sites assumed Apple had an early crack at a Centrino 2–better-known by the code-name of the new platform, Montevina–which should launch in early June. Intel now says the iMac uses an over-clocked Penryn part (the current generation), which would explain the TDP, or Thermal Design Envelope, of 55 watts–higher than typical Intel mobile processors. The iMac all-in-one uses a laptop processor because of its compact case.
In the first quarter, Apple sold 2.3 million Macs worldwide (856,000 of those were desktops), an annual growth rate of 51%, according to Garter. By comparison, total worldwide PC shipments grew 12.3% on-year to 71.1 million units.
I’ll post links to reviews as soon as they are published, but in the meantime here is a roundup of the coverage in the past 24 hours.
Straight-up coverage:
Updated iMac line goes up to 3.06GHz of 24″ goodness [Ars Technica]
Apple gives iMac chips a boost [CNET]
Apple Updates iMac Line [CRN]
Apple Updates iMacs Amid Booming Sales [Information Week]
New iMac has a need for speed [Macworld]
Apple Refreshes iMac Line [PC Magazine]
Apple Updates iMacs [TrustedReviews]
It’s a Montevina! Never mind, it’s an over-clocked Penryn:
New 10.5.3 seed; custom Intel iMac chips, MacBook Air SSDs [Apple Insider]
Intel and Apple, BFF? [Business Week]
Apple powers up iMac with Penryn processor [Computerworld]
3GHz iMac’s CPU overclocked, not next-gen [Electronista]
Intel Provides early ‘Montevina’-Like Technology to iMac [Macrumors]
Update: Apple upgrades iMac, gets Intel’s Montevina CPU early, sort of [TGDaily]
John Morris is a former executive editor at CNET Networks and senior editor at PC Magazine. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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