Apple polishes its desktop line
The new ports on the updated Mac Mini. (Credit: Apple) As expected, Apple announced its desktop updates with a focus on energy efficiency. There are new Mac Pro high-end desktops powered by Intel's Nehalem-based Xeon processors, new and more graphics-intensive Mac Mini machines, and updated iMacs that offer the lowest price yet on these consumer desktops. All the new machines meet the requirements for Energy Star 5.0 certification, which kicks in this summer. The new Mac Pro is priced at S$3,988 (US$2,936.17) for the quad-core version and at S$5,288 (US$3,893.30) for the eight-core version, with the Nehalem-based Xeon processors running at up to 2.93GHz. The interior of the machine has been cleaned up to make physical expansions easier. The new iMac all-in-one desktop offers a 24-inch screen and is priced at S$2,448 (US$1,802.35), the cost of Apple's previous 20-inch iMac. The 20-inch model now costs S$1,948 (US$1,434.22). The 20-inch version comes with a 2.66GHz processor, a 320GB hard drive, and 2GB of RAM expandable to 8GB. The 24-inch model offers processor speed options of 2.66GHz, 2.93GHz (for S$2,888 (US$2,126.30)), or 3.02GHz (for S$3,488 (US$2,568.05)). The 24-incher comes with a 640GB hard drive and 4GB of RAM expandable to 8GB. As for the new Mac Mini, the big upgrade is the Nvidia GeForce 9400M integrated graphics chip, which Apple says will improve graphics performance as much as fivefold. The machine (sans a monitor) costs The Mac Mini is the "world's most energy efficient desktop computer", Apple chief operating officer Tim Cook claimed in a statement. Cook is currently at the helm of the company while CEO Steve Jobs is out for six months for health reasons. Analyst Maynard Um at UBS offered this assessment: Not surprisingly, Apple unveiled a much anticipated refresh to its desktop line, though the timing was earlier than we expected. Updated iMac & Mac Mini are available immediately with the new Mac Pro available next week. Though the new Macs may provide some boost to end-of-quarter Mac units (enthusiasts and reseller channels), investors may have been hoping for greater price cuts at the low end. Rumors of new Apple desktop computers were first reported at AppleInsider.  Tags: Apple iMac, Apple Intel Mac Mini, processor, Intel Xeon, Apple Mac Pro
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guan says...
This revamp is way overdue. They should have wowed us with this upgrade when they had the 9400 chipset fresh out of the oven. That being said it is typical of Apple to do small incremental upgrades and push them out bit by bit. For a $40.00 increase over the last base model Mac Mini from $948.00, most would think it is worth it. 1gb ram and 120gb HDD is a little small for my liking. However that should run fine with the Leopard. The real draw of this piece of hardware will be when Windows launches 7. Vista is a lesser competitor and we know that. How well Vista's replacement fares will ultimately decide the battleground.
Mar 05, 2009 14:08
This revamp is way overdue. They should have wowed us with this upgrade when they had the 9400 chipset fresh out of the oven. That being said it is typical of Apple to do small incremental upgrades and push them out bit by bit. For a $40.00 increase over the last base model Mac Mini from $948.00, most would think it is worth it. 1gb ram and 120gb HDD is a little small for my liking. However that should run fine with the Leopard. The real draw of this piece of hardware will be when Windows launches 7. Vista is a lesser competitor and we know that. How well Vista's replacement fares will ultimately decide the battleground.
Mar 05, 2009 14:08
montbkk says...
Still nothing to write home about. Why won't Apple just release a good desktop rather than these week, enfeebled shadows of computers (when considering the high price and mediocre specs).
Mar 08, 2009 00:44
Still nothing to write home about. Why won't Apple just release a good desktop rather than these week, enfeebled shadows of computers (when considering the high price and mediocre specs).
Mar 08, 2009 00:44
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