Fresh Apple iMacs

By Doug Olenick -- TWICE, 3/3/2009

Cupertino, Calif. — Apple today refreshed its desktop line to include a lower-priced 24-inch iMac all-in-one.

In addition, the company has introduced two new Mac Minis to its line, starting at $599.

The more affordable iMac is priced at $1,499, the same price previously attached to the 20-inch iMac model. It is powered by a 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 6MB of shared L2 cache, 4GB of DDR3 SDRAM (expandable to 8GB), a 640GB hard drive, an 8x SuperDrive with dual-layer support, an Nvidia GeForce GT 120 graphics card and a built-in video camera.

Joining this model are two more 24-inch iMacs. The first, priced at $1,799, has a slightly faster 2.93GHz Core 2 Duo processor, while the top-end model uses a 3.06GHz processor and adds a 1TB hard drive. It will sell for $2,199.

The entry-level iMac is based on a 20-inch display, has a 2.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of DDR3 SDRAM (expandable to 8GB), a 320GB hard drive, an Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics card and an 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support.

The two new Minis start with the $599 model. It has a 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB of shared L2 cache, 1GB of DDR3 SDRAM (expandable to 4GB), a 120GB hard drive, the same Nvidia graphics as the 20-inch iMac and a double-layer SuperDrive. The follow-on model, $799, has 2GB of memory and a 320GB hard drive.