New iMacs Get Quad Cores, Graphics Zip, and Thunderbolt
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While smartphone lovers await news of the iPhone 5's arrival, Apple is focusing on its original core: Desktop computers. Apple on Tuesday refreshed its now-classic line of all-in-one iMac computers.
The latest iMacs come equipped with next-generation quad-core processors, new graphics processors, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O technology, and a new FaceTime HD camera. Apple says the new iMac is up to 70 percent faster than the previous version -- and new graphics processors deliver up to three times the performance. Prices for the new machines start at $1,199.
The new iMacs feature quad-core Intel Core i5 processors, with an option to choose Core i7 processors up to 3.4 GHz. These processors feature an integrated memory controller for a more responsive experience and a new media engine for high-performance video encoding and decoding. With new AMD Radeon HD graphics processors, Apple said the new iMacs have the most powerful graphics ever in an Apple computer.
Cracking Thunderbolt
What's all this about Thunderbolt? Apple expects the technology to see wide adoption as a new standard for high-performance I/O. Indeed, the Thunderbolt element is significant because iMacs in the new lineup are the first to include the technology. The 21.5-inch iMac has a single Thunderbolt port, while the 27-inch model features two ports for even greater expansion.
Thunderbolt was developed by Intel with Apple collaboration. The technology paves the way for expandability not previously possible on an all-in-one computer. Thunderbolt features two bidirectional channels that offer transfer speeds of up to 10GPs each. Thunderbolt also delivers PCI Express directly to external high-performance peripherals such as RAID arrays.
Thunderbolt can support FireWire and USB consumer devices, as well as gigabit Ethernet networks via adapters. Thunderbolt also supports DisplayPort for high-resolution displays and works with existing adapters for HDMI, DVI and VGA displays. Thunderbolt technology is freely available for implementation...
2011-05-04 01:42:48
