Apple Releases New iMacs…Same on the Outside, New on the Inside…

Alongside of the Mac Pro, apple upgraded its consumer desktop line further today by unveiling iMacs which, while looking the same as their predecessor from the outside in size and design, have upgraded to a brand new processor architecture, as well as a shift to discrete graphics, provided by ATI.

Previously, the lower end iMac models used Intel Core 2 Due chips; now, all of the iMacs feature a variety of Core i3, i5, and i7 chips. And according to Apple’s David Moody, the newly integrated Nvidia GeForce 9400M means you can look forward your graphics performing three times faster than the previous integrated graphics.

A breakdown of each model and its respective price, processor architecture, and graphics chip are below:

$1199 / 21.5″ / 3.06GHz Core i3 / 4GB / 500MB / ATI Radeon HD 4670

$1499 / 21.5″ / 3.20GHz Core i3 / 4GB / 1TB / ATI Radeon HD 5670

$1699 27″ / 3.20GHz Core i3 / 4GB / 1TB / ATI Radeon HD 5670

$1999 27″ / 2.8GHz Quad-Core Core i5 / 4GB / 1TB / ATI Radeon HD 5750

All models come with one FireWire 800 port, four USB 2.0 ports, and AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi, the standard slot-loading 8x SuperDrive, and a 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet connector. A new SDXC card slot can now support memory cards ranging from 64GB to 2TB in capacity.

And as always, there’s an iSight camera embedded in the top of the bezel, so you can Skype with all of your contacts right out of the box.

As with the company’s portable line, Apple touts the environmental characteristics of its desktop line. “Building environmentally sound products is important to us as a company,” said Moody. The iMacs are free of toxic chemicals like mercury, PVC, and BFRs, and thanks to the LED-backlit displays—the iMacs also are free of arsenic. With these design features, along with the use of highly recyclable materials such as aluminum and glass, the new iMacs have earned EPEAT Gold ratings for their environmental friendliness, says Apple, and also meet the EPA’s Energy Star 5.0 qualification.

In addition to the keyboard and Magic Mouse that ship with every iMac, customers can now also opt to add Apple’s multitouch Bluetooth Magic Trackpad as a customize-to-order option.

All models are shipping as of today from the Apple Store.