Apple outs iMac with Thunderbolt I/O, new processors, graphics cards

One of the shortcomings of the current iMac is the bottleneck of data caused by the FW800 port, if it had eSATA then great but the update announced today circumvents that with Thunderbolt. While the new processors and whopping 2GB vRAM are to be welcomed the clever Thunderbolt I/O masquerading as a mini Display-port is reason enough to make the upgrade. Apple has even gone one better than the MacBook Pro and provided two Thunderbolt ports, so you can add your external storage (you can daisy-chain up to 6 devices) and keep your second 27-inch monitor.

Press release:

Apple Announces New iMac With Next Generation Quad-Core Processors, Graphics & Thunderbolt I/O Technology 

CUPERTINO, California—May 3, 2011—Apple today updated its signature all-in-one iMac with next generation quad-core processors, powerful new graphics, groundbreaking high-speed Thunderbolt I/O technology and a new FaceTime HD camera. Starting at £999.00 inc VAT, the new iMac is up to 70 percent faster and new graphics deliver up to three times the performance of the previous generation.*

“Our customers love the iMac’s aluminum enclosure, gorgeous display and all-in-one design,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With next generation quad-core processors, powerful new graphics, Thunderbolt technology and a FaceTime HD camera, we've made the world’s best desktop even better.”

The new iMac features quad-core Intel Core i5 processors with an option for customers to choose Core i7 processors up to 3.4 GHz. These next generation processors feature an integrated memory controller for an amazingly responsive experience and a powerful new media engine for high-performance video encoding and decoding. With new AMD Radeon HD graphics processors, the new iMac has the most powerful graphics ever in an all-in-one desktop.

iMac is the first desktop computer on the market to include groundbreaking Thunderbolt I/O technology. The 21.5-inch iMac has a single Thunderbolt port while the 27-inch model features two ports for even greater expansion. Developed by Intel with collaboration from Apple, Thunderbolt enables expandability never before possible on an all-in-one computer. Featuring two bi-directional channels with transfer speeds up to an amazing 10Gbps each, Thunderbolt delivers PCI Express directly to external high performance peripherals such as RAID arrays, and can support FireWire and USB consumer devices, and Gigabit Ethernet networks via adapters. Thunderbolt also supports DisplayPort for high resolution displays and works with existing adapters for HDMI, DVI and VGA displays. Freely available for implementation on systems, cables and devices, Thunderbolt technology is expected to be widely adopted as a new standard for high performance I/O.

iMac includes a built-in FaceTime HD camera and Apple’s innovative FaceTime software for crisp, widescreen video calling the whole family can enjoy. The new camera supports high definition video calls between all FaceTime HD-enabled Macs and standard resolution calls with iPad 2, iPhone 4, the current generation iPod touch and other Intel-based Macs. The iMac continues to feature its signature aluminum and glass design, gorgeous IPS LED-backlit high resolution display, SD card slot and comes with Apple’s innovative Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad. 

Continuing Apple’s commitment to the environment, Apple’s desktop line is a leader in green design. The iMac meets stringent Energy Star 5.2 requirements and achieves EPEAT Gold rating.** iMac features LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. iMac uses PVC-free components and cables, contains no brominated flame retardants, uses highly recyclable materials and features material-efficient system and packaging designs. 

Every Mac comes with Mac OS X Snow Leopard, the world’s most advanced operating system, and iLife, Apple’s innovative suite of applications for creating and sharing great photos, movies and music. Snow Leopard builds on more than a decade of innovation and includes the Mac App Store for finding great new apps for your Mac. iLife ’11 features iPhoto with stunning full screen views for browsing, editing and sharing photos; iMovie with powerful easy-to-use tools to transform home videos into fun theatrical trailers; and GarageBand with new ways to improve your playing and create great sounding songs.

Pricing & Availability 
The new iMac is available through the Apple Store (www.apple.com/uk), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorised Resellers. The 21.5-inch iMac is available in two configurations: one with a 2.5 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5, AMD Radeon HD 6750M and 500GB hard drive for a suggested retail price of £999.00 inc VAT (£832.50 ex VAT); and one with a 2.7 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5, AMD Radeon HD 6770M and 1TB hard drive for a suggested retail price of £1249.00 inc VAT (£1040.83 ex VAT). The new 27-inch iMac is available in two models: one with a 2.7 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5, AMD Radeon HD 6770M and 1TB hard drive for a suggested retail price of £1399.00 inc VAT (£1165.83 ex VAT); and one with a 3.1 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5, AMD Radeon HD 6970M and 1TB hard drive for a suggested retail price of £1649.00 inc VAT (£1374.17 ex VAT).

Configure-to-order options include faster Intel Core i7 processors up to 3.4 GHz, additional hard drive capacity up to 2TB, a 256GB solid state drive, additional DDR3 memory and AppleCare Protection Plan. Additional technical specifications and configure-to-order options and accessories are available online at www.apple.com/uk/imac.

*Testing conducted by Apple in April 2011 using preproduction iMac configurations. For more information visit www.apple.com/uk/imac/features.html. 

**Claim based on energy efficiency categories and products listed within the EPA ENERGY STAR 5.2 energy database as of April 2011. EPEAT is an independent organisation that helps customers compare the environmental performance of notebooks and desktops. Products meeting all of the 23 required criteria and at least 75 percent of the optional criteria are recognised as EPEAT Gold products. The EPEAT programme was conceived by the US EPA and is based on IEEE 1680 standard for Environmental Assessment of Personal Computer Products. For more information visit www.epeat.net.

MyService Offers 3TB iMac Hard Drive Upgrade

MyService has announced a new 3TB hard drive upgrade for the iMac and Mac Pro. These new 3.5" Deskstar drives by Hitachi are the largest desktop drives available. MyService has these drives in stock and the complete upgrade service is $299. The price includes the new 3TB drive, professional installation and data transfer.

Your old hard drive is returned to you and can be used for backups. Since MyService is an Apple Authorized Service Provider, the 3TB upgrade will not void your Apple warranty.
The new Hitachi Deskstar 7K3000 3TB hard drive comes with 7200RPM performance, 64MB data buffer and uses the new 6Gb/s SATA interface. This configuration shows an improvement of up to 27% over previous generation products. Leveraging eighth-generation power management technology, including power-saving innovations like HiVERTTM technology, this drive delivers excellent power efficiency and thermal emissions to help lower energy use and extend drive life. Bottom line - these drives are big, fast and efficient.
MyService makes the upgrade process fast and easy. No phone trees, no appointments, just awesome service. Most hard drive upgrades are completed the same day. After the service is complete, your Mac is cleaned, tested and returned back to you along with your old drive.

More information can be found here.

OWC announces eSATA modification for new iMac

OWC Unveils Upgrade Program For Adding First Available eSATA Interface, Award Winning SSD, Larger Hard Drive, and/or More Memory To 2010 Apple iMac 27"

Turnkey professional installation service offers customized configuration of Mid 2010 27" iMac with high performance eSATA interface option, OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD up to 480GB, hard drives up to 2TB, and/or OWC Memory Upgrades up to 16GB complete with shipping and warranty starting at $169

July 30, 2010, Woodstock, IL -- Other World Computing (OWC®) http://www.macsales.com, a leading zero emissions Mac® and PC technology company, announced today its new OWC Turnkey Upgrade Installation Program for the Mid 2010 Apple iMac 27" to address the high demand for increasing iMac performance while overcoming the highly difficult upgrade level an iMac presents to an end user. The program enables new iMac 27" owners to custom configure and have OWC professionally install the first offered eSATA port option for an iMac, an award winning OWC Mercury Extreme Pro Solid State Drive up to 480GB, a larger capacity hard drive up to 2TB, and/or OWC Memory Upgrades up to 16GB. The new professional installation service program offers multiple configuration options starting at $169 with a 48 business hours or less installation turnaround and includes complete shipping options along with OWC’s renowned warranty coverage.

OWC will begin taking orders for its Turnkey Upgrade Installation Program for the Mid 2010 Apple iMac 27" beginning on Tuesday, August 3. For complete program details, including options, pricing, and answers to commonly asked questions regarding the program, visit: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/turnkey/iMac_2010_27

OWC Options Create A Better Than Factory Built iMac
Owners of the new iMac 27" can experience the following benefits from the OWC Upgrade Program and enjoy a superior performing iMac than what is available direct from the factory:

First Ever eSATA Interface Option Offered For An iMac
OWC has custom engineered the first ever solution to provide an external eSATA port on an Apple iMac computer. With fast data transfer rates up to 300MB/s, iMac 27" users can now enjoy data backups and transfers at up to 3X faster than the factory stock interfaces. The $169.00 service includes an OWC Flexible eSATA cable for Plug and Play use with any external storage solution equipped with a standard eSATA port and return shipping of the eSATA enhanced iMac.

Bigger, Faster, More Reliable Solid State Drive
The OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD can be installed in capacities up to 480GB, up to a full 87% greater capacity than the single factory 256GB SSD option, and offer read/write speeds in excess of 270MB/s…up to 40% faster than the factory and/or other currently available SSDs. While many SSDs experience significant performance degradation over time, this is not the case with the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD. By employing advanced block management and over-provisioning, the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD provides the ultimate in reliability and long-term high performance.

More ‘Main Bay’ Storage Configuration Options
New iMac 27" owners requiring more storage capacity that the factory stock 1TB drive can have OWC replace the stock drive with hard drives up to 2TB in capacity and with manufacturer warranties up to five years. Or, instead of a traditional hard drive, OWC can add a second SSD to the main drive bay for a SSD RAID configuration.

Additional & Lower Cost Memory Options Than Factory
New iMac owners seeking to expand memory configuration up to 16GB will find can save up to 45% compared to same size factory installed upgrades.

Program Offers Comprehensive Convenience And Confidence
Having offered award-winning products and services to Mac owners worldwide for over 21 years, OWC drew upon its experience to create a comprehensive and convenient program. Now iMac 27" owners can confidently customize their iMac 27" to their own unique specifications and experience less hassle and downtime than using any other upgrade service, assured by an OWC 1-year limited warranty on upgrade service and installed products.

“We are quite pleased to record another innovation in the Mac industry by offering the first eSATA interface for an iMac,” said Larry O’Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing. “By offering this performance enhancement along with faster, bigger, and better options for memory and storage, an OWC upgraded iMac truly will be the best performing iMac a user can own.”