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

Apple announces brand-new iMacs today at up to 70 percent faster than the previous version, all i can say is WOW:

Courtesy of Apple

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 $1,199, 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.

iPad 2 Accessories Available Now

iPad 2 is now available, and you either have one in your hot little hands, or have placed an order online. Now is the time to think about what accessories you want to go with it. Luckily vendors have now released a full line of iPad 2 Accessories such as cases, car chargers, screen protectors, and bluetooth devices for your brand spanking new tablet.

If you've braved the lines, and couldn't get an iPad, (the Apple Store is quoting a 2-3 week wait) a good strategy may be order your extra's now while waiting for your iPad to ship, so that when your new tablet finally does arrive, all of your iPad 2 Accessories will be ready for it.

Update: the Apple Digital AV Adapter for iPad 2 is now available, This allows for HDMI connectivity with your new iPad 2.

Apple's New iPad 2 Release Date Announcement: News on Specs, Features, and Pricing

New iPad 2 is Faster, with Better Graphics, Front, and Rear Cameras, Dual-Core A5 Processer Available March, 11

 

Courtesy of Apple

The new iPad 2 was announced on Wednesday sporting a fast A5 chip with twice the performance of the A4 chip in last-generation's iPad released in 2010. The new Tablet is also more svelte, its now slimmer at 8.8mm vs the 13.4mm of the old model and has lost some weight, coming in at just 1.3 pounds, vs 1.5 pounds for the last iPad, so you'll be carrying less, but gaining so much more functionality.

The shiny new device will ship in America on March 11 for both AT&T, and Verizon. And will ship in the following countries on March 25:

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK

Pricing will start at: $499 - 16 gig Wifi, $599 – 32 gig Wifi, and $699 - 64 gig Wifi. As well as $629 – 16 gig Wifi/3G, $729 – 322 gig Wifi/3G, and $829 – 64 gig Wifi/3G.