Apple puts pedal to the metal with new iMacs

The iMac received its latest performance bump on Monday as Apple rolled out its all-in-one consumer desktop line with new processors and specs. The latest addition to the iMac line is the appearance of new Intel Core 2 Duo processors that offer up to 3.06GHz of power.

The processors come with 6MB of L2 cache and a faster 1,066MHz front-side bus, with 2GB memory standard in most models. The high-end 24-inch iMacs already flirt with performance suitable for professionals, but the US$2,199, 3.06GHz model - with an Nvidia GeForce 8800 GS graphics processor sporting 512MB of memory - might become a less expensive alternative to a decked-out Mac Pro.

Still, regardless of what's jammed inside, Apple still thinks the design is key to sales.

"The iMac's gorgeous aluminum and glass all-in-one design has been an incredible hit with our customers and is just one of the reasons Mac sales are growing three and a half times faster than PC sales," noted Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.

"With the latest Intel processors, a faster new graphics option and more memory, customers now have even more reasons to love the iMac," he added.

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