Two less announcements for Sept 12 event– Apple ups iMac and Mac mini lines

With the confirmation of Apple’s “It’s Showtime” event on September 12th, many had speculated that new iMacs and upgraded Mac minis would be announced. Clearly Apple has bigger plans for September 12th because they today announced that the entire iMac line now features the new Intel Core 2 Duo processor in every model. A new iMac with a 24-inch widescreen display joins the 17- and 20-inch models, and iMac prices now start at just USD$999.

The new iMac lineup includes four models: a 1.83 GHz and a 2.0 GHz 17-inch, a 2.16 GHz 20-inch and the all-new 2.16 GHz 24-inch iMac, and features the new Intel Core 2 Duo processor which delivers up to 50 percent faster performance than the previous 20-inch iMac running industry standard benchmarks.

The new iMac line is shipping today and will be available through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. Apple today also increased processor speeds on both models of the Mac mini, delivering dual-core performance across the line at no additional cost. The USD$799 model now includes a 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, up from 1.66 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, and the USD$599 model now includes a 1.66 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, up from a 1.5 GHz Intel Core Solo processor.

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