Apple’s brand new 27-inch iMacs come with an interesting feature: the ability to act as a display for connected devices via the built-in DisplayPort connection. This means that, with the proper adaptors, you can connect an array of home theatre devices to the iMac, including Blu-Ray players. The screen has also moved to the HDTV standard 16:9 ratio and it’s wall mountable. All of this makes me think one thing, my next HDTV may be an iMac.

The setup would be relatively straightforward. The new iMacs already come with wireless mouse and keyboard, so controlling it from your couch isn’t a problem. Add a tuner attachment from Elgato to get your cable on the iMac, as well as DVR capabilities. Plug in your Blu-Ray player via DisplayPort and then install any of the plethora of multimedia interfaces available for the Mac. My personal favorite is Boxee.

None of this is particularly groundbreaking, you could have done something very similar with a bit more hackage the day before the new iMacs were announced. But it does lead one to start thinking in an interesting direction. There’s no doubt that the computer and the television are moving towards convergence. Apple’s made its first play for the digital living room with the Apple TV, to less than impressive results, as we’ve discussed before. It’s also a company that learns from its mistakes and has a history of taking small, evolutionary steps that can, in a few years, add up to some really exciting changes. Just look at how they’ve handled multitouch.

Combine these small steps with the slow death of desktop computers and Apple has to be thinking about what the future of the iMac will be. What would be the next steps toward a real iMac as HDTV? Well, you’d need to integrate the tuner, and you’d definitely have to offer a large range of sizes, while simultaneously dropping prices. This wouldn’t be quite as hard as you might imagine. The current 27-inch iMac is much more powerful than you really need, and the cost of LCD displays is quickly dropping. Integrate the Apple TV’s media interface and tweak OS X a bit to make it easier to control from ten feet away and you’re almost there.

Do I think this is definitely the direction Apple is moving with the iMac? Not necessarily, but its actions thus far have certainly got me thinking about it and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Apple make a strong play at the high-end of the HDTV market. In a few years you may be able to buy 30, 40 and 50 inch iMacs, at a premium over standard HDTVs, but with a lot more functionality built-in. It’s certainly Apple’s style to go into an industry and try to slice off the top 10 percent of market share, which also happens to include the lion’s share of the profits. It’s done it in computers, it’s done it with cell phones, why not with HDTVs?

Well, the Apple Store went down, and we waited with bated breath. And most of what people expected to see came true. One of those expectations was new iMacs, and Apple’s all-in-one desktops did indeed get a nice upgrade and redesign. That means you’re old hat, iMac which I’m typing this up on right now.

The new iMacs feature LED-backlit 21.5 and 27-inch widescreen displays, with a new edge-to-edge glass and seamless aluminum case design. It’s quite the sexy little get up, and it’s sure to turn a few heads. Also sure to turn heads is the introduction of quad-core processors to the iMac line, though the entry level model still sports an Intel Core 2 Duo processor by default.

In the official Apple press release detailing the new hardware, Phil Schiller focused on the LED-backlighting and the inclusion of the new Magic Mouse when talking up the new all-in-ones:

The iMac is widely praised as the best desktop computer in the world and today we are making it even better. With brilliant LED displays and the revolutionary Magic Mouse, the new iMac delivers an amazing desktop experience that we think customers will love.

The new displays feature 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution for the 21.5-inch, and 2560 x 1440 for the 27-inch, which mathematically inclined readers will note makes the aspect ratio for the screens 16:9. That’s good news for HD movie and TV show watchers, but the changed ratio might not excite web and print professionals quite as much. Still, as Apple points out, the display on the new 27-inch screen does provide 60 percent more working area, which is never a bad thing.

Graphics computing power also gets a boost in the new line. The NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated card is still around, but the ATI Radeon HD 4670 discrete card is an option on the 21.5- and 27-inch model, while the ATI Radeon HD 4850 is reserved as an option exclusively available for the bigger computer. The new iMacs now have 4GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 RAM standard, and the potential to increase that to up to 16GB.

As for storage space, you’ll get 500GB in the base 21.5-inch model, or 1TB in the mid-range 21.5-inch or top-of-the-line 27-inch versions. All drives operate at 7200 rpm. Of the four available models, only the most expensive 27-inch 2.66 GHz version offers a Core i5 chip, with an option to upgrade to the Core i7. All three of the other models offer the Intel Core 2 Duo processor operating at 3.06GHz. Four USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800, and a brand new SD card slot are also standard on all models.

New iMac owners get a nice bonus when it comes to input devices, as wireless keyboards and the new Magic Mouse, which only comes in a wireless (Bluetooth) variety, are now standard with every machine. Apple is clearly doing its best to de-clutter your workspace, or at least to add to the perceived value of its machines, since the price points of the new models have not changed as some had suspected. The base models are priced at $1,199, $1,499, $1,699 and $1,999 respectively.

So long as you aren’t in the market for the $2,000 quad-core beast, you can order now from the Apple Store and your computer should ship in 1-3 business days. The Core i5 model isn’t shipping until “November,” according to Apple’s website, which is maddeningly vague. Attempting to upgrade to the Core i7 does nothing to remedy the situation, which doesn’t come as a surprise.

Finally, I spotted a new Apple Remote as an add-on option on the ordering screen. Not an iMac exclusive, but the little guy does get an aluminum makeover, with black buttons, and looks much fancier. Is it worth an additional $19 now? Not sure, but at least it matches the machine it works with.

Apple has released what it calls “Performance Update 1.0,” an update to its Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and 10.6 (Snow Leopard) operating systems for selected iMacs and MacBooks.

As Apple describes it — in typically brief fashion — in its Support pages, ”This update addresses intermittent hard drive related pauses reported by a small number of customers.”

Gotta love those detailed descriptions!

The update may be related to an EFI Firmware Update in June that some MacBook owners suspect was the cause of intermittent crashes and system freezes. This latest update may well put these problems to rest once and for all, except there’s something interesting about the name…that 1.0 suffix hints at the possibility of further revisions to come. A “Performance Update, Update” perhaps?

The update isn’t for everyone, however. It applies only to the following Mac models.

MacBook
MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008)
MacBook (13-inch, Early 2009)
MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2009)

MacBook Pro
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008)
MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009)
MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2009)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2009)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2.53GHz, Mid 2009)

MacBook Air
MacBook Air (Late 2008)
MacBook Air (Mid 2009)

Mac Mini
Mac Mini (Early 2009)

iMac
iMac (24-inch, Early 2009)
iMac (20-inch, Early 2009)
iMac (20-inch, Mid 2009)

NVIDIA, makers of graphics chips for Apple’s range of iMacs and MacBooks, has announced that it is putting its Nforce chipset development on hold until the conclusion of a legal dispute with Intel, expected to be reached in 2010.

At the core of the matter is the claim by Intel that its four-year deal with NVIDIA does not include the Core and Nehalem series of microprocessors.

Nvidia’s PR Manager, Ken Brown, told Engadget:

…the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M/ION brands have enjoyed significant sales, as well as critical success. Customers including Apple… and others are continuing to incorporate GeForce 9400M and ION products in their current designs. There are many customers that have plans to use ION or GeForce 9400M chipsets for upcoming designs, as well.

This makes sense, given that these chipsets have been in production for a while and customers (such as Apple) have long-term supply contracts NVIDIA is obliged to honor. Indeed, Apple’s upcoming rumored iMac refresh may well see no change in the use of GeForce 9400M chips in its low-end 20 and 24 inch iMacs. Brown continues:

We firmly believe that this market has a long healthy life ahead. But because of Intel’s improper claims to customers and the market that we aren’t licensed to the new DMI bus and its unfair business tactics, it is effectively impossible for us to market chipsets for future CPUs. So, until we resolve this matter in court next year, we’ll postpone further chipset investments for Intel DMI CPUs.

Despite Intel’s actions, we have innovative products that we are excited to introduce to the market in the months ahead. We know these products will bring with them some amazing breakthroughs that will surprise the industry, just as GeForce 9400M and ION have shaken up the industry this year.

In the world of corporate communications, this is about as bitchy as executives can get.

AppleInsider reported on its website yesterday that,  “…earlier this year, Intel sued Nvidia in an attempt to stop the company from developing compatible chipsets for future generation Intel processors. Many of NVIDIA’s gains — including the partnership with Apple — have amounted to Intel’s loss.” So perhaps all this legal maneuvering is indicative of Intel’s desire to wrest-back control of that sector of the market (and the associated profits) with its own chipset offerings. Perhaps.

Undoubtedly, there has been trouble for NVIDIA in the last year, though reading between the lines of countless reported rumors proves a bit of a challenge. It was only a year ago that Apple switched to the GeForce 9400M G integrated controller in their MacBooks. Shortly after, iMacs and Mac Minis got the same chip-love with the NVIDIA MCP79. But by mid 2009, rumors circulated that relations between Apple and NVIDIA were deteriorating due to reports of manufacturing defects that affected a number of MacBook Pros.

More recently, there have been rumors thatNVIDIA’sCEO and President Jen-Hsun Huang directly asked partners if there was any reason NVIDIA should stay in the chipset business. As the story goes, no one could offer a reason, and the division is closed. NVIDIA denied it. It’s hard to know what’s really going on, but it’s not hard to see that trouble is brewin’.

Where does this leave Apple once its existing orders of  NVIDIA chips are satisfied? A mix of Intel and ATI solutions aren’t beyond imagining. ATI cards are already offered in the high-end iMac and Mac Pro configurations available on the Apple Store. So perhaps Intel chipsets can replace NVIDIA’s on the low end of the scale — I just wonder whether Intel’s chips (and experience in mobile technology) can offer appropriate gains in performance, reliability and power efficiency.

AppleInsider was first to report on a series of Google AdSense placements temporarily appearing in several European countries hinting at new iMacs, Mac minis, and MacBooks.

Google searches for those models in countries including the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Austria returned ads for the respective Apple Stores with new features and prices. Translations from the Dutch ads describe the new Macs as follows:

• iMac: Ultra Thin 20 & 24 inch models. From only €1099.
• Mac mini: Faster and more affordable than ever. From only €499. Order immediately.
• MacBook: Apple’s Newest MacBook. Thinner, lighter and faster! Free delivery. Order today.

While the iMac ad confirms the long-rumored redesign reducing thickness and weight, the even-longer-rumored addition of Blu-ray drives is not mentioned. In a way, this is not too surprising. If Blu-ray comes to the Mac, it seems odd that the iMac would get it first. The Pro machines would seem more likely candidates to introduce the Blu-ray drive, if for no other reason than price premium. The rumor of a price drop is not reflected in the ad, either, unlike the Mac mini.

The current price for the Mac mini at the Netherlands Apple Store is €599, the new price fitting nicely with recent rumors that the low-end model has been discontinued. A lower-priced, faster Mac mini, hopefully with more than a miserly 1GB of RAM, would be a welcome change to what is arguably the poorest price/performance Mac currently for sale.

While the MacBook ad does not specify a price, “thinner, lighter, and faster” fits in with current expectations. At $999, the polycarbonate MacBook is Apple’s answer to the netbook—despite what Apple executives say about the iPhone—but at double or even triple the price of the budget portables, it’s a tough sell. While Apple may not be losing business to Acer and Toshiba, it’s arguable that the MacBook isn’t taking business, either. At $899, or even $799, a MacBook becomes a more attractive “real notebook” upsell to the hot-selling netbooks.

It’s likely we won’t have to long to wait to find out, though. Look for that familiar sticky note at the Apple Store saying “we’ll be back soon” in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

AppleInsider is reporting on a supply advisory from Apple to its retail stores stating certain Macs have “entered a period of constraint,” suggesting that hardware updates may be imminent.

The specific models include all configurations of the iMac, as well as the low-end Mac mini, whose SKU has reportedly been discontinued. While the low-end Mac mini is still listed as shipping within 24 hours at the Apple Store online, Amazon.com is currently listing the model with a “1 to 2 month” wait.

At $599 for a Mac with a measly 1GB of RAM and a 120GB hard drive, perhaps Steve Jobs has realized that what he once praised as the “most affordable way to enjoy Mac OS X” has become something of an embarrassment. This could mean the company is about to make the high-end Mac mini, at $799 with 2GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive, into the low-end, offering a single model at $599. Those specs would still be anemic by PC standards, but would nonetheless be an improvement. Such a move would also make sense in light of rumors about the iMac.

Current speculation suggests the next iMac will sport “slimmer aluminum enclosures, and that they will indeed be cheaper than their predecessors, ” as well as the possibility of Blu-ray. Certainly, reducing the price on the low-end iMac to $1099, or even $999, would put downward pressure on the price of the Mac mini.

As for a Mac mini with Blu-ray…

Lately, rumors have been popping up that new iMacs could well be on the way. Well now AppleInsider is reporting that they’re not only real, but that they’re already here. Or, “here” in the sense that they exist in physical space, at least.

The Apple rumors site is reporting that according to reliable sources (in this case, “two people familiar with the matter”), new dual-core iMacs have been in production since early September, in preparation for an October launch. One of the two familiars cited also added that the new computers will sport new, slimmer aluminum enclosures, and that they will indeed be cheaper than their predecessors.

AppleInsider goes on to suggest that the revised all-in-one desktops will likely resemble the recently released LED Cinema Displays, although that doesn’t necessarily appear to be based on information from their sources. They also cite “people familiar with Apple’s thinking” as claiming it’s possible the new models could include Blu-ray, a technology Steve Jobs once referred to as a “bag of hurt,” and one which has yet to really catch on with the mainstream buying public.

The site also dangles the tantalizing possibility of an enhancement to something related to audio, and one other unspecified improvement, both of which are according to separate sources who didn’t go into further detail because they weren’t supposed to. Which suggests they were supposed to dangle a couple carrots, I guess.

There’s no doubt Apple will refresh its iMac line, which continues to be a strong seller. The only question is when. If AppleInsider’s information is correct, and if Apple intends to try and spoil Microsoft’s Windows 7 release party and bolster its holiday sales, we likely will see new machines sometime in October.

Apple beat Microsoft to market in terms of new operating systems (although “new” doesn’t really apply in the case of either 10.6 or Windows 7), but that means Microsoft will have the spotlight uncontested when it launches Windows 7 on Oct. 22. That’s why one research firm, Wedge Partners, is predicting new MacBook and iMac hardware in the coming weeks.

A significant hardware upgrade on Apple’s core lineup of iMac desktops and the lone MacBook notebook would indeed go a long way towards stealing the wind from Microsoft’s sails. Especially if it prices the new models lower, as the same research firm suggests it may.

Normally, I don’t have much patience for the ramblings of those soothsayers in the so-called “analyst” line of work, but this report struck a chord with something I heard earlier in the month, which alone wasn’t substantial enough to write up. A source who works for Apple told me at the beginning of September that new iMacs were definitely on the horizon, and that retail management was being prepared for a major launch of the updated computers.

No mention was made of the MacBook, but it, like the iMacs, are definitely due for a refresh, and, as Wedge Partners predicts, a visual design change as well. The aluminum and glass iMac design has been in play since August of 2007, and the white plastic MacBook case goes back to May 2006. The specific design predictions made by Wedge partners stand little chance of being accurate, but a new look would definitely be in order. Expect Apple to leverage its unibody construction method for both, since it represents significant investment on its part.

The iMac is also well behind its PC counterparts in terms of internal specs, so the prediction that it could see the introduction of Core i5 or i7 processors is probably not too far off base. We may also see Apple’s first move away from NVIDIA’s GeForce 9400M as the fallout from GPU-gate continues. Expect any internal hardware changes to specifically compliment user experience with the new Snow Leopard operating system.

While some point to the significance of the recent iPod event as evidence that Apple would not make another major announcement so closely on its heels, it was only last year that Apple’s “Let’s Rock” iPod and music special event in September was followed immediately in October with its major notebook event, at which it introduced the new unibody MacBook and MacBook Pro design. Clearly, it’s historically possible, and Apple has seen the financial sense it makes in the sales numbers it recorded last holiday season.

Poor NVIDIA — it looks like your honeymoon with Apple is over. There hasn’t been an official announcement from Cupertino yet, but a glance at the customization options for high-end iMacs (the ones that use discrete graphics) and Mac Pros reveals that ATI Radeon HD 4000-series cards are already available as new configurable alternatives to NVIDIA products.

ATI was shown the door at Apple when the computer maker introduced notebooks and desktops that feature integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics cards. Many suspect that things turned rocky between Apple and NVIDIA, thanks to the faulty GeForce 8600M GT cards that resulted in the Mac maker offering customers an unprecedented warranty extension for problems related to that component.

We didn’t see the effects right away, because Apple’s supply chain is likely structured in such a way that its product line was probably in place long before any of the hardware problems began to surface. Adding the Radeon HD 4850 to the iMac line and HD 4870 to the Mac Pro as configurable options may not seem like much in the way of retaliation, but it was probably the first option available to Apple short of overhauling its product line.

Both new ATI options are easy single component swap-outs. If Apple intends to get rid of the integrated GeForce 9400M cards, it will have to wait until the computers themselves receive a major update.

ATI is touting the ability of the new cards to fully utilize and benefit from Apple’s implementation of Open CL Version 1.0 in Snow Leopard, which developers can incorporate into their software to allow a sharing of processor load between CPU and GPU. The HD 4850 is a $50 upgrade, available on the 2.93GHz and 3.06GHz 24-inch iMac models, and the HD 4870 is a $200 upgrade for the Mac Pro.

The question isn’t whether there will be another Apple event in 2009. The release of Snow Leopard and the introduction of new iPods guarantees that. The real question is whether there will be two events.

Not surprisingly, predicting what will happen with Apple has a lot to do with what has already happened. A good way to visualize Apple events and product updates is to imagine us all living on planet iEarth revolving around the sun that is Apple — really more like a collapsed star, so little information about new products escapes Cupertino, but still a solar mass. Apple events and Mac updates occur with (mostly) seasonal regularity. What follows this year follows from previous years, and that makes the remainder of 2009 very interesting indeed.

Until Apple effectively ended Macworld Conference & Expo in 2009, it always took place in January. The World Wide Developers Conference has taken place in June for six out of the last seven years, the last three of which featured new iPhones. Since 2005, Apple has held a music event every September to introduce new iPods. The last two years have seen an iPhone OS event in March. Updates to Macs most often occur in spring and fall, often March and October, and this is where stating the obvious becomes more interesting.

While the 13” MacBook Pro was praised by many in June, more than a few may have felt a little disgruntled. Unibody MacBook buyers from as late as May saw their shiny, silver laptops depreciate an extra $100 with the 13” MacBook Pro price drop, probably more considering the FireWire port and improved battery life. Of course, the Apple obsessed knew something was coming as soon as the unibody MacBook was passed over during the March update for Macs. Now, all the laptops have been updated, which brings us to the update history of Apple’s flagship desktop, the iMac.

Looking at the calendar, the spring/fall update cycle for the iMac is pretty obvious. 2006 was an outlier, that being the introduction of the Intel iMac. Also, last year the iMac missed an update, possibly because of the focus on the major redesign of the MacBook. Coincidentally, that redesign came a little over two years since the first MacBook was introduced. It’s now two years since the polycarbonate iMac was replaced with glass and aluminum model.

It’s time for the next major revision of the iMac. Rumors of Blu-ray drives and secret features aside, the announced release of Snow Leopard in September would seem to indicate an Apple event for Macs is imminent. The only problem is the imminent Apple event for iPods, and possibly a tablet, too.

While past performance is not necessarily an indication of future Apple events, there has been a pattern of iPod updates taking place after Labor Day. Whether this has been because Steve Jobs has been busy prepping for his tofu barbecue on the holiday weekend, or because there has been no Tuesday in September before Labor Day, has not been tested, until now.

That’s the first possibility, that there will be an Apple event on the first Tuesday or Wednesday of September, in which case the event will be announced around August 24. The best reason for an early September event for iPods, and possibly a tablet, would be a late September event for Snow Leopard and the iMac. It’s hard to imagine two events in September with the first one occurring on Wednesday, September 9, leaving just three weeks until the second. That’s a lot of preparation in a short time for a company as image-obsessed as Apple.

The other possibility would be a single event combining iPods, Snow Leopard, a new iMac, and possibly a tablet. This would be the mini-Macworld option, but if there is a tablet that seems unlikely. The tablet is a big, big deal, and more of a device for media consumption, like the iPod, or the Apple TV. The Apple TV was introduced at the Apple event for iPods in September 2006.

Of course, the third possibility is that Snow Leopard will be a silent update. Instead of an Apple executive introducing “the world’s most advanced operating system” on a brand new iMac, maybe with Blu-ray, the company will just quietly ship it to the stores. After all, it’s not like any other operating system will be launched this year.

So, two Apple events, first and last Tuesday in September, you heard it here first.

Apple computers are expensive. Whether or not you think that price is justified, you can’t deny that even machines on the lower end of the scale will cost you a decent amount of coin.

The Mac Mini is the cheapest machine in the bunch, and you don’t get any crucial peripheral gear like a monitor, keyboard or mouse without paying extra. Putting aside for a second our dear devotion to the Cupertino brand, if you know absolutely nothing about computers, and you’re presented with two all-in-ones side by side, and the price tag on the Dell is a lot cheaper, you’re probably going to get the Dell. You’d be wrong, but that doesn’t change the fact that that means a sale for Dell, and nothing for Apple.

Why It Sounds Reasonable

Given that chilling scenario, recent rumors that Apple is prepping some lower-cost hardware to bring to market makes sense. They showed recently that they were relatively resilient, even in tough economic times, by posting record gains yet again for the second quarter of 2009, but Mac sales actually slowed during the same period, meaning that Apple is likely looking for a way to improve those sagging numbers.

AppleInsider cites “people familiar with the matter” as the source of the pleasant prospect of cheaper machines coming out of Cupertino. Their source maintains that the cheaper hardware to be introduced is designed as a stop-gap solution to counter the runaway success of netbooks until Apple is ready to release its own Newton-esque tablet-style device, which is taking longer to develop than anticipated. Apple’s new, lower-cost menu is said to include cheaper versions of both the 13-inch MacBook and a new entry-level iMac, possibly priced in line with its education-only predecessor.

Why It Doesn’t Make Sense

Sounds like a good idea, and there’s no doubt consumers would appreciate it, but does it make sense from Apple’s perspective? I think not, for a couple of reasons. First, they would be coming pretty close to interfering with their own clear price level demarcations. Apple is very good at pricing their products in such a way that each fits into its own clearly demarcated space, but that you also see the obvious value of going up to the next level. To start introducing products that clear the next level up by only a hundred dollars (and ones that probably offer significantly downgraded specs) would throw this delicate balance out of whack.

Second, as I’ve just mentioned, the new machines would probably have to offer big concessions in terms of hardware (they’d never sacrifice build quality) in order to provide profit margins acceptable to Apple. Crippled specs would just have people complaining that they could get a Dell with 10 times better internals for the same price, which would put us exactly where we are now: Apple fans saying the product is better overall, even if on paper it doesn’t look it, and PC faithful clamoring about the Apple Tax.

So no, I don’t think Apple will introduce new, cheaper machines to bolster Mac sales. They have to do something, though, if the dip repeats itself for a second quarter in a row. No doubt their solution will be much more interesting than just a price/quality cut, which is exactly the kind of uninspired move a PC manufacturer would make.

Another Option

If Apple really wanted to cause people to sit up and take notice, and sell computers to customers like me who already own multiple Mac desktops and laptops and to people looking for their first Mac, they’d give us a reason to look at a Mac Pro. Or not the Mac Pro exactly, but something like it. Give us a tower with accessible internals, with minimal specs but lots of potential for self-installed upgrades down the road. Then sell us those upgrade parts through the Apple Store with official Apple branding. It’s almost a cheap razor/expensive blades sales model, but I admit it involves a lot of risk, since you might get undercut by third-party providers on the upgrade components. Still, it would be unexpected coming from Apple, and that is sort of their thing.

It wasn’t so long ago that the Internet was ablaze with news of the “new” 17-inch iMac for education priced at $899, which was actually a model they’d been offering, without updates, in that capacity for two full years at that point. Its “discovery” was in fact just people noticing something they’d never noticed before. Today, though, brings real news of a brand-new deal for educational customers.

The price of the new iMac for education (PDF link) hasn’t changed, but the hardware definitely has, and for the better. For starters, it uses the aluminum body frame that’s been the standard for all iMac machines, save the old 17-inch polycarbonate machine it’s replacing. It also gets the same 1066MHz front-side bus as its consumer cousins, though only a 2.0GHz processor, compared to the 2.66GHz for people and institutions not trying to teach anyone anything.

The $899 price tag will also kit out the iMac with 1GB DDR3 RAM, a 160GB SATA HD, and the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor that is now the standard entry-level card across Apple’s Mac lineup. All the standard ports, and the usual optical drive and wireless card, are also included.

For those counting, that means educational institutions get half the RAM and half the hard drive space in exchange for a cost savings of $300 per unit. Not a bad deal, considering most educational customers will never have cause to upgrade beyond those specs, as they’d primarily be buying the machines to fill up computer labs and/or student common areas.

Note that this deal isn’t for individual students, staff or faculty of educational institutions, but for the institutions themselves. Now might be a great time to start that correspondence school for ballroom dancing you’ve always dreamed about.

News “broke” over the weekend via a leak from Apple itself that the company still offers the low-end iMac model with a smaller, 17-inch screen, though it is available exclusively for education customers. The news came via the Apple eNews for Education newsletter for March, although clicking the “Buy” link from the iMac page does not reveal the option to buy a 17-inch model, at least not in the U.S. education store where I attempted it. It’s still there, but you may have to try to get a quote for a bulk purchase as an educational institution to find it.

Maybe it’s because the iMac is so tricky to find that the story got picked up so quickly over the weekend, and by so many different outlets, but readers were quick to point out that the “news” of a possible $899 iMac was in fact not news at all, since the model has been available at that price point since 2006. In fact, rather than being the deal of the century, the iMac priced at $899 is actually probably one of the least appealing value propositions available from Apple, unless you want an old white plastic model to keep sealed in a box in the hopes that it will become a priceless collector’s item in 20 years time.

This story was picked up by everybody, including Gizmodo, MacRumors and Engadget (although Giz and Engadget have taken it off of their main site; Giz link leads to their Australian site), among many others, as such serving as yet another example of how susceptible Apple news reporting is to manipulation, even if the original “leak” was not intentional. At least MacRumors didn’t immediately try to backpedal to avoid embarrassment. Mistakes in print are not so easy to undo. Tech publications: Admit it when you screw up, instead of trying to go back in time and erase any evidence of a less-than-perfect track record.

This example also shows pretty clearly what we can do to reduce our susceptibility to manipulation. The answer? Take five seconds to fact-check before you hit the publish button. Ours is admittedly a fast-paced news cycle, but artificially and unnecessarily so. In fact, nothing we report has dire consequences, if you really think about it, so hanging on to a story in the interest of accuracy will better serve readers than publishing mistaken information at a break-neck pace.

In marked contrast to the disappointing Mac mini update today, the iMac’s upgrades make great strides in keeping the value proposition for this excellent desktop system.

All the Basics

First, we get all the stuff we expected:

• Newer Core 2 Duo processors w/ 6MB L2 cache
• Front-side bus speed of 1066MHz
• Fast DDR3 memory
• NVIDIA 9400M graphics

Even the Mac mini updates included the above. These were obvious and well-known. Where Apple departed from the Mac mini updates, however, was in the rest of the package.

Value Added at Each Level

Where the base Mac mini must suffer with an inadequate 1GB of memory, the base iMac has 2GB, and the other three models have 4GB! Selling memory as an add-on is typically pretty profitable, in light of this the “RAM-stuffing” is particularly appreciated. Well done, Apple.

Hard drive space is another area where the base Mac mini suffered, but not so with the iMacs. The base model has 320GB (it’s nice to see Apple not even mess with 250GB here), the two middle models have a whopping 640GB, and the high-end model a full TB! Thank you, Apple, for acknowledging that if you’re going to provide great photo and movie software, I might actually need room to store my data.

Further, while the 9400M is faster than the base iMac graphics available yesterday, the two top models provide something even better, as well as upgrade options. With a GeForce GT 130 at the high-end, and GT 120 just below it, and both having the option for an ATI Radeon HD 4850, there’s some great graphics muscle in these machines.

In short, unlike the mini, Apple didn’t just modernize the innards, they increased value all along the line in terms of other performance and usability features. Keeping prices the same but adding, in addition to the new guts, double the memory, lots more drive space, and better graphics. They also allowed for upgrades to even better graphics, added a USB port, and upped the memory max to 8GB!

And I haven’t even gotten to the best part…

Yesterday’s high-end 20″ model, at $1,499, has been replaced by a 24″ model! Keep in mind that this doesn’t just provide a much bigger screen, but also a better screen. The 24″ display is gorgeous, with better color and more brightness than the 20″ (which is no slouch).

Key Bored?

Tired of all those keys on your keyboard? There’s a new twist with all the iMacs: The included keyboard has been modified to match the wireless model, meaning it has no dedicated navigation keys or keypad.

Before you panic or complain, you need only check a box when ordering to get the full keyboard (no additional price) if you want it. Personally, I have a wireless and I love it.

Yesterday vs. Today

Here’s what today’s money gets you compared to yesterday’s, and remember that they all have the newer C2D processors, faster bus speed, and fast DDR3 memory:

$1,199 Base Model

• Processor speed bump from 2.4GHz to 2.66
• Hard drive bump from 250GB to 320
• Memory bump from 1GB to 2
• Better graphics with the 9400M

That’s a great set of improvement for the same price.

$1,499 Model

• Screen size increase from 20″ to 24 (and a superior screen as well)
• Hard drive bump from 320GB to 640
• Memory bump from 2GB to 4
• Better graphics with the 9400M

Frankly, this is a fabulous machine. What really makes it so good is that you’re getting the “base” 24″ model, and yet you don’t feel like you have to add a few things to make it better. It’s already loaded with memory and drive space! If you have a chance, compare the 20″ and 24″ screens at an Apple store and you’ll see even more why this is a great machine.

$1,799 Model

• Processor speed bump from 2.8GHz to 2.93
• Hard drive bump from 320GB to 640
• Memory bump from 2GB to 4
• Better graphics with the GeForce GT 120

For $300 more than the above model you’re getting a 5 percent bump in processor speed and the improved graphics. The latter look to be roughly twice as fast as the 9400M, a significant improvement. Those graphics also utilize dedicated memory, so free up a little for the system to use. If you do 3-D work, or perhaps want to ensure you get the most out of Snow Leopard when it arrives, this may be the model to shoot for. This is especially true because this model has BTO options for even better video cards.

$2,199 Model

• Processor speed bump from 2.93GHz to 3.06
• Hard drive bump from 500GB to 1TB
• Memory bump from 2GB to 4
• Better graphics with the GeForce GT 130

For $400 more than the above model you get another 5 percent processor bump, an upgrade to a full TB of storage, and the GT 130, which betters the 120 not only with twice the video memory (512MB vs. 256), but also a large performance improvement. Further, you can upgrade the video to the ATI Radeon 4850 for maximum graphics performance.

Summary

A well-conceived set of upgrades from Apple on the iMac line.

As is typically the case, the sweet spot is in the middle, and here the $1,500 model shines brightly. This system would please almost anyone, providing great power and room to grow for years to come.

The higher models are also significant. For those intending to do intense 3-D graphics or gaming, this is where you go. I could argue that the $1,799 model with the 130 (or 4850) graphics upgrade makes for a $2K system that’s a better value than the $2,199 model.

And the lone 20″ model remains an excellent system. My current MacBook doesn’t have this horsepower, and cost a lot more, yet it runs iPhoto (and Aperture), and iMovie without a hiccup. This may be the “low-end” iMac, but don’t kid yourself, it’s easily more than adequate for casual, family, hobby, or business use.

Finally, I would encourage anyone looking at a Mac mini as part of piecing together a complete system to seriously look at the base iMac. A Mac mini with acceptable hard drive and memory is $800. Add an inexpensive 20″ monitor, keyboard and mouse and you’re well over $1K. At $1,200 the iMac is a better performer with 20 percent more CPU horsepower, and includes an excellent monitor, keyboard, and mouse with the convenience and beauty of Apple’s all-in-one design.

Sometimes Apple watchers get disappointed when there’s no new design or other incredible knock-your-socks-off update. But I tend to think the day-to-day upgrades are where the real action is. Today’s iMac represents a machine with great value all along the line.

Well, those late rumors of updated iMacs and Mac minis coming today proved to be true. The Apple Store went down for a while this morning, and when it came back, refreshed versions of all of Apple’s desktops, including the Mac Pro, had appeared.

Even though I just made an iMac purchase last year, and will be buying one of the new Mac minis, the iMac refresh does make the machine very appealing, even if there are very few surprises in the changes to the computer.

Not least among the iMac’s improvements is a lower price point for the entry-level model boasting the larger, 24-inch screen. The new price for that starts at $1,499, which is the same price point occupied by the older, premium 20-inch just yesterday.

Another new and notable feature common to every iMac offered is the inclusion of NVIDIA graphics hardware across the board. While the two less expensive machines come with the same NVIDIA GeForce 9400M that’s in the Macbook as a standard component, the two pricier models come with the NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 (256MB) and NVIDIA GeForce GT 130 (512 MB) respectively. Apple’s move to integrated graphics card in the two cheaper iMacs probably saved them some money, which could account for the boost in specs elsewhere. No graphics card upgrades are available for those two models. People who favor ATI hardware will have to get the optional upgrade available for both top-end iMacs, which switches the NVIDIA card out for an ATI Radeon HD 4850 with 512MB.

Other changes include the capacity of the hard drive included standard, which moves from 250GB to 320GB on the entry level model, doubles to 640GB on the two mid-priced machines, and jumps to 1TB for the top of the line iMac. 1TB upgrade options are available for all computers in the line-up.

All models except the base now come standard with 4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM, and you have the option to bump that up to a whopping 8GB, for the small one-time fee of an extra $1,000. Talk about an instance where getting aftermarket RAM is probably best. The support for double the RAM, along with the processor improvements (2.4 to 2.66GHz on the base, 2.8 to 2.93 and 3.06GHz remains the same at the top end), definitely make this a machine to contend with when fully maxed out with upgrades.

The new iMacs do away with the FireWire 400 port, as has been the trend with Apple’s latest releases. It does still provide FireWire 800 connectivity, along with four USB 2.0 ports. The Mini-DVI port has been replaced with a Mini DisplayPort, as is also now standard on Mac machines, and the optical digital audio out/in and headphone/microphone are still included.

Apple is also touting the environmental friendliness of their new machine, in keeping with their marketing surrounding their other products. It looks like it really is greener than ever, and I’m green with envy at friends who are purchasing one. Release day is always a bittersweet day, since your own hardware quickly becomes “the previous model.” Ah well, c’est la vie.

Normally, industry analysts are a talkative, confident bunch, but generally speaking, they are like old fisherman, spinning yarns and telling tales that have become exaggerated through constant retelling.

Recent comments by leading Apple analyst Toni Sacconaghi, however, actually came out of discussions with a very good source: Tim Cook, Apple COO and acting head honcho at Cupertino during Steve Jobs’ medical leave. Not only that, but CFO Pete Oppenheimer and head of marketing Phil Schiller were there, too.

Which is why this time, when he says Apple is likely still working toward producing a netbook, I didn’t just roll my eyes and go about turning my Eee PC into a hackintosh. Not that Sacconaghi provided any firm details, just the tantalizing info that Cook “hinted” that Apple was still turning over “ideas” surrounding a netbook. Not a lot to build hope on, but better than the usual “predictions” based on “market trends.”

Other developments Sacconaghi foresees coming out of his all-star confab include pricing changes to the iPhone line-up, and new devices in the smartphone category. This, again, is speculation based on Cook’s own words, which are quoted by Sacconaghi as follows:

Tim Cook stated that since Steve Jobs announced his leave of absence, he was spending more time on new products, how Apple could take the iPhone into new markets and examining iPhone’s business model.

Cook has been hinting at new products for quite some time, so we’re bound to see some before Jobs’ scheduled return in June. Sacconaghi predicts those will be new iMacs, which might come as early as next month. It’s true the iMac is overdue for an update, and that predictions of possible new quad-core models have been surfacing lately. That said, this appears to be more Sacconaghi’s analysis and less anything said by Cook, so don’t go throwing your old iMac out the window just yet.

The unusual move on the part of Apple’s top brass to meet with an industry analyst (albeit the top rated analyst, according to Institutional Investor Magazine) is perhaps more newsworthy than the predictions themselves. They suggest a Cupertino that is willing to openly court some media speculation, even if they are still playing their hand very close to the chest. Maybe rumors of a growth slowdown are true, in which case Apple might be looking to fuel the speculative fire that represents so much of their publicity machine.

The good news for us as Apple users is that if Apple is inviting this kind of attention, they’re probably planning to deliver something soon that will benefit from it. In other words, they’re turning down the house lights and getting ready to raise the curtains. Let’s hope the show starts soon.

It may not have arrived at Macworld, as some thought possible, but it looks like we could yet see a quad-core iMac from Apple in 2009.

The rumors have gained renewed strength based on news from Intel regarding new, low power quad-core processors that they’ve just released. The new processors are designed for desktop use, in contrast with the existing low-power notebook chips, and as such would represent a departure for the iMac line, which typically uses mobile processors.

The new Core 2 Quad processors introduced by Intel are low power, but they still use far more energy than the existing Core 2 Duo mobile chips used in current models, and generate far more heat. Intel, however, clearly is thinking about the chips with the iMac or iMac competitors in mind, saying they’re designed for “sleek and cool desktops.” I can’t think of many other machines that fit that description, can you?

Of course, there’s a big difference between wishful thinking on Intel’s part and what Apple will actually do. Even if affordable, do quad-core iMacs make sense from Cupertino’s perspective? Basic logic would seem to suggest that the move from duo to quad-core processors would be a natural next step, but there’s the question of what it would mean for Apple’s clearly delineated product categories.

Quad-core iMacs would probably sap some entry-level power users away from the Mac Pro line of desktops, since, if Apple stays true to form, pricing levels will not change with hardware improvements. It is true that eventually the line will probably have to go that way, but Apple generally makes sure that their higher-end products stand enough apart from their more widely appealing computers that corporate buyers for media professionals know where they have to put their money.

As evidence that the quad-core iMacs could indeed be based on these new chips, AppleInsider cites older rumors that suggested Apple was working on new cooling methods for their all-in-one desktop that could handle the excess heat generated by the more power-hungry chips.

In the lull between Christmas and New Years, Intel released its new Q9000 quad-core mobile processor, and PC maker Acer almost simultaneously its Q9000-powered Aspire 8930G-7665 “extreme gaming” and multimedia notebook computer with an 18″ 1920 x 1080 pixel 16:9 aspect ratio display.

Many Mac notebook fans and watchers had been hoping that Apple would roll out a quad-core powered MacBook Pro at Macworld Expo, which didn’t happen. The new 17″ unibody MBP comes with slightly faster 2.66 GHz and 2.93 GHz processors as opposed to the 2.4 GHz and 2.53 GHz chips offered in the 15″ unibody model.

I’m not much of a gamer, but I’ve long advocated that Apple build a real desktop substitute laptop, and that big new Acer machine got my imagination juices flowing. The new Apple 17-incher is a nice piece of work, but I still hope Apple will at some point use that Q9000 quad-core chip in a MacBook Pro.

Enhanced Connectivity And Expandability

A quad-core MacBook Pro would be cool, so long as they can keep the heat generated within reason, but aside from desktop-like processor power, what I would really like to see in a jumbo Apple notebook is restoration, and even enhancement, of the connectivity and expandability standards set by the 1978 WallStreet G3 Series PowerBook, with its two PC Card slots, two removable device expansion days (even one would be a quantum improvement on the current status quo), ease of opening the machine up to perform component upgrades and repairs, and a motherboard design allowing processor (and ideally video accelerator) upgrades. A larger laptop could also theoretically cool more efficiently.

Replace The iMac With A Jumbo Notebook?

Raw bulk and weight is of course not the point, nor is just larger screen size. I’ll even stick my neck out a little farther and suggest that Apple might consider replacing the iMac with this type of portable machine. From time to time I’ve been nearly convinced that an iMac would make the best sense, and certainly be the best value for the money power-wise for me as a workstation, but the biggest sticking point for me is the lack of battery power.

The biggest advantage of a portable computer is that it is portable — a completely self-contained computing unit when it needs to be — a single module that can be packed around easily and conveniently whether to the next room or to another continent. Personally it isn’t so much that I use my main production Mac laptop in portable mode very often (although it’s very convenient at times to be able to) but rather that I prefer to be able to keep computing through power interruptions, which are not uncommon where I live, and I really detest losing unsaved data because of even short power outages.

Duo Redivivus

Perhaps even cooler, since I’m letting my imagination off its leash, would be to replace the iMac with a portable machine loosely based on another erstwhile Apple great idea — the PowerBook Duo. The computer would be modular, with a docking CPU core unit that could serve as either the CPU module of a desktop iMac replacement that might also be offered at the entry-level without a battery and could be sold with a built-in (detachable) monitor, or “headless” to be used with an external display of the customer’s choice a la the Mac mini.

The same CPU unit would also form the basis of a portable/big laptop with a built-in keyboard and trackpad and a battery in one or both of its double expansion bays. It would be processor upgradable, ideally with PCI and AGP expansion slots, an ExpressCard 54 slot or two, multiple RAM expansion slots, and upgradable video support. Beauty.

A Notebook That Is Anything But Secondary

Maybe I’m not so far out with this line of speculation. BusinessWeek’s resident Apple-watcher Arik Hessendahl observes that notebooks are where the money is these days and “what used to be a secondary sibling to the desktop is now increasingly the only computer anyone wants or needs,” which has notebook makers adding top-shelf features designed to attract the attention of power users, serious gamers, and others who need a notebook that is anything but secondary — often called “desktop replacements.”

In a recent commentary, The Industry Standard’s Ian Lamont suggests that while Apple has been able to keep the iMac on the leading edge of design and consumer demand, the traditional desktop iMac can’t outrun trends developing in the marketplace, notably the ongoing shift to notebook computers. Lamont points out that Apple’s 2008 10-K illustrates this with the company’s overall notebook sales more than doubling from 2006 to 2008, compared to only a 70 percent rise in Apple desktop sales. Lamont thinks Apple may discontinue the iMac altogether, I’m doubtful about that, but I do think a jumbo notebook could very feasibly replace the iMac, which incorporates a lot of notebook engineering these days anyway. What do you think?

Leopard may not have quite the level of touchscreen integration as Windows 7 appears to be packing, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t those out there who would appreciate having one for their Mac. We can probably cry out for a tablet till the cows come home, and not be rewarded any time soon, unless you’re willing to go third-party. Today we receive yet another third party option, for those who want to get their desktop touch on.

I’m talking about Troll Touch’s integrated touchscreen for the Apple 24-inch LED Cinema Display. The 24-inch display, you’ll recall, came to us via the same October Apple event that introduced the new line of unibody aluminum notebooks, and uses the new Mini DisplayPort video connection standard that Apple will be adopting across their entire line of computers. It can also power and act as a USB hub for your Apple notebook.

Troll Touch’s touchscreen system uses USB power to drive the analog resistive touchscreen, which can be used with fingertips, gloves, or a stylus (as opposed to, say, the capacitive touchscreen of the iPhone, which requires fingertip interaction). The screen is an overlay, and does not significantly alter the look of your hardware. If you want the total package, it retails for $2299, but if you have your own 24-inch display already, a mere $1399 will have you fondling your monitor in no time.

Not one to discriminate, Troll Touch also offers similar solutions for your iMac, MacBook (13″), or any of the other existing Apple Cinema displays. Prices are all sort of expensive, but if you’re the type that really needs this sort of thing, then you’re probably willing to pay.

I do a fair bit of video editing and I have upgraded my arsenal of tools throughout the years. Each time I go for something that can pack a little bit more punch in terms of video editing. However there is a problem with this, a problem many freelance videographers run into…money. But this issue is not the lack of money but rather the large price point of a professional editing suite. However it is possible to get professional results, for much less. Here are some tips for how I’ve been able to get better editing tools for my Mac without spending an arm and a leg.

I first started editing using a Powerbook G4 and used it for years, eventually getting a MacBook to use for more personal work. But eventually it hit me, that I needed a faster and more powerful machine for editing video. I would love nothing more than to own a Mac Pro tower, but it was simply out of my price range. So I went straight for the Macbook Pro. However it wasn’t a matter of affordability, I wanted the fastest computer I could get for the least amount of money. So I went with a 20″ iMac, and honestly I have never been happier.

Why the iMac?

I decided on the 20″ iMac over the MacBook Pro simply over cost. I decided I could get more raw power for my money if I were to get the iMac. I discovered that the low end MacBook Pro runs for $1,999, which was what I had initially put in my shopping cart. But then I noticed something, I could get the second tier iMac and get a faster machine, more hard drive space, and more power overall for $1,499. The portability over power decision was initially hard for me, but then I thought about how much editing I do away from my desk, away from my external monitors, away from a keyboard and mouse…and the answer was none. So a few days later I had an iMac at my front door.

Now you have a fast computer, but that is not all you need. You’re going to need your editing software, lots of storage, and speed.

Upgrade your RAM

So to begin your new iMac’s transformation into a video editing powerhouse, start by upgrading your RAM. Your iMac can hold up to 4GB, so why not have that? You can get RAM just about anywhere but my personal favorite would be Newegg. Newegg has some of the greatest deals on computer hardware you could ask for and great selection of Mac memory as well.

So you have some new RAM, a fast computer, what more could you need? Well, you’re going to need lots of hard disk space. The iMac already comes with a good amount of space, but eventually this will run out working with video, and it will run out even faster if editing high definition content. So look into some portable solutions.

Get some storage (you will need it)

Western Digital makes one of the best hard drives for this purpose. The My Book Studio Edition II offers 1 and 2 Terabyte capacities in a sleek affordable package. However, if you are still looking for something a bit more portable you could try the My Passport Studio. This edition of the super portable Passport line of hard drives offers Firewire as a connection option which is a big plus for video editing. But aside from the Firewire it also offers a large capacity drive in a small package. I know I would have a hard time getting around without mine, its as easy to use as plugging in and letting it go, so its essentially a really large thumb drive.

Display your assets

The 20″ iMac already has a gorgeous display, but you can add to that by adding a second of your choice. My choice would be one of Apple’s new cinema displays, but again those could be hard to come across without breaking the bank. So try to find a second monitor from another manufacturer, just double check that it is at the resolution, and size that you need.

From here all you need to do is install Final Cut Pro or Express; aside from the computer itself, this will probably be the largest purchase. But it is the engine that will drive this powerful editing machine.

From here you should be able to start editing on your new powerhorse. So what more could you possibly need? This is an optional and fairly aesthetic choice, but Photojojo sells a very nice keyboard cover to help you out in memorizing all those nice Final Cut shortcuts.

With a few up front costs, this package still isn’t cheap. But for those looking for a nice machine to edit digital video with, the iMac would be a fantastic choice, and it certainly beats the price point of the larger more powerful Mac Pro towers. Once these up front costs are addressed and it is all said and done, you should be ready to start making some films that have a more professional look and feel to them.