Apple iMac goes quad-core, gets graphics choice, SD slot and multi-touch Magic Mouse

By Rich Trenholm on 20 October 2009, 6:10pm

Apple has refreshed its iMac line of all-in-one desktops and MacBooks. The new LED-backlit 21.5- and 27-inch widescreen iMacs come with a choice of graphics and hard-drive options, as well as a long-awaited SD card slot and the new multi-touch Magic Mouse. Still no Blu-ray, though.

Each of the new models includes an edge-to-edge glass design and aluminium unibody. They pack 4GB of 1,066MHz DDR3 memory, with room to upgrade to as much as 16GB across four SO-DIMM slots. DVD drive, AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, FireWire, iSight webcam and that SD card slot are built-in.

The 21.5-inch screen boasts 1,920x1,080-pixel high-definition resolution. There are two versions available: the first includes graphics powered by an integrated Nvidia GeForce 9400M chip, and a 500GB hard drive, for £950. The second offers a discrete ATI Radeon HD 4670 card and 1TB hard drive, for £1,200.

A new 27-inch iMac sports a 2,560x1,440-pixel display. The 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo version includes discrete ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics. But the 2.66GHz version offers new quad-core Intel Core i5 or Core i7 CPUs and ATI Radeon HD 4850 discrete graphics. Both pack 1TB or 2TB hard drives.

The new iMacs are bundled with a wireless keyboard and the new wireless Magic Mouse. It's a mouse with multi-touch, believe it or not. We'll be getting our stickly fingers on the new kit, including the Magic Mouse, tomorrow, so stay tuned.