Apple Adds Core 2 Duo to All iMacs, Introduces New 24″ Model

Apple fans have been waiting anxiously for news of new products on September 12th, including the long-awaited iTunes Movie Store. However, visitors to Apple’s online store got a surprise today as the iMac lineup received a quiet but significant update.

Apple has added the Core 2 Duo chip to the entire iMac family while simultaneously lowering prices. The base-level iMac now comes with a 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo, and costs only $999.

The star of the show, naturally, is the brand-new 24″ iMac, affectionately dubbed by some as the “iMac HD.” Its 24″ screen is up to 40% brighter than the previous iMac, and features a 1920×1200 resolution, and is able to show 1080p content with no scaling. The inclusion of a FireWire 800 port on the 24″ iMac allows for high-speed video copying as well. Standard equipment on the 24″ iMac includes a 2.13GHz Core 2 processor, 1GB of DDR2 (unfortunately for upgraders, it comes in a 2x512MB configuration), a 250GB SATA hard drive, a double-layer 8x SuperDrive, and an nVidia 7300GT graphics card. This base configuration costs $1999 and is upgradable with more RAM, up to a 2.33GHz CPU and an nVidia 7600GT with 256MB of GDDR3.

All new Core 2 Duo iMacs are available for purchase immediately, with shipping dates of “within 24 hours” for the base model and up to “2-4 business days” for the new 24″ model.