Apple's New iMac: A Promising Start to Transition

Strategic Insights -

The new iMac from Apple Computer boasts a processor from Intel, the first such move for the company's product line. The transition has been smoother than anticipated, with the new iMacs visually stunning, retaining built-in cameras, and running most of the same software titles as their predecessors. Despite concerns about the chip switch, Apple has made sure that old programs run seamlessly on the new Mac, with very few exceptions, making the transition as painless as possible for users and developers alike.

Key Takeaways:

  • The new iMac features a 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo processor, a significant upgrade from the previous PowerPC chips.
  • Apple has successfully ensured that most of the old programs run on the new Intel-based Macs, with only a handful of exceptions.
  • The company has commitments from developers to switch their programs to Universal applications, promising to keep owners of old and new Macs happy.
  • The new iMac comes with improved graphics, a memory-upgradeable graphics card, and a video subsystem that supports extending the monitor to a second display.
  • The transition to Intel chips is seen as a promising start for Apple's plan to have all its computer lines running Intel chips by the end of the year.
  • The new Mac has a built-in iSight camera, iChat AV, and a 8x SuperDrive, making it a powerful and feature-rich device.

Statistics:

  • The new iMac features a 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo processor.
  • The transition to Intel chips is expected to be complete by the end of the year.
  • Only a handful of programs won't work on the new Mac, including some high-end professional applications from Apple and old programs that require Mac OS 9 and earlier.
  • Microsoft's Virtual PC, which allows users to run Windows on top of Mac OS X, is unavailable on the new Mac due to technical limitations.
  • The new Macs come with 1GB of memory, with the option to upgrade to 2GB.

Sources:

  • "Apple's New iMac: A Promising Start to Transition"
  • [No date specified] (the original text does not contain a date)
  • apple.com
  • apple.com/retail