Apple Blitzes Market With New iMacs, Updated MacBooks, Revamped Minis And The Magic Mouse

The new iMac line features LED-backlit displays with a 16:9 aspect ratio for watching hi-def movies and television shows. The two new 21.5-inch iMacs feature a high-resolution 1920-by-1080 pixel display. The 27-inch iMacs feature 2560-by-1440 pixel display, which has 60 percent more pixels than the previous 24-inch model. Both the 21.5-inch and 27-inch displays use IPS technology for consistent color across an ultrawide, 178-degree viewing angle.

Apple also boasted that the new iMac line is its fastest, with Intel Core 2 Duo processors starting at 3.06 GHz, and Core i5 and i7 quad-core processors that deliver up to twice the performance. The new iMac line features 4 GB of 1066-MHz DDR3 memory and capacity up to 16 GB across four SO-DIMM slots.

Every iMac features a built-in iSight video camera, mic and stereo speakers. The iMacs also include built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi networking, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, Gigabit Ethernet, a total of four USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port and a new built-in SD card slot. All of the iMacs will ship with a wireless keyboard and the new wireless, multitouch Magic Mouse.

As for pricing, the 21.5-inch iMac starts at $1,199 MSRP, while the 27-inch version starts at $1,699. The prices go up for build-to-order options for the 27-inch Core i5 quad-core iMac, which includes a 2.8-GHz Intel Core i7 quad-core processor.

Apple didn't forget its faithful MacBook contingency either, and is hitting the market with an updated version that has an LED-backlit display, a glass multitouch trackpad and a built-in battery that offers seven hours of life for a price tag of $999.

The newly redesigned MacBook has a unibody, polycarbonate enclosure and weighs in at just 4.7 pounds. It also uses the same wide-angle viewing technology used in the MacBook Pro line. In addition, the new MacBook has a 2.26-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 GB of RAM, a 250-GB hard drive and Nvidia GeForce 9400M integrated graphics.

On the more economical side, Apple Tuesday also unveiled a revamped Mac mini line.

An entry-level Mac mini -- starting at $599 -- has a 2.26-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 2 GB of DDR3 1066-MHz memory, a 160-GB hard drive, five USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800, Nvidia GeForce 9400M integrated graphics and a SuperDrive.

The next level Mac mini -- priced at $799 -- sports a 2.53-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4 GB of memory and a larger 320-GB hard drive.

At the top of the heap, the $999 Mac mini has been specially configured with Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server. The Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server features two 500-GB hard drives for a total of 1 TB of server storage in a 6.5-inch-square by 2-inch tall Mac mini enclosure.

Apple also unveiled its long-rumored multitouch, wireless Magic Mouse, which will retail for $69. The mouse supports momentum scrolling, which is similar to iPhone and iPod touch where the scrolling speed is dictated by how fast or slowly you gesture.