1. A Working Lego Mac

Perhaps one of the best Lego creations on this list is a working vintage PowerBook 5300 in a Finder Icon case crafted out of Legos. An employee working for Apple Juice (a now defunct Apple consulting company in South Wales) salvaged an old PowerBook turning it in to a server for the office. The case was created entirely out of Legos (500 bricks in all) and resembles the Finder icon.

When it went to auction in 2003, the Lego Mac garnered worldwide buzz and a BBC interview with the employee who built the case.

The specs:

-PowerPC 603e 100MHz, 32MB RAM, 750MB 2.5″ hard disk, ATAPI Expansion bay, CDROM, Floppy disk drive, Ethernet 10BaseT, two free PCMCIA slots, SCSI, ADB, serial, audio in, audio out ports Supports SCSI disk mode. Currently running Mac OS 8.1 The connector on the logic board for the LCD screen is damaged and not repairable. However, a Focus Lapis card provides both external video and 10BaseT ethernet. Height: 19.5cm Width: 20.5cm Depth: 6cm

2. A Mac G4

Another amazing creation is the “working” miniature Lego iMac G4.
Bjarne Tveskovs thought of creating a Lego iMac after he bought a 7″ picture frame that oddly resembles the iconic machine’s swivel screen. There are no working components in the Lego iMac G4. The photo frame can play video to give the illusion it’s real and has a fully functioning operating system:

There is no Apple hardware inside (for now), but the screen can display videos, images and TV (there’s a digital TV tuner built in). I almost managed to get a motorized CD-tray in there, but most of the space in the bottom was needed for weight-elements. The screen is rather heavy so there is a lot of stress on the swivelling arm, but it worked out quite well.

3. The Evil Lego PowerMac Cube

While not built out of traditional Lego bricks, Thinking Bricks used Lego’s Mindstorms kit to build a robotic Mac. In the video, an iMac G4′s startup sound wakes the robot. A light sensor illuminates the Apple Logo red while a motor deploys the wheels. Two more motors give directional movement and a rear mounted ultrasonic sensor prevents collisions. A sensor can detect the Lego Mac’s proximity and once the robot is near a wall, the motors stop. A motor raises the wheels and tells the light source to shut off.

4. The Other Lego iMac

Chris “Powerpig” McVeigh, a well known Lego sculptor and artist isn’t one to shy away from a project involving plastic bricks. McVeigh was contacted by Mac Rescue to create a Lego iMac for an ad.

“During the month of December, I was contracted to create another card image for my friends at MacRescue. One concept had the employees decorating a huge iMac. The build itself was pretty straightforward; at the time, the only challenge was finding some 1×1 lime green plates to complete the onscreen logo.”

The end result is an aluminum iMac re-imagiend in Lego form. For the enthusiasts and hobbyists, McVeigh has released the Instructions and Lego Designer file so you can build your very own Lego iMac replica.

5. The Lego iPad

Last but not least is the Lego iPad created by Flick user jmenomeno. The Lego ‘Pad uses a relatively simple design and was created following the real iPad’s announcement.

TUAW reports that computer manufacturers such as Acer, Gateway and Lenovo are pushing laptops with a very interesting part: Intel’s I7-2630QM. This is the product name for the chip maker’s mobile Quadcore processor running at 2.0+ GHz. While it’s no secret it’ll be powering quite a few Windows based laptops, manufacturers are keeping quite until Intel’s official launch of the new Sandy Bridge architecture in CES this coming January.

Sandy Bridge is a new kind of CPU architecture based on a 32 nanometer manufacturing process. It will most likely be packaged alongside a HM65 chipset which is part of the Huron River platform. The new Sandy Bridge processors will integrate graphics and a memory controller on a single die which is more energy efficient.

Apple could take advantage of the lack of need for a separate GPU to keep laptops like the MacBook Air thin while still delivering more run-time albeit at the cost of improved graphics performance. As for the quad-core version line of sandy Bridge CPUs, Apple would likely introduce them on the high end MacBook Pro and iMac while using dual-core processors with dedicated GPUs for the rest of the MacBook family.

Apple seems to be moving away from the optical drive, as shown by the USB key that comes with the MacBook Air instead of the old DVD option. If you’re one of those people that doesn’t use their optical drive very option but needs some extra hard drive space, you can install a data doubler like this one from OWC. Here’s the scoop:

Add up to an additional 750GB of internal storage. Add a Solid State Drive (SSD) for near instantaneous boot and app load. Even create a RAID array! Includes bracket screws, and detailed installation guide for complete all in one solution.

Configuration flexibility is yours when you replace your Mac mini or iMac’s* internal SuperDrive with the OWC Data Doubler. This custom engineered blue anodized aluminum bracket with adapter cable comes ready to mount any 9.5mm tall 2.5″ SATA hard disk drive and even Solid State Drives.

Then, just install the entire assembly into a Mac mini or iMac’s* 5.25″ optical drive bay. OWC Data Doubler makes it easy to custom design how you want your internal storage to
perform. Installed drives are recognized like any other high speed SATA storage device and can be setup and partitioned using the Apple Disk Utility Program.

Now this is a tough process to do in the models OWC recommends, but regardless, it’s a good way to add an extra 750GB of space to your computer. I may just do it myself.

I loves me some docks, but sometimes, I think it can be a bit too much. Take, for example, this concept posted over at Yanko Design, one of my favorite prototype blogs. It’s a dock designed to fit underneath your iMac which has a docking station for your iPad, iPod, and iPhone. Oh, and there’s a few USB slots in there as well. Here’s the description:

The Docking and Storage Base is a convenient tray that fits under the screen of the iMac or PC and docks everything ‘i’; iPod, iPhone, iPad. It covers the area below and to the back of the screen allowing you to sync, charge, store and display up to 3 devices. Two of the docks are towards the end of the ramp so that they don’t obstruct the main screen, allowing them to be used as secondary screens (clever!).

The tray also provides easy access to USB ports that are located in the front, plus all the wiring is concealed to give it a clean look. The only wires you’ll see are the ones for a firewire and a power source. Two storage cabinets for other smaller electronic devices, documents and pens, complete this panel’s features.

Admittedly, the drawers in the front are kind of a neat idea, because it would be a great place to hold pens and the like. Otherwise, it takes away from the Mac aesthetic too much for me, and it’s not really my bag. I know, it’s a dock so in theory I’d like it, but not all of them are winners.

Yesterday, I was called in to do some consulting work with this new company located just north of my parent’s house on the other side of town. When I got there, I noticed a brand new 27-inch iMac box sitting on the floor, next to copies of iWork and Adobe CS5. The first thought I had was, “Man, I hope Apple doesn’t update these iMacs this week as has been rumored.” Turns out, I was wrong – or right, however you want to look at it .

Yes, the iMacs have been updated, and with some welcome changes. First, we’ll talk processor speed. The base model iMac now comes with a 3.06GHz Intel Core i3 processor and a 500GB hard drive. Step up a stage and you go to 3.2GHz, and also a 1TB drive, which I’m pretty sure is a size upgrade as well from the previous $1499 model. The 27-inch iMac has a 3.2GHz Core i3 as well, or the 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5. Should you really want a speed bump, there is also and available 2.93GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 upgrade available for the 27-inch model as well, for just $200. Meaning, for $2199, you could have a pretty fast iMac.

As if that wasn’t enough, the graphics got a bump as well. The base model iMac comes with an ATI Radeon HD 4670 card with 256MB, and it goes up from there. Next is the ATI Radeon HD5670 with 512MB, then the ATI Radeon HD 5750 with 1GB.

If you’re looking for a really quick computer, that 27-inch iMac is looking pretty tasty.  Of course, you could just upgrade to a Mac Pro …

Everything Apple touches turns to gold. Or does it?

Apple’s history is filled with mistakes and outright failures — products that even the most ardent fans shunned, and that Apple itself would rather pretend never happened. We can all forgive Apple its missteps, because you can’t achieve the peak of coolness without shooting some blanks along the way. But it’s still pretty fascinating to look back and see how such a powerful company can get it so very, very wrong.

USB “Hockey Puck” Mouse

The flat, round design was supposed to be elegant and stylish, while the two-toned plastic was intended to be easy on the eyes. Instead it turned out to be one hot little mess.

If there’s one piece of Apple pr0n that I’m a big fan of, it’s the 27-inch iMac. Sure, it’s had some problems, but that mammoth screen and equally large hard drive just calls to me like a siren in the night. A large, aluminum and glass siren.

To recap, a month ago, Apple was pushing back the shipping times on the 27-incher to 3 weeks. Then, Apple was starting to refund money to those who had purchased the desktop computer and had experienced problems. I was pretty sure that this was going to be a problem for the future that wasn’t going to get fixed easily.

Well, I guess I was wrong, because the Apple store is currently showing ship times as 5-7 days. Sure, it’s not 24 hours like the 21.5 model, but I’ll take the extra time for an extra-awesome Mac. Now the big question is whether or not the problems have been solved. If you’ve got one on order, let us know in the comments box how it goes.

The first time I read about the twelvesouth BackPack adjustable shelf, I thought it was the stupidest idea I had ever seen. Really, why on Earth would you need a shelf on your iMac? What’s it going to hold, items you want to get dusty? But of course, I’m a fair guy, so I contacted the crew at twelvesouth and they sent me a free one for review purposes. A week or so later one showed up at the door and I decided to give it a shot.

The packaging itself is very Apple-esque, with a minimal design and compact packaging. Everything you need is clearly labeled inside (as you can see from the first pic after the jump) and tightly packaged so there’s no waste. Inside is a series of plastic mounts for various models of iMacs, a rubber tray liner, and the BackPack itself. Setup takes about 5 minutes, which is enough time to determine what model iMac you have, and put the plastic inserts in the metal sliding tabs. Then you simply screw it into the backpack (picture two after the jump) and it’s ready to mount.

The adjustable system utilized to mount the backpack is pretty nice. It makes it easy to pick where exactly on your iMac you want the backpack to be, which means that if you wanted more shelves, you could do that as well. I put mine just above the stock wire grommet, but their site has some other options shown which also look appealing.

So the big question is, what do you do with it? Since this has been out for a bit, I started searching around for ideas. Some people use it to hold art deco pieces or trinkets, but most use it for an external hard drive. It’s an easy way to mount your Time Machine backup drive, yet still keep it out of the way so it doesn’t mess with the aesthetics of the iMac. Since that was one of my problems, I decided to give that one a shot, and that’s what’s pictured above.

The results? I gotta say, I like it. This is one of those weird products that I never saw a need for until I had it, and now that I do, I want more. Seriously, I could see mounting three of these on the back of the iMac: two hard drives and one USB port. It keeps everything off the ground and away from sight, but doesn’t look hacky or cheap, either. It’s a well designed product that flows with the look of the iMac, making it seem like a natural extension of the product. Frankly, if I didn’t know that Apple didn’t make iMacs that way, I would’ve figured it was standard fare.

At $29.99, it’s not cheap, but in my mind, it’s worth it. It’s an easy way to clean up the desk clutter that so many of us have and loathe, without sacrificing the looks that, let’s face it, many of us love about our Macs.If you’ve got an iMac, this should be your next purchase.

As promised, pics of the setup after the jump.

A few weeks back, I posted about the big delay with the 27-inch iMac. There have been reports of yellowing and flickering screens since their debut, so the delay wasn’t particularly shocking. Now though, there’s another wrinkle to the story.

Gizmodo is reporting that those who decide to return their iMacs back to Apple are getting back roughly 15% on the purchase as an apology. It basically covers tax and shipping for the item, so depending on where you bought it and your tax rate, things may change around a little bit. From the article:

15%. Cash. So on a $2000 machine, we’re talking about a $300 apology straight from Apple customer support. From the handful of reader anecdotes we’ve received thus far, it sounds like you need to be a repeat iMac returner who’s dealt with multiple 27-inch iMacs that have been busted in some way (but they may accommodate first time buyers as well, we don’t know). One reader had multiple yellow screens, then received another new model with broken Bluetooth. He took the 15% and just returned it.

Now I love the concept of the 27-inch iMac. It’s got great screen real estate, looks amazing in person, and has lots of power. But between the issues with cracked screens, yellowing and flickering issues and everything else that’s happened to the poor iMac so far, I don’t think I’ll be buying one anytime soon.

The new 27-inch iMacs have had their fair share of monitor issues, including a yellowing pattern as it stays on longer, and even reports of cracked displays upon shipment. Maybe the 27-inch form factor is just too big for the iMac to use functionally, but either way, Apple has decided to put a 3-week hold on all new orders of the big beasties.

This is a shame, because I love my 20-inch iMac, and I’d buy a 27 tomorrow if I knew that it would be reliable and functional. Unfortunately, right now that seems to not be the case. Until it is, you might want to put off that next big purchase, as unfortunate as it may be.

The i360 is extremely easy to use as well. No need for assembly. Just slip the iMac’s base into the i360 and you can easily rotate your iMac around in any direction.

Instead of asking the person to come over to you when you want to show him something on your iMac’s screen, you can just flip the iMac in his direction.

The i360 iMac Turntable is available for the 17inch, 20inch and 24inch iMac Cinema Display.

Where to buy: Rain Design Inc
Price: $39 to $44

[ Image courtesy of Rain Design Inc ]

Traversing this simple application one finds that there are three buttons: Next, Previous and RANDOM. At the top of the screen are the informational words associated with this boobs museum exhibit: “Select to Start.” Below the large font are six touchable sets of luscious, and scantily clad, women’s breasts.

Click on a set of gorgeous girls’ breasts to see…well to put it aptly…breasts. They are not nude, it is true, but they are breasts that are zoomed in upon as one clicks on them. There is something to say for the satisfaction one attains through this practice. Click Next to bring up six more sets of fantastically featured female chests. Click RANDOM to leave the boobs that will be focused on up to chance!

The pairs of mammaries vary in size and shape across the board. There are wet boobs, dry boobs, banana shaped boobs, angled views of boobs, bikini tops with boobs, round boobs, small boobs, brightly covered boobs, artistically designed blouses holding boobs, beads of dew sticking to boobs, glimmering and glamorous boobs, sweating boobs, soaking wet boobs, overhead shots of boobs, side shots of boobs, single boobs and finally bra filled photos of boobs. Enjoy!

Grade: BB

Though it may appear harmless, or possibly even potentially entertaining to fans of the rap star, 50 cent, there can be no doubt that this App is a waste of one megabyte on the precious iPhone’s memory; it is also a terrible expenditure of energy, in moving one’s thumb onto the surface to click and open this abomination.

In a purely profit seeking move, as a result of “vitaminwater” and 50, anyone, and not just all of the music engineers and producers out there, can remix 50’s new song “Baby By Me.” The song is sure to flop harder than my cousin Terry leaping in a fat-roll-gyrating cannonball that delves into the deep-end of the swimming pool. That said the free App is just a little self-promotional.

The graphics are subliminal as they say, “We mix the vitamins, you mix the beats.” Did I mention that “vitaminwater” is helping 50 cent with this one; the man’s ugly baldhead grimaces at you from this App, as though he were constipated. Sorry not the image I want to play anything by, and especially a terrible semblance of a game or App!

IMPULSIVE REVIEW Grade: F

50 cent's Terrible App

The revolutionary sound system has arrived! It has a name, it has a subwoofer, it has tweeters, it has wireless-integrated technology, it has superior sound, it has pure qualitative quality: it is the Sonos “ZonePlayer S5” music system.

In an age that has adopted digital music, the Sonos “ZonePlayer S5” cannot be overlooked, or go unheard! Sonos makes listening to digital music simple. For a party, turn on the “ZonePlayer S5,” and control the swinging songs via an iPhone or computer that is safely stashed away from the swaying party dancers and the clumsy fraternizers.

Sonos seems to bring to its company many of the amazing attributes that have made Apple so successful over the decades, minimalist design, functionality, quality, innovative technology and intuitiveness. As one opens the “ZonePlayer S5” packaging, that same mystique surrounding the minimal but attractive packaging of any Mac product takes over…yet it’s a Sonos.

The music player is sleek and small measuring less than nine inches tall, less than 15 inches wide and less than five inches from front to back; it fits almost anywhere. The “ZonePlayer S5” is a shining silvery gray, reminiscent of MacBook Pros and iMacs, and the minimalist design echoes the distinctive speaker set-up within, which contains five speakers: two tweeters, two speakers and a subwoofer.

There is no need to hook up a mp3 player or iPod to the Sonos music system, because the Sonos integrated program, for Mac’s and Pc’s, will allow a listener to access any music folder that is on a computer network, or iPhone. Simply install the software and plug in either a “ZonePlayer S5,” or a Sonos “ZoneBridge” to a router via an Ethernet cable (which is provided). The software disc quickly logs a user into the network and projects the listener’s music to the “ZonePlayer S5” (which is also backwards compatible with all Sonos products).

Once the “Sonos Controller” App is downloaded for free in the Apple Store, the iPhone, or iPod Touch, becomes a customizable remote control. One can access all of the music from the network, make play-lists, tweet their friends, change the volume, or access Internet radio from the palm of the hand (all of this can be done from a computer also).

Sign in to Pandora Radio, and listen to high quality customized radio stations for free on the Sonos “ZonePlayer S5” seamlessly. The Sonos Player is preprogrammed with Pandora Radio, and the album art from Eric Clapton’s “After Midnight Live” album will leap onto a display, along with the song title, song length, artist, and Pandora radio station name.

As a recommendation, the Sonos “ZoneBridge” is a near necessity to have with the “ZonePlayer S5,” as it allows one to take the player anywhere. The tiny four inch square device, the Sonos “ZoneBridge,” is an additional $99, and without it there has to be at least one S5 player hooked up to an Ethernet cable from a router (essentially keeping the player by the router); the entire Sonos system is based on this wireless technology. Though it might seem a drawback, with a single “ZoneBridge” in place, all of the actual players are then free to roam anywhere there is space and an open outlet.

The extraordinary tunes that soar from this unique surround-sound-like device cannot be put into words. The Sonos engineers put all of the necessary home audio components into a single cabinet design with the “ZonePlayer S5” and the result is a home run! The music sings, as though Sonos wishes to battle with Bose for speaker superiority, for the S5 has outstanding sound that stuns.

Where one player is a must have, two or more “ZonePlayer S5” devices is an effective way to provide top-notch audio throughout the home, without the mess of speaker wires, audio components, or even audio cables, because its completely wireless. It is true that the Sonos “ZonePlayer S5” is a bit pricey, retailing at $399, but this pays back tenfold once it is up and running, five minutes after opening the box. It is of the highest quality sound, and if one has a family, or multiple spaces where different music needs to play then multiple S5’s will truly provide a priceless experience.

When the Sonos “ZonePlayer S5” is in multiple rooms, then any iPhone or computer logged in to the Sonos devices can access all of the vast treasures of music and Internet radio. One can control the volume and songs of each room, individually, so go ahead and control an entire house, castle, mansion, or backyard with the palm of a hand!

Grade: A

Ars Technica has the nuts and bolts of how and why retailers are coming up short on the high end iMac, but the bottom line is that the 3.06GHz 24-inch iMac is becoming scarce.

It’s likely that this is the end of the line for that model, but don’t expect a major exterior redesign on the product. This generational look is still pretty fresh, and was recently extended to the Macbook line – so its safe to say the overall design of the iMac will be remaining the same for the near future.

The internals on it are likely, however, to get a refresh very soon. So keep that in mind before you go making a desktop purchase over the next few weeks.

Both the iMac and Mac Pro lines are in need of a refresh, and desktop sales for Macs are beginning to sag slightly, so updated internals on both lines would not be surprising in the near future.

Don’t, however, expect a complete model redesign of either product. Out of the two, the Mac Pro is the most likely to receive a case refresh, but there is nothing seriously pointing in that direction at this time.

Today’s Show: Old iMacs, to buy or not to buy – that is the question! …AND I need YOUR help to answer it!

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Today’s Show: iMac turns 10! Phishing Scam targets MobileMe Users and More!

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Let’s travel back in time to a far away land. A land where 10% of homes in Silicon Valley had home networks. A time when a 4 GB hard drive and a 15 inch display were all you’d ever want.

It was only 10 years ago (and its amazing how far we’ve come in that time) and Steve Jobs was introducing the iMac to the world. Today is the 10th birthday for the machine, and it has had an amazing evolution over the past decade. Moving from the blueberry colored 40lb bubble in the video above, to the slick 24 inch display below.

When you see how this has changed over the last 10 years…I can’t even imagine what the next ten have in store.

Its amazing to see how the iMac has evolved over the last 10 years. You can read about the Evolution of the iMac and see how the product has changed over time, but what is more interesting to me is that this year also marks the 25th anniversary of the Apple “All-in-One” computer.

The Apple Lisa was the first true “All-In-One” offered by Apple, and it was introduced in January of 1983. You can read a complete history of the Evolution of the Apple All-In-One as well – and the changes from 1983 to 2008 are as different as night and day. The iMacs we have now were unimaginable at the time.

I wonder what Mac will look like 25 years from now? Will they even have screens, or will they plug straight into your head? Only time will tell…

The Evolution of the iMac >>
The Evolution of the Apple All-In-One >>

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Today’s Show: New iMac, More in the Psystar Epic, and more

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Apple issued a press release this morning announcing that it is updating the iMac with the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors and the most powerful graphics ever available on an iMac. The 24-inch iMac now offers 3.06 GHz and a high-performance NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS graphics card as options.

“The iMac’s gorgeous aluminum and glass all-in-one design has been an incredible hit with our customers and is just one of the reasons Mac sales are growing three and a half times faster than PC sales,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With the latest Intel processors, a faster new graphics option and more memory, customers now have even more reasons to love the iMac.”

You can read the full press release after the jump.

CUPERTINO, California—April 28, 2008—Apple® today updated its all-in-one iMac® line with the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors and the most powerful graphics ever available in an iMac. With prices starting at just $1,199, iMac includes faster processors with 6MB L2 cache and a faster 1066 MHz front-side bus across the entire line, and 2GB of memory standard in most models. The 24-inch iMac now offers a 3.06 GHz Intel processor and the high-performance NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS graphics as options, extending iMac’s lead as the ultimate all-in-one desktop computer for both consumers and professionals.

“The iMac’s gorgeous aluminum and glass all-in-one design has been an incredible hit with our customers and is just one of the reasons Mac sales are growing three and a half times faster than PC sales,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With the latest Intel processors, a faster new graphics option and more memory, customers now have even more reasons to love the iMac.”

Packing dual-core performance into the convenience of a striking all-in-one design, the new iMac includes faster Intel Core 2 Duo processors across the line; a 1066 MHz front-side bus; up to 4GB of 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory; and a widescreen flat-panel display supporting millions of colors. For the first time, the 24-inch iMac features an optional NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS with 512MB of video memory, to deliver up to two times standard performance for graphic intensive applications*. Providing the latest in high-performance connectivity options to quickly and conveniently transfer digital photos, music and video, iMac includes built-in AirPort Extreme® 802.11n Wi-Fi networking for up to five times the performance of 802.11g**; Bluetooth 2.1+EDR; Gigabit Ethernet; built-in iSight® video camera; a total of five USB 2.0 ports (including two on the Apple Keyboard); and one FireWire® 400 and one FireWire 800 port.

The iMac furthers Apple’s commitment to environmental progress with highly recyclable and durable materials including scratch-resistant glass and professional grade aluminum. Every model in the iMac line is rated EPEAT Silver and the power-efficient iMac also meets the stringent Energy Star 4.0 requirements for power consumption. Customers who purchase any qualifying Apple computer can recycle their old PC or Mac® for free via the Apple Recycling Program.

Every Mac in the Apple lineup comes with iLife® ‘08, the most significant update ever to Apple’s award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications, featuring a major new version of iPhoto® and a completely reinvented iMovie®, both seamlessly integrated with the new .Mac Web Gallery for online photo and video sharing. Every Mac also includes Leopard®, the sixth major release of the world’s most advanced operating system which features Time Machine™, an effortless way to automatically back up everything on a Mac***; a redesigned Finder™ that lets users quickly browse and share files between multiple Macs; Quick Look, a new way to instantly see files without opening an application; Spaces, an intuitive new feature used to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them; a brand new desktop with Stacks, a new way to easily access files from the Dock and major enhancements to Mail and iChat®. .Mac members can use the new Back to My Mac feature to browse and access files on their home computer from a Mac over the Internet while on the road****.

Pricing & Availability
The new iMac line is available immediately through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

The new 20-inch 2.4 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,199 (US), includes:

20-inch widescreen LCD display;
2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with a 1066 MHz front-side bus;
1GB of 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM expandable to 4GB;
250GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
a slot-load 8x SuperDrive® with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128MB GDDR3 memory;
built-in iSight video camera;
built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately);
built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
the Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse and infrared Apple Remote.
The new 20-inch 2.66 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,499 (US), includes:

20-inch widescreen LCD display;
2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with a 1066 MHz front-side bus;
2GB of 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM expandable to 4GB;
320GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB GDDR3 memory;
built-in iSight video camera;
built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately);
built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
the Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse and infrared Apple Remote.
The new 24-inch 2.8 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,799 (US), includes:

24-inch widescreen LCD display;
2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with a 1066 MHz front-side bus;
2GB of 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM expandable to 4GB;
320GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB GDDR3 memory;
built-in iSight video camera;
built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately);
built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
the Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse and infrared Apple Remote.
Build-to-order options and accessories include: a 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up to 4GB DDR2 SDRAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS with 512MB of video memory and up to a 1TB Serial ATA hard drive on the 24-inch iMac; up to 4GB DDR2 SDRAM and up to 750GB Serial ATA hard drive on the 2.66 GHz 20-inch iMac; and up to 4GB of DDR2 SDRAM and up to 500GB Serial ATA hard drive on the 2.4 GHz 20-inch iMac. Additional options include: Apple Wireless Keyboard and Wireless Mighty Mouse; AirPort Express® and AirPort Extreme Base Station; the AppleCare Protection Plan; and pre-installed copies of iWork® ’08, Logic® Express 8, Final Cut® Express 4 and Aperture™ 2.

*Testing conducted by Apple in April 2008 using preproduction 24-inch iMac units with 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processors. Based on Quake 4 using 1920 x 1200 High Quality setting. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of iMac.

**AirPort Extreme is based on an IEEE 802.11n draft specification. Actual performance will vary based on range, connection rate, site conditions, size of network and other factors.

***Time Machine requires an additional hard drive (sold separately).

****The .Mac service is available to persons aged 13 or older. Annual membership fee and internet access required. Terms and conditions apply.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

The high resolution touch screen technology works with the touch of a finger, gloved hand, or stylus, and Troll Touch has been creating touch products for Macs for years.

Prices are as follows:
20 inch aluminum iMac, 2.0 GHz, touch-enabled: $2299.00
20 inch aluminum iMac, 2.4 GHz, touch-enabled: $2599.00
20 inch touch upgrade, customer supplied iMac: $1099.00

24 inch aluminum iMac, 2.4 GHz, touch-enabled: $3399.00
24 inch aluminum iMac, 2.8 GHz, touch-enabled: $3899.00
24 inch touch upgrade, customer supplied iMac: $1499.00

In addition to the new iMac, older iMacs, eMacs, and Mac notebooks can also be upgraded to the touch technology – and Apple cinema displays all the way up to 30 inch displays can be touch enabled as well.

Click here for more information.

MacNN reports that there are a growing number of iMac users that are having some pretty serious LCD screen trouble. The trouble seems to be that the iMacs are “showing a number of artifacts that include single-pixel lines spanning the length of the screen.”

This discussion thread features over 80 posts about the issue, and since most of these iMacs are over a year old and have just come out of warranty, users are being quoted prices of $700 or more for the problem to be corrected at Apple stores.

If this issue continues, you can surely expect a class action suit of some kind to be filed (update: Let me be clear here that I don’t think anyone SHOULD file a lawsuit over this – just that I won’t be surprised if it happens.) , but hopefully, Apple will address the issue before it comes to that.