Apple iMacs get a facelift, become more shiny, glossy and faster

Nearly a year after launching first upgrade to iMac, Apple Inc. on Tuesday announced a long-expected update of its renowned desktop brand, which is designed and built by its Computer division.

At a media event at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California yesterday, company’s Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs unveiled upgraded lineup of all-in-one iMac desktops.

The new iMacs include two 20-inch (51cm) models and one 24-inch (61cm) version, which will sport thinner aluminum casings. Updated machines are made of aluminum and glass, which is easier to recycle, Jobs explained while showing the new models.

The models with 20-inch screens offer 1680- by 1050-pixel resolutions and will retail for US$1,199, down from $1,499, while the 24-inch model offers a resolution of 1920 by 1200 pixels and will cost $1,799, down from $1,999.

At about one-inch thick, the new less-expensive, aluminum-clad models are about a half-inch thinner than their predecessors. The cost of the three new iMacs would depend on their configurations, said Jobs at the event.

The iMac has been really successful for us, and we'd like to make it better," he said. "We've managed to make it even thinner than before."

Apple no longer sells a 17-inch model of iMac. All three new versions are now available through Apple’s online store and at the company’s Web site.

In addition to the iMac updates and price cut of its iMac inventory, Apple also rolled out new editions of its iLife and iWork desktop software packages

Besides word processing and page layout software, the new version of its $79 iWork desktop application now includes a spreadsheet program, dubbed “Numbers”, that works same as Microsoft's Excel. The updated $79 iLife software that comes with every Mac includes applications for photos, DVD and video.

The iPod/iMac maker also added a software "button" to its much touted iPhone that allows users to upload photos taken with the built-in camera on the iPhone to Apple's .Mac online data and web-hosting service.

Apple launched its much-hyped combination phone, called iPhone, on June 29 in the United States. Nearly a month after its release, on August 1, the computer maker released the first security update for this revolutionary handset.

Apple released the iPhone v1.0.1 Update more than a week after a security firm called Independent Security Experts (ISE) claimed they have found the first exploitable vulnerability in Apple's iPhone, a flaw that allows them to steal any data from the device or even to turn it into a remote surveillance tool.

iMac has been the consumer flagship of Apple's Macintosh range since 1998, and has evolved through three basic forms. It proved phenomenally successful, selling close to 800,000 units in its first five months and significantly boosting the company's revenue and profitability.

Huge sales of iMac contributed to the dramatic increase in Apple's profits and share price in fiscal 1998, making it company's first profitable year since 1993. Now iMac is considered an industrial design icon of the late 90s.

Apple announced the first upgrade to iMac brand on September 6, 2006, adding new versions with 24- inch screen.

Apple shares rose $US1.30 to $US136.55 in afternoon trading on the NASDAQ stock market.