New Apple iMac adds Quad Core Intel i5 processors, Thunderbolt ports, and more powerful HD Radeon Graphic Cards

Quad-core processors are now standard across the board, and the power of their AMD Radeon HD graphics cards has tripled. However, it's the new Thunderbolt technology that really stands out video and audio producing and editing.

Why are Thunderbolt ports important to web video producers, filmmakers and musicians?

The new Thunderbolt ports allow users to expand their computer rig to suit specific needs with numerous bandwidth consumptive peripherals; such as high-speed external drives, audio and video interfaces, high-definition monitors and DSP accelerators.

Until recently, most Apple users had only a single FireWire port to work with. This meant that they were limited to using a single data-hungry device with their computer, and forced to come up with a workaround with their remaining USB 2.0 ports.

The new 21" Apple iMacs feature four USB 2.0 ports, a single FireWire 800 port and a single Thunderbolt port. The new 27" iMacs come with all of that connectivity, but they offer TWO Thunderbolt ports. Either way you go, you're going to have lots of options for how you'd like to set up your production workstation. Don't be bummed out by the lack of USB 3.0 ports. A single Thunderbolt port can act as several of them and it's twice as fast.

Thunderbolt ports support daisy chaining. This means that you can string together a monitor, several hard drives and other various devices all on a single port. This makes both new iMac models attractive not only to power users, but to anyone. A Thunderbolt port can be anything you want it to be. Want to connect your computer to a flat screen TV? No problem. With a simple adapter a Thunderbolt port becomes a fully functional HDMI port. Got an older HD monitor which only has a DVI connector? No problem. A DVI to Thunderbolt adapter makes it 100% compatible.

There's a lot more to love on these new machines besides their supercharged connectivity. They've all got the new HD FaceTime camera (similar to the one you find on the latest MacBook Pros). This makes it possible to chat in 720p high-definition video, and provides higher quality images for your various photo and imaging applications

Many of the awesome features from the previous iMac generation have remained intact. You'll be able to keep your work area tidy with the included Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse. The backlit LED display immediately powers up to full brightness without lagging, and alongside the built-in optical SuperDrive, you get a built-in SDHC card slot. Sure, this is an accessory that you can add to any computer for $5, but I personally find having an integrated SD card reader incredibly useful.

Whether you're looking for an everyday-use desktop computer for surfing the Internet, running standard applications like Microsoft Office and Photoshop or watching movies and Web videos, you still can't beat the iMac's space-saving design and attractive visual presence. If media production is your thing, the space-saving design is really something to consider.

Heavy duty video post production work has traditionally required a beefy desktop tower. However, with the addition of Thunderbolt and the latest powerful Intel quad-core processors, that old hardware paradigm may be unnecessary for many users. A requirement that isn't likely to go away anytime soon is the need for a large, high-resolution monitor. The new iMacs provide you with one of the best displays you'll find anywhere, with the guts of the computer integrated behind it. This will enable video production people to do away with their bulky towers, and still be able to configure their workstation to suit their needs with additional displays, RAID arrays, and any other digital tools they may need.

	Apple 21.5" iMac Desktop Computer Price: $1,198.95 FREE SHIPPING IN US 2.5GHz Intel Core i5 Quad-Core 4GB (2x2GB) RAM 500GB 7200rpm Hard Drive 8x SuperDrive DVD Burner, SDXC Card Slot AMD Radeon HD 6750M 512MB GPU 21.5" LED Backlit 16:9 Widescreen Display FaceTime HD Camera Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Wireless Keyboard & Magic Mouse Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
	21.5" iMac Desktop Computer Price $1,498.95  FREE SHIPPING IN US 2.7GHz Intel Core i5 Quad-Core 4GB (2x2GB) RAM 1TB 7200rpm Hard Drive 8x SuperDrive DVD Burner, SDXC Card Slot AMD Radeon HD 6770M 512MB GPU 21.5" LED Backlit 16:9 Widescreen Display FaceTime HD Camera Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Wireless Keyboard & Magic Mouse Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
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