Apple this week revealed a redesigned iMac line of all-in-one (AIO) personal computers that come in ultra-thin design, pack new display, new processors, new graphics adapters and new hybrid storage, but lacks integrated optical disk drive.

“With a stunning design, brilliant display and faster performance, we’ve made the world’s leading all-in-one desktop computer better in every way. The all-new iMac is unbelievably thin, yet packs an incredible amount of performance and technology into our most innovative desktop,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing

The new iMac features quad-core Intel Core i5 “Ivy Bridge” processors (can be upgraded to Core i7), Nvidia GeForce “Kepler” GTX 675M/660M or GeForce GT 650M/640M graphics processors with 512MB GDDR5, 8GB DDR3 memory as well as up to 3TB of hard disk drive storage or 768GB solid-state storage. The new iMacs also provide hybrid Fusion Drive option, which combines 128GB of flash with a standard 1TB or 3TB hard drive to create a single storage volume that intelligently manages files to optimize read and write performance. Traditionally, iMac AIOs come with 21.5” (1920*1080) and 27” (2560*1440) displays. Apple’s new iMac includes four USB 3.0 ports, two Thunderbolt ports, SDXC card reader, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and so on.

The new iMac features a completely reengineered display that reduces reflection by 75% while maintaining advanced color and contrast. In the new design, the cover glass is fully laminated to the LCD and an anti-reflective coating is applied using a high-precision plasma deposition process. Every iMac display is individually color calibrated using an advanced spectroradiometer.

The design of the new iMac is considerably slimmer compared to its predecessors, but while it looks great, it results in the lack of an optical disk drive (ODD). Essentially, the new iMac is the first high-performance desktop PC that lacks Blu-ray disc or DVD drive. Clearly, this reduces end-users’ abilities to listen to CD music or watch DVD or BD movies, but it looks like Apple wants its products to be all-digital from now on as the new MacBook Pros also lack ODDs.

The iMac 21.5” is available with a quad-core Intel Core i5 2.70GHz (with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.20GHz) and Nvidia GeForce GT 640M for a suggested retail price of $1299 ; and with a quad-core Intel Core i5 2.90GHz (3.60GHz Turbo Boost) Nvidia GeForce GT 650M for a suggested retail price of $1499. The iMac 21.5” will be available in November through the Apple online store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple authorized resellers.

The iMac 27” is available with a quad-core Intel Core i5 2.9GHz (3.60GHz Turbo Boost) and Nvidia GeForce GTX 660M for a suggested retail price of $1799; and with Intel Core i5 3.20GHz (3.60GHz Turbo Boost) and Nvidia GeForce GTX 675MX for a suggested retail price of $1999 (US). The iMac 27” will be available in December through the Apple online store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple authorized resellers.

Tags: Apple, iMac, DVD, Blu-ray, Intel, Ivy Bridge, Core, Nvidia, Kepler, Geforce