Apple updates Power Macs, releases 20-in. display

Macworld - Apple Computer Inc. today updated its desktop Power Mac G4 computers incorporating technologies first introduced during Macworld Conference & Expo earlier this month. The Power Mac also got a slight speed increase with the high-end system running at 1.42 GHz. Apple also introduced a new 20.1-in. display replacing the company's 22-in. flat panel.

Apple revved the high-end Power Mac to 1.42 GHz, while adding FireWire 800 and internal support for 54M bit/sec. AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth wireless networking. The Power Mac G4 line now features a single 1-GHz processor, dual 1.25-GHz processors and dual 1.42-GHz processors, with prices ranging from $1,499 to $2,699

The new low-end model comes with a 1-GHz PowerPC G4, 1MB L3 cache 256MB DDR266 synchronous dynamic RAM, a 60GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive, a Combo drive, NVIDIA GeForce4 MX, 64MB DDR video memory, FireWire 800 and a 56K bit/sec. internal modem.

The Faster model has a Dual 1.25-GHz PowerPC G4, 1MB L3 cache, 256MB DDR333 SDRAM, an 80GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive, a Combo drive, ATI Radeon 9000 Pro, 64MB DDR video memory, FireWire 800 and a 56K bit/sec. internal modem.

The Fastest and Ultimate machines have the faster 1.42-GHz processor, 2MB L3 cache, a 120GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive, SuperDrive, FireWire 800 and a 56K bit/sec. internal modem. The higher-end model comes with 2GB DDR333 SDRAM, a 120GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive and an NVIDIA GeForce4 Titanium 128MB DDR video memory, while the other has 512MB DDR333 SDRAM and an ATI Radeon 9000 Pro with 64MB DDR video memory.

Apple's 20.1-in. display will sell for $1,299 and is capable of 1,680-by-1,050 resolution. Apple also reduced the price of its 23-in. Cinema HD Display with 1,920-by-1,200-pixel resolution from $3,499 to $1,999, and the 17-in. Studio Display, providing 1,280-by-1,024-pixel resolution, from $999 to $699, while doing away with the 22-in. Cinema.

Apple's previous line of Power Mac G4s ranged in price from $1,699 to $4,599 for the high-end Ultimate system. Before today, its flat-panel displays came in three models: the high-end 23-in. Cinema HD, the 22-in. Cinema and the 17-in. Studio Display. The displays ranged in price from $999 for the 17-in. model to $3,499 for the high-end 23-in. Cinema.

Reprinted with permission from

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