PowerMac line refreshed


Apple has announced a refresh of the PowerMac G5 product line. Specs are in line with predictions, prices are unreformed and Tiger is the default OS.

"The Power Mac G5 continues to deliver the ultimate performance for our most advanced customers running bandwidth- and compute-intensive applications," said Phil Schiller, senior vice president. "With dual-2.7GHz 64-bit G5 processors, dual 1.35 GHz front side buses, ATI Radeon 9650 graphics, 16X SuperDrive with double-layer support and Mac OS X Tiger, the new Power Mac G5 is the most powerful and advanced Mac we have ever made."

Here's the skinny on the models, bottom to top:

• Dual-2.0 GHz--$1,999
-- 512MB DDR400 (4GB max)
-- 160GB SATA HDD (7200rpm)
-- Radeon 9600 w/ 128MB
-- (3) 33MHz PCI slots
-- 16X SuperDrive

• Dual-2.3GHz--$2,499
-- 512MB DDR400 (8GB max)
-- 250GB SATA HDD (7200rpm)
-- Radeon 9600 w/ 128MB
-- (3) PCI-X slots ([1] 133MHz, [2] 100MHz)
-- 16X SuperDrive

• Dual-2.7GHz--$2,999
-- 512MB DDR400 (8GB max)
-- 250GB SATA HDD (7200rpm)
-- Radeon 9650 w/ 256MB, supports 30-inch Cinema Display
-- (3) PCI-X slots ([1] 133MHz, [2] 100MHz)
-- 16X SuperDrive

Apple's PR states all three models will ship this week. The single-processor 1.8GHz at $1,499 is still listed on the Apple Store.

Display price cut

In related news, Apple has also announced Cinema Display price reductions:

• 20-inch--$799 (was $999)
• 23-inch HD--$1,499 ($1,799)

The 30-inch HD is still priced at $2,999. Apple last cut display prices back on Jan 4 in the run up to MWSF.

Editor's note: And, it's done. Is there anything left to be said about this refresh?