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Apple Computer's holiday lineup has a better and faster theme, with only one dramatic departure from last year: the new, super sexy iMac.
The once cool swing-arm lamp form factor is out and the svelte all-in-one design is in. Thin is in. The latest iMac looks a lot like a white version of Apple's revamped aluminum flat-screen monitors.
But don't be fooled. There's a powerful and highly capable computer lurking within this trim exterior. Screens come in either 17-inch or 20-inch models, and the base configuration has a decent 80-gigabyte hard drive. The entry level price is $1,299. However, the paltry 256 megabytes of random access memory needs to be at least doubled.
Apple's under-the-desktop G5 starts at $1,499, and even the base model is a capable machine for serious number crunchers, as well as Photoshop and Final Cut Pro users. You'll also need a monitor, and $1,299 will get you a flat-screen Cinema Display. If you have money and desk space to burn, $3,299 will give you a 30-inch monitor.
If price is an issue, the capable eMac might be what you're looking for at $799 to $999.