Today Apple announced that it has received 150,000 pre-orders for the new iMac since its introduction three weeks ago, and that it has begun shipping the first of three iMac models. The new iMac features a 15-inch LCD flat screen that floats in mid-air, allowing users to easily adjust its height or angle. The first shipping model includes an 800 MHz PowerPC G4 processor and a SuperDrive for playing and burning CDs and DVDs, and is priced at US$1,799.
"We have taken over 150,000 pre-orders for the new iMac in the first three weeks—which is more than all of the pre-orders we received for the original iMac in 1998," said Philip Schiller, Apple"s senior vice-president of Worldwide Product Marketing.
The second model, with a 700 MHz G4 processor and a Combo drive, will be available in late February for a suggested retail price of US$1,499, and the third model, with a 700 MHz G4 processor and a CD-RW drive, will be available in late March for a suggested retail price of US$1,299.