Everything you need to know about the new iMac family

A true widescreen LED display with edge-to edge glass, a touch sensitive Magic Mouse, a wireless keyboard and a quad-core processor - these are the features that characterise the new family of iMacs.

On October 20 Apple announced two new models of their desktop iMac computer. One sports a 21.5 inch LED-backlit widescreen display and the other, a 27 inch LED-backlit widescreen display. The 16x9 aspect ratio desktop iMacs will replace the older 20 and 24-inch models released by Apple in August 2007.

The two new desktop machines will be shipped at the same starting price as their less-feature driven predecessors and will offer consumers a wireless keyboard and Apple's new multitouch Magic Mouse as standard accessories.

The world's first ergonomic wireless mouse does away with the need for buttons and makes gesture computing feel like a second nature.

"The iMac is widely praised as the best desktop computer in the world and today we are making it even better," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "With brilliant LED displays and the revolutionary Magic Mouse, the new iMac delivers an amazing desktop experience that we think customers will love."

Another nice feature Apple has included the new desktop machines is the ability to insert an SD card right into the computer. The inbuilt SD card reader makes transferring large movie files and large groups of photos from cameras and other devices both quick and easy.

Other features include improved screen resolution for higher-quality movie watching, a built-in iSight video camera, microphone and stereo speakers, an AirPort Extreme for 802.11n WiFi networking, four USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, Bluetooth 2.1 and Gigabit Ethernet.

A 21.5-inch 3.06 GHz iMac will ship for $1,199, the 21.5-inch 3.06 GHz iMac for $1,499, the 27-inch 3.06 GHz iMac for $1,699 and the 27-inch 2.66 GHz Core i5 iMac for $1,999. Those wanting even more computing power can opt for a "built-to-order" (price on demand) 27-inch quad-core iMac with a 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7 quad-core processor.

The 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo iMacs are available for purchase now. The Intel Core i5 and i7 quad-core iMacs can be pre-ordered from apple.com and will start shipping in November.