iMac (Early 2006)
The first Intel Mac, in the familiar white iMac G5 body.
Overview
Apple announced the first Intel-based Mac at Macworld in January 2006, and it was the iMac. Outwardly unchanged from the late-2005 iMac G5, it replaced the PowerPC chip with a 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo, which Apple said ran about two times faster than before.
The 17-inch model offered 512 MB of memory, a 160 GB hard disk, an ATI Radeon X1600 with 128 MB of video memory and a built-in iSight camera. A 20-inch version ran at 2.0 GHz. The white case was still the same, and Mini-DVI replaced mini-VGA output.
The Core Duo iMac ran an Intel-native build of Mac OS X Tiger and Rosetta translation for older PowerPC applications.
Why it mattered
It marked the start of the Intel transition, the biggest architecture shift of the Mac since PowerPC.
At a glance
- Announced
- January 10, 2006
- Released
- January 10, 2006
- Discontinued
- September 6, 2006
- Launch price
- $1,299
- Chip / processor
- Intel Core Duo, 1.83 GHz
- Display
- 17" or 20"
- Storage
- 160 or 250 GB
- Status
- Vintage
Highlights
- First Mac with an Intel processor
- Core Duo up to 2.0 GHz
- Rosetta runs PowerPC apps
- Built-in iSight and Front Row
Tech specs
Specifications as published at launch. Some values (like battery life) are manufacturer estimates.
Display
- Size
- 17-inch or 20-inch
- Type
- Widescreen TFT LCD
- Resolution
- 1440 x 900 (17-inch), 1680 x 1050 (20-inch)
Chip
- Chip
- Intel Core Duo, 1.83 GHz (17-inch) or 2.0 GHz (20-inch)
- CPU cores
- 2
Memory
- RAM
- 512 MB DDR2, expandable to 2 GB
- Storage options
- 160 GB or 250 GB hard disk
Graphics
- GPU
- ATI Radeon X1600, 128 MB
Ports
- Ports
- 3 USB 2.0, 2 FireWire 400, Mini-DVI, Gigabit Ethernet, audio in and out
Camera
- Camera
- Built-in iSight
Design
- Weight
- 7.0 kg (15.5 lb) for the 17-inch; 10 kg (22 lb) for the 20-inch
Software
- Launch OS
- Mac OS X 10.4.4 Tiger
Availability
- Announced
- January 10, 2006
- Released
- January 10, 2006
- Discontinued
- September 6, 2006
- Launch price
- $1,299
Colors
- Finishes
- White
How it compares
More in the iMac family
iMac (Mid 2007)
The all-aluminum, glass-front iMac arrives.
iMac (Late 2009)
The first 27-inch iMac and the first Magic Mouse.
iMac (Mid 2011)
Quad-core Sandy Bridge and Thunderbolt in the iMac.
iMac (Late 2012)
Five millimeters thin at the edge, with no optical drive.
iMac with Retina 5K Display (Late 2014)
Fourteen and a half million pixels in one 27-inch screen.
iMac (Late 2015)
A 4K Retina display comes to the 21.5-inch iMac, plus wide color.
iMac (Mid 2017)
Kaby Lake, Thunderbolt 3 and brighter, wider displays.
iMac (2019)
Up to 8 cores and Vega graphics in the familiar iMac body.
iMac (27-inch, 2020)
The last Intel iMac, with a 1080p camera and a nano-texture option.
iMac 24-inch (M1)
Seven colors, 11.5 mm thin, and an M1 chip behind a 4.5K screen.
iMac 24-inch (M3)
Same colorful slab, now with the 3-nanometer M3 chip.
iMac 24-inch (M4)
M4, 16 GB of memory and a nano-texture glass option.