Apple 27” iMac Release Date Coming In February; Online Store Lists To 3-4 Week Shipping For New Mac Desktops

The Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant just updated its online store with new information about its redesigned 27-inch iMacs, which will now ship between three to four weeks.

When the redesigned iMac was unveiled in October, Apple originally said the 27-inch iMacs would release in December 2012, but that changed on Dec. 7, when Apple adjusted the listing to “January.”

Apple did not explain why it delayed the release of the iMac, but many analysts cite Tim Cook from his Oct. 25 conference call with investors, in which he noted his concerns about the iMac’s production, citing “significant shortages” and the “short amount of time during the quarter to manufacture and ramp those” extremely high-end Mac desktops, especially given the robust demand.

Even though Apple did not delay the 21.5-inch iMac’s release date, the larger 27-inch model was likely delayed for Cook’s stated reasons. Regardless, it sounds like Apple’s supply is finally beginning to catch up with demand, now that the online store is listing a more specific shipping timeline.

The 27-inch iMac is roughly 20 inches tall, 26 inches wide, and weighs about 21 pounds -- almost double the weight of the 21.5-inch iMac. The desktop features a 2560 x 1440 display resolution on its 27-inch (diagonally) IPS screen.

"Everything you see on the big, glossy display -- from skin tones and dark shadows to bright blue skies and green fields — is rich and vibrant," Apple says on its website. "And the colors are more true to life, too. That’s because every iMac display is individually color-calibrated using state-of-the-art spectroradiometers to match color standards recognized around the world."

The most basic 27-inch iMac is powered by a 2.9 GHz quad-core i5 processor from Intel, with Turbo Boost up to 3.6 GHz. The higher-end model features a 3.2 GHz quad-core i5 chip with 3.6 GHz Turbo Boost, but Apple will also configure custom models with the speedy 3.4 GHz i7 chip from Intel, which has a Turbo Boost up to 3.9 GHz. 

From a graphics perspective, the 27-inch iMac is powered by GeForce GTX from NVIDIA -- the lower-end model has a 660M chip, while the higher-end desktop is powered by a 675MX graphics processor, but those customers can further choose to upgrade to a 680MX processor for enhanced performance.

The iMac comes with 1TB of storage, but customers can choose whether they'd like to upgrade to 3TB, also whether they'd like their storage to be flash, pure SSD, or a new mix of two that Apple calls the "Fusion Drive."

Apple’s new Fusion Drive contains 128 GB of flash storage with 1TB or 3TB HDD, which is fused into a single volume. With access to storage, the new Fusion Drive performs almost as well as Flash, but it keeps documents significantly more secure on the HDD.

“Apple has some logic, which figures out which apps you use the most and will shift those to the SDD,” explained Apple SVP of marketing Phil Schiller, at the company's iMac announcement on Oct. 23.

The 27-inch iMac also comes with two speakers on the bottom sides of the "chin," a 720p HD FaceTime camera and dual microphones and runs on OS X Mountain Lion.

As far as connectivity goes, the new iMac has an SDXC card slot, ports for USB 3.0 and Gigabit Ethernet, as well as two Thunderbolt ports for ultra-fast connections. The 2012 iMac is also supported by the latest 802.11n Wi-Fi technology and also supports Bluetooth 4.0 (also known as Smart Bluetooth) for near-instantaneous connections with accessories and peripherals such as the Magic Mouse and Wireless Keyboard.

Apple starts selling the basic 27-inch iMac at $1,799, but for $200 more, the computer will come with some faster graphics and computing processors. Further upgrades to the computer's specs are available after that $1,999 price tag.