Apple announced its new iMac and Mac mini systems today, but the smaller of these two Macs is bringing the biggest improvement in capability for small businesses. The iMacs with their 20- and 24-inch screens got modest bumps in speed, and each model got faster graphics, the latest implementation of Apple’s shift to NVIDIA. (Apple does a compelling sell of the new graphics in a pop-up screen, comparing the four new graphics sets to the prior graphics. Be aware that faster screen speed comes at a price above the entry-level, though.) All models also received more base RAM — so that will tell you how important it is to increase memory on anything that Apple ships you.

Ah, but the Mini. It continues its ascent as the best Mac for the dollar. For the same prices, the system now has solved its old-dog-slow graphics speed with an NVIDIA chipset; doubled the limit for RAM (see above); and increased the top speed of the processor to 2.26 GHz. Mind you, you’ve got to buy the faster of the two Mini models to get all that, but at just a $200 increase, it’s well worth it.

Apple makes much of its new Mini DisplayPort on the mini to connect monitors. It’s a genuine value for the mini if you’re got DisplayPort monitors, but not much of a bump for the mini customer already using a DVI screen. Like Firewire, DVI is getting pushed to the door by Apple, which is shifting its display focus to DisplayPort. The system includes a mini DVI to DVI adapter, but you can see the trend here. Smaller is better, but it demands peripheral replacements, too. Read the rest of this entry »