New iMacs Highlight Macworld Expo Tokyo

At the keynote address at the Macworld Expo in Tokyo this week, Steve Jobs continued Apple‘s move to CD-RW (recordable CD drives) as the media device of choice in new Macintosh computers. Apple’s iMac line still includes Indigo and Graphite models, and adds psychedelic Blue Dalmation and Flower Power designs. Available in a basic 400 MHz model ($900, with CD-ROM drive) and higher-end 500 MHz and 600 MHz models ($1,200 and $1,500 with CD-RW drives), the iMac family is now at the core of Apple’s “digital lifestyle” push. The 450 MHz Power Mac G4 Cube ($1,300) retains its DVD-ROM drive. New models at $1,600 and $2,144 (with 128 and 256 MB of memory, respectively, compared to 64 MB for the base model) sport CD-RW drives, and the high-end unit features nVIDIA’s GeForce2 MX video controller and a 60 GB hard drive.

Apple also announced a $1000 price cut in its 22-inch flat-panel Cinema Display, now a mere $3,000. Almost lost in the shuffle was word that Apple’s top-of-the-line 733 MHz Power Mac G4 minitower, with CD- and DVD-writing SuperDrive, is now shipping.