Apple iMac desktop gets updated with Intel chips

Apple Inc., following on last week’s debut of new iPhone models, updated its lineup of iMac desktop computers with faster Intel Corp. chips and more support for flash-memory storage.

The new iMacs will run fourth-generation, quad-core Intel processors and feature faster graphics, Cupertino, California-based Apple said in a statement. The computers, which go on sale today, also will work with a speedier version of the Wi-Fi connection standard and PCIe flash storage.

Apple’s wave of new products is helping assuage investor concerns that the company’s growth is slowing. The shares jumped 5 percent to $490.64 yesterday after the company said it sold 9 million iPhones in the new lineup’s debut weekend, a record. The iMac, once a top-selling product at Apple, has been eclipsed by the iPhone and iPad, though its all-in-one format remains a high-profile symbol of the company’s design.

“IMac continues to be the example that proves how beautiful, fast and fun a desktop computer can be,” Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, said in today’s statement.

Depending on the screen size, processor speed and other features, the new lineup ranges from $1,299 to $1,999, Apple said. It’s available with 21.5-inch and 27-inch screens.