Mac · The Digital Hub · 2006
iMac (Intel, early 2006)
The Intel transition begins on the desktop: same iMac G5 body, but two to three times faster inside — and now able to boot Windows.
iMac (Intel, early 2006): key facts
When was the iMac (Intel, early 2006) released?
The iMac (Intel, early 2006) was released in January 2006. Apple discontinued it in September 2006.
How much did the iMac (Intel, early 2006) cost?
The iMac (Intel, early 2006) launched at $1,299 in 2006 — about $2,065 in today’s money (approximate, US CPI).
What are the iMac (Intel, early 2006)’s specs?
The iMac (Intel, early 2006) used a Intel Core Duo running at 1.83 GHz, with 512 MB of memory and 156.3 GB of storage. It ran Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger.
Why does the iMac (Intel, early 2006) matter?
One of the first two Intel Macs, announced the same day as the MacBook Pro.
Full specifications
| CPU | Intel Core Duo · 1.83 GHz |
|---|---|
| Cores | 2 |
| Memory (RAM) | 512 MB (up to 2 GB) |
| Storage | 156.3 GB |
| Display | 17" or 20" LCD, all-in-one |
| GPU | ATI Radeon X1600 |
| Ports | USB 2.0, FireWire, Ethernet |
| Weight | 9.1 kg |
| Dimensions | Flat-panel all-in-one |
| Operating system | Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger |
| Released | January 2006 |
| Discontinued | September 2006 |
| Launch price | $1,299 |
How the iMac (Intel, early 2006) compares to today
A 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro has about 32× more memory than this device shipped with.
At 1.83 GHz, the clock is roughly 1.7× slower than a single performance core of a 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro — and that is before counting cores, width and IPC.
This held about 40,000 modern phone photos — a respectable library even today.
Launched at $1,299 in 2006 — about $2,065 in today’s money (approx., US CPI).
Cross-architecture speed figures are clock-only and approximate; inflation figures use US CPI.
Did you know?
It shipped running PowerPC apps through Apple’s "Rosetta" translation layer.
Related Mac models
Open the iMac (Intel, early 2006) in the interactive archive →
Last updated: 2026-06-25