Apple to start selling new iMacs on Friday

Apple says the 21.5-inch version its new, slimmed-down iMac desktop computers will go on sale Friday. It will also start taking orders for the larger model, but the units won't ship until later in December.

The smaller iMac will start at $1,299 for a basic model. The model with a 27-inch screen will start at $1,799.

The new iMac tacks the computer components to the back of a large LCD screen. The new models have no disk drive, helping make the edges one-fifth the thickness of the old model. They bulge considerably toward the middle of the back, however.

Apple's desktop computer comes in two sizes: 21.5-inch at 1920 x 1080 display resolution or 27-inch at 2560 x 1440.

The iMac features a display that is 5mm thick, Intel's Ivy Bridge processor and a new storage design called Fusion storage, which is a combination of a solid-state drive and mechanical hard drive.

Apple unveiled the next-generation iMac at a press event in San Jose, Calif. on Oct. 23.