32 or 64 bit, how come latest machine is 32?

I purchased an APPLE iMac MC508 this week, from PC World, not online but in the store. I asked if it was a 64 or 32 bit machine and I was assured it was 64. I have only just (today) looked at the system info and it states it is a 32!
Have I got something wrong, perhaps no 64 exists with this one but I was reading a recent magazine which stated it would have 64 bit capabilities. Now I feel somewhat duped by being given inaccurate information.
Could someone put me right on the 32 v 64 thing before I go hollering off in-store?
Many thanks

The distinction between booting 64-bit vs 32-bit kernel has been discussed, misunderstood, and maligned.
Yes the processor is likely 64-bit, but not all Macs have the firmware to boot and be 64-bit (Unified EFI 2.x / EFI64).
*64-bit kernels and After Effects CS5* :
You don’t need to run the 64-bit kernel on Mac OS X to run 64-bit applications
The 32-bit Mac OS kernel can run 64-bit applications, and it can manage ~32GB of RAM. With any current computer, there is no disadvantage to running the 32-bit kernel. Running the 32-bit kernel will not change which applications you can run, and it will not change how much address space your 64-bit applications can have.
The design of Mac OS separated the kernel address space from the client (application) address space, which is why Apple can fully support running a 64-bit program on a 32-bit kernel. On Leopard, this is the only option; and it’s the default on Snow Leopard.
So, to say it again, 64-bit applications will run on Leopard (10.5) and Snow Leopard (10.6) versions of Mac OS X running their 32-bit kernels.
For Windows, you need a 64-bit OS to run 64-bit applications, and you need a 64-bit OS to use more than 4GB of physical RAM in the machine.
References:
Should you? and how to:
http://macperformanceguide.com/SnowLeopard-64bit.html
http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2009/08/mac-os-x-10-6.ars/5
http://www.macworld.com/article/142379/2009/08/snowleopard_64bit.html
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4287

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