 Beautiful Machine, Beautiful Display |
| Review Date: January 27, 2006 |
| Reviewer: Stephen Hall, USA |
Without question, I love Macintosh computers. The ease of use, performance, and design that is Apple makes me productive, keeps the headaches down, and makes working on a computer fun.
When Steve Jobs announced the new iMac, with Intel Core Duo processors I was almost certain I wanted to buy it. Why? Macs are well known for ease of use and capabilities, but they have managed all that for years, with processors that are not always top-notch. That all changed in January 2006.
Processor in the new iMac
The Intel Core Duo processor in the new iMac is an amazing chip. What have I noticed about the speed of the machine featuring this chip? It is incredibly fast. You'd be surprised by how much faster even web browsing is, when you have a processor as powerful as the Core Duo. However, what I've really been impressed by is doing things such as video encoding. I've encoded videos in H264 as much as eight times faster than my Powerbook G4. Furthermore, the iLife applications that are included on the iMac fly, with the speed. iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, and Garageband perform like never before. I've really been impressed by the speed.
The Core Duo is a great processor. It offers exceptional desktop PC performance, in a design that can fit in small computers and notebooks. It features two cores on a single die, which effectively gives you the performance of two processors. Don't let the 2 GHZ clock speed fool you. This Core Duo Chip will outperform 3+ GHZ Pentium 4 processors. It really is an amazing breakthrough, from Intel.
Video Card
The new iMac features an ATI Radeon X1600 graphics processor using PCI Express
128 MB of GDDR3 video memory. This is the best graphic card Apple has *ever* included with a consumer Macintosh. This graphic processor will work well for most gaming, and it is great for viewing back complex H264 movies, including high definition videos. You can enjoy high definition H264 videos, without drop frames. I couldn't even play these videos, on my Powerbook.
Display - Apple's 20-inch displays are beautiful, and it is built right into the iMac. The iMac is so thin too that people sometimes think the computer is only the LCD. For example, friends of mine didn't believe me, when I said the computer was behind the LCD! Back to the display's quality, it is very bright, crisp, and clean. It is also easy on the eyes, which is nice, when you're sitting at the machine for several hours. It features 1680x1050 resolution, which will give you plenty of room to fit windows and projects onto the screen.
Video out - The new iMac, for the first time ever, features a Mini-DVI output. This allows, with adapters, the ability to connect the iMac to a DVI display, a television via composite or S-video, or an analog display via VGA. I have my new iMac Core Duo connected to my 20-inch Apple Cinema Display, and it works perfect! A nice feature. This allows for screen-spanning, so I can take advantage of both screens.
Memory - This iMac is a powerhouse, but it is held back by the standard 512MB of memory. You can still do a couple tasks at a time, but for intensive tasks and multitasking you need more memory. Add at least another 512 MB stick, for a total of 1 GB memory, but you might consider adding even more. The iMac supports up to 2 GB of memory. It uses PC5300 DDR2 - SODIMM modules.
Applications -
Apple has removed some of the applications previously bundled, with the iMac. This includes Appleworks. Appleworks is no longer included, but if you own a copy, it will run fine on this machine. Apple does include iLife '06, which has iPhoto, iMovie, iWeb, iDVD, and Garageband. There is the Safari web browser, some board games, the always useful iCal, AddressBook, iChat, etc. Overall, I was pleased with the included software.
iLife 06 is particularly great. I love the new full-screen photo editing, photo comparing, etc. You can now also order calendars and greeting cards made with your photos, direct from Apple, by using the iPhoto software. iMovie has new themes, which helps make professional-looking home movies, and iDVD now supports widescreen DVDs. iWeb is a brand-new applications, which makes it easy to create professional quality webpages, quickly. I can't wait to rebuild by site using iWeb. Apple continues to make it easy to create music, manage your digital images, make movies, and create web sites.
A trial (30 day) of iWork '06 is also included, which includes the page layout program Pages, and the presentation program Keynote (which makes presentations that blow away presentations made by rival Powerpoint).
Hard Drive -
The 20-inch iMac comes with a 250 GB hard drive. This is going to be sufficient for most people to hold their photographs, music, and movies. However, some people may need more. It is also important that you remember to backup your important files to either another external hard drive, or DVDs. I only point this out because today with great machines like the iMac we're storing more of our great memories on computers than ever before, so make sure you don't lose them, if something happens to your machine. Apple includes a great backup program called Backup 3, if you subscribe to the .mac service. I use it all the time, and it simple interface helps me keep peace of mind.
Superdrive-
The optical drive included with the new iMac allows you to watch DVDs, listen to music, burn DVDs, and burn CDs. You can also burn dual-layer DVDs, which is nice. It is a slot-loading drive, so the disks slide magically in and out of the computer's right side. There are no drawers to break off.
Front Row Experience - Apple has included a new software title that at this time is only available on the iMac and MacBook Pro. Front Row. Front Row comes with your iMac, and a remote control is also included. Front row allows you to watch and listen to media items, on your computer, from across the room. Click one button on the remote, and bring up Front Row, for quick access to your music, movies, podcasts, DVD, and more. I like this feature, but I wonder how useful it is, since I'm usually sitting right in front of the computer and can just use a mouse, to access this content.
PowerPC Applications on Intel Machine
If you own a lot of software for Mac, then most of it is probably compiled for PowerPC. Developers are working hard to make titles run natively on both Intel and PowerPC, but many titles are not yet ready. However, many titles you can use on an Intel Mac because Apple has included Rosetta, which translates the PowerPC code into something the Intel machine can read. However, you never see Rosetta for it works quietly in the background and makes running PowerPC applications seamless. Microsoft Office, for example, works perfect under Rosetta. Intensive applications such as Photoshop will run under Rosetta, but it will be slower until Adobe has an Intel compiled version of Photoshop. Rosetta does work and if you add memory to your iMac, you may find such application somewhat equal to how it would perform on a 1GHZ PowerPC G4, from my experience.
Two titles I use EyeTV and Toast 7 are not yet compiled for Intel, but they run fine on my Intel iMac, under Rosetta. Again, you don't have to open anything special to use Rosetta. Your Mac knows when it needs it and uses it.
Wireless- The iMac can still connect wirelessly to networks using its included Airport Card. Furthermore, it features a Bluetooth module to connect wirelessly to devices.
Design - This iMac is beautiful, and you notice the quality as soon as you begin to open the box. It is packaged with care, in beautiful packaging. The iMac is thin, and the display floats above your desk. Furthermore, Apple includes a nice keyboard and mighty mouse, which allows for multi-button clicking.
Overall, I am very happy with my iMac Core Duo. It should perhaps come with more memory standard, but it is a very impressive machine. It is incredibly fast on Intel-native applications, and it does a very good job running PowerPC applications. If you're upgrading from a G4 Mac like myself, this machine will seem to fly. If you're upgrading from a G5 based Mac, it will be faster on native applications, but the increase in performance will be less significant to you. The Intel machines are the future of Apple, so there is no question this is a good machine, and it is powerful enough to be a good computer, for quite some time. I'm happy with my purchase, and I look forward to continue exploring it in the coming days |
It's Jamais Vu
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| Review Date: April 29, 2006 |
| Reviewer: William Diamond, Alexandria, VA USA |
I've never owned a Mac before. I started out as a Unix programmer in the late 1970s and at one point, managed a network for more than 60,000 users all on Unix. I moved to Windows with 2.0 and followed Microsoft along, becoming an engineer there for several years. In recent years, I became frustrated with the architectural problems of Windows, due to Microsoft's need to support applications that are more than 10 years old.
Looking at the Mac, there's just no question that the hardware is aesthetically stunning. This is a beautiful machine and it just cleans up all the clutter on your desk instantly.
When you connect it, all the USB and Firewire ports are conveniently clustered together, and the system pivots very easily for you to get access to them. System set up took all of five minutes.
Where Apple shocked me was with their Zero Configuration utilities embedded in the operating system. This is transparent to the user, but when you power on your Macintosh - it discovers what i needs to know about your network, like other network devices, servers, printers. For the more technically adept, if you've managed your network properly, your new Mac is ready to roll and is fully configured in under 10 minutes.
My new iMac found my email server and printers and prompted me for my network credentials. I was on the internet, and running great in mere moments. The performance is just wonderful.
The included iLife '06 software is wonderful. These are the kinds of utilities that you'd spend hundreds of dollars for in the Windows world and they'd not be quite so well integrated as they are on the Mac. Even small details are considered. For example, the built-in iSight camera immediately pulls up the iPhoto software and allows you to quickly modify the picture you take. I did a quick "Warhol" template on a picture and emailed it in less than 30 seconds. The iWeb utility lets you build very attractive web sites with very little effort. If you're at all musical, the GarageBand utility will let you build complete soundtracks and you can then add those to your custom DVDs through iMove and iDVD.
At first, I was concerned whether there would be applications available for the new Intel platform. I was very pleased to learn that World of Warcraft slipstreamed in their universal binary support. So, when you install WoW on a new intel based Mac and run the update, it automatically installs the universal binary during the patch download.
Microsoft Officer 2004 is still PowerPC based, but the built in Rosetta translation system provides more than adequate performance for what I'm doing. I'm using Entourage as my email client and the other Microsoft Office applications with no problems.
Performance is excellent, the system is very quiet and it's just absolutely crisp, clear and beautiful to look at. Whether you're interested in the stability and security of the Mac OS X operating system or whether you simply want the advantages of very, very well integrated hardware to run Windows XP - you should consider the new Macintosh systems very carefully. Apple has a huge winner here. |
Yet Another PC User Switches to Mac - I'm Glad I Did
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| Review Date: February 28, 2006 |
| Reviewer: J. Wallace, Eugene, Oregon USA |
What I'm going to say most definitely has been said before. But, for the sake of you wanting people's opinion's, specifically about the Intel iMac, let people speak!
First off, Amazon is a GREAT place to buy this computer, as there is a $150 MIR that no one else really has. The reason I bought it at the full $1700 price is so I could make payments on it, and build my credit since it's at nothing right now. Why not start with a Mac? :D
I've used this computer for 3 weeks or so, and during that time, there's been some adjustment with the change from PC to Mac. I'd like to just get right down to the nitty-gritty and tell you about the pros and cons of this machine, especially compared to Windows computers.
PROS
SOPHISTICATION
Funny story. I had asked a friend of mine who's been a Mac user since the 80's to describe Mac's in one word, and he said "sophistication" with a great smile on his face. And now I'm starting to see what he really meant. It's sophisticated in two ways from my POV: Stability and beauty.
Stability is solely because of the Mac OS. The computer is intelligent, and is well built. IMO, I'm starting to realize just how much PC's are slapped together, and shipped off. Also, who has not experienced the "Blue Screen of Death" with the PC? Or constant error messages that make you restart the computer time and again? Meanwhile, every Mac is elegantly manufactured. Just look inside a Mac and you'll see. It is also quite beautiful to look at, and just makes any room its in get just a bit brighter. The sleek white color with all three pieces makes this pleasing to the eye.
SAFETY
You certainly have noticed just HOW MANY viruses have been launched at computers. Have you noticed that all of them have been against Windows computers? It's because they're vulnerable. They need firewalls and anti-virus software. They have spyware and adware on them, which must be cleaned out on a regular basis to ensure the maximum amount of protection. Mac's are 99.9% different in this regard. There is no such thing as spyware on a Mac. Or adware. Just recently, the VERY FIRST virus/worm was found of some Mac computers. Like it's been speculated, and I agree with the speculation, that it is only a matter of time before we see more viruses on the Mac. But that will be a while, as the Mac is well constructed. It is much safer to use a Mac than a PC - that is an absolute fact.
NO NEED WITH MOST DRIVERS
Have you ever been tired of getting a product but after you install it, you have old drivers, and it's quite difficult to find and install the new one? The Mac rarely ever needs a driver with a component. For example, my HP printer that I was using with my PC is now hooked up to my iMac. Just plug and print. Nothing else. How much simpler can it be?
INTEL
The new Intel chip is great. There have been some negative opinions about it, since applications that were made to use the previous processor (PowerPC) are slower to load and sometimes use, most noticeably Microsoft Word and Adobe Photoshop. Basically every major application is being restructured so it will be 100% compliant with Intel chips. But, please keep in mind this important fact: If you are a pending first-time Mac buyer, this slowness means nothing to you. You have no old software. If you want a computer for the future, several years down the line, Intel is a 100% must.
SOFTWARE
Some might complain because of the "lack" of applications with the Mac. But, just look. Look at the software that comes bundled with the computer. Simply great. I am truly impressed with the *quality* of these applications. iLife is great. I recommend reading reviews on Amazon with iLife '06.
INTERNET CONNECTION
It's great having a built-in wireless internet connection with this computer. You'll notice that a lot of notebooks now have a built-in internet connection, but it is really rare to see non-laptop computer with a wireless internet connection. It was so easy to set up, and the stability of it has been GREAT. I used to use a Netgear wireless card. It was mediocre at best.
REMOTE
I'm familiar with a version of Windows having an easy access media screen for pictures, music, etc. But I am really loving Front Row. The remote is excellent, and has great distance.
MONITOR
It really does not get any better than this. Don't bother with the cinema display, which has had a couple problems to be truthful. This is a bea-u-ti-ful 20" monitor. If it's within your means, the 20" is totally worth it. The extra space makes all the difference, and you won't want to go back to a 17" again.
CONS
I have a couple of small ones.
RAM
I feel that 512 is not enough to run several applications on the Mac. It'll slow them down somewhat. I have read that matching up two sticks of RAM with the same size is the best route. I found this conversation very beneficial:
http://www.macintouch.com/ReaderReports/imacintel/topic1964.html
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With regards to your iMac performance testing...
"Curiously, we actually got worse Xbench results after upgrading an Intel iMac from 512 MB to 1.5 GB of memory."
The memory in the new iMac is dual channel. You might have to install matched pairs to maximize performance. If you customize an iMac at the apple online store and select Learn More in the RAM section, you get to a page with the following info:
"...To maximize memory performance, it is recommended that memory SO-DIMMs be installed in pairs."
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I'm probably going to get a 1GIG stick and see the Xbench results with the 1GIG and 512 compared with just the 1GIG. I believe it's just better to get the 1GIG since there are two slots for RAM, and the maximum amount you can have is 2GB total. Better to get the 1GIG and think of the future with regards to your computer's performance.
MISSED APPLICATIONS
I'll admit - I do miss a couple great programs that are only available on the PC. That's the downside with switching to another OS. But the question you should ask is, "Is it worth it?" For me, I'm just going to just use my Mac for everyday use. But if I need to use the PC for a program or what have you, there's no problem with that, nor is there a problem with having both operating systems.
If you want to try the computer out before buying it, go to a certified Mac seller locally where you live, and see it for yourself. Do some investigation, and you'll hopefully see why Macs in many ways are far superior to the PC. |
Perfect all-around desktop.
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| Review Date: January 26, 2006 |
| Reviewer: A. ALFALIH, |
Absolutely PERFECT for beginners and family computing, it delivers a FANTASTIC software package as well as unbelivable ease of use. And now with the hardware upgrade its suitible for more demanding users, mainly as a secondary computer. I am a computer scientist and spend alot of time in front of my computers for work, research and play. I use my PC's for more demanding chores and my mac for personal pleasure, but I find that im spending more time infront of the Mac as time goes on.
One thing though: An upgrade of 1 gig RAM is MANDATORY. It kills me knowing there are iMacs sitting around with stock RAM, the increase in performance with this simple, affordable upgrade is huge, and well worth the price.
You can find 1 G RAM upgrades on Amazon for reasonable prices. JUST MAKE SURE YOU GET THE RIGHT KIND. There are tons of different RAM standads and none except the right one will work on the intel iMac.I wont bore you with the specifics, here are the specs you need to look for:
DDR2 PC2-5300 UNBUFFERED NON-ECC DDR2 667
Oh yeah, and make sure you get a single DIMM module, NOT a dual DIMM package, there is only one slot.
I have used RAM from Crucial before and recomend them as there prices are fair enough and their products are top notch quality.(STAY AWAY FROM SPECTEC)
To install the RAM just flip the iMac and you will fine simple instructions on how to install it. Requires a screwdriver to open the slot, Don't worry, you don't have to open the case, its an exterior slot.
Just one thing to consider before buying:
With the hardware transition to the Intel chips a slower, software transition is taking place. Good news is that all previously coded software will still work, only slower! 10-50% slower on Intel Macs than on their PowerPC counterparts.
Now the good news: Most major software companies have already announced work on updating their binaries so that Intel iMacs will run the software natively, resulting in a 20-80% INcrease in performance.
So for the short term user who requires minimal performance and doesnt want to do any serious gameing, go for the PowerPC iMac.
For the rest of us who want the future proofing and added performance, get the Intel iMacs and make sure you get software with the UNIVERSAL logo on them (Universal will run all software nativly on both!) |
You will like this computer:
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| Review Date: March 14, 2006 |
| Reviewer: J. M MCCORMICK, Santo Andre, Brazil |
The iMac is a very beautiful and artistic machine. The 20" screen is definately worth it and it seems the mousepad is never big enough (even with an optical mouse I use a pad). Under mouse options you need to switch the mouse to two button use from regular Mac one-button-style. The Super-mouse works fine, but some may want to use their old USB Windows mouse. I bought a 1Gb stick of memory from Crucial.com for ~$160 (it's expensive) = 1.5Gb total now. This machine is absolutely quiet and I leave it on all the time. The system play Music and DVDs very well.
I have my new Intel iMac right next to my old Gateway server 17" monitor. So I'm using both Windows XP pro and Intel Mac at the same time. Windows has my old Office 2002, Ahead Nero 6, media converters etc. The software for the Intel Mac is limited right now = An iMac G5 may be better for some that really need the software. The Mac I use for Internet, and it's widgets = it's an information finder/accumulator.
The Widgets (Dashboard) are amazing. In one click I get the weather for the day/week, radar image, dictionary, website RSS Mac forum info, Calendar, Thesaurus, stock info, plus more. It's all there with a side click (Apple Super-Mouse has 2 side buttons)of the mouse. Plus the Apple web browser has a Google search built in, spelling built into the sytem etc. If you have a Windows machine with some power, get Konfabulator (Widgets for Windows). Widgets is the best part of my new Mac for me.
Your will need to buy a manual/book for your Intel iMac. Learning to burn a CD is different. I'm sure there is a manual somewhere included that will you can print out. The way the OS opens and stores files can be different. Everything else is basically automatic; internet, media, hook-ups etc.
Do a search for "Apple Forum," find one you like and join. You are going to have some questions and there are many Mac fanatics that are willing to help. Expect some transition time and be patient, but I feel the user experience is worth it. In about a year, 80-90%+ of all my work will be on a Mac or Linux on Mac (X11)possibly running a Windows environment on a Mac.
If you are an artistic person, don't even question the purchase. You will be happier on a Mac, but wait for the programs you need to be available natively and not under slow Rosetta (PowerPC) emulation. |
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