Apple’s new iMac represents the best forward-thinking in the desktop computer market. The sleek, all-in-one unit could easily be mistaken for just a monitor, but the entire computer – monitor, cpu, disk drive, and ports – is built in.
The first thing that caught my attention when I went to set up the new iMac was that there was one cable, the power cord, connected to the computer. That’s it. The keyboard is wireless. The mouse is wireless. The printer, the internet connection, everything is freestanding with no wires connecting back to the computer itself.
We went with the 21.5 inch screen, even though the 27 inch is just $200 more (put into perspective, that $200 is about a 13% difference in total price while the extra 5 ½ inches is more than 25% increase in screen size). The larger model, gorgeous as it is, won’t fit on a standard desk with a hutch. Unless you’re doing some serious video or photography work, or maybe spending way too much time online gaming, the 27 inch seems like overkill.
With the iMac, we’ve finally broken the terabyte barrier. There is a 500 gigabyte version, but with the current rate of memory growth in the computer market, it pays to buy the bigger memory now. It will pay off in the long run as the computer won’t become obsolete as quickly.
The iMac features a 4 gigabyte memory, a 3 gigahertz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, and amazing 1920 x 1080 screen resolution. I don’t know what ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics with 256 MB means exactly, but it sure looks good on that 21.5 inch screen.
Of course, iMac comes preloaded with Mac OSX and Mac standards like Rock Band, Safari, and iTunes. It also includes a built-in webcam. There’s no software to install and minimal setup required to get your iMac up and running.
Best of all, it just works.
