Introduction
The iMac is a throwback to the online Apple since its appearance in 1998. This is not a surprise, because according to many is this computer to have saved Apple, relaunching the brand in the world. The iMac, for each generation, it was noted for his design: lines that you may not like at all, but that certainly influenced the choices of other companies, in one way or another. The compact system Apple has earned its market share quickly, and seems to be on the scene for a long time.
In 2006, then, Apple went to Intel processors, surprising everyone and causing a shock. The switch to Intel CPUs brought many new opportunities in Apple, not least to provide its users with Windows, plus Mac OS X. Users who had given the Mac, but that was not entirely convinced of choice, they had the chance to try it with some peace of mind, knowing they can return to Windows without changing the entire computer.
Design
The aesthetic choices Apple does not accept half-measures, or one loves or hates it. One thing is certain, the look is dell'iMac of those who leave their mark. Hard to imagine a PC so thin, especially if we consider the list of components. It may sound like a cliche, and an advertising phrase, but the fact remains that the owners of iMac should get used to feel ask "and where is your computer?"
Click on the image to start the presentation
Apple, with the current generation has abandoned the previous range of colors, characterized by a combination of white acrylic and other consumer products (iBook, MacBook and MacMinis). The new models are encased in an aluminum shell, taken by professional lines (PowerMac, MacPro, PowerBook and MacBook Pro). This model comes with a glossy screen that matches well with the rest of the system, a set of precision. In the central part of the upper find the iSight camera, but is less visible, due to black. Support also remains bent, the essential "tion" dell'iMac. Overall design of the new iMac has a more serious and professional than its predecessors.
The screen, unfortunately, is particularly sensitive to ditate and other signs. Apple has always been attentive to these details, provides a cloth for cleaning.
The keyboard has been revised. The previous model had the classic Apple keyboard, with keys tilted, famous for its ability to attract dust and dirt. The new keyboard is consistent with the new approach dell'iMac, very thin. He recalled the MacBook keyboard, the spacing between the keys and the short of the same race. Probably the design of the handset is liked enough to justify its repetition in the desktop. The Mighty Mouse Optical White has not changed, but point out that the cable is very short.
Technical aspects
The Intel iMac is composed entirely of parts of the mobile sector, except for the hard drive. One could say, in fact, that Apple has mounted a display of 24 "on a laptop. It is not a bad thing, in any case, given that the list of components is respectable. The motherboard, Intel 965GM Express Chipset , Houses an Intel Core 2 Duo T7700, based on core Merom, who works at 2.4 GHz with 800 MHz FSB. The system memory is not great, only 1 GB DDR2-667, in a single SO - DIMM. The graphics are made by ATI Mobility Radeon 2600, rather dated. The interface is a PCIe x16, you can reduce CPU load in the decoding of HD content, thanks to technology Aviv. Given the size of the display, we preferred a more recent and graphic prestante.
The iMac we've tried to mount a WD3200AAJS Western Digital S-ATA 320 GB model that we use in our test system. The iMac also mount an optical drive Super Drive, that reads and writes CDs and DVDs.
For the rest, the iMac is fitted with a standard set of doors. In addition to three USB 2.0 connectors and two Fire Wire (1x FW 400 and 1xFW 800), we have a Gigabit Ethernet port on the back. As for wireless networks, there are a WiFi adapter 802.11 a / b / g / ne a Bluetooth 2.0 EDR. The keyboard houses two additional USB ports, but occupy one of the two rear USB ports. The mini-DVI port in the back, allows you to connect a secondary display, but must buy a separate adapter for the VGA or DVI. To conclude this is the Apple remote that can control the computer as home theater system, with the Front Row.
Software
Like any Apple computer, the iMac is sold under the company's operating system, OS X. Our model had the version 10.5.2, ie Leopard. This is an operating system full of interesting aspects. They point out just a few: "Spotlight", the search function, the multimedia interface "Front Row", the management system "Expose" and backup solution "Time Machine", capable of handling incremental backups on external HDD. Then there is Boot Camp, which allow you to manage a dual-boot operating system to easily switch from OS X to Windows and vice versa, a very interesting solution for those who want to experience the world without leaving Apple of everything Microsoft. You can install both Windows XP SP2 as Vista.
Among the software preinstalled place the iLife'08 suite, which consists of iPhoto, for managing files, iMovie for editing video, iDVD for creating and recording DVDs, and iWeb, a tool for creating personal pages in quickly and easily. Terminating the package "Garage Band", a small but complete recording studio. This is obviously a package that can satisfy the tastes of many, but not all. In any case, these tools work properly.
Among the programs are also test versions of Office: mac 2008 and the suite of Apple iWork'08. In both cases you can easily switch to the full version. The version of Office would particularly affect users who switch from Windows to Mac, which should not worry about compatibility between old documents and the new platform. IWork also worth a try. If you had the opportunity to see a presentation with Keynote, perhaps you noticed the effects of transition offered by this programma.Se none of these solutions is for you, there's always the way Source: the OpenOffice.org suite In fact, was carried on OS X version of Java, with the name of NeoOffice.
An Apple with Vista
Boot Camp
The migration to hardware Intel has made it possible to install Windows on the Mac. The easiest and most economical to do so is to use Boot Camp, already integrated nell'iMac. This software make it possible to quickly create a Windows partition and then make a smooth transition. Once Windows is installed, simply insert the installation CD for OS X to start the program automatically installs the drivers and the Boot Camp tool to manage the dual operating system. Now jump off the limit of Boot Camp: Allows or system or the other, nothing more.
The keyboard works normally under Windows. The system works like any Windows computer, and all functions are available, including Windows Update. As for drivers, in some cases the user depends on Apple through and through. For example, we were unable to find suitable driver for the chip of ATI Mobility Radeon 2600 Pro. Curiously Windows, and with the drivers provided by Apple, has recognized this card as a Radeon 2600 XT.
VMWare and Parallels
If you want to use applications for both platforms at the same time, the only solution is a virtual machine. Among the alternatives are VMWare Fusion and Parallels Desktop, which allow you to install Windows inside OS X. WMWare Fusion allows you to view Windows in a window inside Mac OS X, the first impact could be confusing, but it is a useful and appropriate choice. It also integrates with Expose. Parallels Desktop offers a similar feature, called "Coherence Mode".
The advantages of this approach are obvious: both offer a virtual machine, essentially a closed box, and a safer environment. You can also use Windows applications that have not equivalent in OS X, in addition to being able to use applications for different platforms without having to reboot the system. The side effect is a decrease in performance. The computer should have a lot of memory, since each of operating systems sharing the available RAM. Only one gig of RAM, in this situation, would produce a situation dramatically slow.
In practice
The design of the keyboard is good, not only from an aesthetic point of view: race and response, in fact, are excellent, and there are no unwanted noise. The ergonomics are very nice, thanks to the angle, the higher on the back. The iMac is very quiet, with both Windows and OS X, with a small increase in noise increases when the CPU load, but never get to be annoying. The power is usually sufficient, despite not be built with shares moving. As we said above, is strongly recommended to add RAM, 1 GB is so little, both for OS X and Vista, especially if you want to use virtual machines.
The optical drive performs well, although it could be quieter. When you insert a CD or a DVD produces a sound strident, which made us fear for the integrity of the disc. There seems, however, a mechanical error or an issue related to our sample. It seems that the fault is attributable to the loading mechanism, very slow, as with the old iMac.
We appreciated the 24-inch display. It allows you to view two pages of text to the original size, then please those who work regularly with writing programs. The generous dimensions lend themselves well to the modification of video and images, since that offer all the space necessary for toolbars and numerous windows. In these cases, in fact, the space is never enough.
The built-in speakers are better than one might expect, and certainly enough to listen to any song every time. If the idea is to use the iMac as home theater, we recommend adding the best external speakers or connect to the home stereo.
Display and Graphics
The display will be 24 "dell'iMac has very bright colors and good contrast. Manages dark tones with the same efficiency as clear. For a subjective glance, there seemed to see a color that dominates the other. On paper this big screen seems a good choice for an HTPC. With Front Row, in fact, this Apple computer can be a good companion for evenings of home cinema. Of course, you can always do better.
The native resolution of 1920x1200 is too high for full-HD content. Given that the ATI graphics chip helps to play with HD graphics acceleration, we are disappointed by the lack of a Blu-ray. Apple, in fact, chose to mount a normal DVD. The most significant problem is that ordinary DVD, with a display of its kind, are pushed to the limit, as a quality video. The video distortions become evident and disturbing, though, to be fair, if the film is well-encrypted, the problem does not arise.
The choice of glossy screen, from Apple, is questionable. It is good to see lively and brilliant, but if the screen reflects the user and the room, all is not the most pleasing, especially with the darkest scenes. Then the location dell'iMac becomes a crucial factor: it is imperative to avoid the light from windows or from other sources, otherwise it will reflect on the screen.
Moving with interpolation, we have noticed that this display behaves well. It is certainly a good thing, because the Mobility Radeon 2600 Pro can create decent framerate only at low resolutions. On the other hand, the iMac was not designed as gaming machine, as shown by the test 3DMark'06, scoring 4546 points to 1024x768. In any case, for dell'iMac price was expected compartment a better chart. Some items are not missing much to the emergence of new Penryn-based iMac: If we are lucky, this new model will also have a desktop GPU suits. It should also be said that Apple is famous for its "conservative" as a graphics chip.
The display comes at a luminostia of 307 cd/m2. The uniformity is quite good, from a subjective point of view, except for an escape visible in the upper right, especially showy in dark scenes. Perhaps this is a defect in the sample that we tried, anyway. We measured the level of black at maximum brightness, noting 0.55 cd/m2.
Conclusion: a computer, many choices
Overall, the iMac makes a good impression, combining good performance and a high-level design. It is a quiet, and can make the place a little HTPC through Front Row. It would be perfect as a business tool, even if there was a Blu-ray. It certainly is not a game machine, mainly because of the graphics card, not powerful enough. On the other hand, is not a product designed for the market players.
One wonders what the target that Apple has in mind for your iMac. People who might appreciate are many: those seeking more space on your desk, who display a high resolution, a silent about. Another factor of interest could be that there are no problems or driver compatibility, since Apple controls the entire process, from hardware to software. Not to mention the design, which for some could be one reason more than enough.
In addition to these aspects, there is great flexibility provided by Intel, which is expressed in the possibility of having two operating systems with Boot Camp, or to start Windows in OS X, with tools such as VMWare virtualization or paralleles Desktop , Both allow you to integrate Windows into OS X without problems, providing a safety net for those who want to try Mac without abandoning the PC.
On balance, buying an iMac you take home a more than decent hardware, along with the iLife software suite. From ? 1749 to ? 2895, most software can be a fair price or not. The assessment depends only on you and, of course, from your portfolio.
