Apple Flat Panel IMAC: A Heaven for Mac Users and People Tired of PC's
Written: Jan 02 '03
Product Rating:
Ease of Use:
Quality of Tech Support:
Pros: This computer makes a case to lure previous PC users to Macs
Cons: Games and Programs are limited and few for Macs
The Bottom Line: Something only to be dreamt about, but it is an actual reality. If you are in the market for ease, affordability, and performance, this is the one to buy.
tyny03's Full Review: Apple iMac 17 in. (M8812LL/A) Mac Desktop
Cost: Approximately $2000
Powermac G4 800 mhz Processor
80 GB Hard Drive
17 Inch Flat Panel Screen
1,440 x 900 Pixel Screen
NVidia Graphics Chip
DVD-R/ CD-RW Capability
Harmon Kardon Speakers
Operating System 10.2 (comes with a plentiful amount of goodies)
The Apple Imac is an unbelievable purchase for any previous Mac user or anyone sick and tired of calling customer support due to Windows 2000 or XP. Along with a 17-inch widescreen LCD monitor, the top-of-the-line processor offers an amazing mix of features, for only $1,999.
It comes with a sturdy arm that swivels vertically and horizontally, which covers all of the computing hardware, which is a nice way to save on area and to increase style. The monitor contains the excellent NVidia's GeForce4 MX graphics processor which is designed to maximize graphics for things such as computer games and watching DVDs. Also, the Imacs amazing video performance has to do with the relationship between the graphics card and the display. Most computer monitors use analog VGA jacks to make the connection, but the Imac already comes supplied with a digital connection, making it hassle free.
Harmon Kardon speakers are supplied which are round shaped and they sure pack a punch for how they look. I must admit I was surprised at the sounds quality from recorded audio music and DVD sounds.
Macintoshs newest operating system, the OS 10.2 comes complete with features and accessibility that once never existed for Mac users. Some of these include an easy to use address book and a program called Rendezvous. Rendezvous is something that relieves the stress of installing new profiles for each new device you have because it will automatically do this for you. No doubt, a massive time saver.
Audio/Video (DVD/Photo Components)
Imovie 2
Comes with a tutorial that teaches all the need to knows about video editing and how to make your own DVDs (something I always wanted to learn more about). Also, there is a nice function that allows a preview of clips that can be seen in the IDVD program
IDVD 2
Supports an extended movie length for a disc from 60 to 90 minutes, which can definitely make a huge difference. Another nice feature is that the program will convert your movie clips to the widely accepted format of MPEG 2 when you put them on the hard drive.
Iphoto
A new and cheap way to manage and edit your digital camera photos. You simply load all the digital pictures on the superdrive into a huge library. From there, you can edit titles, dates, names, and so forth (a must for organization freaks). Also, you can sort them easily into categories with the ease of click and drag. The coolest feature is something called share. That allows you to watch a slideshow of your pictures (something to impress at the least)
Itunes3
This is your basic music management guru as it allows you to organize songs, create playlists, and it will automatically contact the CDDB database for song artists and lyrics, something only previously appreciated by PC users. Something called soundcheck is used to even out the quality of all the songs so that you are never surprised with an unbelievably terrible version of a song at 48 khz quality. Finally, there is a jointracks option that simulates online music streams because you can groups cds together to form one long song without having any gaps to signal a new song. Perfect for djs and others who love this feature.
A Bargain for the price and you can't beat the style or performance achieved with this state of the art machine.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1800 Operating System: Macintosh Processor speed: 801-900 RAM: More than 256 Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD Hard Drive (GB): Over 50
The all-new iMac is here. And it's unlike anything you've ever seen or experienced. With a brilliant flat-panel display and phenomenal performance, iM...More at eBay
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