Pros: Incredibly fast processor. Compact, elegant style. Reliable.
Cons: Could use more USB and FireWire outputs.
The Bottom Line: If you are looking for a computer that is at the same time powerful and elegant, useful and reliable, then the new Apple 17” iMac is a terrific deal.
gsxrpilot's Full Review: Apple iMac 17 in. (M8812LL/A) Mac Desktop
If you are looking for a computer that is at the same time powerful and elegant, useful and reliable, then the new Apple 17” iMac is a terrific deal. I put together a comparable DELL computer through their Web site and their machine came in about $500 more than the iMac and wasn’t nearly as good looking or compact.
Since I brought it up, let me fuel the Mac/PC debate for a few paragraphs.
What makes a Mac different? I would have to start with the culture. Sure, Macs are used by most people in entertainment from music to motion picture, but more and more business are switching to the Apple. Apple users have a more contented outlook on life. Windows attempts to give the PC the look of a Mac but it can’t mimic the “feel.” You use a Mac the way you think a computer should be used. What does looks have to do with a computer? If you have to ask then you probably wouldn’t understand. I would hate to see what you drive…
Macs can run 99.9% of the applications that PCs run. Macs will not run .exe files. These are the same files that make PCs susceptible to virus attacks. Macs aren’t impervious to viruses, but they are uncommon. Macs can also read all PC floppies, Zips and CDs. It doesn’t work the other way.
No more about that. On to the review.
I just took delivery of a new 17” iMac. This machine came with the following standard items: 17” flat-panel display, 1Ghz G4 processor, 80 Mb hard drive space, a SuperDrive (CD-RW/DVD-R) and 256 Mb of RAM. It was loaded with Mac OS-10.2 (Jaguar) and came with Quicken, iPhoto, iMovie, and iDVD. Another 256 Mb of RAM was free from MacWarehouse and I purchased another 512 RAM to max it out at 1 Gb RAM. I actually had to buy two 512 DIMMs and have half of one refunded because in order to get to 1 Gb you only have two slots to work with. Speaking of that, unless you are a computer guru do not attempt to open the iMac yourself. It voids the warranty and a necessary, special membrane is heated to close it up again. It also came with a free* Macally floppy drive and Epson C42 color printer. *After rebates.
I purchased it through MacWarehouse (http://www2.warehouse.com/default.asp?home=mac&origin=homemac&cat=mac). I work for a University so I was able to get an education discount as well. This fact helps much more with software than with the CPU purchase but I saved about $300 none-the-less. This set-up was also about $300 cheaper than buying the same machine through Apple directly (www.apple.com).
I ordered the computer on 3/6 and had it home by 3/11. The folks at MacWarehouse were terrific. They were helpful without being condescending as many computer folk can be. They also helped me with all my rebate questions.
I have been using a Mac since 1988. I am a graphic designer and I also handle Mac networking. I use an 800Mhz G4 tower at my office. I have always considered the iMac line to be toyish compared to the towers, however, this 17” iMac is better than my office machine! I use most of the Adobe products every day, as well as some Macromedia and Quark. The iMac loses nothing to the G4 tower. The processing speeds are fast enough to keep me busy at my chair instead of waiting. The Jaguar interface works with everything except Quark v4.2 which still operates in the Classic environment. “The iMac boots up in Mac OS X, but it also includes the Classic environment, which runs compatible Mac OS 9 software and is automatically turned on when you launch a Classic application.” This is persuading me to make the move to In-Design faster than I wanted to, but that is another review.
The first thing you will notice is how compact everything is. The 17” iMac has about a 10” footprint. Apart from the speakers and peripherals, that is all you need. It is so elegant next to my wife’s PC clone with its bulky picture tube monitor. This iMac looks delicate but, in fact, you can pick it up and carry it from the monitor arm with no damage to the machine.
The next thing that grabs you is the ease of set up. The included 18W Apple Pro speakers are a piece of work by themselves. Plug the cord into the back of the iMac under the icon of, hmmm, a speaker. The full size keyboard plugs into one of the three USB ports and the optical mouse can be plugged into the same USB port or into one of two USB ports on the keyboard. Plug in the power cord and turn it on. That’s it.
The monitor is amazing! Nothing else describes the brilliance of the color and resolution. The 17-inch, widescreen, flat-panel display adjusts its height or angle with just a touch.
I can go into detail about the technical stuff but the apple site tells it better than I can without plagiarizing. www.apple.com/imac/
My wife is a Webmaster. She is a PC user and was livid when I told (asked) her about purchasing a Mac for the home. I have installed every piece of software she used with hopes we can get rid of her ugly, slow, temperamental PC. I was eager to see her first impression and I wish I took a photograph. If you could have seen the smile on her face when she first saw it on my desk. Her initial comments were, “It’s cute,” and “It’s too easy to be a ‘real’ computer.” That was enough to satisfy me. If a computer isn’t fun and easy to operate, what is it? Oh yeah, a PC. I expect that when she starts to get the feel for the 1 GHz speed and the intuitive way the Apple works, she will never go back to “the dark side.” Maybe I can get her in one of the “I’m a switcher” ads?
If you are looking for a computer that is at the same time powerful and elegant, useful and reliable, then the new Apple 17” iMac is a terrific deal.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 2100 Operating System: Macintosh Processor speed: over 1000 RAM: More than 256 Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD Hard Drive (GB): Over 50
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