Apple iMac 27in
Don’t try this at home, kids
Agentless Backup is Not a Myth
Review For those of you who revel in Mac versus Windows shouting matches, click the Comments link now. You’ve already made up your minds, so feel free to dive into the debate without reading the review. That’s what you normally do, anyway.
Widescreen viewing: Apple's iMac 27in
If you’re still with me, let me confirm the worst: Apple’s iMac range continues to be the most preposterously expensive series of home computers known to man. Towards the top-end, the 3.1GHz quad-core i5 edition with 27in display is one of the most pernicious offenders, setting you back in excess of £1,600 for the shallow glam of brushed aluminium, unnecessary space-age design and the kind of performance that’s wasted on its target domestic buyer. In other words, it’s god-damned gorgeous.
Now, before I go any further, there is a 3.4GHz quad core-i7 build-to-order model available, which, if you went with all the possible hardware extras (16GB RAM, SSD etc), would set you back in excess of £3k. Silliness aside, this review is of the off-the-shelf core i5 model.
Unpacking the product is a disquieting experience in itself. I try to imagine what it must be like to have splashed out your hard-earned, only for it to turn up in a slim box containing just four things: iMac, keyboard, mouse, power cable.
The Bluetooth keyboard lacks a numeric keypad, but retains the function keys
Despite its manageable 13.8kg, getting the unit out of the polystyrene and onto my desk is a potentially hernia-inducing task that might have been more safely achieved by two pairs of hands. And once I’ve stripped away the protective plastic, the depthless black of the 27in screen dominates my desk like the monolith at the foot of Dr Bowman’s deathbed.
Next page: Think big
COMMENTS
"although the company still insists on including a Firewire 800 port. What is it for?"
for FW800 devices, as simple as that. there are plenty of external harddrives with FW800 interface, yes it's much faster than usb
Need something to match the curtains - buy a Mac
Unfortunately my curtains are made of beige plastic.
wrong demographic
Its a WORKSTATION, not generic PC, and comes with an $800-1K 1440v IPS panel. You're paying a $4-500 premium for a screen with high resolution, not just extra inches. Add a similar screen to any generic $1100 SB PC equivalent and it costs more than this iMac. You can barely build this machine from parts on NewEgg and save more than $200 off the retail price, and sacrifice TB and a slew of options in the process.
I don't own one. I'm a Windows and Unix systems analyst by trade, and have custom built my own rigs for 20 years. Still, this machine interests me greatly. For the price point, it has everything i want and more (including that screen). If all you want is 1080p content and web browsing, then you want a $600 PC and generic 24-27" screen, not this machine, so don;t buy this machine. I'm looking for something with 16GB RAM (that won't cost $1K extra to get to using 8GB chips, this has 4 RAM slots), with SSD and HDD internally and a slew of high speed external drive ports. I have eyes on a new storage chassis to replace an aging eSATA Multitap chassis, and TB fits that bill, and still lets me add my 2 existing 24" displays to the side of that 27" monster. I can not buy a tower from any major retailer, plus that 27" or similar screen, for less. Factor in that the iMac 27's from 2 years ago still clear $1K easy on ebay, some $1500, means I could replace this iMac every 2 years with a newer better one for less than I average spending overhauling out-of-warranty custom towers, and without all the hassle. Plus, it will run OS X, Windows 7, and Linux (and all at the same time if I want) which can not be done on any generic PC at all.
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