Think big
If your previous experience of widescreen is a 22-to-24in display, those 27 inches really do come as a surprise. With all-in-ones, the screen size determines the overall size of the computer, and this one comes across as bloody enormous.
Surely real computers are supposed to look hideous at the back?
The dark, almost mirror-like front contrasts with the slightly curved, almost featureless rear of the case. There are no ribs, grilles or recesses, just a single, smooth piece of aluminium. It’s beautiful but arguably also a frivolous waste of money and effort in construction. You want Apple? Then you pay handsomely for the handsome.
The minimalist row of ports at the rear will be familiar to anyone who has seen iMac designs since Apple ditched the short-lived angle-poise lamp concept. Clean though it is, I wish Apple would insert more space between the ports, since some of my USB device connectors are pretty fat.
New to this latest range of iMacs is the recently developed Thunderbolt port; in fact, the top-end 27in model sports a pair of them. Basically, Thunderbolt is an Intel PCI Express port using an Apple DisplayPort connector, providing the potential of two channels of 10Gbit/sec external data throughput with 10W of power running down the cables.
There are two Thunderbolt ports on this model, so use one for an external display
Oh joy, I hear you say, another port standard to buy peripherals and adapters for. You’re not wrong, although you can at least continue to use one Thunderbolt port with your existing DisplayPort adapter for attaching an external display, leaving the other port for other duties. Apple’s rush to build in two Thunderbolt ports probably means we’ll never see USB 3.0 on a Mac, although the company still insists on including a Firewire 800 port. What is it for?
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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.
Slight technical flaw with that
Your link is for a MONITOR only, you still need a system unit to go with that. Going to the Dell site and matching as close as I can to the iMac (XPS 8300, i5 @3.1GHz, Radion 6870 graphics, 6GB of RAM, 1.5TB HDD, wireless keyboard and mouse, WiFi & Bluetooth adaptors, Windows 7 ultimate) I get a bill of £1084, plus your £677 monitor that takes you to about £1760.
What was that about the PC being cheaper? How were you going to hide the system box and all the cables (and reduce the noise)?
