I certainly don’t want to cause a panic, but EVERYBODY PANIC! APPLE DID SOMETHING!
Yes, new iMacs are here. For prompt shipping, please send your wallet to…
Apple
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014
…with a Post-It note saying “Send iMacs! Please! Hurry!”
In return, you’ll get one of the following:
21.5-inch iMac (MSRP of $1199)
- 21.5-inch LED backlit screen with 1920×1080 resolution (16:9)
- 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU
- 4GB of DDR3 RAM
- 500GB hard drive (7200RPM SATA)
- Slot-loading DVD burner
- NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics (256MB)
- Bluetooth, 802.11n, iSight webcam, Gigabit Etnernet, four USB ports, one Firewire port, SD card slot, mini DisplayPort for video output
- Wireless keyboard, Magic Mouse
21.5-inch iMac (MSRP of $1499)
- 21.5-inch LED backlit screen with 1920×1080 resolution (16:9)
- 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU
- 4GB of DDR3 RAM
- 1TB hard drive (7200RPM SATA)
- Slot-loading DVD burner
- ATI Radeon HD 4670 with 256MB discrete video memory
- Bluetooth, 802.11n, iSight webcam, Gigabit Etnernet, four USB ports, one Firewire port, SD card slot, mini DisplayPort for video output
- Wireless keyboard, Magic Mouse
27-inch iMac (MSRP of $1699)
- 27-inch LED backlit screen with 2560×1440 resolution (16:9)
- 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU
- 4GB of DDR3 RAM
- 1TB hard drive (7200RPM SATA)
- Slot-loading DVD burner
- ATI Radeon HD 4670 with 256MB discrete video memory (optional upgrade to 512MB ATI Radeon HD 4850 also available)
- Bluetooth, 802.11n, iSight webcam, Gigabit Etnernet, four USB ports, one Firewire port, SD card slot, mini DisplayPort for video output
- Wireless keyboard, Magic Mouse
27-inch iMac (MSRP of $1999 — available in November)
- 27-inch LED backlit screen with 2560×1440 resolution (16:9)
- 2.66GHz Intel Core i5 quad-core CPU
- 4GB of DDR3 RAM
- 1TB hard drive (7200RPM SATA)
- Slot-loading DVD burner
- ATI Radeon HD 4850 with 512MB discrete video memory
- Bluetooth, 802.11n, iSight webcam, Gigabit Etnernet, four USB ports, one Firewire port, SD card slot, mini DisplayPort for video output
- Wireless keyboard, Magic Mouse
Product Page [Apple.com]
iMac Store Page [store.apple.com]
The question is should I wait for the Core i5 Quad-core goodness in November or go for plain old Core 2 Duo now.
Hmmm…
I would wait, you’re going to overpay for outdated/weak hardware, might as well get the most you can out of it.
I agree with Pat. The i5 is worth waiting for. It’s not just the quad-core part, it’s the way the chip is engineered. Much better than Core 2.
I am confused why they’re going with a 4850 in that high-end setup, though. Why not a 5750 for essentially the same price, and a much lower thermal envelope?
I’m sure the engineers at the ~$178 BILLION dollar company failed to see your wisdom @TJ w/re to the video. :)
More likely it was some bean counter decision? Apple’s history with video cards is not my favorite aspect. It’s all gotten better but there is definitely room for improvement.
Agreed. The i5 iMac can also be configured with an i7 but from what I understand you may be better off pocketing the 200 bucks.
Apple’s choice of graphics cards makes little sense if any. Whats worse is you can’t upgrade them in these iMacs. Its a deal killer for me.
Glossy screens just don’t make f___ken sense. Why even build
a great screen if you going to also make it bounce light? I
want a screen not a mirror. I will NEVER buy a mac screen
ever again. Don’t the mac people read reviews. The pro user
want’s the least amount of glare. The sometimes even buy
booths to prevent this or work in the dark. Apple is adding
glare. What the hell. In this case sexy isn’t functional. Come
on Apple you should know better.
Apple is becoming more of a consumer company and it’s forgotten the people who have been funding it for years. APPLE add the blu-ray drive and get rid of that awful glare screens. Photographers, Art directors, Designers, video editors and 3d animators are getting tired of waiting. After 20 years of apple I’m about to move on to something else.
“Slot-loading DVD burner”…!
A BluRay would have been SOOOO nice on a 27″ screen. Apple, you could have done it now and not look stupid to have waited so long…
Apple will never include blu-ray players. Get with the program.
But if you insist on watching blu-ray movies on the new iMacs, Apple has included a nice little work around. The mini-displayport is HPDC compliant and accepts sources (aka input), so you can use that beautiful iMac display as a second monitor or a TV for your blu-ray player. There, problem solved.
I was optimistic about the new iMacs, but those video options make them worthless. The top end is a 4850 for barely under a $2000 price point? While that’s a more than capable card in its own right, you can’t justify the price- even if “it is a Mac”. No thanks Apple, I’ll be sticking with Windows 7.
Well a Dell XPS one 24″ all in one desktop at US$1799 gets you a Q8200 processor, 4gb 800mhz ram, 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 9600M GT and a 750gb hard drive, $200 extra for the 27inch imac is looking pretty good.
I pray that, with the display area now extending to the edge, it will be a snap (literally) to swap it for one with a non-glare finish. When is Apple going to get a clue from the fact that there’s a thriving industry in matte screen replacements, and nobody ever asked for the reverse?
Actually I like their glossy screens because it let’s in true colors. The colors also look much sharper. Matte screens are nice but you don’t get the enriched colors as you do with Apple’s glossy screens
Baug: When you cite the 4850 as “more than capable” yet “worthless” video option, and say you’re “sticking” with an OS that you don’t even have, it’s pretty clear where you’re coming from. Why bother?
The big problem with this design is that the computer will be outdated before the monitor. This design is not practical in terms of bang for the buck. This is not a dig just about the iMac but any all in one desktop. The other issue as some have pointed out is that the iMac hardware is closely related more to a laptop then a Desktop. Its just not cutting edge capable for graphics and the lack of being able to add a Blue Ray player at some point means another investment. This of course makes Apple very wealthy but creates constant emptying of wallet for Mac user’s.
Well it’s an all-in-one desktop so it’s understanle that the hardware is more related to a laptop and explains the reason so many ignorant bigots bitch about the iMac being not upgradable. The blue Ray issue is a little stupid because Apple would have to get permission from Sony to use it. Apple just doesn’t want to bother doing that. Like a person here mentioned, apple made so you can plug in you blue Ray player into the iMac. I don’t this desing of the computer will be outdated. It use some of the latest components like corei7.
I currently own both XP and OSX systems . My aging iMAC G5 seemed to be expensive when purchased, but has delivered flawlessly for four years. It also has not nagged me to death with the constant security updates of Microsoft (yes even it has some updates). Have only had to purchase a RAW photo application (Nikon Nx/2) and minor utilities to fulfill my needs as a home computer user and amateur photographer. Win7 seems to be primarily and OS with a few apps but nothing spectacular. Think Microsoft is always worried about competing with 3rd party vendors.
It is a hard decision to choose between Win7 and the new iMac’s. On paper the Win7 machines look faster, but I know from my own experience how slick the OSX system and iLife suites are. Snow Leopard adds a lot of features. Considering I have used iMovie and iDVD a lot, it seems that buying a Win7 then adding software to try and equal what OSX does natively is a bit of a challenge. Adobe is geared towards pros and not inexpensive, the built in apple software works fine for me as an amateur.
It seems Apple builds its machines, at least the iMAC I am familiar with, with consideration primarily given to how well they will perform the tasks that most users want to them to perform…they seem good at it.
Right now I am waiting for hands on reviews to decide which new iMAC to purchase, but have not completely ruled out a Win7 based system.
JMO, don’t kill the messenger!
Edin, you don’t have to choose between the two. My advice is get an iMac and throw some Windows 7 on there via BootCamp if you really feel the need. I agree with a lot of your points about the reliability and continued joy of Macs years after purchase.
Wait until November. The extra $300 buys you a computer that is nearly 250% faster and will last several years longer before it is too slow for whatever we’re doing with computers in 2016. If you can wait a little longer you’ll probably be able to get the same processor in the entry level 21.5″ monitor by the end of next year for $1199 (plus upgrades).