Product Description

From any view, iMac is impressive. But little compares to sitting in front of the glossy widescreen display framed in amazingly slim anodized aluminum. iMac instantly turns your workspace from a cluttered desktop into a brilliant display podium. iMac sets the standard for elegance and power. It packs a complete, high-performance computer into its all-in-one design. With an anodized aluminum frame and glass cover, its striking to behold. And these materials are highly recyclable, so iMac is friendlier to th...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #59319 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Apple
• Model: MB418B/A
• Released on: 2009-03-03
• Dimensions: 25.35 pounds

Manufacturer's Description
The all-new, all-in-one iMac packs a complete, high-performance computer into a beautifully thin design. It includes built-in wireless, Mac OS X, and the iLife '08. So within minutes of opening the box, you'll be doing everything from sharing photos to creating movies and building websites.

Customer Reviews

Mac/Windows - Best of Both
Bored at the prospect of buying another work-like Windows box for home, I wanted to make the break to Mac World- I liked the idea of having my iPod Touch and iTunes content all tightly integrated with the iMac. In the longer term, I want to be able to stream iTunes content wirelessly to Apple TV, and have it all securely backed up via Time Machine. And, most importantly, I want it all to work simply and cleanly.

This review is for the new iMac 24 inch Core 2 Duo, 2.66GHz, 4GB RAM, 640GB HD - cost £1200. Going the Mac route clearly isn't for those who are cost conscious. But, if value for money is what is important to you then please read on.

So, what's in the box? - the console, power cable, a small size wired keyboard, wired mighty mouse, 2 OS X discs, a booklet and a screen cleaning cloth. Note: there is no Apple Remote supplied with this version - this needs to be bought separately, if required. The box is not too heavy, easy lifting for one person. Worth mentioning that delivery and Amazon service were first class.

You can have it out the box and up and running in < 2 mins. Simply plug in the power cable, plug the mighty mouse into the USB port on the keyboard, and the keyboard into the rear USB - press the on button... and prepare to be amazed.

Put the iMac anywhere in a room and it immediately becomes the focal point. It's iconic. Build quality is excellent. Nothing else comes close - not the Sony Vaio LV1S or that Dell all in one contraption. This not only looks good, it actually feels good to use too - quite possibly because for me it has no obvious "work" overtones associated with it.

The 24 inch display is simply fantastic- having previously used a bog standard Dell laptop the contrast is astounding. Browsing is like a new experience. Can't say the glossy display has caused me any issues - however, as with all displays you need to be sensible in terms of placement in relation to windows and sun position. No issue with dead pixels and no brightness variation across the screen.

Now the keyboard. The new iMacs have keyboards that are smaller than usual (they dont have the numeric pad). If you want this you should order your iMac through Apple Store where you can explicitly select the older, bigger style layout. The other thing is they are very slim in profile and are great for touch typing. With the smaller size I find that I can "symetrically" addressed the keyboard - it feels more balanced to use without the numeric pad extending out to the right.

Had this 3 weeks now and it hasn't hung up once. The overall experience has been one of "it simply WORKS!" Honestly, its such a joy to browse in Safari without the machine being choked by anti virus software - you just don't need it. It powers up in about 20 sec and powers down in about 10 sec.

Bundled software iLife 09 - have used iPhoto, iTunes, extensively and I must say it's so much better than some of the "bloatware" found on Windows machines. I've successfully ripped DVDs to iTunes and onto the iPod Touch using Handbrake and iSquint - though the process wasn't exactly quick. By selecting "Internet Sharing" on the iMac I can wi-fi connect the iPod Touch to the iMac and then out to the Internet. Easy peasy!

Now here's the really good bit. Not only do I have a fabby iMac, but through using Boot Camp Assistant I've also got a highly performant Windows box, on which I can do work related things if and when required, as well as continuing to leverage my investment in Windows software (Office Enterprise 2007). Here's how.

Get yourself the following for a guaranteed working Windows XP implementation on iMac:

Windows XP Home Edition with SP3 OEI (approx £79.00) - NB don't try to use a Dell, Toshiba, HP, etc Windows XP disc from an existing/old computer as it is unlikely to work.
Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 3, English, 1 pack DSP OEI CD
Mac OS X Leopard: The Missing Manual (approx £14.50) - all you need to know to become quickly competent in using OS X - including stuff on Boot Camp Assistant.
Mac OS X Leopard: The Missing Manual

Simply run Boot Camp Assistant and follow the instructions outlined in The Missing Manual.
I chose to install XP SP3 on a 60GB NTFS partition -but you might want more or less. The whole process took about 40-45 minutes. You then have the surreal experience of a Windows desktop booting up on your iMac. I subsequently loaded Office Enterprise without any problems.

When you start up the iMac you can boot to your default preference (say OS X) or you can boot to Windows by holding down the Option key. Its that simple.

So, there's no need to hum and haw about should I get a Mac or should I get a Windows machine- get this and have both. As I said at the start, Value for Money - Simples !

Four USB Ports, Tapered Stand, Shorter Keyboard
I've previously written two iMac reviews on Amazon.co.uk, so I won't repeat that information here. The new (Early 2009) iMacs retain the same basic exterior design first introduced back in August 2007, with the majority of changes being internal. Here's a quick list of the pros and cons of these latest models:

Pros:

- The 24" LCD display has a native resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels (WUXGA), making it large enough to display 1080p Full HD video
- The 24" LCD display uses an expensive H-IPS panel, which gives it a very wide 178° viewing angle
- There are four USB 2.0 ports on the back of the iMac, up from three on the previous models
- The line out socket is compatible with the new Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic
- The stand is now tapered so that it's just four millimetres thick at the front edge
- It comes with 4GB of fast 1067 MHz DDR3 RAM installed, and supports up to 8GB
- It comes with the new keypad-less Apple Keyboard, which reduces the distance between Keyboard and Mouse
- It doesn't come with trial versions of iWork and Microsoft Office pre-installed, which means less clutter

Cons:

- The 24" LCD display has very limited Brightness control, making it painfully bright to use at night
- The 24" LCD display has a CCFL backlight. All of Apple's MacBooks now have LED backlights
- The 24" LCD display is very glossy and the vivid reflections can be distracting
- It's 1 and a 1/4 inches thick, which makes it relatively chunky compared to the 20" iMac
- It comes with the same NVIDIA 9400M graphics processor as the MacBook Air and the Mac Mini
- It comes with a Mighty Mouse which, 3 and a half years after its initial release, is still positively crap
- It doesn't make use of any Multi-touch technology. Apple's MacBook air has had Multi-touch since January 2008
- It doesn't have a sleep light on the front. Apple's MacBooks have sleep lights which glow through "solid" aluminium
- It doesn't come with an Apple Remote (an extra £15)
- It doesn't come with a Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter (an extra £20)

A few final thoughts. Apple still don't offer Blu-ray drives on ANY of their computers. But is this really such a big deal? Just because a computer can't read Blu-ray discs doesn't mean it can't play High Definition video. Apple's iTunes Store now allows you to buy and rent HD Films. Websites such as YouTube and Vimeo allow you to watch HD video directly in your web browser. And with the BBC iPlayer soon offering HD content, do you really need another new optical disc format?

All three of Apple's new 24" iMacs come with 4GB of memory standard. So how much does it cost to upgrade that memory to 8GB? From Apple, £800. Yes, as much as a whole new MacBook for just an extra 4GB. However, you'd be foolish to assume that Apple are ripping people off. Take a look at Crucial's prices. They charge £815.34 for an 8GB Kit. Doesn't matter who you go to. For now, it's a very expensive upgrade.

More than 4...
If you're looking at this 24" model and debating if it's a better buy than the 20" the answer is a resounding yes! Apart from the extra 4" of screen (it doesn't sound a lot but you'll be surprised at the difference) you also get a noticeably better quality screen than the 20" - plus you get double the memory and double the drive-space.

If necessary, scrimp and save to get this one, you won't regret it...