New Apple iMac Update (October 2009)

Wed, Oct 28, 2009

apple-imac-october-2009 Ever since the release of the original iMac, the main selling point has been its simplicity – no tower, just a screen with a computer built in. Over the years, there’s been quite a few generations of the iMac, in fact it doesn’t seem that long since the last Apple iMac update, but the simplicity factor still remains. The new iMac comes in two models, with a 21.5” configuration and a huge 27” configuration. Shortly after the new models were released, I was fortunate enough to get down to the Apple store to check it out, and I loved what I saw…

The first thing you’ll notice about the new iMac is the aspect ratio, which is now 16:9 – a welcome change for those who use their machines to watch movies. What impressed me about the model I was working with (27”) was the screen resolution, which is set at a whopping 2560 x 1440 giving an ultra-sharp picture. If you opt for a 21.5” model, you still get a 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolution too. These ultra high resolutions are nice, but they did make wonder why blu-ray still isn’t an option on Apple’s machines. Even if it is a “bag of hurt” it would be nice to have the option to include it for people (me) who want it! As I see it, Apple need to put 1080p movies on the iTunes store or let us watch proper HD through blu-ray… Anyway, back to the new iMac!

A feature of the 27” that got me quite excited is the ability to use the Mini DisplayPort as an input port, rather than just a port for output. With the right adaptors, you can use the iMac as a secondary screen for your laptop or use it to view anything capable of outputting to MDP (maybe we can get blu-ray after all).

In the looks department, the new generation has been given a facelift… at the back. The front looks very similar to the last generation apart from the change in aspect ratio and a glass cover which reaches to the edge of the screen. The whole chassis is slightly thinner than the previous generation, and the plastic back that was on the old generation has been replaced with a new, Aluminium back very similar to the LED Apple Cinema Display.

As expected, the two models are available in different configurations. The 21.5” starts at £949 with a 3.06GHz C2D processor, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 500GB hard drive and NVIDIA 9400M graphics. If you’re willing to pay an extra £250, you can get a 1TB hard drive and a 256MB ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics card. The 27” model starts at £1,349 with the same specs as the more expensive 21.5” model. For £1,599 you can have a quad core i5 processor clocked at 2.66 GHz and a 512MB ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics card. If that isn’t enough for you, there’s an option of an i7 processor clocked at 2.8GHz, up to 16GB RAM and a 2TB hard drive, which would put you back a grand total of £3078.99. Is it worth it? I’ll let you decide…