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iMac Review, iMac Software Update 1.0 [Updated]

Thursday August 9, 2007 7:28 am PDT by Arnold Kim
Arstechnica posts a review of the new iMac, and had an overall positive impression.

My biggest areas of concern with the iMac going into this review were the new keyboard and glossy display. Both take some getting used to, but the adjustment period was briefat least for meand after awhile the changes with the keyboard and monitor didn't really register with me.


Meanwhile, Apple has already issued a software update for the new iMacs. Apple released iMac Software Update 1.0 yesterday.

This update provides important bug fixes and is recommended for 20-inch and 24-inch iMac models with 2.0, 2.4, or 2.8GHz processors.


Update: CNet also posts a review of the iMac, and gives it an Editors Choice.

The bottom line: With its super-elegant new design and a strong configuration, Apple's new iMac competes with the PC desktop market better than perhaps any previous Mac to date. Unless you're a gamer or an upgrade enthusiast, we can think of very few reasons not to make an iMac your next desktop.

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mchank
59 months ago
In their test the iMac was neck and neck or better than the "17 Macbook Pro, so that might calm some nerves that the iMac is a step back performance wise.

http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/aluminum-and-glass-a-review-of-the-new-imac.ars/1
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bartelby
59 months ago
Those performance figures are pretty good. But of course, there's no gaming tests. Not that I play games on Macs.
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stracky
59 months ago
but what games are for the macs?
oh yeah all those great games that came out 12 month ago on the other platforms....

EA and ID must be really disapointed by this..

otherwise performance looks good
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mchank
59 months ago
I think Apple intentionally puts in subpar/average GPUs to discourage pc gamers. PC gamers want to tweak everything to get every last frame and squeeze performance out of their machines, and they would demand regularly updated graphics drivers which Apple has never done. Plus even if they put in a great card, in a couple years it will enviably suck for later games so people will complain about it not being upgradeable. Apple's whole philosophy is that you plug it in and everything works; no tweaking, no messing with the insides. Steve Jobs probably views PC games with all their different requirements and configurations as too much hassle.
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bartelby
59 months ago



EA and ID must be really disapointed by this..


Maybe Apple are waiting for EA and ID to develop the games up to a point that need a decent GPU before adding them to the line-up.

As I said, I don't play games so I'm pretty clueless when it comes to this...:o
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aswitcher
59 months ago
Glad I got the 24" for the screen angle issues.
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Grenadier
59 months ago
The problem us that most of those tess didnt really strain the GPU.
Still, its nice to see it isnt terrible overall at those tasks, anyway :)
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Sesshi
59 months ago
Why would it be a step back in those tests? It's a Santa Rosa machine after all with a range of decent CPU's. And as for Apple putting in subpar - and it is definitely subpar - graphics to discourage gamers, that has got to be the most ridiculous thing I've heard. It's like Ferrari putting in a three-cylinder engine in their cars to discourage speeding.

The truth is more likely that their designers get more priority than their engineers, that the design direction of Apple tends towards the silent, and that the engineers don't quite have the skills of those at Sony or Dell.
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dcv
59 months ago
So the wireless reception of the new Aluminium iMac is worse than on the MacBook Pro? Bad move there!
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bartelby
59 months ago

So the wireless reception of the new Aluminium iMac is worse than on the MacBook Pro? Bad move there!


No real loss as it's a desktop machine.
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