Apple 24-inch aluminum iMac review roundup

Now that you've had time to watch us fool around with Apple's latest iMac and even chew on a few benchmarks, it's about time the aluminum-clad machine suffered through its own gauntlet of reviews. Overall, the response to the new 2.4GHz 24-inch iMac has been mildly positive, and while it was noted that the update is far from revolutionary, the aesthetics are undeniably sexy. Interestingly, the glossy display didn't prove to be the disaster that some folks expected, and MacWorld even stated that it was "really more of a personal preference than a design flaw." Performance wise, the hardware updates provided respectable -- albeit not life-changing -- increases, and yes, the keyboard was well regarded whilst the white Mighty Mouse now seems so "out of place." So if you've been lured into thinking that the iMac may be right as your next machine, it doesn't sound like you'll be disappointed, but do yourself the favor of peeping one up close before pulling the trigger.

Read - MacWorld (4.5 out of 5)
Read - AppleInsider (3.5 out of 5)
Read - PCWorld ("Svelte and appealing, but wait for Leopard to come bundled in")
Read - CNET (8.2 out of 10)
Read - PCMag (4.5 out of 5)

[coplice @ Aug 14th 2007 10:19AM]

the specification arent as shown in that link, its missleading
the base model isnt 2.4ghz, doesnt have a 1000gb hard drive and the option of adding 1 isnt possible on the base model and yes it has bluetooth but doesnt come with wireless mouse/keyboard

for all that you need to pick the 24" model, which start at $1900 (base model being $1300)
add $605 for 1000gb hard drive
add $55 for the wireless keyboard and mouse
the iMac they talk about in your link cost $2560
not worth buying, for that price you can get a high-end gaming computer and maybe a HD drive for that price


iMac would have been much more appealing if the 20" model with core 2 duo 2.4ghz came with wireless mouse/keyboard, with 2gb for $1600, if at least apple had good video card.. sigh


the base model at $1300 seem good for the average computer, but for $800 you get a dell with 20" monitor that will do everything an average user want to do


i dont really understand the hype about apple product, they are overpriced just like nike shoes
i wonder why ppl complain about PS3 price with Apple hahaha


just my though ;-)

[Tyk @ Aug 14th 2007 10:10AM]

The aesthetics and ergonomics (esp. the KB) are a DOWNGRADE from the previous generation.. dont see how you can argue about that.

But, its a Mac.. and fanbois will lap it up like good fanbois.

[Jon @ Aug 14th 2007 10:23AM]

I agree. At least the previous generation was pleasing to see. This is downright ugly. Keyboard looks awful for touch typist too.

[Bad Beaver @ Aug 14th 2007 10:54AM]

No Tyk, it is absolutely impossible to downgrade, ergonomically, starting at the last generation keyboard. It is either just as bad or better. "Worse" would mean that it might randomly burst into flames, or eat your fingers when the moon is full. As I assume you feel a need for a real keyboard instead of some notebook variant, I'd say go get yourself a Tactile Pro (if you're in QWERTY-land). If not, pick up an Extended II for cheap and live happily ever after.

[loci @ Aug 14th 2007 1:20PM]

UGLY UGLY UGLY

[Bee Hatch @ Aug 14th 2007 3:50PM]

Keyboard is definitely form over function. Glossy display is a red flag for me. Other than that...

[JohnPQ @ Aug 14th 2007 10:11AM]

I hate the glossy display on the iMac. I would never consider buying one now. It's a shame too, because they ruined what else is a decent computer. Well, the video cards aren’t that hot either, but what do expect from Apple.

[Chris @ Aug 14th 2007 10:21AM]

Bundled computers are a bad idea. Not only are they hard if not impossible to upgrade, but even the monitor becomes useless with the old computer.

[coplice @ Aug 14th 2007 10:38AM]

they should have made their old iMac with a dvi/vga-in so you can use them a 2nd monitor :p

[Craig @ Aug 14th 2007 10:39AM]

according to PCWorld, "the previous generation's keyboard had USB 1.1 ports"

apple is just now upgrading the keyboards to USB 2.0? that's crazy...

[mustardhamsters @ Aug 14th 2007 10:39AM]

My old G5 iMac's problems got out of hand about a month ago – long story short, after three unsuccessful repairs AppleCare is sending me the brand new 20 inch model. I'm upgrading five revisions, and I couldn't be happier. It's good to see that the replacement will be a great improvement!

[AntiCarSalesMan @ Aug 14th 2007 10:45AM]

"but for $800 you get a dell with 20" monitor that will do everything an average user want to do"

Does it have IEEE1394? Because I, the average user wants to play around with video. Or what about software? I need software for video editing, sound recording & creation, something to catalog my photos, I want to burn DVDs and create basic but nice looking web sites.
Oh, and what about security software? I certainly don't want to have my machine become a victim to viruses, worms or scary hackers
.Can we factor in these costs as well?
Also, I don't want to waste my time with Vista basic, I want the full shebang, Vista premium - all the bells & whistles. Come on, its a new computer, I don't want to be going without right off the bat! I want aero, gadgets, and all the other stuff. SO, aside from the price difference from basic to premium, will the $800 machine have the hardware required to run premium?

And does it have to be a Dell? I have not been very happy with my past Dells at all - the are cheaply made and break often.

and once we address all these other issues, do I have a choice of running Linux, Windows or MACOSX? Because just having the option of choice is a huge benefit.

So seriously, can we meet these demands with the 800 PC? You can even leave out the option of multiple OSes, and keep us tied to MS>

[Jon @ Aug 14th 2007 10:57AM]

My girlfriend's Toshiba laptop, which costs $800, has Vista Premium (can run Aero too). Sure it isn't Ultimate the whole "shebang" but at least she doesn't have to pay for 0.x Service Packs.

Never had a problem with viruses, worms and scary hackers too.

[coplice @ Aug 14th 2007 11:34AM]

before: oops, i was looking at the canadian site where everything is about $100 more and the guy i was replying to removed his post, here is the link http://www.gadget9.com/2007/08/08/apple-unveils-new-imac


do you seriously think that the basic user need premium? multiple OS? IEEE1394?
does the average user know what OS mean? what IEEE1394 mean? is there anything on premium that an everage user could want?
wait a sec... yes the numeric cam i have at home only has USB, it can even record video, hmm whats that, my sister edited movies she took from the party last week, and she did it on her $800 dell she bough 1 month ago using windows movie maker and burned it on a DVD using nero she installed from a old CD

dell computer come with 1 free month of norton, thats not enough i know.. but just search "free anti-virus" on google and the first thing that come up is AVG, probably the best free anti-virus available for windows

my parents bough 2 years ago for $1000 a dell PC with a laser printer and speaker, it still work fine and do everything it need to to please them, they never asked me for anything for it beside my sister who wanted a webcam to use on MSN and i found 1 for $50

lets add $50 for speaker on the dell, cause its really a must i agree
yes its a $850 PC, yes it has less than a $1200
but you pay for what you get, you pay 850 for a dell that do the what a average user want and you pay 1200 for an apple that can do more than what the avarege user want plus you pay because its an apple


i like my stuff and you like yours, am happy and you are happy
as for my original post, the guy was saying if every specs on the iMac was as shown on http://www.gadget9.com/2007/08/08/apple-unveils-new-imac it was worth buying, well that site is missleading

[willyboy @ Aug 14th 2007 12:17PM]

@ coplice
As an apple fanboy I will agree with this. Each to their own....Peace

[AntiCarSalesMan @ Aug 14th 2007 4:00PM]

...lets add the price of spell check to that list as well.

I have a Dell at home, and I have a Mac.
The Dells sucks in comparison, and it is newer .

[AntiCarSalesMan @ Aug 14th 2007 10:48AM]

....You know what else is overpriced? BMWs.
I can get me a KIA with all the same stuff as a BMW, for half as much. BMW fanbois are stupid kool-aid drinkers who only care about how something looks.

See you & your overpriced m5 at the starting line...

[Mrmean @ Aug 14th 2007 11:10AM]

LMAO @ KIA...talk about CRAP

[The General @ Aug 14th 2007 11:14AM]

Yeah, I think I'll stick with my BMW. ;-)

[nikster @ Aug 14th 2007 8:55PM]

LOL exactly thanks. BMW for me, please ;)

[Sushi @ Aug 14th 2007 10:55AM]

it runs Mac OS X.

[tiuk @ Aug 14th 2007 11:00AM]

Give it a DVI input and get rid of the glossy display and I'd be all over it, and I've never owned a Mac.

[Kyle @ Aug 14th 2007 11:03AM]

the arstechnica site has a review as well

[Benjamin Freedman @ Aug 14th 2007 11:04AM]

May I add my video review to the lot?

http://www.neo-fight.tv/2007/08/imac_special.html

Thanks! Enjoy....

[Dan Lomanto @ Aug 14th 2007 11:28AM]

you are a terrible reviewer. stop talking and go back to your day job.

[willyboy @ Aug 14th 2007 11:47AM]

I liked your review. Bought One!!! Hate Clutter. Hate Wires. Believe DVD's are a thing on the past...(3-5 years tops, even this HD/BR format. It will all be online legally very soon.) Most important to me, I love design. I like things that work well and look purty...I will pay a premium for design. No, not to show off... I live in the sticks, very few people out here.... I do it because I like beautiful things... Hell, believe it or not, I even own a few paintings and sculptures. A pretty penny of course, but I am glad they are a part of my environment. Cheers to all those who have different opinions. Diversity is a good thing.

[coplice @ Aug 14th 2007 11:41AM]

hahaha cmon a kia XD
if you want a car that you cand rive anywhere you want to, yes kia do the same thing as the BMW, but you got betetr quality and more options no the BMW :p
but if you compare Lexus and BMW or Mercedes.. now i see no point in taking a BMW or a Mercedes over the Lexus... Lexus (same for toyota) is at the top of the car manufacturer for quality

i got an Ion from Saturn.. really basic car and thats all i need, i dont need the stuff on a Honda accord that cost 50% more
you can compare that with PC and apple :p

[Fernando @ Aug 14th 2007 11:52AM]

I just purchased the 24" yesterday and this is after 10+ years using Wintel, also I am a Network Admin/SQL DBA working in a full MS and some Linux(VMWare ESX) shop with over 600 PC's and 60 Servers over 3 sites. And let me tell you this, this thing is amazing Apple really is way more advanced in it's OS and overall design and implementation. My first Apple product was the Iphone and I love it, it's the best product on the market to date hands down (owned a Treo 650, and Nokia E62 previously). Now I just fully converted to Apple with the purchase of the Imac, and it trully is stunning as far as a home pc goes it can do anything you throw at the thing. I was copying mp3's over from the Wintel about 15000 of them, installing something, playing wow in a window at 1920x1200 res, had like 2 safari windows open, Iphoto open with 5000+ pics in library, and that thing was not even twitching. I went from a P4 3.4GHZ Extreme Edition with 2GB RAM, 300 GB RAID 0 SATA II, Geforce 6800GT 256MB, Windows Vista Ultimate, etc etc... This thing outperforms my old PC with ease I swear when I was copying all my stuff over the network to the MAC I could hear Billy G crying that he lost another loyal customer to Apple. Well I just got sick of the crap they put out and I wanted to make a change to better. Thank you Apple I no longer have to see BSOD's and explorer crashing everything on my PC again (except at work) and the NIC and video problems because of the lack of vista drivers support, you have just gained a new fanboy thats right I said it!!!!!

[Ben @ Aug 14th 2007 12:39PM]

Welcome Fernando. Glad you jumped in. The water is indeed fine.

[nethawk @ Aug 14th 2007 2:49PM]

I purchased one as well (simply amazing) -- couldn't wait any longer (4+ years) for my iMac G4 800 to break down. "Mildly positive" reviews? What a crock. I suppose Engadget wants to keep the "average user" (aka, "lemmings") in the fold.

[whathefah? @ Aug 15th 2007 1:33AM]

Strange, I've been a mac user for years, and this POS made me switch to Vista.

Or IOW, you're full of it.

[AlexP @ Aug 14th 2007 11:59AM]

Title is misleading - Cnet didn't review the 24", but a pretty basic config. 20", can't bother checking the other sites.


I'm receiving my Merom XE-based 24" within a few hours, I can't believe I'm going to receive it about a week or two before my Inspiron, lol.

[Mike @ Aug 14th 2007 12:06PM]

Don't forget PC Magazine's Review (possibly the most recognized Windows based magazine)

Editor's Choice - 4.5/5
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2169523,00.asp

[nih @ Aug 14th 2007 12:41PM]

You mac weirdos seem to think you don't own personal computers. I don't see why PC Magazine wouldn't review the new iMac.

I've always been impressed that the mac cult is so completely unresponsive to the most vile of insults. The secret to /really/ pissing them off though is to suggest that they're in any way like everything else. Normal and boring. Intel Inside stickers, etc. Then watch the crazy come to life inside them.

[Mr. Picklesworth @ Aug 14th 2007 1:06PM]

nih:

Hell, Apple even used the term PC once. I always cackle a little when they start dissing personal computers, because they are really dissing themselves.

I wonder when they stopped calling them PCs, though... they are clearly aiming to have very locked down computers, thus differentiating from computers that are "personal".

[Syndication @ Aug 14th 2007 12:25PM]

Apple is sending you a downgrade in terms of the screen. The new Imac has a crappy TN panel which sucks for image quality. It's pretty much a low quality screen.

[jason wendling @ Aug 14th 2007 1:10PM]

My one word review: iMirror

[jtdcg @ Aug 14th 2007 2:16PM]

Arstechnica has a review up as well...

http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/aluminum-and-glass-a-review-of-the-new-imac.ars

[stupid macs @ Aug 14th 2007 2:38PM]

and MacWorld even stated that it was "really more of a personal preference than a design flaw."

Hahahahaha... so biased, so ignorant and so in denial.

[waLLy @ Aug 14th 2007 3:14PM]

Love the keyboard. Hate the "Black Ring of Hiding Poor Contrast"

Though the black Apple logo is growing on me.

[Siva @ Aug 14th 2007 3:39PM]

I am in the market for the iMac. Looking at the picture, I was a little apprehensive in the beginning, but I went to the Apple store over the weekend and the 24" looks great. The screen glare won't be a problem in my basement. Also, the keyboard is great too. I got used to it within minutes. I will be ordering it soon. It is a beautiful machine and people who keep saying they would get a Dell for a few bucks less are the same people that don't value quality. You don't really need the fastest computer in the market. You need a fast computer for your needs that also does not give you stress, does not clutter up your desktop and just plain appealing to look at. It is a zen thing! Also, to the guy that said IEEE 1394 is not needed, just call it firewire or iLink - don't make it too difficult to understand. If you have a digital camcorder you NEED firewire. So, even windows Home PCs have firewire (many of them anyway). They need it to import video from their camcorder.

[Ireland @ Aug 14th 2007 8:16PM]

Where's your review Dan big-mouth ?

[georgy porgy @ Aug 14th 2007 8:44PM]

i played with it just this afternoon. i thought the glare on the screen was surprisingly and unacceptably strong, i have to say. make whatever excuses you like, but the previous model was sitting right next to it and i know what i prefer. the new one looked terrible. i was in the UCLA campus store, if you want to go check it out and judge the lighting conditions for yourself.

[jhsinger @ Aug 15th 2007 1:08AM]

I often use my laptop when shooting tethered on location. I was considering getting the new iMac for this purpose so i could have a larger screen and faster processor. Even on the MacbookPro with the matte screen and a screen hood there is quite a bit of glare when shooting outside Just imaging what that glare would be like with a glossy screen. I know a lot of photographers that use the iMac for this purpose and I quite certain that none of them will be upgrading to any iMac with a glossy screen.

Jeff
http://jeffsingerphotography.com/blog

[Rotor @ Aug 16th 2007 6:10PM]

Best intel powered mirror available.

Best fooled customer (think it's an upgrade? The videocard is worse than the one before)

Worst turn of a company from exceptional to middle-of-the-road. (Only: how long will they be able to keep premium prices for middle of the road-design?)

Worst design downgrade.

ADD-ON: this iMac cannot be calibrated, and it not suitable for image editing. (exception: if you work in a completely darkened room)

Now that's a downgrade for the word upgrade.

[Darren @ Aug 19th 2007 2:11PM]

I HATE GLOSSY SCREENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Too damn reflective. Major deal breaker.

[Keithz @ Aug 20th 2007 2:57PM]

As a guy who just bought his first mac, let me offer a unique perspective on this new machine.....

First off, I am very particular about clutter, since I have a fairly small master bedroom in my condo. I did not want a laptop and I could not find any other well designed all in one. I actually like the new design. I am not a fan of the black bezel but I can live with it. All I upgraded was the RAM on the lower end 24".

Given the price, which was around CAD 2400 including taxes (with a student discount from my younger bro), the purchase was entirely worthwhile. The design aspect and lack of clutter was very important. The ability to run windows was important. As well, I have found that Apple software is cheaper. Getting iWork 08 for 80 bucks was a better deal than MS Office for twice the price. And iWork does most of what I want....

[kEiThZ @ Aug 20th 2007 2:57PM]

As a guy who just bought his first mac, let me offer a unique perspective on this new machine.....

First off, I am very particular about clutter, since I have a fairly small master bedroom in my condo. I did not want a laptop and I could not find any other well designed all in one. I actually like the new design. I am not a fan of the black bezel but I can live with it. All I upgraded was the RAM on the lower end 24".

Given the price, which was around CAD 2400 including taxes (with a student discount from my younger bro), the purchase was entirely worthwhile. The design aspect and lack of clutter was very important. The ability to run windows was important. As well, I have found that Apple software is cheaper. Getting iWork 08 for 80 bucks was a better deal than MS Office for twice the price. And iWork does most of what I want....

[The ZeroCorpse @ Aug 29th 2007 9:52PM]

Apparently, most of the "Eewww. Glossy sucks!" people don't own one, and have no idea how gorgeous the display is when it's in a practical environment (like at home, where there aren't rows of fluorescent lights to make it glare like in the store, dumbasses.)

At home, it looks amazing. This thing has replaced my 26" HDTV as my favorite screen to watch movies and HD content, and it's pretty nice to be able to have a ton of things open on the desktop without cutting anything off. I can have Safari open to most standard web pages, and still have a full page of MS Word up on the other side of the screen. More real-estate is better, and when the Mac's on, you do not notice any glare... Unless you're an idiot and place a lamp behind your workspace.

And it's FAST. Psycho-fast.

I'm very glad I sold my MacBook AND my XBox 360 to get this thing. I'll be doing more gaming on the iMac than I ever did on the 360 (admittedly, most of the games will be in Windows via Bootcamp, but oh well) and the iMac has become my primary high-definition entertainment center. It's VERY nice.

And it will probably run Vista better than anything Dell puts out at the moment, too!

Now, I just need the Eee PC to come out so I have my cheap-ass notebook to do basic junk on when I'm out and about. I love Apple's notebooks, but they're so pricey that I get paranoid taking them out in public!