Apple's iMac (early 2009) dissected beautifully
By Darren Murph 
posted Mar 5th 2009 9:01AM
posted Mar 5th 2009 9:01AM
posted Mar 5th 2009 9:01AM
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I see london, I see france, I see iMac's underpants!
C. Section.
Saad is a Windows user dickface
Ok.. i mis-read.
Still a dickface
I could almost hear the scream from the iMac as the face was pulled off.
"the whole thing is seriously bordering on artistic."
Oh cmon engadget, stop fappin ;)
AHAHAHAHAHHAHA!!!!!
Apple PWNS Engadget....
iFixit has been a great resource over the years, at by the looks of it, they'll continue to be the go-to for mac disassembly.
Anyone else surprised to NOT see LED backlighting?
Is this the old iMac or the new iMac, and how do you tell? O wait, they are the same....
+1
Oh yeah, when Asus made 10 series out of one notebooks you guys just stood by. And when Apple renews its production line with new and made huge improvements under the same skin, you guys make a ruckus out of it.
SERIOUSLY. man. Btw, I believe engadget made this one post just to piss u hatefans off so you guys comment here.
FLAME ON !
"As we saw when comparing the uncovered internals of the old MacBook Pros to the new MacBook Pros..."
Context needed: the link's from early 2008, when Apple made a few small changes. I'm pretty sure there's a good bit of difference between the new MacBook Pros (late 2008) and the old ones.
Good call, man.
These disassembly posts are boring as sin unless a) you've got some kind of circuit fetish, b) there's some mystery as to what components you're getting, or c) something radically different is going on, inside.
In this case (so to speak), there's nothing new or mysterious to be found on the inside.
It's funny that the example engadget chose to convey a similar feeling of ho-hum-who-cares-about-the-internals is a year out of date . . . especially when the much more recent MacBook Pro update could be used as evidence of the ONLY time these disassembly shots are interesting.
Can somebody tell me if this means that there's a compatible quad core cpu coming out sometime and you can put it in - losing warranty of course - sometime?
That would be killer.
Why not? As long as it's got the same socket and the fan can handle the extra heat.
Apple's used socketed processors in Intel iMacs since the first or second generation. Or maybe when they switched to C2D? I forget but I remember they did switch at some point.
Alright, thanks.
But what kind of socket is it, or what kind of chipset.
So I can check for compatibility in the future ;)
"The processor appears to be socketed, but unfortunately there's a "Warranty void if removed" sticker that must be removed to access it."
Also apparently looks like socket P.
:P
Of course it's a socket.
But what I meant is:
What kind of socket is it, or to put it another way: what processor does the socket / chipset support and what future processor might be supported?
Apple has had socket computers since g3, with exception of the g5.
The intel machines are all socketed with the exception of the Macbook lines and maybe the mini.
So, does it have a "Socket P"?
Then you could put in the Yorkfield Core 2 Quad Q9100 mFCPGA?
And hooray: Quad Core iMac?
Not very different from dissecting a laptop...which is what the iMac actually is...
Ooooh, aaaaaah, slobber, slobber a "new" iMac that is nearly identical to the "old" iMac. Good Lord, iSlaves! Please step away from the shiny white apple light and come back to reality. I swear if Apple released a fresh piece of dog excrement it'd get a great "review" from the iSlaves. The next year they could follow it with some rabbit sized pooh. The Nano iPooh. Ooooh, aaaaah, slobber, slobber.
Calm down. Seriously - just calm down a bit. You are making a pretty broad generalization of ALL Apple fans. I like Apple's iMac, but I don't like the MacBook air, nor do I think the MacBook Pros are worth their enormous cost. This is a post about the dissection of Apples new iMac. Engadget said quite clearly that it is almost identical to the previous version - even in this post (read first sentence).
Your comment is completely out of place and is just baiting someone else to come and fight you. It's funny that people who have such a bias against Apple are often those who claim to have no bias...(I.e. YOU.) I don't see any bias in this Engadget article, so why post about Apple bias in THIS ARTICLE?
In a haphazard observation regarding the diminutive keyboard- is it possible that Apple is working on eventually doing away with it completely in an effort to promote their gesture movement (pardon the pun)?
I've got a few choice gestures in mind for them if they do that.
No, you'll never be able to fit a quad core desktop chip in an iMac because it uses MOBILE chips. It's Apple's best kept secret obviously. Underpowered overpriced non-upgradeable desktops FTW!
Uhm, we're talking about mobile QuadCores ... which will come out eventually.
Btw.:
A 2.6 Ghz Core2Duo with 4 GB RAM and 640GB internal HD and a S-IPS 1920x1200 24" panel for 1399€ is underpowered for exactly who?
In fact, today computers are starting to be overpowered for most users.
Look, if you want to critisize Apple: fine. There's a lot left for that.
But don't just spit hatred and nerd bullshit.
My MacBook Pro from 3 years ago - 1.83 ghz CoreDuo - is still overpowered for most of the things I do.
Why should I need a quad core for Photoshop and Illustrator? Or Flash?
Why should my GF need a QuadCore? Why her mom? Or my brother? Or his gf?
The graphics are underpowered for what? Professional Workstation applications? Even that not anymore.
For games? AAAAAAAHHH ... there lies the truth.
You are a gamer. 'Nuff said.
Um, we prefer the term 'geek' kthxbai.
Why take it apart if a "warranty void" sticker scares you to hell?
Nobody is saying the warranty sticker scares me. I upgrade a lot of my new computers and it seems kind of unfair to have a warranty voided just because I added ram or a better hard drive. Apple computers generally have slow hard drives. My Macbook Pro had a crappy Fujitsu drive. The Ibook G4's was the absolute worst though.
Obviously I could understand that they would not cover the hard drive since it's not the original.
Now that I think of it, I just upgraded a Macbook a 500gb drive and probably voided the warranty. Didn't even stop to think about that.
Luckily I've yet to have a computer go bad under warranty. So far i've owned an Ibook G4, HP 17" laptop, Macbook Pro and the new Macbook unibody. I guess i'm lucky. My HP's DVD drive broke and so did a few keys, but no way i'm dealing with HP's warranty service. I'm sure it's probably fine though.
Calling a $1000 computer just a decoration is kind of silly. Sure people pay a little extra for Apple computers, but it's something they'll be using every single day for several years.
(note: I'm a PC user if anyone cares, but I do use an Apple laptop.)
If you are not the author of the article on iFixit, this post about warranty wasn't pointed towards you. But if you are, it is. I mean if they/you take apart the thing, and see a warranty void sticker on the CPU cooler and you're scared to take it off, then why open the box up in the first place.
I can see, what I think is a socket, but I'd like the author to remove the heat sink and be for sure that there really is a CPU socket and it's not soldered to the motherboard/logic board.
This seriously makes you wonder howmuch/if engadget is being paid off by apple to eat Apples shit.
19 Posts on the front page with ONE being about Apple. Oh Yeah, Engadget is owned by Apple. NOT!
LOL, you Apple haters are too much. Why don't you all just skip reading Apple posts and spare yourself the high blood pressure.
the only things that look good when disected are the alienware pc's
I think Apple does not want the iMac to be too enticing in terms of specs because they would prefer their potential new customers or upgraders to choose the MacBook or MacBook Pro which have better margins.
I think you're right. Apple loves to boast about how MacBooks are the "number one laptops on campus", so it only makes sense that they would like to continue this trend.
"This screw-less design for the hard drive is nice, but unfortunately getting to to this point requires removing 21 screws."
Seriously? 21 screws to get to a HD? Pray that thing never goes out or that you sent a few more nickels Steve's way for Apple Care. WTF is wrong with you Apple, you hide the hard drive behind the damn LCD display. That would like a car maker putting a fuel filter inside the engine where you to tear the thing half way apart to change it.
Uh yeah. How often u change HD on your computer? Every morning?
I've been somewhat interested in buying an imac in the last year. I just don't like the idea of my computer inside my display. Mainly due to not being able to upgrade much. Now that I know how difficult the hard drive is to upgrade, i'll probably just pass. It's certainly not as bad as the Ibook G4 HD upgrade I did, but close.
I take it that replacing or upgrading the hard drive voids the warranty? I'd assume it does. If so that's really stupid.
Mac "Pro" is upgradable and actually meaningful to some extent, iMac and the Mac Mini are for people with too much money and a desire to have expansive desk decorations, they aren't intended to be upgradable by the end-user, except maybe for the RAM, but looking at how the iMacs now come with 4GB of it, that's pretty much all you need looking at the rest of it's specs.
While we're at it, even the new Mac Pro slowly drifts into the shelf of expensive floor decorations.
hehe. as usual some trolls, some non-sense about engadget subserviency to anything apple, and uninformed complaints.
if 21 screws intimidates you, find someone who doesn't quail at the prospect of removing 21 screws. there are plenty out there. seriously this should be taught as a life skill in school.
not upgradeable? if you mean motherboard and video card yes, bu then again you probably knew that. go with a tower if that's a main concern. hard drive and memory are upgradeable, which is fine with a majority of people the imac is targeted towards.
i'm still rocking a 2nd gen imac g5, with 1gb of ram, since it was first released. swapped out the hard drive recently for a wd 750gb 7200rpm, which is fairly loud compared to original hd.
imac expensive? sure is, but my imac is worth every penny i paid for it. i'll probably gift it away in a few years as it will perform admirably as an internet surfer for many more years to come. for those who need latest, greatest don't buy the new imac, since it's already outdated.
the new imac identical to the old? design wise i'd say yes. but i think the design is classic and elegant. it's been refined over each model but it's hard to drastically change a classic design without ditching it completely. identical tech spec wise? that's a no.
Macs cost more and aren't as easy to upgrade as PC's?
WTF? Did some of you fall into a coma in 1989 and just barely wake up? You act as if this is something new.
The Macbook unibody is extremely easy to upgrade. The Mac Mini is pretty painless as well (as long as you have a putty knife around). I can understand in a way how Apple probably doesn't want you to upgrade the imac.
It's not JUST 21 screws but taking off the entire LCD and possibly voiding the warranty. Despite only 21 screws it doesn't sound like a quick upgrade. I'd have no problem with upgrading it myself at all, but it should still be easier. I guess it wouldn't keep me from getting an imac, but it's still could be a little easier to get access to the hard drive. I just think the average user the imac is aimed at most likely wouldn't be able to upgrade the hard drive without taking it in, but that's to be expected.
I personally don't find the imac that expensive. I've seen similar HP all in one units for about the same price. I'm not sure of the actual specs though.
In Step 7 they said that the display is "Less Glossy now" what do they mean by that? Is this for only the 20" Imac or the 24" Imac as well? I loved the picture quality on the older imac, I hope it's not effected on the newer imac.
Um.... hmmm, I think that the 'less-glossy' comment was a bit of humor on their end, referring to the fact that they removed the glass panel from the LCD display
Nice!