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Apple said to be prepping Boot Camp fix for 24-inch iMacs
It looks like those that took advantage of the now-discounted 24-inch iMac's upgradable graphics only to be stymied by problems with Boot Camp may finally be getting a fix courtesy of Apple, although that's apparently still far from a sure thing. According to AppleInsider, Apple has in fact been "secretly testing" a software patch for the problem, which prevented users with certain graphics cards from booting into Windows using Boot Camp, but an actual release will depend on whether testers can isolate a few "remaining bugs." As AppleInsider points out, however, that process could well be pushed down the list of priorities for the company, what with another little piece of software supposedly nearing a release.
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)
Apple's 24-inch iMac features "upgradeable" graphics
One of the biggest bugbears that power users have had with the iMac range is the fact that the graphics card has always been impossible to upgrade, making each and every iMac tied to the graphics card that it comes with. Yeah, yeah, so what, it's an all-in-one computer for general consumers, right? Maybe so, but until Apple releases a fully upgradable mid-range Mac, there will always be a community of not quite pro, not quite consumer Mac users that dream of buying an affordable and tweakable machine from their computer manufacturer of choice. That's why the news that the 24-inch iMac's graphics card is potentially upgradable is causing such a stir. Apparently Apple decided to opt for a Mobile PCI Express Module (MXM for short) as the connection method for the 24-inch iMac's graphics card. This standard was originally designed by NVIDIA for use in high-end gaming laptops -- indeed, the MXM's official page exclusively mentions "upgradeable notebook graphics". Unfortunately for the aforementioned mid-range Mac dreamers, this is far from a viable upgradeable graphics card solution. For a start, Apple has said that users won't have access to the graphics card and even if hackers succeed in gaining access to the slot, there are currently no stand-alone MXM compatible graphics cards on the market: that makes this the modern day equivalent of the infamous mezzanine slot from the original, supposedly expansion slot-free CRT iMacs. So, if you're a budget-minded Mac user comfortable with tinkering around in your machine, you better get back to praying for that Cube resurrection.[Via TUAW]
