Remember, more cores isn’t always faster. It’s easy to say the Core i7 has 4 physical and 4 virtual cores so it’s superior to the i5, but so many applications don’t even know the other cores are there and I have some apps that max out one or two cores but leave the others alone. Snow Leopard’s Grand Central Dispatch makes it easy for devs to take advantage of these cores, but the extra time involved doesn’t make a task manager or note taking app move any faster. Apple’s page showcasing discrete graphics and more cores is convincing but don’t get caught up in its sales pitch when choosing the machine that’s suitable for you.
In actuality, it’s the i7's faster front aspect bus, enhanced memory architecture, larger cache and features like TurboBoost that truly make for a worthy upgrade.
SSD & HDD Readily available
Another observation that Apple didn’t spend too substantially time highlighting is that it is possible to have SSD and HDD drives in the new iMac. The previous model only supported a single 1 or 2 terabyte hard disk drive. Now, buyers on Apple.com can configure a new iMac with a 1 or 2 terabyte drive in addition to a 256GB SSD. If it is possible to afford it, do it. My 15¨ MacBook Pro has an HDD but my MacBook Air is SSD and the speed and overall performance of having an SSD is phenomenal. Apple is letting users have their cake and eat it too because SSD is still pretty expensive so you have to choose performance over storage capacity. Now, it is possible to have the speed of SSD and the storage of a 1+ terabyte drive in the same machine but you’re playing an additional $750/$900 for the privilege. This option is only readily available on the 27¨ iMac.
The Value Proposition for Switchers
To understand the true value of this new machine, let’s compare it with a similarly equipped Dell. With the 27¨ iMac, you’re getting a $999 monitor built into the machine. Subtract that number from the price tag and you’re getting a blazing fast Core i7 machine with 8GB of RAM for just over $1500 which will beat any similarly configured Dell Desktop. The Studio XPS 9000 desktop from Dell had a $1,799 price tag pre-tax after I configured it as similarly as I could to Apple’s 27¨ iMac - and this is before adding a Dell monitor. Apple’s iMac is so competitively priced that it’s a no-brainer considering it is possible to install Windows 7 on it, if you want.
Imac i5 vs i7 - imac i3 vs i5 - imac i7 review
The Magic Trackpad
We’ve already provided a run-down of the Magic Trackpad here on TAB but I wanted to emphasize that this is a big deal. Apple is bringing the tech that makes its notebooks so substantially better than other PC notebooks and making a standalone input device that all of us can enjoy. In my post discussing the Trackpad two weeks ago, I said:
“A Bluetooth trackpad that I’ve eloquently dubbed “MagicPad” (Magic Mouse = Trackpad) would be Apple’s next step into a buttonless world that it so desperately is striving for. The Magic Mouse has fewer buttons than the Mighty Mouse and this would be one button as the entire trackpad is, exactly like we are used to on Apple’s notebooks.”
I still agree and it’s a $69 add-on when buying your new iMac. But I say go for it; there’s always eBay if you essentially don’t like it. Apple notebook owners will see this as a no-brainer way to interact with the desktop computer. My friend, who does graphic style, loves the trackpad over a mouse and she’s already ordered one of these for her iMac.
Final Thoughts
The iMac is the most affordable iMac ever as it blows the pants off any previous desktop Mac under $3,000. If it is possible to afford it, the top model I recommended is perfect and will function as a capable Mac for the next 3+ years without buyer’s remorse. The Mac Pro has its place but it can’t compete in price and packaging with the iMac. Even the normally affordable Dell machines can’t compete in price and that makes this machine perfect for home users, pros and switchers in a way that no other Mac has before.
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