Product Notes: Apple iMac

March 3, 2009

Apple announced significant updates today to its iMac line of all-in-one 20-inch and 24-inch desktop systems. This useful (and long anticipated) update is the first iMac refresh since the April 2008 update.

Design and Changes

This new generation of iMacs retain the same general enclosure as iMacs have had since the introduction of the "aluminum" iMac in August 2007, with some modifications in ports and port arrangement.

Changes in these latest iMacs include increased standard RAM, the addition of NVIDIA's excellent 9400M integrated graphics as standard, and the availability of more powerful discrete video cards on the 24-inch model. All systems now include a Mini DisplayPort video output port with support for DVI, VGA, and dual-link DVI via adapter.

Missing from this latest update are the availability of Blu-Ray drives and the availability of discrete video cards for the 20-inch model. FireWire 400 ports have been removed, though there is now a FireWire 800 port available on all models. There is still no matte screen option, which matters to some users for both color precision and ergonomic reasons.

When configured with 4.0 GB or more of RAM, these new iMacs meet or exceed the specifications in the newly-revised Performance PC Buyer's Guide.

Both versions of the iMac have received a Gold rating from EPEAT and are Energy Star 4.0-certified (in fact, they meet Energy Star 5.0 requirements that go into effect in July 2009).

Configuration and Ordering Notes

Several notes when ordering an iMac:

1. The iMac is available with Intel's current Core 2 Duo processors. Information Systems & Computing (ISC) sees the 2.66 GHz or 2.93 GHz processors as the best choices - for most users the 3.06 GHz processor will not show enough speed improvement to justify the extra cost.
2. For the first time on an iMac, ISC believes either integrated or discrete video to be acceptable for a 4-year administrative system. This change in specification is because of the excellent performance of NVIDIA's 9400M integrated graphics. This change in specification does not apply to other administrative desktop systems, which almost always have integrated graphics subsystems with substantially less performance.
3. It is important to note that the standard keyboard for an iMac is now the compact Apple Keyboard, which does not include a numeric keypad. Providers configuring to order from the University's Apple pages can choose the Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad or the Apple Wireless Keyboard.

See ISC's Performance PC Buyer's Guide for more configuration hints. As of March 2009, configuring an iMac to the Performance PC specification can be done for approximately $1,250 (the previous-generation white iMac and the Mac mini remain the best choices for a Mac OS-based Value Desktop). The University's Computer Connection has four new iMac configurations available for order.

Analysis

ISC sees the updated iMac as being a solid choice among desktop systems available in early 2009 and the iMac will continue to serve as the Apple component in the University's Desktop Recommendations. Continuing improvements in the standard specifications once again have dropped the barrier to entry for appropriately configured models.

iMac graphic courtesy of Apple

--John Mulhern III, Lead for Client Technologies, ISC Technology Support Services (March 3, 2009)