Lowest Price

: 1199

Brand

: Apple

Model

: MB950LL/A

Reviewer: J. Parkes| Date:2009-11-22

I have twenty years of Microsoft PC experience, OK so I was a slow learner. Ten years ago I bought my first Mac. Over those ten years I rode the Mac technology wave into the future by upgrading when it made sense, or after a quantum leap in tech or design changes that made me envious.
I won't go into my hatred for Microsoft, but I will tell you that my life has changed since I went to Mac. Learning Windows took years, mainly what to do when bad things happened, but also following the convoluted logic involved in operating windows. Repairs mostly were beyond my ability to deal with and service was expensive.
With Apple computers there is about a one week learning experience, but You can do it without reading the manual, it's that user friendly.
I have owned five different Macs, all but one was in perfect condition when I replaced it for a more advanced model, to my surprise was the way they held resale value. Each used mac I sold went for a surprising amount of money so the investment is good as compared with a three year old PC which are sold at pawn shops for pennies on the dollar and usually have hidden issues.
Macs are not 100% perfect, but they come close. In ten years I had one hard drive failure, it was recent on my 2007 imac so for 99.00 I installed a WD caviar black one terabyte drive that I installed in thirty minutes by following a you tube video on how it was done. My 2007 imac starts in under twenty seconds and has never glitched or locked up. it will run with the wind, and though I don't run very graphic intensive programs I have every reason to believe it will fare well. There are Macs made for that kind of intensive work but 90% of us will never need that level of machine. I run my iMac eighteen hours a day, share it with my children and never worry about failures.

On to my new 21.5 inch iMac. I considered the 27 inch model but sitting in front of it at the store I don't need that much screen, it seemed too much, a space problem requiring changes to my desk and honestly you don't really need anything so big when you sit two feet from it.

The advances in technology, the best available quality components ( as opposed to PC's lowest bidder policy) gives great reliability, and worry free years of use make the Macs a sound investment, and the longevity that make PC manufactures cringe. Both companies started in the same basement with truly brilliant minds, the separation was a godsend, you see competition is good for the consumer and the advancement in technology.

The clear results are that over the years one company built an affordable PC that appealed to the masses, while the other insisted that quality, craftsmanship, and reliability would outlast the short term gains of an inferior product. Apples plans were long term, and word of mouth, along with a superior product has finally come out into the light, and even many PC owners are now making the switch. Apple was always ahead of its time, but the time has come, the time is now. The success of the iPod, and the domination of the iPhone are very clear road signs telling the market what Apple has been doing, what their equipment is about, and it is changing the market.

My new iMac is everything I had hoped for and more, and when governments, business, and the people at home learn how far superior the Mac is compared to the PC, well.. I'm going to be buying Apple stock.

Microsoft is in major damage control mode, the commercials are the proof of that if the PC itself is not enough proof in itself.
Windows 7, while an improvement over Vista, is still a buggy patch job on an inferior product.

Apple is gaining new converts and the word is spreading, the numbers don't lie. As those numbers rise the cost for Apple computers will fall. This is the beginning of a snowball effect that Microsoft doesn't have a hope of slowing, and over the next two or three years we will see Microsoft in desperate attempts to stop the losses by redesigning their entire product line and hardware requirements by third party PC manufacturers.

I love my new iMac, and highly recommend to those sitting on the fence considering a new computer to do your homework, visit an Apple seller and sit down for an hour with one of these new machines before buying into an "Edsel" (Microsoft PC) type product. It's a big purchase, think it through, and don't let your inexperience with the Mac scare you, you'll be up and running before you figure out how to set up an e-mail account on windows 7.

On a budget? The Mac mini is an amazing computer, and you can use your PC's monitor. I think they cost around 599, so don't let money be the issue.

Review from Review from Amazon

Reviewer: Bill Wade| Date:2009-11-19

Gotta love what Apple has done with regard to price / value / performance - This machine ROCKS!

Perfect size / fit ..... Unreal in a word for the wide-screen monitor / clarity / colors - gosh it is a sight to see ..... A pleasure to sit at - work / play .....

The Magic Mouse is a joy to use - very easy to get spoiled with this guy .....

Mine runs just fine with the 4 gig of ram - entry level model but then I'm not a heavy graphics user but I do editing in Photoshop Elements and it runs a lot faster than my four year old white 20" iMac which still runs fine - giving that machine to my Granddaughter ....

Review from Review from Amazon

Reviewer: James Peterson| Date:2009-11-18

I've been a PC users since the PCXT days. Now I have a mac. I really have been suprised at how easy it is to learn the mac way of doing things.

I'm a programmer by trade (not a desktop coder, but mainframe/database) and I actually decided to buy the iMac because of my desire to create apps for my iPhone. I was shocked to learn that I could keep my windows environment. I could have both worlds.

So far, everything has been very easy to install and use. I had the windows/vmware setup and the iPhone SDK install the first day. Coming from a PC, I'm delighted at how elegant the interface is, even the mouse and keyboard are elegant. The screen is very nice. Colors seem very good, but I haven't done any photo editing and color correction/matching (so you'll have to get the pros opinion on that one).

Windows runs very well on it and I've had no problems with it.

I can't see changing back to a PC for my uses (not a gamer). This iMac was the best value IMO, compared to the other mac's and macbooks. Even compared to the new mac mini (if you add in the additional cost of a good monitor, bluetooth keyboard and magic mouse, the mini was closing in on the iMac price). I'd recommend this iMac for any deveoper to use as a base system. Power seems more than sufficient add to that the capability to run windows as well and you have one of the best values in a development system I've seen.

All this and lets face it the mac experience is very pleasant, and it doesn't hurt to expand your development into the mac arena.

After one week, I'm already a satified mac user.

I'll update after a year or so of use and abuse.

Review from Review from Amazon

Reviewer: booklover2| Date:2009-11-11

I am very impressed with my new 21.5 iMac. I have come over from the PC side and plan to never return! I like the simplicity of the Mac. It runs several programs at once without even a hint of slowing down. The graphics are awesome as well. I am extremely pleased with this purchase.

Review from Review from Amazon

Reviewer: Paul C. Huang| Date:2009-11-02

The trouble began when the aluminum-bodied 20" iMac replaced the white polycarbonate 20" iMac. Not only does it have a highly-reflective (albeit high-quality, very plane) glass, it has a TN screen that is 6-bit per channel. The TN screen found in the 20" iMac was inferior to the IPS panel found in the 24". Those who demand image quality had two choices: buy the 24" iMac or buy the 20", turn it toward the wall and make the wallpaper white so it lights up the user environment, and buy a quality IPS screen. This back-to-back solution may seem funny, but it does work. The TN screen displays different colors at different viewing angles (Unless the user moves his/her eyes directly over the pixel, the viewing angle variation relative to the pixel position causes the color to vary greatly.

The 21.5" is a major leap forward, because the entry-level iMac has the same GHz rating as the old top-of-the-line model, has a new two-AA bluetooth keyboard, and a wireless mouse. These are the added value that used to be extra before, and the Magic Mouse wasn't even available.

With the new 21.5", the users no longer have to choose a larger screen simply for better image/color quality. The glass, however, continues to be highly reflective and uncoated (no anti-reflective coating, as you may find on camera lenses, MacBook Air, and even Audi TT's speedometer/Tachometer).

Those who do not use the numeric keypad would definitely welcome the small-footprint wireless keyboard. It allows the user to bring the mouse closer to the keyboard and reduce wrist, forearm, and shoulder stress.

The Magic Mouse has finally done away with the problem-prone scroll ball found in the Mighty Mouse. I wish the top surface of this mouse were more matte/velvety than the glossy surface it is. The glossy surface is nothing more than cosmetic. Imagine if the trackpad on all the Mac portables turn glossy. I am sure there would be plenty of complaints. The glossy surface on the predecessor was OK because the fingers didn't have to glide over the glossy surface. Although the glossy surface is not a problem for me, because I don't use a mouse at all (Kensington Expert Mouse and WACOM, please), those with sweaty fingers would find it problematic.

Those familiar with the round iMac mouse will find this familiar: Its symmetrical shape lets the user easily lose orientation, because there is not a cord attached to it. As a result, the user must look at the logo first to identify which direction is supposed to be pointing up.

The integrated nVidia 9400M is more than good enough for casual users. Those who may need 3D or gaming capabilities should choose the other models with independent video cards.

NOW, THE $500 QUESTION. How does this screen compare to the 24" in physical dimension? This screen has 1920 pixels across, which is the same as the 24". The 21.5" is 18.7" wide, which is slightly narrower than the 20.25" width found on the 24". This means the 21.5" has higher pixel density. What about the height? 12.75" for the 24" iMac and 10.5" for the 21.5" iMac.

I forgot to mention that in the past, the power switch has a different shiny surface (while the entire back is matte) and has a concave surface. However, this one is perfectly flush to the back and is very difficult to detect. It takes some poking around. Another thing: they new wireless keyboard is noticeably noisier than the USB or previous three-AA aluminum wireless keyboard. Apparently the mechanism is not the same as the other aluminum keyboards.

Review from Review from Amazon