The IMac: Apple's All-In-One Solution For The Desktop
The iMac has one of the more unique histories among desktop computer lines. Perhaps what sets it apart more than anything is that it was one of the first—and to date, certainly the most commercially successful—of the "all-in-one" computer desktops. The original iMac, released in 1998, contained a G3 (roughly similar to a Pentium II) 233 MHz CPU running on a 66 MHz system bus, and sold for $1,299. External expandability was limited to two USB 1 ports on the side of the system, and two more USB 1 ports on the keyboard. When it was first released, the iMac came in only one design, the now infamous (and uniquely translucent) "Bondi Blue":
All-In-One simplicity: The original "Bondi Blue" iMac. Courtesy of Masashige Motoe and Wikimedia Commons.
In terms of both style and power, iMacs have changed considerably in the nine plus years since their original release. The 20" flat-screen Intel iMacs, which run Core 2 Duos at 2.0 or 2.4 GHz on an 800-MHz Front Side Bus, are described below:
The "Ice White" Exterior has been replaced with "Brushed Aluminum": The 2007 iMacs.
IMac 20" Default Configurations
| Hardware | ||
|---|---|---|
| Model | 20-inch iMac (MA876LL) | 20-inch iMac (MA877LL) |
| Processor | 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo | 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo |
| L2 Cache | 4 MB Shared | 4 MB Shared |
| Front Side Bus | 800 MHz | 800 MHz |
| Memory | 1GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (1 x 1GB)
Upgradeable to 2GB (2 x 1GB) or 4GB (2 x 2 GB) of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM |
|
| Hard Drive | 250GB 7200 RPM SATA
Upgradeable to 320GB or 500GB |
320GB 7200 RPM SATA
Upgradeable to 500GB or 750GB |
| Optical Drive | 8x "SuperDrive" with 4x DL
(CD-RW DVD±R DL DVD±RW) |
8x "SuperDrive" with 4x DL
(CD-RW DVD±R DL DVD±RW) |
| Graphics | ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128MB RAM (no upgrade options) | ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB RAM (no upgrade options) |
| Display | 20-inch (viewable) glossy wide screen TFT active-matrix LCD, 1680 by 1050 pixels, millions of colors | |
| Display Ports | Mini-DVI output port (support for DVI, VGA, S-video, and composite video connections via adapter (sold separately) | |
| Audio | Built-in stereo speakers with 24-watt digital amplifier, built-in microphone, optical digital audio output/headphone out, optical digital audio input/audio line in | |
| Video | Built-in iSight Camera | |
| Ports | One FireWire 800, One FireWire 400, Three USB 2, plus Two USB 2 on Keyboard | |
| Network | Wired: 10/100/1000 BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet
Wireless: AirPort Extreme (802.11 a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR |
|
| Warrantee | 90 days free phone support, one year limited warrantee | |
| Accessories | USB Keyboard and Mouse plus Remote Control all included, IR Receiver included, Wireless Keyboard and Mouse are available | |
| Software | Mac OS X 10.4.10 Tiger Operating System, iLife ’08 (including Microsoft Office Demo), iWork ’08 (30 day trial), Front Row, and Photo Booth | |
| Base Model Price | $1,199.00 | $1,499.00 |
I’ll next take a look at Apple’s high end iMacs, the 24" iMac models
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"If there are any remaining questions as to just how far Apple has fallen, I believe the image above has the answers."
owww..., apple got OWNED
apple really shouldnt be used by ppl who use thsi site. i mean a 7300, what the hell is that about, 1 GiB of ram. if it wherent for there ipod and iphone, they would go bust and quite rightly, i say get an iLife
apple really shouldnt be used by ppl who use thsi site. i mean a 7300, what the hell is that about, 1 GiB of ram. if it wherent for there ipod and iphone, they would go bust and quite rightly, i say get an iLife
just to reply to a couple of your points...
When you criticise the the mac pro remember this machine has been available for over a year now and it works just as well now as it did then. IF it was a PC running Vista then no, 1gb would be no use but with the Mac it's fine. Yes, more would be nice, but more would always be nice! and those who need it will buy it. Apple have no need to get involved in the PC spec race, and nor should they, and neither do people who use macs. If you want to you can, you can upgrade the mac pro to your heart's content. Or just not bother.
So clearly the fact that the Mac pro offers up to 750 gb drive configurations compared to 1tb for the imac is simply because thats what was available then compared to whats available now. I know you're going to say they should update the spec and maybe they should but does it matter that much? The majority of serious users of the Pro will be using external storage anyway.
It's not really a fair comparison to show a chart of all the Graphics cards released over the last 16 months when the chart would have looked very different at the time the Pro was released...also the radeon1900xt is available as an option but you didnt mention that...look where it falls on the chart.. a bit more respectable... but again i say that apple aren't in that race so what does it matter? If you want a better card then buy one....(isnt that what Tomshardware is all about anyway?)
Saying that Airport and Bluetooth belong in the pro is to misunderstand the market the pro is aimed at. The majority of bigger companies (like the one i work for) are suspicous (and in fact are afraid) of wireless comms so won't touch them so making these an option for a professional machine makes sense.
As for dobby's coment that without ipod and iphone Apple would be dead? Have you looked at Apple's PC market share? 5.6% of the US market? Joint 3rd largest PC maker in the US? I wish i had a company like that!
oh and spuddyt?
How did Apple get pwned when it's an *NVidia* card? Apple supply it but they don't make it...