Analysis Of The 2007 IMacs

The 2007 iMacs represent the third release of Intel iMacs. Intel Core Duo iMacs were released in January 2006, followed by Core 2 Duos in September 2006 and then the new Core 2 Duos in August 2007. An 11-month wait for an upgrade is unheard of in the iMac world; it had a lot of Mac users hoping for something spectacular, and may have left many Mac users unmoved with the final outcome.

As someone that uses both Windows and Mac computers, one issue caught my eye as soon as I looked at the 2007 iMacs. Despite the recent dramatic drop in quad-core prices (the Q6600 Intel Core 2 Quad 2.4 GHz is now selling for under $300 retail, and Apple obviously doesn’t pay retail), there is still no iMac with a quad-core processor. Gateway now has a Q6600 selling for a base price of $999. With iMac base prices as high as $2,299.00, Apple could have found a way to fit a quad core into the mix.

The iMac typically ships with 1 GB of RAM, which may leave you wondering "Can a Mac run on 1 GB of RAM?" Yes, it can, providing of course that you’re not opening 8-mega pixel digital photos, or doing anything else that seriously stresses the memory system. Keep in mind that Mac OS X is a Unix-based operating system, with Aqua running on top of it to provide a user-friendly GUI. In general terms, it manages memory better than Windows, and significantly better than Windows Vista.

Despite that, a peculiarity can be found in the iMacs default memory configuration. Apple is shipping iMacs with 1 GB of RAM in a 1 x 1GB arrangement. In other words, all of the RAM is on a single memory stick. Thus, the entire concept of operating RAM in "Dual Channel" mode is completely wasted, simply due to an ill-conceived design. Maybe this is

Apple’s way of encouraging customers to buy an extra stick of 1-GB RAM for $150.00, or two sticks of 2 GB RAM for $850 (yes, $850). But, whatever it is, I find it very disquieting.

Unlike the Mac Mini, the iMac can handle the heat generated by full speed 7200 rpm SATA hard drives, with capacities of up to 1 Terabyte. That’s impressive, particularly when you consider the 2007 iMac’s super-thin size. However, Apple’s continued insistence on relying on the "SuperDrive" as its all-in-one optical solution is another bizarre decision. This is because the drive burns DVD±R at 8x, which is less than one half of the standard PC speed of 18x, and burns DVD±R DL at 4x, which is one-half of the standard PC speed of 8x.

Perhaps most puzzling about the 2007 iMacs is that they do not accommodate Nvidia graphics cards. There is simply no option available anywhere. Want to take out the ATI card and replace it with your own Nvidia device? Well, that may be a problem... The ATI is soldered into place.

Given Apple’s cozy relationship with Intel, and the fact that Intel has a less-than-cozy relationship with ATI’s parent company, AMD, you’d almost expect it to be the other way around, as in all Nvidia and no ATI. What I’d really like to see is a choice. But, Steve Jobs has made that decision for us, and for people that feel Nvidia handles OpenGL better than ATI, or who prefer Nvidia for any reason, Apple has placed Nvidia fans in a very uncomfortable position. Unless you’re really good with a soldering iron, and don’t mind voiding your warrantee, you’re not getting an Nvidia-based 2007 iMac.

Graphics geeks such as this writer will always notice issues like that, but still, the amount of desktop computing power squeezed into the aesthetically-pleasing iMac is absolutely impressive, as it always is. This year, it’s even a little more impressive, since the iMac is thinner than ever. The body of the iMac has also changed, from the familiar ice-white exterior, which has been around since the G5 (the last non-Intel iMac), to a new glossy-aluminum exterior. Whether or not the glossy aluminum is an improvement is too subjective of a question for this forum, but it has unquestionably led to a lot of discussion among iMac fans.

Where Are Apples Mid-Range Desktops?

A disturbing trend seems to be emerging recently in the computer retail marketplace: the abandonment of the midrange customer. Tom’s Hardware Guide noticed this trend earlier this summer among both ATI and Nvidia offerings in Darren Polkowski’s July 24 article "HD 2600 & GeForce 8600: No Mid-Range?." Apple seems to be making a similar move in this direction.