Macs are cheaper than ever. About 7 weeks ago, Apple introduced a new line of iMacs. The most affordable iMac model is only US$1,199 (Apple’s retail price for 21.5-inch Core 2 Duo iMac 3.06 GHz). The most expensive model comes with ATI Radeon HD 5750 with 1GB of video memory, which should be sufficient to play any computer game available for now.

My main machine was iMac Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz with 24″ screen for the past 26 months. As you probably know, I develop Mac applications these days. I don’t like Mac OS 10.6. And I still run OS 10.5 with iMac Core 2 Duo. The thing is that my job title requires that I make sure the applications that I develop are also compatible with both Leopard and Snow Leopard. So I finally decided to buy a new model. Initially, I was going to buy iMac Core 2 Duo 3.2 GHz with 27″ screen. The rational for Core 2 Duo 3.2 GHz over Quad Core 2.8 GHz is that not many Mac applications utilize all CPU cores. And the former is some Â¥28,000 (US$330) cheaper. After all, I’ve ended up with iMac Quad Core 2.8 GHz with 27″ screen.  

When we buy a new machine, we tend to pay close attention to technical specifications like how much built-in memory it has and what the video memory is. And we don’t really care what’s included in the box. Actually, if you look at Apple’s iMac website, it says that the latest line of iMac modes comes with Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse, Cleaning cloth, Power cord, Install/restore DVDs… Well, a big surprise… One of them is totally useless for me. And it bothers me a lot. We will get to that soon.

Anyway, comparing two iMac models at a glance, iMac Quad Core 2.8 GHz with 27″ screen is a little wider. (See Screenshot 1.) Vertically, you don’t see a lot of difference though you have additional 240 lines.

Screenshot 1 – Source: MacHouse

The new iMac model comes with something that I really looked forward to using. It’s SDXC card slot. (See Screenshot 2.) And it doesn’t come with something that iMac Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz has. That’s Apple Remote, which is pretty short-lived. I have never used it with iMac Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz with 24″ screen anyway. An interesting thing is that Snow Leopard still includes Front Row. And you can use Apple Remote with the new iMac models. That’s kind of odd, isn’t it? Now, let’s go back to the card slot. I use an SDHD card with a USB card reader as a scratch disk. I don’t store app files on the hard disk drive. Anyway, now, I can use an SDHD card without wasting one USB port, I though. Well, that’s actually the case. But the truth is also that the SD/SDHC/SDXC card must be plugged in when you start your Mac. If you plug a card in while you run a Mac, the machine won’t read it. And Disk Utility won’t recognize the card. That means you can’t even erase data on the card unless you use it with a (USB) card reader. (See Screenshot 3.)

Screenshot 2 – Source: MacHouse

Screenshot 3 – Source: MacHouse

iMac G5 2 GHz (now dead with the motherboard fried) was a good machine when it comes to replacing internal hard disk drives. eMac is probably the worst. It’s not terribly difficult to replace hard disk drives with iMac Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz with 24″ screen. Fortunately, the latest line of iMacs is better in this respect. Basically, the first few steps are the same. And you need a Size 8 torque driver with the latest iMac models as well. First, you need to remove the memory cover that is located at the bottom of the machine. Then lift the display cover with a suction cup just as you do with earlier iMac models. This time, you have 8 screws to remove, 4 on each side (right and left). Be careful not to lose screws because the body is surrounded by magnets. Finally, you will be able to raise and remove the body cover. (See Screenshot 4.) I thought I raised the body cover carefully. But it turned out that I didn’t. And something went wrong when I heard a large noise as if a thread was broken into two parts. First, it looked to me that something was disconnected by accident. Actually, I was wrong. It turned out that a whole socket came off. (The part that came off is orange-cicled.) Oops… Well, it wasn’t a big deal because I could just glue it back. I hope I didn’t break manufacture’s 1-year warranty. Anyway, being careful with four cables, you will have easy access to the hard disk drive, optical drive and other components.

Screenshot 4 – Source: MacHouse

Screenshot 5 – Source: MacHouse

Now, let’s talk about the keyboard and Magic Mouse. Every time I buy a new Mac, I get a different keyboard. And every time I buy a new Mac, the location of the caps lock key is different. This time, I got a wireless keyboard, which requires BlueTooth. I actually don’t like BlueTooth, but a wireless keyboard might sound nice. If you see what the keyboard looks like, you will probably get disappointed. This keyboard doesn’t have a key pad. (See Screenshot 5.) If you enter a lot of numbers with your Mac, you may end up buying a USB-connected key pad separately. This keyboard doesn’t have keys like home, end, insert. The home and end keys are useful when you surf the Internet. In all, this keyboard is nothing but useless. So I have to use an old USB-connected keyboard. In contrast, Magic Mouse is a cool toy though I don’t necessarily mean it’s always useful. Magic Mouse is not so useful for gamers who often need three buttons on Mouse. Since I occasionally play games, I still need to use my 6-year-old 5-button Mouse from Microsoft.

Turning iMac Quad Core around, there are four USB ports. (See Screenshot 6.) There is only one FireWire port, which is for FireWire 800 (IEEE 1394b). I have three FireWire-connected devices, all of which use IEEE 1394a. So I have ended ordering an IEEE 1394a-to-1394b cable.

Screenshot 6 – Source: Apple

In summary, Macs are seemingly cheap these days. It’s true that iMacs are very affordable. It’s also true that parts and components are cheap in quality. Take Apple Wireless Keyboard as an example. This keyboard is wireless, which is nice. But it doesn’t even have keys like insert, delete, home and end. If you need to enter a lot of numbers, you may end up buying a key pad to save time. It’s a useless keyboard for me. I would rather use an old USB-connected keyboard. And Magic Mouse is nice. But I would rather be pleased with a simple 3-button Mouse (2 buttons + a wheel).






Good: iMac users have access to 1 GB of video memory without an ‘configure-to-order’ option. iMac finishes starting up in a matter of several seconds.
Bad: iMac comes with a horrible keyboard. iMac users still don’t have access to latest technologies including Blu-ray, USB 3.0 and SSD. There’s only one FireWire port. iMac gets extremely hot at the top of the body while FireWire is in use.






References:

Replacing Hard Disk Drives on iMac 2.8 GHz Core 2 Duo (iMac Early 2008)
First Look at iMac Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz: Amateur Comparison of iMac Core 2 Duo 24 Inch and iMac G5 17 inch