Mar 06
Just as they looked at the Mac Mini, the folks at CNET also reviewed the 24-inch 2.66GHz Apple iMac. While crowning it “One of, if not the, most affordable 24-inch all-in-one PCs” they also found a number of things wrong with it:
- “Apple’s latest update to the iMac line mostly serves to keep it competitive with its Windows-based competition.”
- “You can also find a few all-in-ones from the Windows world with functionality the iMac can’t match.”
- “…anyone with an existing 30-inch [display] will like cringe at having to pay an additional $99 for the necessary dual-link adapter.”
- “…the iMac’s specs are now more or less in line with Windows-based all-in-ones in the same price range.”
- “Apple hasn’t evolved the iMac to match other all-in-ones, particularly Sony’s 24-inch Vaio LV line.”
- “The iMac also has no touch screen, as with HP’s TouchSmart series… and even the highest end of the new iMacs lacks a quad-core CPU option.”
- (In a Quake 4 game test) “The results weren’t 100 percent smooth, but it was certainly playable. You can expect to sacrifice image quality on more recent games like Call of Duty 4.
- “Apple offers an upgrade to 8GB of RAM for an extra $1,000 (an amazing rip-off)”
- “…the once standard Apple Remote will also cost you an extra $20.”
- “Apple’s service and support policies remain one of its disadvantages, however. The one-year parts and labor policy fits in line with the rest of the industry. The 90-day phone support limit, as always, is subpar.”
In benchmarks, the iMac was soundly beaten in Adobe Photoshop CS3 image processing, Apple iTunes encoding, and Cinebench. The iMac did beat the competition in “Multimedia multitasking”, which CNET claims is a good match for how most people work.