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Apple Announces Lighter, Thinner iMac Models with Fusion Drive
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Well someone agreed with me. The 21.5 i7 is now gone from the Apple Refurbished Site.
Dammit. Looks like I've got no choice now.
I love my iMac but the "thinner for the sake of thinness" is wearing...thin. I also don't need a thin desktop and now it loses something pretty useful - which when added as a peripheral kills all the aesthetic effort Apple made. Thinness that costs features is a net negative to me. My desktop can be thick and unseen - that is no loss to me. The optical disk as a peripheral - that is a loss.
Otherwise looks like a good upgrade.
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The 21.5" is all notebook components, including the hard drive, and no user upgradeability. The 27" maintains the upgradability (which has always been limited to RAM), has a desktop hard drive, and the i7 option.
For 27" purchasers, the losses are:
1. Firewire
2. DVD drive
3. $100 increase in base price, but high end models remain the same.
4. SD card slot moved to back where you can't see it.
The gains are:
1. USB3
2. Better display
3. Better CPU and GPU
4. 8GB base RAM.
5. Stereo microphones
Mystery item: it lists two Thunderbolt ports and a mini-displayport for monitors. The separate mini-displayport doesn't appear on the picture of the back. However it is only claimed to support one external monitor, so perhaps only one of the Thunderbolt ports supports an external monitor?
Thinness doesn't really matter, does it?
I think that pretty much sums it up.
For 27" purchasers, the losses are:
1. Firewire
2. DVD drive
3. $100 increase in base price, but high end models remain the same.
4. SD card slot moved to back where you can't see it.
The gains are:
1. USB3
2. Better display
3. Better CPU and GPU
4. 8GB base RAM.
5. Stereo microphones
Mystery item: it lists two Thunderbolt ports and a mini-displayport for monitors. The separate mini-displayport doesn't appear on the picture of the back. However it is only claimed to support one external monitor, so perhaps only one of the Thunderbolt ports supports an external monitor?
Thinness doesn't really matter, does it?
I think that pretty much sums it up.
Do you what for what? New iMac CPUs are Ivy Bridge. What are you talking about?
Do not worry - RAM is user replaceable
8GB (two 4GB) of 1600MHz DDR3 memory; four user-accessible SO-DIMM slots
Configurable to 16GB or 32GB.
http://www.apple.com/imac/specs/
8GB (two 4GB) of 1600MHz DDR3 memory; four user-accessible SO-DIMM slots
Configurable to 16GB or 32GB.
http://www.apple.com/imac/specs/
Not so. It will reappear. Refurbished systems come and go.
But the 21.5" models certainly seem to have taken more steps backwards than they have forwards.
The high end 21.5 can be configured to have a 3.1Ghz quad core i7. But yeah you're right with all the rest being notebook standard sadly.
Thankfully higher education pricing shaves off a couple of hundred pounds from that top end model.. It's certainly not worth getting the 21" model if you do more than menial computing tasks.
The 680MX/fusion drive BTO order option would be quite a nice, powerful computer, I imagine.
That said, the 680M is nothing on the full size 680.
Also, is it a new GPU? I don't see the 680MX listed anywhere.
The 680MX/fusion drive BTO order option would be quite a nice, powerful computer, I imagine.
That said, the 680M is nothing on the full size 680.
Also, is it a new GPU? I don't see the 680MX listed anywhere.
So in other words, it is a new design.
Get an external one. If you can afford Apple products, you can afford a drive that sits next to your computer.
Why change it when there was nothing wrong with it? And actually, for the record, it's got a new taper.
Completely unrealistic, given the cost of packing in the required number of pixels into such a large panel.
The new iMac has the same upgrade options as the old one.
If you want a 'Touchscreen PC', tune into QVC and get a HP.
This was already highlighted, if in different words...
What's wrong with 21" and 27"?
Get a grip of yourself.
The 2 or 3 inches in extra gained BEHIND the iMac is far less important than the space lost on my desk by adding another box for an optical drive and associated cable and power cord.
Apple is sometimes wrong.
Guess they moved from 3,5 inch 7200rpm to 2,5 inch 5400rpm. 1tb is max on that.
And Apple, why didn't you get rid of the bags under the screen. You could have made a matching couple of TB display and iMac.
Well... different people, different point of views. I seldom use the optical drive on my machines... and when I do, is basically for curiosity on old CDs. Imagine all those people that complained that a computer without a Floppy Disk is dead... go figure
I have two iMacs that I use at home (work and play). My work iMac which is for business only and my workhorse is the one I never use the optical drive. Never and I do lots of photo work. My upstairs iMax which i almost exclusively for my music collection. I use the drive daily as I've been importing my massive CD music collection.. Thousands still to go, but I have no problem getting an external drive because I've had two internal ones go bad over the years. Will replace one with the new iMac soon.
And I can finally get rid of all those free AOL CDs I've been hording.
And I can finally get rid of all those free AOL CDs I've been hording.
I _think_ the new iMac has Apple's SSD implementation like the rPros and Air (i.e., the no-case SIMM like components), and then a space for a 2.5" conventional HDD.
I'm thinking the Fusion config is SSD "cards" + a separate HDD (then the presence of both and the OS is set to optimize the storage allocation).
A difficult-to-service laptop in a desktop package. It has always been a problem with the iMac and now more than ever.
For those who need real configurability and serviceability, I guess it comes down to the Mini, non-Retina MBP, or Mac Pro.
But of course Apple will be looking to sell Airs, Retinas and iMacs as they move ever farther toward turning the PC into a sealed appliance.
For those who need real configurability and serviceability, I guess it comes down to the Mini, non-Retina MBP, or Mac Pro.
But of course Apple will be looking to sell Airs, Retinas and iMacs as they move ever farther toward turning the PC into a sealed appliance.
It looks like BTO will not let you put a Fusion (hybrid) drive in the low end iMac. That single feature would make it more desirable than a Mini. Can you hang an iMac on the wall?
I had a ramdrive on my Mac+ and it has been an uphill battle to reproduce that greatness in a mac since.
Given the $250 upcharge that sounds right. It is available on the mid-price Mini and the iMacs EXCEPT the low end model. Sounds like a Traditional hybrid drive would be the way to go on all the incompatible Macs.D.T. said:
I had a ramdrive on my Mac+ and it has been an uphill battle to reproduce that greatness in a mac since.
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I know they said the 27" aren't shipping until December. But did they say when we can start ordering them?
After a few random google searchings and reading articles like this:
http://dalvenjah.foxfire.net/2010/01/5400rpm-vs-7200rpm-hard-disks-should-you-care/
I am slowly coming to the conclusion that having a 5400 rpm drive in the 21.5" is not that big of a deal. It's almost as good at the 7200 if you consider things like platter density etc etc.
What do you all think on the subject?
http://dalvenjah.foxfire.net/2010/01/5400rpm-vs-7200rpm-hard-disks-should-you-care/
I am slowly coming to the conclusion that having a 5400 rpm drive in the 21.5" is not that big of a deal. It's almost as good at the 7200 if you consider things like platter density etc etc.
What do you all think on the subject?