Product Reviews

When the iMac brand was first introduced, it was very much a computer for the consumer. It was low cost, relatively low powered, and its all-in-one form factor made it a cinch to set up. Today, one of those statements no longer holds true: the iMac is second only to the Mac Pro in terms of power, and when it comes to bang for buck, there's nothing in Apple's current line-up to touch it.

It's almost a shame Apple has stuck with the iMac branding following the move to Intel chips and, latterly, the adoption of the very new 64-bit Core 2 Duo processors, as these are real professional machines that pack a hell of a punch.

Let's do some maths: take a Mac Pro and configure it to match the newest, top-of-the-range, 24in iMac. We'll drop the Mac Pro's processor configuration to quad-core 2GHz (against the iMac's dual-core 2.16GHz), and supplement it with Bluetooth, AirPort Extreme and a 23in Cinema Display. Next we'll double the Ram in the iMac's graphics card to match the Mac Pro. It's not a perfect match, even on paper, but one thing's irrefutable: the 24in iMac still costs £900 less than the Mac Pro setup.

This would, of course, be a pointless comparison to draw if the Mac Pro left the iMac in the dust when it came to performance, but this isn't the case. Yes, the Mac Pro's architecture allows for faster data transfer and a significantly higher Ram ceiling, quite apart from its potential for adding and configuring components inside the case, but you have to ask yourself very carefully if these matter to you, as unless you really hammer your Mac most of the working day, the iMac is plenty capable.

In fact, the most obvious reason to plump for the Mac Pro over an iMac is that it has four PCI Express slots to accept dedicated expansion cards such as Raid controllers, hardware video encoders, fibre channel cards and so on.

Indeed, the current iMac is even less user-configurable than its predecessors: where once the whole back of the unit would slide off to reveal the motherboard and components, now the only access is to the two Ram slots on the bottom edge of the iMac, via a little door. While upgrading, say, the hard disk in a G5-based iMac wasn't sanctioned by Apple, it wasn't difficult to do. Now, however, you're officially locked out.

However,

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if Steve Jobs taketh away, he giveth also. Alongside the adoption of Intel chips, Apple has made a small but very important change to the iMac line: gone is the severely limited VGA video-out port that could only mirror the main display's image, and in comes a crystal-clear DVI-out port, which can drive an external digital display up to 1920 x 1200 pixels in extended desktop mode; annoyingly, though, it still requires an adaptor.

This means anyone working in the creative space can simply plug in anything up to a generous monitor such as Dell's UltraSharp 2407WFP and double their desktop with the 24in model, or almost triple the screen real estate with the 17in models, providing plenty of space for palettes, as a monitor to check video edits, or just somewhere for iTunes to sit. Couple this with superb results from the Core 2 Duo processors, reasonable hard disk capacities and excellent-quality built-in displays, and the iMac suddenly becomes an enticing proposition for creative professionals.

This is particularly true with the larger models: the 20in iMac is a good compromise, but the 24in configuration is just divine and is the only iMac to include a FireWire 800 port. OK, to have your face centred in the view from the bezel-mounted iSight camera means you have to tilt the beast back a bit, and it certainly takes up a fair whack of space, but the screen is huge and very bright. You may, in fact, find yourself turning down the brightness to prevent eye-strain, but the important thing is that you have the option - line them up side by side and the other iMac displays look rather dull by comparison.

The best part is the price: £1349 for the standard 24in iMac is genuinely superb value for money - in fact, if you have a little spare cash, buying one of these beauties as a very high-end living room media centre capable of far in excess of HD resolution is quite within the realms of normality. Just remember that there's no option for either Blu-ray or HD DVD drives on the store, nor do you officially have access to the drive to perform your own upgrade.

Apple's build-to-order options are, once again, rather on the pricey side, but with only the Ram being officially user-upgradable, you're a bit stuck. For most, though, the base configurations are at least adequate.

All but the entry-level model have dedicated graphics cards, but don't think that the £679 base spec - plugging the gap left by the retirement of the eMac - is a poor man's Mac. The 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo processor packs a punch, and you get the same package of features, including the iSight webcam, Front Row and extended desktop over DVI, as the more expensive models.

These really are professional machines and unless you actually need the flexibility or extra edge provided by the Mac Pro, they're an excellent, aggressively priced option for everyone.