Very, very rarely do I buy myself a nice big present, but coincidence at fate brought me to this point, and so I embraced it. Some background: I’ve had the same laptop since 2004 or so, which replaced the same version of laptop, which I had previously lost in the back of a cab (long, awful story). It was/is a PowerBook G4, and I’ve loved it for as long as I’ve known it. So much so, that it’s in my bio blurb, over to your right.
I’ve known for a while that I was over-taxing the little guy… I usually have a ton of files and programs open, I use Final Cut Pro all the time, and in particular working with HD footage and motion effects is inappropriate for a 1.67 GHz PowerPC with 1GB of RAM.
On the very same day the new iMacs were announced, the day I’ve long feared came to pass: my PowerBook had started to fail. Specifically, the whole thing was running super slowly, and I didn’t know why until I checked the RAM: it read 512K, which is incorrect. I currently have two chips stored in there, so I knew one was either knocked loose, or failing.
I made a split second decision, and decided to get the new iMac.
There were a number of things that went into this very difficult decision, which felt mildly like I was conspiring to murder my own child*:
1) Do I want a new laptop, or a new desktop?
On this particular topic, I decided that A) I’m working from home full time, so why not spring for a desktop, and B) my laptop still works, albeit in a much reduced fashion. So I can still go mobile, but would be doing a major boost on my home computing.
2) Do I want an iMac, or a Power Mac?
Previously, this wouldn’t have even been a question (Power Mac would have been the answer), but the new iMacs have bumped their drive rotation speed up to 7200rpms, which is the minimum ideal speed for video editing. The other new specs were also pretty sweet, including basic RAM, hard drive space, and bumped up graphics capabilities.
3) Do I want the mega, most maxed out model?
Though it was tempting, and yes, I do want the most maxed out model, the truth of the matter is, I don’t need it. I’ve been working just fine on my PowerBook, and though, as mentioned, I was starting to push the limits of what I can do with the little buddy, I don’t need the top of the line, and won’t for a good long while now (at least, lets say, another four years).
4) Do I want it shipped overnight, or use free shipping.
Umm, I want it now, please.
By the way, in case it isn’t clear, at no point did the question, “Should I get something else than a Mac?” pass through my mind.
After several anxious days of waiting, and a morning full of checking the tracking page, and running to the window to see if Santa the Fed Ex truck was outside, I finally have my grubby mitts on a brand spanking new iMac.
So how does it measure up?
First, the (customized) specs:
- 20 Inch Screen
- 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
- 4GB 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM
- 750GB Serial ATA Drive
- Wireless Keyboard and Mouse
- Applecare, natch
That out of the way, here are my initial impressions… And please realize that, in general, these impressions are unfair as:
- I’m not comparing it head to head with an older iMac.
- I am comparing it to my Powerbook G4, which is much older and slower.
That being said, the speed bump is immense. I’m currently running seven different programs, and exporting a video file in the background from Final Cut Pro. Normally, I’d be able to export the Final Cut file, and go do something else for several hours. Not so with this iMac. In fact, the file, which in a previous iteration took me three hours to export, took, literally, ten minutes.
The new graphics card is beautiful. Working in Final Cut and Photoshop, it’s particular clear how crisp and clear the blacks and whites are. The colors also feel richer and more vibrant. And just for fun, I watched a movie trailer is 1080p. It ran smoothly, and looked gorgeous.
So far, so good, and I’m also enjoying working in Leopard (another new experience for me). For those of you late adopters like me, the new menu search function in Spotlight is a particularly welcome feature With it, you can search for menu items in your toolbar, and they’re quickly and cleanly opened and highlighted for you. No more fumbling around looking for a specific filter in Photoshop is a time saver indeed.
One last little note: the new iMac is almost completely silent. It may be my bad hearing, but as far as I can tell, the unit is running silently; no motor; no fan, just good clean, fun... I couldn't figure out how to end this sentence. Sorry.
You can get your own iMac over at Apple.com, but then, you already knew that. The price below is for my customized version, including tax and shipping.
[$2090, Apple]
*And when I say mildly, I mean “completely.”