Customer Reviews

Apple iMac MB950LL/A 21.5-Inch Desktop (OLD VERSION)

5 star:		(94)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've been a PC users since the PCXT days. Now I have a mac. I really have been suprised at how easy it is to learn the mac way of doing things.

I'm a programmer by trade (not a desktop coder, but mainframe/database) and I actually decided to buy the iMac because of my desire to create apps for my iPhone. I was shocked to learn that I could keep my windows environment. I could have both worlds.

So far, everything has been very easy to install and use. I had the windows/vmware setup and the iPhone SDK install the first day. Coming from a PC, I'm delighted at how elegant the interface is, even the mouse and keyboard are elegant. The screen is very nice. Colors seem very good, but I haven't done any photo editing and color correction/matching (so you'll have to get the pros opinion on that one).

Windows runs very well on it and I've had no problems with it.

I can't see changing back to a PC for my uses (not a gamer). This iMac was the best value IMO, compared to the other mac's and macbooks. Even compared to the new mac mini (if you add in the additional cost of a good monitor, bluetooth keyboard and magic mouse, the mini was closing in on the iMac price). I'd recommend this iMac for any deveoper to use as a base system. Power seems more than sufficient add to that the capability to run windows as well and you have one of the best values in a development system I've seen.

All this and lets face it the mac experience is very pleasant, and it doesn't hurt to expand your development into the mac arena.

After one week, I'm already a satified mac user.

I'll update after a year or so of use and abuse.

This version of imac is amazing.
Pros:
1 This computer is fast and sleek.Looks beautiful.
2 No noise of fan or so.If one close there eyes,they can hardly tell if it sunning.This is not the case with any other ALLINONE desktops i owned.Ex dell studio 15 makes more noise then my kitchen fan.
3 The hardware is just enough for any thing.500GB hd is PLUS.The ram 4gb is hardly used.
4 Screen is beautiful.For some people the screen is like mirror and gets lots of reflection.But for me i love the screen.The screen can be moved easily if you getting any reflection.The glossy screen makes the view more enjoyable.
5 THE LEOPORD SNOW is very good.No issues so far.For PC users it will take little while to learn the shortcuts.But once they are used to it it will be very fast to access any thing.
6 The MOUSE was never a problem for me.I am so used to use forward and backward on the web pages using this mouse,When i use other mouse my fingers automatically slide.One can really admire the mouse once they get used to it in couple days.
7 Keyboard is small.i would love to have wireless keyboard with the numeric pad.
8 The sound is good on this computer.for a medium room i think this is more then enough.

CONS
1 The keyboard could be little better.i mean with numeric pad and more F buttons.
2 there should have a hard button for ejecting the DVD.When i was installing Windows 7 i was stuck with the DVD.Couldnt find a way to eject without loading OS.
3 DVDs with paper stickers on it stucks some time.So be careful if you are inserting a DVD with sticker labels.

Overall very happy with this purchase.

I bought the iMac in Feb 2010, and in April 2010 the iMac started freezing at random times. Finally, it wouldn't even power on. I only installed Photoshop and Sophos Anti-virus onto the iMac. Thank goodness it was in the 1 year limited warranty period. However, I did a quick search and found that Apple has been having logic board problems for a long time. It was certainly a disappointment to find that my first mac failed in 2months!

On a second note, if you still really want to buy an iMac, consider buying it from the Apple store instead of Amazon. When I brought the product into the Apple Store, they told me that if I had bought it there, they would just give me a new one. However, since it was purchased from Amazon, they would have to send it in for repairs and replacement parts (which may or may not be refurbished parts).

I've been strictly a PC guy for as long as I can remember (only used Macs in college writing labs). Since graduating from college over 14 years ago I literally have not used even one Mac. I was pretty much anti Mac because I thought they were over priced, underpowered and Steve Jobs really got on my nerves. I mean for the money you could get a faster, more feature packed PC for much less. I was also concerned about compatibility with PC files and software.

Well, now that I've matured and gotten over my childish hating of Steve and Mac now has PC emulation software, I reconsidered. My first reaction was to get another PC and continue along my merry way as I've always done. When I started my shopping I thought what the heck, let me check out the latest Macs on the apple Web site. I was blown away by the new iMacs. I ended up spending about 2-3 hours over a few days looking at the iMacs and reading reviews around the Web.

Long story short I finally got my iMac. It was a tough decision because I was purchasing one of these things I thought was overpriced and underpowered years back. The specs on these new iMacs got me intrigued. The large screen and all-in-one form sold me. The Core 2 Duo and 4GB ram was decent enough for me to give it a try.

In short I am VERY pleased I bought this computer. It's outstanding. Pros and Cons:


Pros:
- Design: This all-in-one design is absolutely better than any other all-in-one out there. Just a stunning screen, keyboard and a mouse (and no large brick connected to the power cord!). When I took the thing out I was looking for the other "components". Simply refreshing. How can Apple create such a slim, light and usable machine while HP, IBM and the others produce these clumsy all-in-ones?

- Screen: Just one word: amazing.

- Ease of use/setup: It's obvious these Apple guys really think about what users go through from the point they open the box, to the point they start using the computer. The process was so simple and easy. This old PC guy was almost looking for warnings or errors to pop up or something. Well done.

- Login process: OS X boots up so quick that sometimes I sit there waiting for the computer to do the hourglass thing like a PC. But it doesn't. You log in, you see the main screen shortly thereafter and you're ready to go. It almost seems wrong. Doesn't this thing need to boot up a bunch of stuff to get going? Apparently not. Also the clean layout of the icons on the bottom of the screen with no other pre-installed craplets or other desktop icons is such a refreshing change vs PCs.

- Software: I will hold off on commenting here until I've spent more time with the installed and purchased iWork software. Can't wait to get my hands on Garage band. My kids and I will have a blast.

- Keyboard and Mouse: Keyboard is so sleek and small you'd think it was a toy. It takes a bit of getting used to because some of the keys you'd find on a PC keyboard are missing (the back space and delete keys are the same key...use the Fn+delete to do forward deleting of characters). All in all though, not a problem. I haven't gotten used to all the multifunction keys yet, but I'm assuming these other cool stuff I can do with it that I'll figure out later.

- Magic mouse: One word: Schweet! I'm using it now to easily scroll through this comment I'm writing.

- Speed: So far haven't done any real heavy lifting with it like movie editing or MP3 encoding/transfers, but my Web browsing and video watching are blazing. And overall system response is excellent. Will report back as I use the system more over the next few weeks/months.

- Integrated with my home Wi-fi without a hitch. Even automatically found the drivers for my HP All-in-One printer. I didn't even have to download the Mac driver or anything.

- Oh, and it's real quiet too.


Cons:
- Screen can show a lot of glare. This can be a problem for some folks and in certain room settings

- Could have gotten a unit with more ram and faster processor if I got a PC. But to be honest, given my experience so far with this thing, I really don't care. Technical specks aint everything. User experience is important as well. I guess a gamer would care though. But they can get the 27" model with the intel i7 processor.

- PC guys have to learn some things like how to cut, paste, undo, use safari, navigate around the OS, etc.

- That's all so far, will report back over the next weeks/months with new issues/concerns.


In summary, I am one happy customer. We still have two PCs in the house and I'm still a PC guy; but check back with me in a year or so -- that may change.

Hey PC guys/gals out there...you will not regret buying this thing. Go ahead, do it.

-----------------------------------------
6/25/10 Update:
Now that I've had my iMac for several months now I can provide an updated review:

Overall: My family and I still love it and would definitely buy it again. My next computer purchase will be a replacement for my IBM ThinkPad -- it will certainly be a Mac Book.

Pros:
- Screen size, resolution and design (with caveat noted in Cons)
- Operating system/User Interface -- just plain smooth, fast and user-friendly.
- Various utilities that come pre-installed.
- Reliability - Rock solid. The thing is like an appliance. When you need it, it's ready. When you don't, it fades into the background and sucks very little power.
- Overall design and form factor of the entire unit. It's such a pleasure to look at and use. The keyboard (with caveats noted in the Cons section), mouse and screen work together very well (especially on a small desk)
- It's so quiet that when it's on and you're not using it, it just fades into the background. You forget it's there.


Cons:
-Keyboard missing a dedicated key. While I really like keyboard (I type faster with it than a standard PC keyboard), I will be upgrading to the full iMac keyboard because I REALLY miss my forward delete key and number pad. Omitting the forward delete was a real big mistake in my idea. It's driving me crazy! Having to do the Fn-Delete combination each time is very annoying.

- I was annoyed that I couldn't do some standard PC things on it, like tile all displayed windows with a few key or mouse strokes. To be fair, a Mac is a Mac and does not try to be a PC so it's not a Mac's fault it can't do these things. But PC users will have to spend time figuring out "how do you do [insert routine PC function here] on a Mac" . Again, not fair, but a Con nonetheless because I had to spend time figuring it out rather than just doing.

- Screen gets a lot of finger prints and smudges. A magnet for kiddie finger prints. Screen glare is bothersome under certain lighting conditions.

- Kinda makes me kick myself for being so anti-Mac for so long and not buying one sooner. I could have avoided so much PC pain.


That's all for now.

After 15 years of using PC, we decided to switch to Mac and so far we are very happy with our iMac. The 21.5-inch screen is bright and sharp. Glare is not an issue to us because our window is on the left hand side, not directly behind. Also, when we were at the apple store, we saw both the 21.5-nch and and old 20-inch on display. The 21.5-inch seems much bigger - not merely 7% judging from the number. So we were really impressed. The 27-inch seems WAYYYY to big. It almost makes you dizzy sitting right in front of it.

When I first set up my iMac on the desk, I immediately noticed a buzzing sound caused by certain vibration. It's not loud but sufficiently disturbing. I searched the internet and found many people had similar problems with their iMacs too. Some people brought their iMacs back to apple store for service and had some parts (mostly air fans) changed, but not much help. So I decided to have some experiment with my setup. First, I tried my iMac on my kitchen countertop, which is granite. No vibration, no buzzing sound at all. Then I put my laptop PC on my desk, same spot where I put my iMac. LOUD and LOUD buzzing sound. So I knew the problem was caused by the desk, not the iMac. Now I have a photo album with leather cover underneath my iMac. No buzzing sound any more. Very happy with the machine thereafter.

The switch from PC to Mac is easy. We do not need to take any special course or tutorial to get started. Everything is exremely intuitive. From here or there we had some questions, we checked the video clips on apple's website and at one time called apple hotline. Our questions were solved immediately.

Overall, this machine is wonderful. Starts and shuts down super fast. Launches and closes programs super fast. Extremely quite - once we solved the buzzing sound problem, we could hardly hear anything, even the cooling fan sound that we constantly hear from our PC. The built in speakers produce a wonderful sound that fills the entire room with no difficulty - almost to the same level as my Bose mini system. And finally, we love the magic mouse. It is so fun to scroll up and down, left and right, and rotate everything on your finger tip without the need to drag it all over the screen.

We strongly recommed this machine to anyone who's tired of PC and wants to have a different experience on what's a computer can do to you.

This is my first Mac. Like many others, I finally got tired of the multitude of PC issues and made the switch. So far (about two weeks), I couldn't be more pleased. I've never had such a smooth experience with a computer. The OS learning curve is not that bad. I'm feeling pretty comfortable already, much of which is knowing that the machine will always be ready to do what you want it to, without the endless rebooting, delays, crashes, etc., that ruined the PC experience for me. When you turn it on, you know it's going to work. I never knew what to expect from my PC on any given day.

The 21.5 inch display is bright, rich and detailed; reflections should not be a problem unless your room is brightly lit or has many windows; reasonable precautions here will suffice.

My internet speed has gone from 1-3 mbps to over 9 mbps on the average. This had been noticeably slowing for several months on the PC and I was thinking about switching providers. Now I don't have to. Apparently PCs can get clogged up with a lot of junk which ultimately affects internet processing. Whatever the reason for the improvement, I'm delighted with the result.

Set-up was simplicity itself. I followed instructions by hooking up all peripherals before turning it on for the first time, and everything was recognized automatically. Except for verifying my email address (which the Mac had already obtained), I had nothing to do. The whole process took only a couple of minutes.

All of the iLife applications I've tried have worked flawlessly, just as advertised. I have used only one (iPhoto) in depth so far, but I'll get around to several others before long, and fully expect results just as good. Everything seems more intuitive and common-sensical than on Windows-based machines.

I expected to have problems adapting to the new truncated keyboard, but not so. I already like it better than the old one with the PC. It might look flimsy, but it's really quite hefty, with a solid feel and good feedback. Keys are less noisy, almost silent, in fact, and are quite responsive. I do not miss the numbers section, as I rarely used it anyway. Its absence saves desktop space, which is always welcome.

I like the new Magic Mouse, as well, with one minor quibble. It, too, has a solid feel and, due to the batteries, is somewhat heavier than your average mouse. But it is not difficult to manuever. I have experienced no drag on either my desktop or a mouse pad. Clicking and scrolling are easy to master and respond quickly, unlike some other Bluetooth mice. The only problem I've had is in using the two-finger swipe to advance web pages or photos. For me, it works only sporadically, but that's probably because I just don't have the hang of it yet. I'll keep trying.

The built-in speakers are better than the JBLs I had been using with the PC. They are more than adequate for casual music listening and movie soundtracks. The sound is crisp and detailed, with a surprisingly good bass foundation for speakers this size.

A real plus is Apple's well-written and detailed Support section on its website. I haven't looked up anything yet which hasn't been explained fully in easy-to-understand language for a layman like me. I had been considering buying one of the instruction books, but I don't think I'll have to. There seems to be everything here that most people would ever need to know.

Bottom-line recommendation: ditch that PC and get yourself a Mac. It may be a little more expensive, but it will more than make up the difference in the long run, in terms of reduced frustration and time-saving if nothing else.

The trouble began when the aluminum-bodied 20" iMac replaced the white polycarbonate 20" iMac. Not only does it have a highly-reflective (albeit high-quality, very plane) glass, it has a TN screen that is 6-bit per channel. The TN screen found in the 20" iMac was inferior to the IPS panel found in the 24". Those who demand image quality had two choices: buy the 24" iMac or buy the 20", turn it toward the wall and make the wallpaper white so it lights up the user environment, and buy a quality IPS screen. This back-to-back solution may seem funny, but it does work. The TN screen displays different colors at different viewing angles (Unless the user moves his/her eyes directly over the pixel, the viewing angle variation relative to the pixel position causes the color to vary greatly.

The 21.5" is a major leap forward, because the entry-level iMac has the same GHz rating as the old top-of-the-line model, has a new two-AA bluetooth keyboard, and a wireless mouse. These are the added value that used to be extra before, and the Magic Mouse wasn't even available.

With the new 21.5", the users no longer have to choose a larger screen simply for better image/color quality. The glass, however, continues to be highly reflective and uncoated (no anti-reflective coating, as you may find on camera lenses, MacBook Air, and even Audi TT's speedometer/Tachometer).

Those who do not use the numeric keypad would definitely welcome the small-footprint wireless keyboard. It allows the user to bring the mouse closer to the keyboard and reduce wrist, forearm, and shoulder stress.

The Magic Mouse has finally done away with the problem-prone scroll ball found in the Mighty Mouse. I wish the top surface of this mouse were more matte/velvety than the glossy surface it is. The glossy surface is nothing more than cosmetic. Imagine if the trackpad on all the Mac portables turn glossy. I am sure there would be plenty of complaints. The glossy surface on the predecessor was OK because the fingers didn't have to glide over the glossy surface. Although the glossy surface is not a problem for me, because I don't use a mouse at all (Kensington Expert Mouse and WACOM, please), those with sweaty fingers would find it problematic.

Those familiar with the round iMac mouse will find this familiar: Its symmetrical shape lets the user easily lose orientation, because there is not a cord attached to it. As a result, the user must look at the logo first to identify which direction is supposed to be pointing up.

The integrated nVidia 9400M is more than good enough for casual users. Those who may need 3D or gaming capabilities should choose the other models with independent video cards.

NOW, THE $500 QUESTION. How does this screen compare to the 24" in physical dimension? This screen has 1920 pixels across, which is the same as the 24". The 21.5" is 18.7" wide, which is slightly narrower than the 20.25" width found on the 24". This means the 21.5" has higher pixel density. What about the height? 12.75" for the 24" iMac and 10.5" for the 21.5" iMac.

I forgot to mention that in the past, the power switch has a different shiny surface (while the entire back is matte) and has a concave surface. However, this one is perfectly flush to the back and is very difficult to detect. It takes some poking around. Another thing: they new wireless keyboard is noticeably noisier than the USB or previous three-AA aluminum wireless keyboard. Apparently the mechanism is not the same as the other aluminum keyboards.

I've had a love-hate with Apple going back to the very first Macintosh. I love their user interfaces and their one-box designs, and yet they keep doing things that drive me crazy- and back to Windows. The last Mac I bought was a reconditioned unit that died just out of the 90 day warranty period. The local Apple authorized retailer wanted $500 to replace what they thought the problem was (in addition to the $100 they charged me up front) with no guarantee that it would work, and if it did work, I'd get another 90 day warranty. Huh? Back to Windows and linux.

When I needed to upgrade my 5 year old Wintel box recently I sat down and looked at the numbers. The best reliability stats are for Apples and home built machines, using top quality components. I could spend about $700-800 on a home built quad core Wintel machine with a terabyte of RAID 1 disk, and another $200-300 on a new large display, and do my own support, or $1200 on an less powerful iMac plus another $170 for the warranty and more for backup disk system. I'd also have to buy new software. On the plus side, there'd be one box on the desktop, no interconnecting wires, no system integration problems, and when things went wrong, just one company to complain to. I decide to bite the bullet and buy the iMac.

The first question was, which model? For me, the 21.5 was big enough for photo editing and anything else I planned on doing. Someone doing a lot of video editing might want a larger display, but the pixel number is the same with either unit. Next, which processor? The faster processor didn't seem worth an extra $200. If I really needed high speed I'd be better off with one or more quad core chips. Memory? If 4GB wasn't enough, I could add more in a year or two at a lower price- swapping RAM is one of the few few mods the user can safely do on an iMac. I didn't need a high-end video chip set, and 500Gb should be enough disk, combined with a separate NAS serve.

The last question was where to buy it? Local Apple store- which is staffed by what appear to be 16 year old "geniuses", direct from Apple, or from Amazon or another vendor? In the end, I went with Amazon for two reasons: One, the discount. Amazon's prices are about as low as anyone's Number two, service. If something went wrong, the machine arrived DOA, or there was shipping damage, past experience tells me I'd have less trouble dealing with Amazon than with any other vendor.

So far, I'm reasonably pleased with my choice. I was able to move most of the expensive software to Mac versions, and port all my documents and settings directly over my home network. I love the display, and the new Mac mouse and keyboard are excellent- particularly the mouse. After 30+ years in the computing industry I really don't want to spend much time flipping bits- I'd rather be using applications and not worrying about the configuration details, and that's what the Mac excels at. Plug something it, and voila, you're set to go. Not everything is perfect; I can't seem to get the plug-ins installed in Audacity properly, and the iLife suite isn't quite as all-encompassing as advertised- unless you buy the various add-ons. But overall I'm pleased.

I'm still going to keep my one Windows desktop and my Windows and Linux netbooks, and they're cheap and reliable. But I've moved all my photo and video editing, writing and music production to the Mac, and that's where it'll stay for now.

Although I have owned more computers than I care to admit, I am no technogeek. I want things simple and reliable. And this machine is it. It is an eye-pleasing machine; reproduces beautiful sharp images on the monitor; gone is the cable clutter; it takes up minimal space; and has a small yet very smooth keyboard. Most important, it works right out of the box with minimum fuss -- basically just plug into the wall.

The Apple website is one of the best for providing tutorials and simple easy to understand instructions if you need guidance on "how to."

If you grew up on Windows as have most of us, it will take you a bit to get used to the MAC way of doing things, but once you do, you will love it. Little things can drive you nuts at first: e.g., when you press delete MAC deletes the symbol in back of the cursor as opposed to Microsoft systems which delete in front of the cursor.

Drawbacks? Sure it's got them. My kids complain that they can't download lots of games from the internet (Good!) because they won't work on non-Windows systems (You can always get Windows for MAC, but why bother?) The mouse is a bit heavy and at first hard to get used to, but give it time.

Highly recommended

No other words other then Wonderful. I am 71 years old and wonder why I hadn't switched sooner. So little time..with so many wonderful things to learn.By all means spend the extra $$, you won't regret it.