Back in Black. (And Aluminum.)

by Caitlyn Imbimbo • 09/13/2007 at 07:48 AM

The summer of 2007 has been a summer of many changes for Apple, Inc,; the most highly anticipated being the release of the iPhone, on June 29. Less advertised were MacBook Pro updates incorporating the new Intel Santa Rosa processor technology earlier that same week. All was (fairly) new well in the Apple product lineup… except for the iMac. The iMac had had an unusually long 325 day long product cycle (compared the iMac’s previous average of 168 days).

Had they forgotten the iMac? It seemed so, until rumors surfaced of a shiny new glass screen and an aluminum finish to match the Mac Pro line. Shortly after launch, I got the chance to test the new design (it pays to be friends with the Geniuses!). Here’s what I thought:

New Design & Glass Screen
The most apparent change, at first glance, is the slimmer case made of aluminum and glass, iMac firsts. Apple incorporated a mixture of silver and black colors to create a stunning new look for the iMac. As you’ve probably seen in pictures, the iMac retained the last revision’s design of the "floating display" on a simplistic aluminum stand. However, this model is noticeably thinner than the original Intel iMac’s body.

One thing you can’t tell from the photos though, is that the back of the machine, sporting a shiny black Apple logo and a matte black finish, bulges out a bit more than the previous model. It probably won’t matter to the average user, but it’s worth noting the difference.

The layer of glass the Apple has implemented into the new iMac’s screen creates a glossy finish, similar to the one found in current portable lines. I have always been a fan of the glossy screens, even before I purchased my MacBook in the summer of 2006. However, I do have one minor gripe with it. My main concern stems from my interest in graphic and web design. It’s a well-known fact that a glossy finish will make colors appear more saturated than they actually are. This can lead to inaccurate color representation in print and for users of matte screens.

One great thing about the glossy screens, though, is the lack (or lessening) of glare. Even on a larger screen, there was no visible glare indoors. For new users, it may take a bit of getting used to, but trust me, worth it. The iMac’s screen is very adjustable and can be set to the whatever angle you prefer. Even in the Apple Store, which is an insanely bright atmosphere, I had no trouble seeing through the glass into the virtual world that we know and love as Mac OS X.

New Keyboard
One of the most accurate Apple rumors I have ever seen come to pass, aside from the recent iPod Nano updates, was that of the aluminum keyboard Apple is now including with iMacs (which is also sold separately now as Apple’s default consumer keyboard). It’s basically a slim piece of aluminum with "chiclet keys" like those on the MacBook.

I was anxious to try out this new keyboard, as I’m a fan of the Macbook keyboard. But could it carry over to a super thin and what looked like an unsteady piece of aluminum? The answer is a resounding yes. As flimsy as the new Apple keyboard may appear in photos, it’s far from it. I typed at my usual speed (blazingly fast, honest), and at no time did I feel as if the keyboard was not able to handle the constant taps at its keys.

I love the full sized keyboard. It’s strong and insanely sleek-looking. It matches the Apple style and the new iMac beautifully. Of course, I do have one problem with the new Apple keyboard; or rather, the wireless version that is slated for release within the month. Rather than simply cutting the cord on this new keyboard, Apple has more or less adapted the Macbook keyboard (cutting out everything to the right of the return button). My concern with this Bluetooth keyboard, though, is not it’s lack of keys. It is really the design. Ergonomically, I don’t see how it’s going to work. It is supported by a curved stand. I’m not sure if that will be as sturdy or supportive as the wired aluminum keyboard. Apple has said that it is supposed to sit on your lap, but that can’t be comfortable or realistic all the time.

General Performance Opinion
Where can one begin with a computer that, during its release, had a processor so advanced that it wasn’t even listed on Intel’s website yet? The iMac I tested was a near-top-of-the-line 24" 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme with 2GB of RAM. I wasn’t able to obtain any benchmark specs for you or run super extensive tests. However, I was able to get a feel for the overall system, its performance and its speed.

Let’s begin with what a lot of general consumers may be looking for a report on: boot time. Starting up the new iMac took approximately 23 seconds. Twenty-three seconds is about the time it takes for my MacBook Core Duo with 2GB of RAM and 2GHz processor to load, so I wasn’t too impressed. But then I began to think: the iMac at the Apple stores are always loaded with software to give users a feel for all kinds of applications on the machine. I also realized that this machine is only being used at stock level. The new iMacs have the capability to go to 4GB of RAM, so this boot up time could easily be increased.

Obviously, general Mac OS X usage was faster than my slightly older MacBook. However, the new iMac really shines in Apple’s pro applications. Think about it: the 24" iMac contains two 2.8GHz processors. I mean, Mac OS X is decently fast on an older 15" PowerBook if all you plan to do is chat, browse the web or basic office functions. When you use the iMac to its full potential, you can see just how powerful this machine really is. The speed of Photoshop CS3 was simply amazing to me. iLife applications loaded in seconds. Safari was up and running almost instantly upon my clicking its icon in the dock. As I said, I was not able to throughly test the speed of the new iMac’s processors. However, I can tell you this much: the 2.8GHz processor is amazing and so far the fastest processor on any entry level Mac. The combination of the updated processor and video card inside the aluminum iMac really makes the purchase worth it. With this kind of speed, you could use the iMac until Apple releases the next one in two years (but let’s hope it’s sooner!).

New Software
The aluminum and glass iMac isn’t amazing simply for it’s looks and speed. What makes a Mac so tempting to so many people is the ability to do just about anything right out of the box. Apple’s included selection of top-quality software ranges from an instant-messaging app, web browsing software and a stunning email application to a full-blown movie editor, photo management system and a word processor.

On August 7th, Apple released long overdue upgrades to to it’s popular creative and productivity suites (iLife (’08) and iWork (’08)). Both were significant updates that packed some great new software and features. The best part is that anyone who buys an iMac will get a copy of iLife ‘08 included in their Macintosh and a free trial version of iWork ‘08. Therefore, I was able to give both software updates a whirl on the 24" iMac.

I’ll save the major nitty gritty information for dedicated reviews; however, in short some of the great enhancements to iLife were made mostly in iPhoto, iWeb and as some would say in iMovie. iPhoto ‘08’s most prominent new feature, in my eyes, is the addition of Events. Events allows you to organize your photos by the days they took place. You can browse through your Event folders, each containing a picture review of its contents. iMovie is completely redesigned, acting not only as a movie editor but a movie library organizer; sort of like iPhoto for movies. Most love it or hate it. I’m still on the fence with iMovie ‘08. It looks like it carries a lot of potential; however, so many users got used to the amazingly simple style and design of iMovie ‘06. It’s hard to teach old dogs new tricks. Lastly, a mind-blowing (as far as Apple is concerned) new feature in iWeb: support for external domains. This means that a user doesn’t need to purchase a .Mac account in order to host an iWeb-created website. iWeb allows you to enter the FTP information for an domain and web server space you may have online already, a much needed and soon-to-be very-appreciated new feature.

iWork ‘08’s upgrades weren’t as numerous, but what they lacked in quantity they made up for in quality. With minor updates to Pages (allowing it to be used in a new word processing mode) and Keynote (minor updates, including new themes), came the introduction of an application called Numbers. The application is meant to be Apple’s response to the demand in an Excel-type spreadsheet application from Mac users. Numbers has a great UI. Being someone who wasn’t very familiar with the what seems to be complicated interface and features of Excel, I wasn’t sure if I would like or even know how to use Numbers. Upon opening it on the new iMac, however, I immediately caught on. Apple has done it again. They have taken something complex and made it simpler, yet just as feature-filled as the competition. I think as time goes on, iWork will truly become the anti-Office suite Apple had high hopes to be. It certainly is well on its way.

With the passing of the one month anniversary of the aluminum iMac’s release, the machine seems to be selling well, but not as rapidly as I’d expected. I must say, this must be one of the more drastic design changes an Apple computer has seen in a bit of time. In any case, the speed alone (including software and higher RAM capacities) either make up for the change in appearance (if you’re not a fan) or make the package even more attractive (for those of you who are loving Apple’s move towards an almost all aluminum lineup).