Apple iMac: Still the Desktop Star

A minimalist redesign, a zippy new OS, and terrific new software make the iMac the all-in-one desktop computer of choice for multimedia lovers

by Cliff Edwards

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Giant screen, easy-to-use software; plentiful ports for peripherals

The Bad: Pricey; no media card reader; no ability to upgrade optical drive to high-definition DVD

The Bottom Line: The updated iMac remains the champ for those looking for a multimedia PC

Reader Reviews

Zooming around a sharp corner while playing Electronic Arts' Need for Speed video game on my computer, I spun out of control, hit a guardrail, and sailed over a cliff to my doom. It's an outcome that's all too common now, but one that wasn't even possible until Apple began using zippy Intel (INTC) processors in its computers, prompting EA (ERTS) to create versions of its games for the iMac.

It's been just a year since Apple (AAPL) made the switch, and the iMac has very quickly become the machine to beat if you want an all-in-one desktop computer. Between its design makeover, new multimedia software, and the ability to play games once confined to Windows-based computers and dedicated game consoles, the iMac remains the undisputed champ even as rivals Gateway (GTW), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), and Sony (SNE) step up their offerings.

Breezy Setup

The latest iMac line, released in August, consists of two 20-inch models and the $2,400, 24-inch model I tried. The previous model's white plastic design has been replaced with a glass screen surrounded by anodized aluminum and black plastic trim that's elegant and understated. There's one downside to this redesign: The tiny iMac remote, which can be used to control music and video playback, can no longer be magnetically attached to the side of the screen—making it easier to misplace or lose when not in use.

As always, setting up the iMac is mostly a trouble-free affair. For many users, it's as easy as plugging in the power cable, the Ethernet cable for Internet access, the mouse, and a redesigned, wafer-thin keyboard. The setup is slightly more complicated, but still relatively easy, for those who want to connect to the Internet using the built-in Wi-Fi transmitter, which is compatible with speedier 802.11n wireless routers in addition to older "b" and "g" versions.

Peripheral Details

The matte black back of the PC sports a healthy array of peripherals ports along the bottom. These include analog and digital audio ports, three USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400 and 800 ports, a gigabit Ethernet port, and a mini-DVI port for connecting an external display.

I also tested Apple's new $79 aluminum wireless keyboard, which connects via Bluetooth, and the $59 wireless Mighty Mouse. The keyboard feels like a work of art, with its thin profile and space-saving omission of the numerical keypad typically found on the right of its wired brethren. It also improves on Apple's previous wireless keyboard with a feature that automatically powers it on when you start typing and turns it off when it's idle. The prior model had to be turned on and off manually, and since most people don't think to turn off a keyboard, the battery would drain quickly.

The glossy glass screen takes some getting used to, but the glare from external lighting doesn't affect viewing as much as I had feared it would when I first took the iMac out of the box.

Leapin' Leopard

Few would argue iMacs aren't things of beauty, but what really makes them stand out is Apple's great software. High on that list is the company's new operating system, OS X Leopard, released in late October. Leopard is yet another notch in Apple's belt that will keep it ahead of rival Windows machines in the consumer space. Leopard's key benefit: It helps you organize all the digital files that make your computer a repository of life's personal information—be they music, photos, or video.

Unlike the new Windows Vista platform, Leopard took only about 30 seconds from the time I turned the machine on until it was ready for me to use. Some Windows machines can take as long as three minutes to boot. Leopard's other significant improvement is a bit of software called Time Machine that makes it easy to back up and retrieve files. The application creates a timeline with iTunes-like Cover Flow imagery to flip through the material as if turning the pages of a book.

Media Apps Stand Out

Digging into the software beyond Leopard, my favorite application is the redesigned iMovie. A new skimming feature lets you zip through footage to find a favorite scene and then drag and drop it into the editing queue. Although you may need to buy a camera for your footage to be instantly compatible with the software, iMovie eliminates much of the pain of slicing and dicing your own movies. Using a JVC high-definition camcorder, it took me about an hour to make a 10-minute movie with neat dissolves and a soundtrack. It would have been even quicker if I hadn't needed to first transcode the camera's incompatible format into Apple's QuickTime. The iMovie software even lets you share clips to the .Mac online service, iPhone, or iPod, as well as to YouTube.

Other software goodies include Magic GarageBand, which lets you create a jam session with preset instrumental styles such as jazz or Latin beats. And iPhoto gets a nice upgrade with Events—a more intuitive way of storing and finding photos, essentially grouping them into folders that can be explored simply by mousing over them.

While many people are turning to notebooks for their next computers, anyone buying the new iMac won't be disappointed.

Edwards is a correspondent in BusinessWeek's Silicon Valley bureau .