Here’s a slew of news about the latest iMacs including instructions on how to upgrade the RAM, availability of the Core i5 and Core i7 27-inch iMacs, and by reviews of the late-2009 iMacs including a sneak peek into the Core i5 version.
The Mac Observer gave the heads up on an Apple knowledge base article for the late-2009 iMacs which gives details on how to install additional memory or replace the memory. The latest line of iMacs have four SO-DIMM DDR3 SDRAM slots located at the bottom of each computer, and both 21.5-inch and 27-inch models can be fitted with a maximum of 16 GB of memory.
Apple in the U.S. began shipping the Core i5 version of the 27-inch iMac November 9 with Electronista being one of the firsts to release initial benchmarks of the quad-core iMac. The verdict so far: with all cores running, the new Core i5 iMacs ran 2 to 2.5 times faster than its 24-inch predecessor. The more powerful Core i7 version began shipping the day the Core i5 shipped . It was indicated that the Core 2 Duo models are facing delay in shipping by 7 to 10 days probably due to increased demand. Apple Store Philippines still lists both the 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMacs as estimated to ship in “November”.
Both 21.5-inch models and the low-end 27-inch version all share the same 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB of shared Level 2 cache and 4GB of RAM. The difference lie in the graphics card, according to Macworld. Their benchmarks revealed that there isn’t much of a performance difference between the early-2009 iMacs and the ones released a few weeks ago. According to Roman Loyola, it’s more about the screens:
The Late 2009 iMacs are really about the new displays—and the displays are impressive. The screens in the 21.5-inch iMacs are a welcomed change over the 20-inch, 6-bit displays, and the IPS technology in the new iMacs preserves the image quality at any viewing angle.
V3.co.uk remarked that the new 27-inch iMac’s smaller ‘chin’ has made the iMac look more like a display than a computer. The 16:9 aspect ratio makes the 27-inch just a tad taller than the 21.5-inch model. The bigger enclosure allowed Apple to put in more fans making the line run cooler and quieter.
According to Marco Arment, the pricing of the 27-inch iMac baffles him. He says that the new 27-inch iMac has an amazing pixel density, uses the most expensive type of LCD panel, and has the additional feature of being LED backlit.
When Arment looked for other 27-inch displays in the market that has the same 2560×1440 resolution to compare with the 27-inch iMac, he couldn’t find any. What came close, he says, are the 30-inch LCD displays that are taller but have the same width with the iMacs. Which means that the 27-inch iMacs, being three inches smaller diagonally, is packing the same number of pixels in a smaller space. He surmised that Dell could sell a $1500 monitor that’s almost as good as the iMac’s display but pay $200 more for an iMac and you get a computer together with that gorgeous display.
AppleInsider‘s review is a bit more thorough which not only goes into the details of what’s new inside but of the extras as well. The reviewer believes that the new iMacs “delivers a great overall package at a new lower price,” adding, “Overall, the new big screen iMac promises to be a popular addition to Apple’s lineup, and deliver a great performance to dollar ratio.”
Overall, most of the reviews were about the displays: bigger, brighter, better. And Apple isn’t charging any premium for it. Performance-wise, the new iMacs only made some incremental improvements. However, the Core i5 and Core i7 models have begun shipping and preliminary tests on the Core i5 iMac show some very promising results.
Related posts:
- Firmware Restoration CD 1.8, Graphics Firmware Update 1.0, and iMac Late 2009 Windows 7 Drivers
- Electronista’s Core i5 iMac review; Core i7 iMac unboxing photos
- Using the 27-inch iMac as an external display
- Apple News: iMac on MacWorld, SteveJack on FrontRow; Lemming on predictions; Hannibal asks why
- Macworld: new iMacs almost erases distinction between consumer and pro systems
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