*** New Design 2012 iMac 21.5" & 27" ***

At The Gates said:
I need a new PC & monitor of some sort since mine broke. I only really have time to use it for photo editing and scanning anymore so i have been considering a Mac. One question, how good will Bootcamp be on these new iMacs. Good in a "it loads windows and Office kind of works" way or good in a "even the latest games run at full speed to a comparably spec'd PC".

Thanks
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Good as in "even the latest games run at full speed to a comparably spec'd PC" the 2011 iMac worked fine with Windows 7 and Windows 8 and in my experience most games that worked in OSX saw about a 20% improvement under Windows (obviously the is also the advantage that DX games now work and OpenGL games made in the last half decade don't throw up visual anomalies).

Like the other guy says Bootcamp isn't an environment or anything, the program merely lets you split the disk between OSX/Windows partitions (a % you decide) then reboot and install Windows as you would on any machine, after you're done you then use a driver/software USB stick or CD you made during the Boot camp process to install drivers for the hardware and install software that makes the keyboard function keys (eject, brightness, etc) work.

I got rid of my iMac because I had gotten to the point where I never booted into OSX and felt like it was a waste of the system compared to a comparable PC. Having said that If I could return the parts in the machine I have built for the money I spent on them and get one of these new iMacs I would do so.
 
I prefer the older design looks wise. Since it's really a static machine you won't be moving, making it thinner doesn't really matter.

They should have added all those new upgrades to the existing chassis. Even so it's a great looking machine and looks rather powerful as well.
 
Even on die hard Mac forums this new iMac is getting panned. The 21.5" base which many many pundits always described as the best value iMac has been crippled in this update. Soldered RAM, 5400 rpm drive - no upgradability - seriously? Then there's the bulge at the rear, no ODD and the SD card slot shoved at the back - why?

Viewed from the front (which BTW is how I tend to use my 2011 model :rolleyes:) then the look is identical to present models. Prices are higher despite computer components falling in price and LCD prices collapsing. The iMac is I'm afraid simply descending into a Laptop on a stick.

What does look far more interesting is the Mac Mini - now pair the i7 with a good IPS display and you have a nifty little machine there. If the iMac carries on in this vain then come time to change mine I will certainly be looking towards the Mini rather than the iToy.

Of course there are the Apple FB who will buy into the latest iteration simply because it's Apple - let's face it some would buy a pig if the Apple logo was stamped on it. However, for those who buy for other reasons I suggest this is one to miss.
 
Part of the thinness has to do with improving the display - they shaved 5mm off via a better LCD panel and a further 2mm via the new lamination process, so now the display looks less 'behind the glass' and it reduces reflections by 75% supposedly. Given getting rid of optical was always in the pipeline, the display part has kinda arrived at this thickness without it being entirely 'make it thin just because'. They could have still done a bigger back with more empty space inside but, hey, why not.

I agree about hobbling the 21.5" iMac, at least with the RAM. With hard drives they obviously want to nudge people towards SSD as much as possible - the Fusion drive is sort of a concession given we're a long way off them replacing your average 1TB drive.
 
I have been rocking a 20" March 2006 (!) iMac from new. Wanted to replace but was always waiting for the refresh. After refresh I decided on a refurbished 21.5" May 2011. $500 cheaper, i5 processor, 4GB RAM (User upgradable), 500GB HDD (I have Media Servers to hold stuff if required) - it's a great machine (Arrive yesterday and have spent hours getting it as I want it) and is scarily better than my old one (But naturally!).

I still wonder whether it would be worth spending another $700 on a new one but I just can't justify it - and after waiting so long I wish I could! But I would recommend thinking carefully about what you actually want the machine to do rather than going for the latest and greatest - sometimes saving that extra bit is worth it.
 
Faustus said:
If the iMac carries on in this vain then come time to change mine I will certainly be looking towards the Mini rather than the iToy.
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Couldnt agree more with this, there is no incentive now to get an iMac, just get a mac mini and a apple monitor (or any other one that suits!) since the mini is so small
 
Been waiting for this bad boy since Jan to replace my old PC.

Agree with comments as I do not understand why Apple obsesses with getting it thinner. It's a desktop unit that will sit on my desktop. It's not going anywhere. I won't be looking at it side on.

That said I cannot wait. Just hope I will not have to sell my wife and kid to get the top end 27"...
 
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