iMac

SPOTLIGHT: Happy 10th Birthday, iMac!

Mehan Jayasuriya — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:02:45 -0400

It's hard to believe that it's been 10 years since I we first laid eyes on the original iMac, the machine that, in many ways, would save Apple from bankruptcy. Take a stroll down memory lane with Ars Technica, as they revisit the design-centric, all-in-one's decade-long history. Article

Apple bumps iMac to 3.06Ghz

Mehan Jayasuriya — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:51:51 -0400

There's been a lot of talk of Macs in the enterprise lately, so now seems as good a time as any for Apple to unleash an updated version of the iMac, its low-end, all-in-one desktop. This year's iMac tops off with a $2,200, 24" model that boasts a 3.06Ghz Core 2 Duo, a NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS graphics card with 512MB video RAM, up to 4GB of RAM and up to 1TB of internal storage. If that's too rich for your blood, there are more pedestrian models as well, which start at $1,200, all of which sport 6MB of L2 cache and a 1066 MHz front-side bus. Wondering what that mysterious 3.06Ghz Core 2 Duo is? While it was initially believed to be the first Montevina in the wild, it turns out that it's just an overclocked Penryn that is apparently exclusive to Apple, at least for the moment.

For more on the new machines:
- see this press release

Video: Walt Mossberg reviews the Gateway One

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 13:19:16 -0400

Mossberg gives Gateway One thumbs-down

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 07:59:53 -0400

Old Walt Mossberg has taken Gateway's forthcoming all-in-one One PC for a test drive and has posted a video and written review, as he is wont to do. The verdict? Not so good, folks. "I can't recommend the Gateway over the iMac," Mossy writes. "It offers smaller screens and lower resolution--huge factors in an all-in-one machine --for prices that can exceed the iMac's." Additionally, Mossberg took issue with the One's slow start-up and shut-down, lack of a built-in webcam, noise output, crapware-filled hard drive and reliability (it crashed twice during a few days of testing, including one BSOD). "The Gateway One may appeal to style-conscious Windows users, but I think the iMac remains the best consumer desktop on the market."

For more on Mossberg's thoughts on the One:
- watch the video review
- and read the full review at the Wall Street Journal

Dell teases all-in-one XPS One

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 07:59:59 -0400

This isn't the first time we've seen a major PC vendor teasing an iMac-like all-in-one Windows PC and it probably won't be the last. You'll probably recall that Gateway unleashed its One PC not too long ago and the verdict was pretty positive all around. Now, it looks like Dell is all set to debut their own all-in-one PC and it looks like its going to be called--drum-roll, please--the XPS One. Say what? Trademark infringement notwithstanding, Dell has been teasing its all-in-one lately, which is set to be unveiled shortly. Unfortunately for Dell, pretty much everything there is to know about the XPS One has already been leaked by either the FCC or anonymous tipsters, so we have a fairly good idea about what to expect. Look for a a 20-inch 1680x1050 display (though other sizes will likely be available as well), an Intel CPU of your choosing, ranging from a Celeron to a Core 2 Duo, Intel's G33 Bearlake chipset, 1-4GB of RAM in two DDR2 slots, a slot-loading drive (everything from CD-RW up to Blu-ray) and a 3.5-inch SATA drive of your choice. In terms of novel features, look for the entire rear cover of the XPS One to slide off, allowing the user to replace just about anything and nine capacitive-touch media buttons on the PC's bezel that will glow when touched. All told, this thing is looking pretty slick, so here's hoping that Dell drops the charade and gets real soon.

Everything you ever wanted to know about the XPS One but were afraid to ask:
- see this Engadget article

Apple owns up to freezing iMacs

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 06:59:54 -0400

During the last few days, iMac users have been complaining on various forums about freezing issues with the latest generation of iMacs. Apparently, when affected by the bug in question, "the computer becomes unusable, requiring a hard reset in order to recover." While a little lock up every now and again might be normal for users of Windows 95, it's a fairly unusual occurrence in OS X (which is not to say that Apple's platform is perfect--spinning beach ball of death, anyone?). For this reason, it seemed like there might be some sort of flaw with the glass and aluminum machines and sure enough, Apple has acknowledged that there is an issue. "A small number of iMac users have made us aware that a recent software update can sometimes cause their iMacs to freeze, requiring them to restart," a company spokesperson told MacWorld. "We are tracking down the root cause of this bug, and will issue a software update which corrects it as soon as we can--most likely later this month," the company spokesperson said.

For more on the issue:
- see this MacWorld article

Gateway One PC gets real

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 06:59:54 -0400

Gateway's been teasing us with this one for a while now so it's nice to finally see Gateway's "work of art" PC in the flesh. And what can I say? This thing is surprisingly sleek for a Gateway. That's a 19-inch screen that you're looking at, with a max 1400 x 900 resolution. You'll also get a slot-loading DVD-RW drive, a 2Ghz Core 2 Duo, 3GB of RAM, 500GB hard drive and a Mobility Radeon HD 2600 on the high-end model. What's more, this thing sports a number of really innovative features. First off, there's only one cable coming off of the thing: the One's powerbrick features an array of ports (USB, SPDIF, Optical audio, IR blaster, Ethernet), which means that you can stash all of your cables away under the desk while keeping your workspace clean. Unlike other all-in-one PCs (iMac, I'm looking in your direction), the One is also somewhat user-upgradable and allows for easy access to its memory and hard drives. Finally, the wireless mouse and keyboard come pre-paired with the computer, which means that even Grandma can get this thing up and running without much assistance (though you'll probably have to help her lift it up so she can slip a doily underneath). All in all, this is looking like a pretty solid all-in-one, especially for Windows lovers with a case of Apple envy. The One goes on sale in late October, starting at $1299.

For more on the One:
- check out Gizmodo's hands-on impressions

Gateway set to unveil all-in-one PC

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 06:59:53 -0400

Oh, Gateway, you're such a tease. Just last week, the company let loose a few tidbits on a new PC that's apparently so good looking, it belongs in an art gallery. At the time, the company revealed scant few details aside from the fact that they'll be showing off whatever it is tomorrow morning at the Digital Life conference in New York. Thanks to a teaser website, we now have a few more cryptic details on the "Gateway One, the sleek all-in-one PC." Visitors to BeautyofOne.com are greeted by an image of an iMac-esque machine, covered with a black shroud. At the bottom of the screen, there's a countdown--set to expire tomorrow morning. Will this be Gateway's answer to the iMac? Looks like we'll find out tomorrow.

For a peek at the Gateway One:
- visit BeautyofOne.com

Breaking: Apple announces new iMacs, Mac Minis, iLife and iWork

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 13:35:11 -0400

At a press conference in Cupertino today, Apple unveiled a wealth of new hardware and software to members of the press. As expected, the fully redesigned iMac was announced, as well as the rumored new keyboards and .Mac and iLife updates. Apple surprised a few folks, however, with updates to the Mac Mini as well as the iWork suite, which now features an Excel-like spreadsheet program. Here's the full skinny on all the latest gear:

iMac

- New brushed metal and glass look

- Super-slim profile

- All new thin keyboard (see photo below)

- As expected, there are now only two sizes: 20" ($1199) and 24" ($1499-$1799)

- Intel Core 2 Extreme processors up to ~~2.4Ghz~~ 2.8Ghz

- ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro graphics

- Up to 4GB of RAM, user expandable

- Up to 1TB of storage

- Glossy LCD display

- USB 2.0, Firewire 400 / 800, Bluetooth 2.0, 802.11n WiFi

- 8x slot-loading SuperDrive, built-in iSight camera

- Available now

Mac Mini

- 1.83Ghz/2.0Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo

- 1GB RAM standard

- 80GB/120GB hard drive

- Up to 2GB RAM/160GB hard drive

- Includes Apple Remote, Front Row, iLife '08, Mac OS 10.4, DVI-to-VGA adapter

- $599/$799 base price

- Ships within 24 hours

New Keyboards

- Available in full size (wired, USB 2.0) and small (wireless Bluetooth) models

- New ultra-thin, anodized aluminum look

- Flat, MacBook-style keys

- Includes dedicated keys for screen dimming/brightening, Expose, volume and optical drive eject

- $49.99 wired/$79.99 wireless

- Available now

iLife '08

- iPhoto: "Events" for easy organization of photo albums, .Mac web gallery for photo sharing/publishing, iPhone photo synching

- iMovie: iPhoto-like library features, support for higher-rez video formats, video sharing via .Mac gallery, encoding for iPod/iPhone/Apple TV, encode/upload direct to YouTube

- Available now, $79.99

iWork '08

- New spreadsheet app: Numbers, supports Microsoft Excel import/export

- Keynote: new text effects and transitions, new themes, easier access to animation tools

- Pages: contextual format bar, built-in change tracking, improved compatibility with Microsoft Word, new document templates

- $79.99 ($99.99 family pack)

- Available now

.Mac

- Integrates with iLife '08

- Allows for creation of web-based photo and video galleries

- Supports direct iPhone synching of web galleries

- 10GB storage/100GB monthly transfer

- $99.95 per year

- Available this week

For more on the new Apple products:
- visit Apple's website
- and check out Engadget's hands-on with the new iMac and keyboard