New iMac thread, please post thoughts/experiences here

I'm starting this thread to gather our thoughts and experiences with the new iMacs, both the 21.5" and the 27". I wanted to do this so we didn't hijack the other threads (like we kind of have with the Magic Mouse thread).

I am in the market for the new i7 CTO version because the program I use most, Logic Studio, uses hyperthreading to great effect and will use the eight virtual cores of the i7 vs. the four cores of the i5.

I was at an Apple store this weekend and saw four or five new 27" iMacs, all C2D with the ATI 4680 video card. The i5 and i7 are not yet available in-store or for delivery. One thing that concerned me was that one of the four/five iMacs had a screen flickering issue. I had hoped it was only in need of rebooting, but recently I looked at both the Macrumors and official Mac forums and I have seen mention of it in both forums:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=808339
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2212682

Check out the Apple thread and the guy posts a video of what it looks like.

The "good" news (if you can call it that) is that the other four in-store were okay, only one suffered from it. The bad news is that they were all the same build, so immediately I think it can't be traced to a certain configuration (i.e. all models with video card X or CPU Y are affected).

I have to admit I'm getting a bit gunshy on the new iMac because of this. I'm hoping that the fact that the i7s aren't shipping until November, and will have a different CPU and GPU (ATI 4850 vs 4680) will make them not susceptible to this problem. I think I'll hold off ordering the new iMac until the Quad Core i5 and i7 are in the wild and people start reporting their experiences from it.

Kind of bummed out, I was hoping to give myself an early Christmas present...

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/10/31/first_look_apples_27_big_screen_imac.html

http://www.cultofmac.com/review-27-inch-imac-the-worlds-sexiest-desktop-just-got-sexier/20100#more-20100

That's one friggin' beautiful computer.  Now you
understand why I just sold my Mac Pro and am
stepping down into the iMac line.

There is cause to be worried....

There are problems with the 27" iMacs that
have been releases thus far.  Many reports
of sluggish speeds and screen flickering. The
complaints have become so widespread that
Engadget and CNET have recently reported
on them.   The good news is that the problems
may be more software orientated than hardware
and Apple is probably readying a fix.

The bad news is that those of us waiting for
the i5 and i7 models being released in the
next week or two have no idea whether our
computers will be plagued with the same
problems the first wave of iMacs were.

Or worse ones :) Mooing anyone? Seriously tho, good luck! I'm tempted, woulda been an easy decision but no blu=no sale

A lot of signs are pointing to either the Flash implementation in Snow Leopard, or a driver problem with the ATI cards, or a combination of both.

If it's SL that's the problem (or the image) then hopefully they'll fix it with 10.6.2 which should be out around the time the i5/i7 iMacs are out. If it's a driver issue then there is hope for the i5/i7 build because they will be using a different ATI video card. Also, 10.6.2 should have new/updated video drivers.

I am still 95% sold on buying an i7 because Logic Studio will make great use of the 8 cores vs. my current 2.33GHz MBP. Like Sam I was disappointed with no Blu, but it's not a deal breaker for me. I'll wait until a few reviews are out for the i5/i7. If the problems are fixed, then I'm in. If they aren't, then it looks like I'll be waiting for the next rev and hope I get double-lucky with Blu implementation by mid 2010...

I've been patiently waiting for Apple to upgrade the 30" Apple Cinema Display to LED/Display Port -- but the 27" iMac is $100 cheaper than the *non-upgraded* 30" ACD and they throw in a rather nice computer.  Super tempting.  But the lack of BD is a definite deterrent.  I'll wait to see what Macworld  Apple's first 2010 special event brings.

Yeah I'm not sure they'll update the iMac in early 2010, but the Mac Pro is getting to the point where it is due for an upgrade. There's talk that they might get the six-core Gulftown processor as a temporary exclusive prior to its public release. Of course that would likely be for the $3200 build and not the $2500 build of the Mac Pro, which is already nearly double the iMac without a screen.

Macpro with bundled 27" ips led flat panel and bluray burner, $2999 first Tuesday in 2010! You heard the totally bogus rumor here first!

This is totally ridiculous that anyone who
is even remotely thinking of buying one of
these iMacs is holding off because of no
Blu-ray.

Doesn't concern me in the least.  If and when
Apple announces Blu-ray support I go out and
buy an external burner for well under $200.  I
also hear there is a slimline BD burner that can
be installed in the iMac.

Not going to let the speculation as to whether
Apple is or isn't ever going to support Blu-ray
stop me from buying one of these new babies.

Well, the difference is I use EVERY BIT of my Mac Pro's compute power right now and don't "Need" an iMac.  Or more power than what I have in my current portable, which you are very familiar with =)  So it will have to be when they get refreshed with Blu before I move to either a new iMac or Macbook, and not before.  If I wasnt already well stocked that would be different, perhaps.

So true!

Has anyone who bought the 27" been one of the ones that has had video problems?

If so, has it been addressed by 10.6.2?

Inquiring minds want to know...thanks!

The ones I saw in the 5th ave store in NYC yesterdaywere flawless and simply beautiful

Funny you should mention that Sam. I noticed that when I went to an Apple store on Sunday to see if any had the problem, here is what I observed:

1. They only had 3-4 27" versions on display. In the past they had between 6-8 on display.
2. The image on the machines had completely changed. They used to have added software like the Logic Studio bundle and the Adobe CS bundle loaded onto all the machines. They've been doing this for quite some time, over many years, and when the 21.5" and 27" first appeared in store they had those extraneous programs. Now only the default image was on the computers, iLife and OSX. iWork may have been on there too, but no sign of the CS suite or Logic Studio.

Conspiracy theorists: begin analysis!

From what I've read on a couple of forums, 10.6.2 did indeed clear up the 27" iMac performance issues.

Just got notice that my 27" Core i7 w/ 4GB RAM, 2TB HD & full-size keyboard has begun its journey from Shanghai to me!! It is due in on Monday. Will have to schedule the day off...   Now, off to order an extra 4GB RAM from Crucial or Newegg.

Eagerly awaiting your impressions Craig...will be monitoring the mac forums to see if the 4850 graphics card doesn't display the problems of the 4670 that is in the non-quad-core 27" models.

And I think the jury is still out on whether 10.6.2 fixed the graphics issues. Some say yes, others say no, and some are intimating that perhaps those for whom it didn't work may have run the System Update and not the full Combo Updater version.

Just need some piece of mind before dropping over $2K on something...

The 27" i5 and i7 iMacs began shipping as of this week.

Mine is expected on Monday.

Looking forward to my new desktop.   

Can't wait to see what Ron and Craig think of the i7.

Unless there is a fundamental bug in Software Update (that I sure haven't encountered, and I've never run a combo update -- but I've been running Mac OS X and have installed every update since before 10.0.0) that should not make any difference whatsoever.

My iMac was due to arrive via FedEx Monday.

Looked at the tracking number this morning to
find that it had just arrived at my local office,
though it would not be delivered until Monday.

Was not going to let it sit for 3 days.  So I
called FedEx and arranged a pickup.  Came
home an hour later with my new i7.

Have not really had time to play around with
it.  I had to get my mail up and running and
install Office.  I can say that thus far, there
are no issues with the computer.  It runs very
quietly and I don't hear the hard drive at all.

As for the magic mouse, I am not especially
impressed at the moment.  At the highest
tracking speed it still tracks a tad slow. I plan
to install ZOOM MOUSE which is free.  Many
people have reported significant improvement
with tracking after installing that software.  The
mouse is not uncomfortable, the scroll feature
is neat as you use two fingers to initiate it.  I
really need more time to learn the functions
before I make a call on it.

Can't say that this iMac i7 with 8GB ram is
any faster or slower than my Mac Pro.  I can
say it doesn't seem slower.  I need to do some
heavy multitasking and work with iMovie and
Photoshop to get an idea of performance under
duress.

I will say this....

I gave up a Mac Pro with a 30" Dell screen for

this iMac mainly for one single reason -- THE

DISPLAY.  I know there are haters in this forum
of glossy screens, but I live for them.  This display
is so f-ing beautiful.  It reminds me of the old CRT

displays but better.  The images are extremely
sharp and the colors just pop off the screen.  This
iMac is just beautiful.

 

I saw it in store this week and agree it's beautiful, it makes an awesome mirror too!  =p  /jk, n an office I'm sure you will never notice it the way most of us do with a laptop.

FedEx just dropped off my new baby! As usual, Apple beat their shipping estimate. Unfortunately, I've gotta go right back into work, and I've got plans this evening with an actual human friend, so probably won't be able to even unpack it until late tonight or tomorrow. Will report back then, but what I'm reading on the MacRumors forums (and Ron's report) has me expecting good things...

 Enjoy, Craig & Ron!

So jealous! It will be a while before I upgrade my old 20" iMac. Until then I'll have to live vicariously through you guys.

First impressions:

I ordered 4 GB of Crucial RAM to expand the new iMac to 8GB. $95 shipped vs. the $200 Apple was asking for the upgrade was a no-brainer. Luckily the RAM arrived yesterday as well. Nothing to do with the iMac, but the blister-packaging Crucial is using now has the SO-DIMMS locked into the plastic tray with a death grip - had to pry the suckers out with a flathead screwdriver. Anyway, outside of that upgrading the RAM was painless. Put a soft towel on the table and lay the iMac on it screen down. Use a small Phillips-head to unscrew the three screws holding the RAM access panel on. Don't worry about losing the screws, they stay attached to the panel. Pull the plastic tab out and insert the new SO-DIMM directly above one of the existing ones. It won't go all the way in, but just apply gentle pressure with your thumbs alternating between each side, and after a few seconds it'll pop down into place. Repeat for the other SO-DIMM, then replace the tabs and the panel. That's it - 10 minutes to save $100 bucks. Me likey.

Damn, this thing is quiet. The old white iMacs have this little light in the lower right (behind the semi-translucent plastic) that glows when you turn them on. That obviously won't work with the aluminum case. So without the light I actually thought I had a dead machine when I pressed the power button the first time and seemingly nothing happened for a few seconds - until the familiar Apple sound played and the screen lit up. Again - REALLY quiet.

The display is freakin' awesome. No other way to describe it. If you're in a store and you want a good look at the kind of color and detail this thing has, go to the Desktop preference pane and assign the Snow Leopard Prowl pic from the Nature category as your background. It's a beautiful picture of the big cat in the high mountains, and it's rendered superbly on this new display.  

It's almost overwhelming to have so much screen space. For many people the 27" model will eliminate the need/desire for a dual-monitor setup (nice to know I have the option if needed, however).

I like the Magic Mouse. Scrolling without a wheel or ball is nice and smooth. Only drawback is the lack of a third button equivalent. I'm very used to clicking on the Mighty Mouse button to bring up Expose and I miss that. However, that seems very fixable with a driver update. For example, I would think they could detect a two-finger click and make that an assignable action. That would take care of me. Hopefully there's more to come from Apple with the Magic Mouse.

Not much else to say at this point. I decided not to do the migration thing from my old iMac because it has over 4 years of cruft on it. So I have a long day of software loading coming up, not to mention some minor surgery on my computer hutch so this beast will fit!! I'll report back with more impressions this evening!

No, there isn't.  Best thing about this iMac. Sheer beauty 

and brilliance!

 

Happy to hear you are enjoying your Mac, Craig.

Congrats Craig and Ron, and welcome to the iMac Club!

I was initially a bit nervous about going for an all-in-one but I can honestly say that two years later, my iMac (the initial Aluminium model) is the best computer I've owned. Not just because of OS-X, but the build quality, quietness and display all combine to make the iMac a truly excellent machine.

One thing though, make sure you update to 10.6.2 if you're on SL as it has a fix for the new iMac displays



Ron, I'd be very interested in your experience having come from a Mac Pro to the iMac. I had always considered that eventually I'd migrate from my iMac to a Mac Pro as I became more of a power user, particularly as I develop my interest in video editing and move over to HD.

Hey Darren. This is actually my 3rd iMac. I had a G5, and then bought the very 1st Intel iMac in Jan of 06, which is what I'm upgrading from now. Also, no worries on the performance issues - the i5 & i7 iMacs are shipping with 10.6.2 already installed.