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5 Comments on “Apple iMac MB950LL/A 21.5-Inch Desktop”

1. James Peterson
   April 13th, 2010 at 12:42 pm

   I’ve been a PC users since the PCXT days. Now I have a mac. I really have been suprised at how simple it is to learn the mac way of doing things.

   I’m a programmer by trade (not a desktop coder, but mainframe/database) and I really chose to buy the iMac because of my desire to make apps for my iPhone. I was shocked to learn that I could keep my windows environment. I could have both worlds.

   So far, everything has been very simple to install and use. I had the windows/vmware setup and the iPhone SDK install the first day. Coming from a PC, I’m delighted at how elegant the interface is, even the mouse and keyboard are elegant. The screen is very nice. Colors seem very excellent, but I place of protection’t done any photo editing and color correction/matching (so you’ll have to get the pros attitude on that one).

   Windows runs very well on it and I’ve had no problems with it.

   I can’t see changing back to a PC for my uses (not a gamer). This iMac was the best value IMO, compared to the other mac’s and macbooks. Even compared to the new mac mini (if you add in the additional cost of a excellent monitor, bluetooth keyboard and magic mouse, the mini was closing in on the iMac price). I’d recommend this iMac for any deveoper to use as a base system. Power seems more than sufficient add to that the capability to run windows as well and you have one of the best values in a development system I’ve seen.

   All this and lets face it the mac experience is very pleasant, and it doesn’t hurt to enlarge your development into the mac arena.

   After one week, I’m already a satified mac user.

   I’ll update after a year or so of use and abuse. Rating: 5 / 5

2. S. geddamuri
   April 13th, 2010 at 1:34 pm

   This version of imac is incredible.
   
   Pros:
   
   1 This notebook is quick and shiny.Looks gorgeous.
   
   2 No noise of fan or so.If one accurate there eyes,they can hardly tell if it sunning.This is not the case with any other ALLINONE desktops i owned.Ex dell studio 15 makes more noise then my kitchen fan.
   
   3 The hardware is just enough for any thing.500GB hd is PLUS.The ram 4gb is hardly used.
   
   4 Screen is gorgeous.For some public the screen is like mirror and gets lots of reflection.But for me i like the screen.The screen can be went easily if you getting any reflection.The glossy screen makes the view more enjoyable.
   
   5 THE LEOPORD SNOW is very excellent.No issues so far.For PC users it will take small while to learn the shortcuts.But once they are used to it it will be very quick to access any thing.
   
   6 The MOUSE was by no means a problem for me.I am so used to use forward and backward on the web pages by this mouse,When i use other mouse my fingers automatically slide.One can really admire the mouse once they get used to it in couple days.
   
   7 Keyboard is small.i want to have wireless keyboard with the numeric pad.
   
   8 The sound is excellent on this notebook.for a medium room i reckon this is more then enough.

   CONS
   
   1 The keyboard could be small better.i mean with numeric pad and more F buttons.
   
   2 there should have a hard button for ejecting the DVD.When i was installing Windows 7 i was stuck with the DVD.Couldnt find a way to eject lacking loading OS.
   
   3 DVDs with paper stickers on it stucks some time.So be careful if you are inserting a DVD with sticker marks.

   Overall very pleased with this buy.
   
   Rating: 5 / 5

3. Paul C. Huang
   April 13th, 2010 at 4:21 pm

   The distress started when the aluminum-bodied 20″ iMac replaced the white polycarbonate 20″ iMac. Not only does it have a highly-reflective (albeit high-quality, very plane) glass, it has a TN screen that is 6-bit per channel. The TN screen found in the 20″ iMac was inferior to the IPS panel found in the 24″. Those who demand image quality had two choices: buy the 24″ iMac or buy the 20″, turn it toward the wall and make the wallpaper white so it illumination up the user environment, and buy a quality IPS screen. This back-to-back solution may seem amusing, but it does work. The TN screen displays different colors at different viewing angles (Unless the user moves his/her eyes directly over the pixel, the viewing angle alteration relative to the pixel position causes the color to vary momentously.

   The 21.5″ is a major leap forward, because the entry-level iMac has the same GHz rating as the ancient top-of-the-line model, has a new two-AA bluetooth keyboard, and a wireless mouse. These are the added value that used to be extra before, and the Magic Mouse wasn’t even available.

   With the new 21.5″, the users no longer have to choose a larger screen simply for better image/color quality. The glass, but, continues to be highly reflective and uncoated (no anti-reflective coating, as you may find on camera lenses, MacBook Air, and even Audi TT’s speedometer/Tachometer).

   Those who do not use the numeric keypad would certainly welcome the small-footprint wireless keyboard. It allows the user to bring the mouse quicker to the keyboard and reduce wrist, forearm, and shoulder stress.

   The Magic Mouse has finally done away with the problem-prone scroll ball found in the Mighty Mouse. I wish the top surface of this mouse were more matte/velvety than the glossy surface it is. The glossy surface is nothing more than cosmetic. Imagine if the trackpad on all the Mac portables turn glossy. I am sure there would be plenty of complaints. The glossy surface on the predecessor was OK because the fingers didn’t have to slide over the glossy surface. Although the glossy surface is not a problem for me, because I don’t use a mouse at all (Kensington Expert Mouse and WACOM, please), those with sweaty fingers would find it problematic.

   Those familiar with the round iMac mouse will find this familiar: Its symmetrical shape lets the user easily lose orientation, because there is not a cord emotionally caught up to it. As a result, the user must look at the logo first to identify which direction is supposed to be pointing up.

   The integrated nVidia 9400M is more than excellent enough for casual users. Those who may need 3D or gaming capabilities should choose the other models with self-determining video cards.

   NOW, THE $500 QUESTION. How does this screen compare to the 24″ in corporal dimension? This screen has 1920 pixels across, which is the same as the 24″. The 21.5″ is 18.7″ wide, which is slightly narrower than the 20.25″ width found on the 24″. This means the 21.5″ has higher pixel density. What about the height? 12.75″ for the 24″ iMac and 10.5″ for the 21.5″ iMac.

   I forgot to mention that in the past, the power switch has a different shiny surface (while the entire back is matte) and has a bowl-shaped surface. But, this one is perfectly flush to the back and is very hard to detect. It takes some poking around. Another thing: they new wireless keyboard is noticeably noisier than the USB or previous three-AA aluminum wireless keyboard. Apparently the mechanism is not the same as the other aluminum keyboards. Rating: 5 / 5

4. M. Dai
   April 13th, 2010 at 6:24 pm

   After 15 years of by PC, we chose to switch to Mac and so far we are very pleased with our iMac. The 21.5-inch screen is sharp and sharp. Glare is not an issue to us because our window is on the left hand side, not directly behind. Also, when we were at the apple store, we saw both the 21.5-nch and and ancient 20-inch on show. The 21.5-inch seems much larger – not merely 7% judging from the number. So we were really impressed. The 27-inch seems WAYYYY to huge. It very nearly makes you dizzy sitting right in front of it.

   When I first set up my iMac on the desk, I immediately noticed a buzzing sound caused by certain vibration. It’s not loud but sufficiently disturbing. I searched the internet and found many public had akin problems with their iMacs too. Some public brought their iMacs back to apple store for service and had some parts (mostly air fans) changed, but not much help. So I chose to have some experiment with my setup. First, I tried my iMac on my kitchen countertop, which is granite. No vibration, no buzzing sound at all. Then I place my laptop PC on my desk, same spot where I place my iMac. LOUD and LOUD buzzing sound. So I knew the problem was caused by the desk, not the iMac. Now I have a photo album with leather cover underneath my iMac. No buzzing sound any more. Very pleased with the machine thereafter.

   The switch from PC to Mac is simple. We do not need to take any special way or tutorial to get started. Everything is exremely intuitive. From here or there we had some questions, we checked the video clips on apple’s website and at one time called apple hotline. Our questions were solved immediately.

   Overall, this machine is wonderful. Starts and shuts down super quick. Launches and closes programs super quick. Extremely quite – once we solved the buzzing sound problem, we could hardly hear anything, even the cooling fan sound that we constantly hear from our PC. The built in speakers produce a wonderful sound that fills the entire room with no difficulty – very nearly to the same level as my Bose mini system. And finally, we like the magic mouse. It is so fun to scroll up and down, left and right, and rotate everything on your finger tip lacking the need to drag it all over the screen.

   We fervently recommed this machine to anyone who’s tired of PC and wants to have a different experience on what’s a notebook can do to you.

   Rating: 5 / 5

5. Carl B. Glover
   April 13th, 2010 at 8:10 pm

   This is my first Mac. Like many others, I finally got tired of the multitude of PC issues and made the switch. So far (about two weeks), I couldn’t be more pleased. I’ve by no means had such a smooth experience with a notebook. The OS learning curve is not that terrible. I’m feeling pretty comfortable already, much of which is knowing that the machine will always be ready to do what you want it to, lacking the endless rebooting, delays, crashes, etc., that ruined the PC experience for me. When you turn it on, you know it’s going to work. I by no means knew what to expect from my PC on any given day.

   The 21.5 inch show is sharp, rich and detailed; reflections should not be a problem unless your room is brightly lit or has many windows; reasonable precautions here will suffice.

   My internet speed has gone from 1-3 mbps to over 9 mbps on the average. This had been noticeably slowing for numerous months on the PC and I was thinking about switching providers. Now I don’t have to. Apparently PCs can get clogged up with a lot of junk which ultimately affects internet processing. Whatever the reason for the improvement, I’m delighted with the result.

   Set-up was simplicity itself. I followed instructions by hooking up all peripherals before turning it on for the first time, and everything was recognized automatically. Except for verifying my email address (which the Mac had already obtained), I had nothing to do. The whole process took only a couple of minutes.

   All of the iLife applications I’ve tried have worked flawlessly, just as advertised. I have used only one (iPhoto) in depth so far, but I’ll get around to numerous others before long, and completely expect results just as excellent. Everything seems more intuitive and common-sensical than on Windows-based machines.

   I expected to have problems adapting to the new truncated keyboard, but not so. I already like it better than the ancient one with the PC. It might look flimsy, but it’s really quite hefty, with a solid feel and excellent feedback. Keys are less noisy, very nearly silent, in fact, and are quite responsive. I do not miss the numbers section, as I rarely used it anyway. Its absence saves desktop space, which is always welcome.

   I like the new Magic Mouse, as well, with one minor quibble. It, too, has a solid feel and, due to the batteries, is somewhat heavier than your average mouse. But it is not hard to manuever. I have experienced no drag on either my desktop or a mouse pad. Clicking and scrolling are simple to master and respond quickly, unlike some other Bluetooth mice. The only problem I’ve had is in by the two-finger swipe to advance web pages or photos. For me, it works only sporadically, but that’s doubtless because I just don’t have the hang of it yet. I’ll keep trying.

   The built-in speakers are better than the JBLs I had been by with the PC. They are more than adequate for casual music listening and movie soundtracks. The sound is crisp and detailed, with a surprisingly excellent bass foundation for speakers this size.

   A real plus is Apple’s well-written and detailed Help section on its website. I place of protection’t looked up anything yet which hasn’t been clarified completely in simple-to-know language for a layman like me. I had been considering buying one of the instruction books, but I don’t reckon I’ll have to. There seems to be everything here that most public would ever need to know.

   Bottom-line recommendation: ditch that PC and get yourself a Mac. It may be a small more expensive, but it will more than make up the difference in the long run, in terms of cut-rate frustration and time-saving if nothing else. Rating: 5 / 5

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