Apple Dream (Apple iMac 2002)

Member Name: icetsunami

Product:	Apple iMac 2002
Date:	28/07/09 (17 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quality build, usable and gorgeous

Disadvantages: As expensive as ever. As in very!

Intro

I thought I would review this product as I have just recently purchased one, yes it is 2009! It is my first foray onto the Mac platform and OS X.

First Impressions

Truthfully it's utterly beautiful. It's sleek and contemporary and is still aesthetically relevant today as it was when first revealed. The screen is a vibrant 17" with a wide screen aspect ratio and is infinitely adjustable from its link to the half sphere base. The transparent bezel adds style and an impression of greater size to the screen and it bears a simple 'iMac' logo. The base has a stealthed DVD drive at the centre, above which is the iconic Apple logo in a chrome effect.

Set Up

Connect the speakers to the rear. Connect the power cord and plug into mains.
Nothing more. Nice and easy and very quick!

Technical Spec

1 Ghz PowerPc G4processor
256k L2 Cache
256 SDRAM (512 in mine)
80 Ultra ATA Hard drive
Superdrive DVD-R/CD-RW
Active Matrix LCD 1440*900
GeForce4 MX 64Mb
56k V.92 Modem
10/100 BASE-T Ethernet
2 * Firewire ports
5 * USB ports
Apple Pro speakers
Apple Pro keyboard
Apple Pro mouse

Usability

I have to say that I love it and have become a Mac fanboy overnight!
The keyboard is sublime and provides lovely tactile feedback when typing. Two of the iMacs 5 USB ports are located on either side of the keyboards rear and there is also a dedicated hotkey to open the superdrive which also eliminates the need for any kind of button on the base. Looks are everything with Mac design. There are some slight changes to the layout when compared to the traditional PC keyboard.

The mouse is a low profile and sleek one touch affair. No wheel or optional right click with this version which incidentally is achieved using the control key to accompany a single click. The mouse is both comfortable and responsive.

The Pro speakers are round, transparent and acrylic. They look nice and produce a vibrant sound across the range and are capable of playing your music well in a medium sized room.

The three remaining USB ports are at the back of the unit.

I am currently running OS X 10.4.11 and the machine is quick and capable.
I prefer to use Firefox as opposed to Safari for web browsing as it is more functional and can be tweaked for speed hikes.
I like the visual interface, the magnification on the dock looking particularly good. There doesn't appear to be any hit on performance from using special effects which is something you definitely would notice on Windows software. It seems that Apple hardware and Apple software are a perfect combination.

Conclusion

Absolutely awesome system which looks stunning. More so in the flesh as pictures just can't do it justice. Good build quality as expected mean a 5 star experience.

Summary: Unbeatable.