The iMac (Apple iMac MB325B/A)

Member Name: Atatat

Product:	Apple iMac MB325B/A
Date:	27/12/08 (77 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Looks, features, ease-of-use, build quality.

Disadvantages: Nothing of note.

The Mac stereotype has always been full of knitted sweaters, Starbucks and thick-rimmed glasses - though whether this is still accurate now that Apple are starting to take over is up for debate; while graphic design use is still high on its list of priorities (this is after all an area where it offers a wide range of software and is practically the industry standard), there are many other features that make it well worth a look, even as an adamant PC user.

The fact is, the old "Mac vs PC" arguments of the past have been pretty much obliterated by the fact that you can now run Windows XP on the Mac machine; the device comes loaded with the "Bootleg" software, which allows you to install Windows on the machine and even give you the choice of whether you want to load up Windows or OSX upon every startup of the machine.

OSX is a joy to use; after a few weeks, reverting back to XP (while at work for example) becomes a genuine chore, and you'll wonder how you managed before converting. There aren't really any major features that push it ahead of XP; it's more of a complete package. The systems inability to crash (even if a program crashes, which some occasionally do, the OSX software makes it easy to close the 'broken window') is a more than welcome relief, and features such as Dashboard (a sort of extra desktop that allows you to easily access a range of useful 'widgets' such as calculators, dictionary's and even games) and Expose (one click of the mouse separates all the open windows on your Mac making them easily viewable and selectable) make the machine a truly excellent choice.

The iMac comes loaded with media software (such as iMove, iTunes, GarageBand), though strangely no proper word processor; there are many freeware Word alternatives available online, such as NeoOffice, meaning this isn't much of a problem.

The fact that this machine is pretty much the most pleasant-looking full-size PC currently available on the market does certainly affect its price; you could easily get a machine that's just as powerful for about half the price if you can do without the good looks or excellent OSX software by buying a Windows machine. That's what Mac's are about, though; they strive for the best, and make doing even the most mundane task a joy. Well worthy of a consideration.

Summary: If you can afford it, do it - you won't regret it.

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