A few years ago, the all-in-one desktop had developed a bit of a reputation. They were perfectly serviceable machines for basic needs like Facebook browsing and watching YouTube clips, but when it came to doing anything visually taxing, they may as well have been paper weights. That was back in the day of those blueberry-colored, box-shaped iMacs with the handles built right in.
Of course, in recent years, things have changed. iMacs are used by artists, video editors and gamers the world over. Each year they seem to get closer and closer to their big brother, the Mac Pro, and the 2011 iMac closes the gap even further. If you're looking for an all-in-one that can handle just about everything you throw at it, you've come to the right place.
FOR GAMERS
With the arrival of Steam, the constant support of Blizzard, and the ease of Boot Camp, PC gaming on a Mac is incredibly viable. So you've definitely got plenty of games to play, but how will they run?
We booted up "Portal 2" on our test unit (the off-the-shelf, 27 inch, $1999 model), cranked up every single graphical dial and ran the game at 1920x1080. Even on some of the effects-heavy levels, the game maintained just over 60 frames per second without even a stutter.
Next on the docket was "StarCraft 2." Again, we cranked all the settings up to max, ran the game at 1920x1080, and were achieving the same 60 frames per second.
Of course, games that aren't quite as optimized as Blizzard or Valve titles didn't fair quite as well, but "Crysis 2" was able pull off a solid 30 frames per second with every option at max.
The graphical jump over the last iMac line is thanks to the new GPU (a Radeon 6970M on our test model) and Intel's new Sandy Bridge processors, which help not only gamers, but digital editors, as this new machine runs Final Cut Pro like a champ (more on this later).
FOR DESIGN LOVERS
One of the reasons I've primarily stuck with laptops in my apartment over the last few years is that they're small and easily hidden. Computers are not, on the whole, good additions to your decor. The iMac (which retains its design from the last installment) is probably the best-looking computer I've ever seen. It's thin, it's subtle, it's utilitarian. Everything about the iMac's design is about blending into the background, so it could fit in a sparse, Ian Schrager-designed bedroom or a messy dormroom.
The same goes for the included Magic Mouse and keyboard, which are both wireless and all about simplistic elegance. I would, however, say that, for fans of the Macbook Pro, I'd suggest switching the Magic Mouse out with the Magic Touchpad. It'll cost you a bit more, but the multi-touch functionality of the Touchpad is much more consistent and, if you're thinking of hooking the iMac up to your TV, the Touchpad works a heck of a lot better on a couch. Gamers, however, will want to stick with the Magic Mouse.
FOR THE THUNDERBOLT-CURIOUS
In case you're unfamiliar, Thunderbolt is a new kind of data port. It's present on these new iMacs, as well as the last MacBook Pros. Think of it like the next generation of USB or Firewire, but instead of a small step, it's more of a giant leap.
I tried copying a 6.8 gig file over USB 2.0 recently and it took about 15 minutes to complete. During my run-through of the new iMac with Apple, that same-sized file took just over 10 seconds over Thunderbolt. Apple is pegging the transfer speeds at 10 Gigabits per second over two channels (so you could transfer two files at that speed at the same time).
And while moving files from one place to the next is interesting, the value comes in using Thunderbolt-friendly peripherals like RAIDs. Apple demonstrated the tech using a Promise Pegasus R6 which had several 1080p raw Final Cut Pro files loaded onto them. Over USB, you wouldn't stand a chance of running those files without your computer melting through the floor. Over Thunderbolt, the Apple reps were able to run 6 1080p raw movie files in Final Cut Pro at the same time. They were also able to run "Portal 2" at max settings at 99 frames per second over Thunderbolt. There's little doubt that this port is the future.
Unfortunately, at present, there's not a wealth of Thunderbolt hardware available right now. You'll begin to see a lot of products supporting it this summer, but until then you won't have a ton of options to take advantage of your fancy new port.
THE VERDICT
It's hard to imagine that someone wouldn't be satisfied with the performance and design of the new iMac. The 27 inch, $1999 model seems to handle everything I threw at it with great vigor, and that was just running everything off a standard hard drive. If you wanted to pony up for a built-in solid state hard drive, your performance would be even better (though that would push the price up considerably).
When you factor in performance, design and support for future peripherals with Thunderbolt, I'm confident in saying this is the best overall desktop in the marketplace right now. And, as an added bonus, it'll make your apartment look much cooler.