“A minimalist redesign, a zippy new OS, and terrific new software make the iMac the all-in-one desktop computer of choice for multimedia lovers,” Cliff Edwards reports for BusinessWeek.
Apple’s iMac is “the machine to beat if you want an all-in-one desktop computer. Between its design makeover, new multimedia software, and the ability to play games once confined to Windows-based computers and dedicated game consoles, the iMac remains the undisputed champ,” Edwards reports.
“The glossy glass screen takes some getting used to, but the glare from external lighting doesn’t affect viewing as much as I had feared it would when I first took the iMac out of the box,” Edwards reports.
MacDailyNews Take: If they felt they had to choose just one, Apple chose the right option: You can effectively make a glossy screen matte, but you can’t effectively make a matte screen glossy. Please see related article: Apple MacBook, iMac screens too glossy? Apply inexpensive non-glare film – November 05, 2007
Edwards continues, “Few would argue iMacs aren’t things of beauty, but what really makes them stand out is Apple’s great software. High on that list is the company’s new operating system, OS X Leopard, released in late October. Leopard is yet another notch in Apple’s belt that will keep it ahead of rival Windows machines in the consumer space… Unlike the new Windows Vista platform, Leopard took only about 30 seconds from the time I turned the machine on until it was ready for me to use. Some Windows machines can take as long as three minutes to boot.”
MacDailyNews Take: Apple Macs running Leopard are superior to Windows machines in the business space, too. Even if your company has sentenced you to Windows-only shackles (usually manufactured by Microsoft, unsurprisingly), you can run Windows on a Mac, but you can’t run Mac OS X, iLife, iWork, etc. on a dime-a-dozen PC. Special note: If your company has an IE-only website, you occupy a special place in our prayers.
Edwards continues, “Digging into the software beyond Leopard, my favorite application is the redesigned iMovie. A new skimming feature lets you zip through footage to find a favorite scene and then drag and drop it into the editing queue… iMovie eliminates much of the pain of slicing and dicing your own movies… The iMovie software even lets you share clips to the .Mac online service, iPhone, or iPod, as well as to YouTube.”
Edwards writes, “While many people are turning to notebooks for their next computers, anyone buying the new iMac won’t be disappointed.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Macaday” for the heads up.]
Wait, wasn’t the new iMovie supposed to suck?
Oh wait that was the fanboys whining and crying about it even though Apple gave the last version of iMovie for free as a pacifier.
MW “free”.
We weren’t either at our school
imovie8 it rocks!!!!!!!!
My first Mac was a powerbook and I loved it, loved the keyboard, loved having the facility of it being portable, but when it came to upgrade I went with an iMac because they cost less and have bigger screens. It’s not portable but 99% of my usage is from one location anyway.
iMac may be the All-In-One King, but it will never be the Larry King…
Made my first 4 minute movie with iMovie ’08 last week – it is awesome and _fun_ to use. The only thing I had to use iMoview ’06 fir was the video FX to speed up a few of my clips. iMovie ’08 does not have the ability to speed up/slow down/reverse play a clip. This is apparently coming in future updates.
“iMac may be the All-In-One King, but it will never be the Larry King…”
Yes, thankfully the iMac will never be gruff and boring.
“…but the glare from external lighting doesn’t affect viewing as much as I had feared it would…”
There shouldn’t be any glare!
Why is it the majority of users are doing apologetics for the glossy screen? I’m always hearing, “It’s not so bad.” “I compensate by doing this.” “It’s worth it for the “brighter” colors.” Etc….
I rarely hear (but I’m sure I will now), “It’s perfect… I NEVER have any glare problems… I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
I notice that various brand, standalone glossy monitors never really took off. There must be a reason for that.
“…. but you can’t effectively make a matte screen glossy.”
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Sure you can… Get out the Turtle Wax!
iMovie 08’s new interface is great and I don’t complain about missing feature, but the poor video quality from DV source really sucks. it throws away every second line even from video shot in progressive mode.
I can understand preferring a laptop if you can have only one computer. But there is no comparison in user experience. Only a freak would prefer to work and play on laptop instead of an iMac. Unless you really need portability get the iMac, it’s gorgeous.
“iMac may be the All-In-One King, but it will never be the Larry King…”
“Yes, thankfully the iMac will never be gruff and boring.”
Or have shoulders like an upside down coat-hanger.
“Or have shoulders like an upside down coat-hanger.”
Yeah, what is up with those shoulders? It looks like his ‘spenders have cut through bone…
If you can afford a HD camera, you can afford $299 for Final Cut Express.
He’s 180 years old, respect your elders.
at the online Apple Store. Yet, the people that actually use this apple product, and have a .mac account, consistently give the iMovie portion of the iLife 08 suite the raspberry in the online reviews. These people aren’t trolls, they are actual loyal Apple customers that feel cheated and ripped off by this software downgrade.
Currently 642 reviews, that stay online no longer than a week or a little more because they get rotated off. The one common denominator in the negative reviews is feature loss.
Out of ALL of the software that Apple offers, only a garageband jampack, Quiktime for windows, and the Quicktime mpeg 2 codec receive worse scores. Say what you want, rant away about needing to define the software line, call me a troll if you like. But iMovie 08 is simply a step backwards in features.
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=E805623D&fnode=home/shop_mac/software/apple&nplm=MB015Z/A
@ @Pete (ie Macromancer)
“If you can afford a HD camera, you can afford $299 for Final Cut Express.”
the point is… he shouldn’t have to spend another $299 to get a feature that was available in a previous version of iMovie.
And it wasn’t the fanboys crying and whining about feature loss, it was the fanboys deffending Apple for releasing this software downgrade and calling it an upgrade. You know – people like you.
Wait, wasn’t the new iMovie supposed to suck?
Oh wait that was the fanboys whining and crying about it even though Apple gave the last version of iMovie for free as a pacifier.
Nah that was the Microsoft trolls earning a few dollars.
Why is it the majority of users are doing apologetics for the glossy screen?
Because when the Microsoft trolls raise a (so called) issue enough that it enters the mainstream media and public perception it has to be addressed. The classic recent example was Apple’s alleged poor environmental record which was total BS but gained considerable traction. I know that the writer understands this so it’s not for his benefit that I respond but for that of others.
Here’s a case in point, you say “the majority of users are doing apologetics”, an unfounded assertion and totally untrue. The overwhelming evidence is that the majority of users are using their computers and loving it, the evidence I cite is the facts that Apple are selling plenty of them and that there is no mass rejection by the alleged majority otherwise it would have an effect on sales. What is the basis for your unfounded assertion – Microsoft dollars? Hope you don’t get them for today’s trolling.
Matte fanatics, PLEASE stay away from this thread. We are all tired of your bitching. Keep on the topic of iMovie ’08.
rdbvideo,
A friend of mine is a teacher and they just got an iMac for his classroom. Despite bright fluorescent lights in the classroom there is no glare issue at all!
Now you have found one.
“And it wasn’t the fanboys crying and whining about feature loss, it was the fanboys deffending Apple for releasing this software downgrade and calling it an upgrade.”
Heh, if that ain’t a fanboy calling a fanboy a fan!
So fanboys don’t cry and whine when their fave company does something they don’t like? OR are you saying fanboys never make excuses for the company? Fact is, they were ALL fanboys because not a one of them used Adobe Premiere on a REAL Windows system.
Yeah, you can really make a glossy screen matte by adding a non-manufacturer additional layer of plastic which by its very nature will decrease the clarity of your screen.
Yeah, right, MacDailyNews. They made the right call.
Uhhh, way wrong folks.
Better for eye-strain on everyone’s part. Better for the biology of our sight. Better for freedom of placement to have only one NON-GLARE, MATTE option, thank you very much for your erroneous opinion, thank you for playing.
Where else would a Matte-fan go if not in the article where MDN declares glossy is best? Get a life.
> Yeah, you can really make a glossy screen matte by adding a non-manufacturer additional layer of plastic which by its very nature will decrease the clarity of your screen.
That’s how they make a matte screen, by adding a layer of “fuzziness” to an otherwise clear screen. Matte screens are a thing of the past. Why? Because they intentionally add graininess as a by-product of making the screen less reflective. We are at the point in LCD pixel density where this “fuzz filter” affects the level of noticeable sharpness (it was OK in the past when LCD pixels were bigger). Most people will NOT choose compromise on the screen’s sharpness, once the difference is seen in a side-by-side comparison.
“If your company has an IE-only website, you occupy a special place in our prayers.”
It’s nice to know MDN is lighting a candle for me.
Update: FC Express ’08 now only $199, and much better than iMovie ’06
>”Few would argue iMacs aren’t things of beauty…”<
Apple’s products are only the best industrial design in the world at this point, that’s all.