AHHHHH! Wouldn’t you know it, just last Friday I ordered a 24” 2.4GHz iMac. I’m trying to consol myself by saying that these changes are incremental and the ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro graphics card is unimproved. I also saved $300 on a factory refurbished machine. I don't suppose we'll be seeing refurbished machines with these new specs for a number of months. Oh well...

To avoid that, I always order as soon as Apple annonces a new Mac.

Glossy screen = no purchase. Why can't there be a BTO option like MBP???

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Guest wrote:
Glossy screen = no purchase. Why can't there be a BTO option like MBP???

Because the Macbook Pro offers matte and glossy screens and they can just put in one or the other when they make it.

The iMac isn't a glossy LCD screen. It's a glass screen built into the case. So what you're asking for is a total case re-design.

Of course re-designs are possible, but that's not really a "BTO option" kind of thing. That would be a whole new machine.

Actually, I'm pretty sure it's a glossy screen, and then covered with glass......

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Guest wrote:
Actually, I'm pretty sure it's a glossy screen, and then covered with glass......

Interesting. I really don't know. I'm not sure how one could tell since the glass adds many of the same characteristics that the glossy does. So it's hard to tell what's adding it.

My point being, would a matte screen behind a glasss screen make the 9:09 poster happy? It would still have the same drawbacks, I would think.

Indeed. The iMac uses a glossy display with a glass panel over the top. I do however agree with SMC that having a matte display under there would not help at all.

I would also say that for a very large majority of users (office workers, families, general home users) the glossy display is beautiful and works well. Only for a few is matte a necessity and for those people the iMac simply isn't the correct option.

Even then, if it's a color thing then the current iMac can do very well (contrary to public opinion) when it's been properly calibrated. We have a couple of production machines that are used in exactly this way.

Better video card - so where is the blasted blu-ray drive, Steve?

Spend booku bucks for the 1TB drive model.
Because, when you want to upgrade the HD (there are ALOT of 160GB HD iMac users out there), you invalidate any warranty on the HD.
You buy a 500GB SATA for $99; great deal.
However, you must now pay $49 ~ $149 ito have the new, non-Apple warranty HD installed, otherwise installing it yourself voids any warranty, AppleCare or otherwise.
Then, when that new internal HD bails (and they do), you pay another $49 ~ 149 to pull out the old drive and put in a new drive.

If Apple is going to make an 'all-in-one', they need to also include a program which is cost-effective for the user to upgrade internal components (the HD, namely).

They should've designed the iMac by putting a removable panel on the upper-left (where the HD is at) wherein the HD could be user-upgradable.

(In order to post this 'guest' comment, I had to type in the words to the image provided. THe word: AppleCare . . . HA!).

By making this system so closed (un-user-upgradable friendly), it makes it very unfriendly environmentally, because it leads to more systems being put into the dumps when a user 'upgrades' than the user merely upgrading the HD for the new OS, Apps, etc.

And, it is also very unfriendly to 3rd party developers. Apple wants all the $$ for the new system, taking away $$ that the user could use to buy or upgrade 3rd party software.

After 2 years, I'd rather spend $250 to 'update' (OS, apps, RAM, bigger HD) than buy a whole new system. Instead. I have to add $100 ~ $300 (total cost) extra for a new hard disk (includes initial and followup drive failure replacement install service fees).

The next 'design' of the iMac needs to have user-installable HDs. The Power and Data interfaces for SATA drives are pretty straight forward / easy - enough for a general user (removing or inserting a HD; use the same concept used in RAM. Brackets remove (disconnect) or insert (seat/disconnect) the HD.

Poor design, Apple; Poor design.

GNoter

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Guest wrote:
Spend booku bucks for the 1TB drive model.
Because, when you want to upgrade the HD (there are ALOT of 160GB HD iMac users out there), you invalidate any warranty on the HD.


Poor design, Apple; Poor design.

GNoter

For crying out loud just buy an external drive or a Mac Pro.

This machine isn't made for geeks, it's made for the anti-geek who has no desire whatsoever to customize anything.

I'm a geek and I'm considering one just because I already have all the external storage I need and two other pro machines. I want an all in one for the convenience of having one, the nice design, and the small footprint on my desk.

Just put a 1Tb drive in my wife's iMac last weekend. Runs much faster than the old drive.

Even though it didn't matter to me, there's debate over whether upgrading the drive actually violates the warranty.