Apple iMac MC309LL/A 21.5-Inch Desktop (NEWEST VERSION)

Price : $1,132.99

Customer Reviews

I have been considering an Apple computer for a while now, and have been reluctant to buy because of the high price tag, compared to PCs with similar technical specs. For example, a Dell Inspiron All in One with 4GB SDD3 RAM, 500GB hard drive, 2.8Ghz processor, comparable graphics card and larger, brighter 23" screen retails for 599. For 1199, you can get the same Dell model with a touch screen, 1TB hard drive, 8GB RAM, 1GB video card, and a bunch of other stuff, running Windows 7. That's twice as much computer, right?
Maybe not. I went into a Best Buy store to play with a Mac, and spent almost two hours comparing this computer to the ones I just mentioned. I ended up buying the Mac, and am entirely convinced that it is well worth the price tag. First of all, even with less RAM, the Mac was faster and performed much better than a tech spec superior PC. It ran several memory draining and intensive applications, like video editing software, iTunes, and web browsers playing video SIMULTANEOUSLY without any noticeable lag. The programs all started up almost instantly, and everything just seemed to work. The PC that had 8 gigs of RAM could not perform all of those tasks at once without slowing down. Second, the Mac doesn't require a seperate anti-virus software purchase. It's supposed to be virtually unhackable, and you won't have like a dozen McAfee processes running in the background to slow your computer down. That peace of mind for internet security alone is worth the extra money to me.
One of my other reservations for buying a Mac was having to use a different operating system, and after years of running Windows, I didn't want to have to learn how to use a computer again. However, after playing with the Mac even for just a few minutes, I realized that it was very intuitive, and as easy to use as a PC. For example, when you want to print a document on a PC, you click the tab on the upper right hand corner, find "print" and click- same thing as on the Mac. All of the menus are pretty much identical for the word processors and internet browsers, and unless you're planning on writing or editing the DOS, there isn't much you'll have to adapt to.
Finally, the software that comes with this thing is AWESOME. The photo/video software is amazingly useful, and I can't imagine anything out there that you can buy that is as good as this stock software. There is music editing, and a bunch of other stuff that is just as good as the photo software, and while I haven't had the opportunity to really try everything out yet, I don't think I will be disappointed with any of it. To top it off, everyone raves about the customer support you get when you get an apple product. I hope I'll never have to use it, but it helps to know that Apple stands behind their products. Bottom line is, I'm really happy with my purchase.
Update Dec 28 2011
I just read some of the comments on my review, and I just don't understand why people can be so defensive about why I think this outperformed the PCs that I tried and have used. I can say that I've owned dozens of computers in the last two decades, and I don't think I've ever had one that is as solid as this one. I've used it for almost a year, and to this date have not had even a SINGLE glitch. All of the programs perform as expected, I have not had problems with passwords or emails being hacked, and I don't notice any performance degradation. I don't know or understand technical specs as well as most folks, I don't need to "mod" my computer or do anything that's resource draining besides video editing, I'm just an average user. I know that PCs have their strengths over Macs, but as far as what an average user would need, I don't think it gets any better than a Mac. I've tried to find used Macs for my kids room on craigslist, and most go for about 3/4 - 80% RETAIL! Show me a PC that gets that kind of resale value. As far as the defensive PC users are concerned, I'm glad that you can buy a product that you are happy with at a fraction of a cost. For me, peace of mind is worth a little extra bread.

I first bought an iMac in 2006. It was the same first model out of four. Not only it lasted me until now, but since I bought this one few days ago, I gave my old one to my wife's sister. I'm sure it will keep going and going for years.
Right now, it is better than ever to buy a new iMac. I remember when I bought mine, the whole line-up was good. But then they gave lower-priced iMacs much worse specs than higher-priced ones, especially in terms of video cards. So, if you wanted something good all around, you had to spend more money and buy third or even fourth one in iMac's line-up. Not anymore. Every single one has the same RAM, all of them have descrete video cards, and even Quad-Core processors. Not only that, but they are the newest i5 Quad-Core processors, Intel Sandybridge. Even if you take a look at various tests done by different websites, they will tell you that there is not that big of a difference between iMac line-up nowadays. It'll be about 10% or so in speed increase between this iMac and top of the line one. Also, this iMac is faster than top of the line iMac from previous generation, so yeah, it's that good!
Like everyone are saying, don't look at the numbers. That's the game PC plays, and people believe them. Read comparison reviews between iMacs and PCs and you'll see that in most tests iMacs go head to head with PCs that have twice the RAM and twice the video card and even higher clocked processors. In some tests, iMac still come ahead.
Besides nice specs, iMac has a really good screen. Yes, it is 21.5-inch, but is is beautiful. People might say that you can buy all-in-one from Dell with 23-inch screen. Again, those are numbers, and also, Dell's specs are a joke. iMac has a high quality screen, extremely accurate colors, which is perfect for anything, especially photography and editing, specifically color-correction. And just to show you where those two companies stand, Apple went for higher resolution on their 21.5-inch display, because they're about quality. Dell on the other hand, chose to have the same resolution on a 23-inch display, because for them it's more important to say that their display is bigger, rather than talk about quality. Same with HP, just recently they chose USB 3.0 over Thunderbolt. It just shows how low quality they are to choose already outdated technology for their machines. Yeah, we all might have to wait for a month or two for Thunderbolt accessories to become available, but it's a fair price to pay for the fastest of the fast.
iMac itself is a piece of art. There are no rough edges from all the cheap plastic, it's just two pieces, aluminum enclosure and a piece of glass on the front. All ports are nice and neat and it does come with a wireless keyboard and a wireless mouse. Both are very comfortable.
As usual it comes with iLife, so it is ready for photos with iPhoto, movies with iMovie, creating music with GarageBand, creating DVDs with iDVD and creating websites with iWeb. Also, sometime during this Summer, new Operating System is coming out, but it will be a cheap upgrade for those who want it, it's not like buying Windows and choosing between 10 different options, all at the premium price. With Mac, you get just one OS, which has everything. Also, for all of you out there who like to edit, Final Cut Pro X is coming out this Summer as well, in June, unless if they'll move it to a later date. It will go down in price from $999 to just $299. So, it'll be an excellent editing machine.
I also have Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit, via BootCamp, to play games. In Windows everything is noticeably slower. Not only that, but as usual, Mac came with everything out of the box, I can zip/unzip files, view PDFs and so on. Windows doesn't have any of that. I would have to download all of those programs to be able to fully use my computer. Game-wise, I think it's pretty good. I play Mafia II on all high settings and it runs just fine. Let me remind you that although Mafia II is not the latest game ever, but it does recommend Intel Quad-Core 2.5Ghz, 3GB or more for RAM, and most importantly, 1GB for a video card. Like I said I have all setting on high with 1920x1080 resolution. The only setting that makes it somewhat slow is when I turn on anti-aliasing. On one of the levels it was a little slow, so I put Shadow Quality on medium and it was fine. After completing the level I turned it on high again.
ALSO, for all of you GAMERS out there, I found a pretty cool website that shows how well different video cards can handle games. It's not necessarily Mac related, just video cards in general. Amazon doesn't let you to post links to websites, so, I just put it in the first comment. Just to give you an idea, the site says that Crysis 2 plays good on High settings, Call of Duty: Black Ops plays good even on Ultra settings, Metro 2033 plays good on Medium settings. You can check out the rest
Overall, this is the best all-in-one you can find and one of the best Desktops a money can buy.
If you don't like Apple or still think it is overpriced, do that. Find a Desktop/All-in-one with Sandybridge Quad-Core processor and around 6GB to 8GB of RAM and 512MB to 1GB video card. Add a nice screen to it, full HD, no less than 1920x1080. Add wireless keyboard and a wireless mouse. Don't forget bluetooth and Wi-fi connectivity. Make sure it has Windows 7 Professional for all of the features, or maybe even Ultimate. Also, make sure all 5 of iLife-equivallent programs are present. And see the price for yourself. I am not even going to bring up the ease of set-up and that iMac is only one piece of aluminum and one piece of glass. Because no PC will match it. You have to settle for million pieces of plastic holding your computer together.

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
The Ultimate All-in-One Goes All Out.

The new iMac features next-generation Intel Core i5 quad-core processors and the fastest graphics ever in an all-in-one computer. It also brings Thunderbolt I/O technology to the desktop for lightning-fast data transfer. And a new FaceTime HD camera lets you make full-screen HD video calls. All from a beautiful, widescreen 21.5-inch LED-backlit display that takes up just a sliver of your desk. It's everything you want in a desktop. Now more powerful, more advanced, and even more incredible than before.
The iMac's display offers a 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution (for native 1080p high-definition viewing), and it uses IPS technology to deliver consistent color across an ultra wide 178 degree viewing angle. This 21.5-inch model (MC309LL/A) offers improved graphics with AMD Radeon HD 6750M discrete graphics featuring 512 MB of GDDR5 memory, a 500 GB hard drive, and 4 GB of installed RAM. Other features include integrated Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking, Bluetooth connectivity, an SD card slot (compatible with SDHC and SDXC cards), one Thunderbolt port, a FireWire 800 port, and a total of four USB 2.0 ports (see full specifications below).
It also comes with the Mac OS X Lion operating system as well as the iLife software suite, which includes the latest versions of iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand.
Key Features
Next-Generation Dual-Core Intel Processor
This iMac is powered by a second-generation Intel Core i5 quad-core processor (dubbed "Sandy Bridge"), which provides breakthrough digital media management, content creation, and 3D gaming capabilities. With updated Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, the latest Core i5 increases speed automatically for whatever you're doing, dynamically accelerating performance to match your workload.
Intel's Hyper-Threading Technology enables each core of your processor to work on two tasks at the same time, delivering the performance you need for smart multitasking. And you'll enjoy a rich set of new features for a stunning and seamless visual experience with no additional hardware. The "Sandy Bridge" Core i5 processor also provides faster access to the installed RAM, with an integrated memory controller to connect fast 1333 MHz memory directly to the processor.

Revolutionary Thunderbolt Technology
Developed by Intel with collaboration from Apple, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O (input/output) technology delivers an amazing 10 gigabits per second of transfer speeds in both directions. Built into the iMac, the Thunderbolt port allows you to connect to new Thunderbolt-compatible peripherals as well as existing USB and FireWire peripherals using simple adapters. You'll be able to move data up to 20 times faster than with USB 2.0 and more than 12 times faster than with FireWire 800, and you can daisy-chain multiple high-speed devices without using a hub. Thunderbolt also supports DisplayPort for high resolution displays and works with existing adapters for HDMI, DVI and VGA displays.
Bright, Colorful Display
This 21.5-inch, all-in-one Apple iMac features an edge-to-edge glass display that utilizes LED backlighting for improved brightness and energy efficiency as well as In-Plane Switching (IPS) technology, which delivers consistent color across a wide 178-degree viewing angle.
Clutter-Free Desktop
You'll be able to cut the cord with the included Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse, both of which connect to the iMac using Bluetooth wireless technology. Additionally, the Magic Mouse features a seamless Multi-Touch surface that enables you to use the same intuitive gestures used on the MacBook trackpad to easily scroll through long documents or swipe to move forward or backward through a collection of web pages or photos. And it can be configured as either a single- or two-button mouse.

And with the FaceTime HD camera placed above the display in the iMac's thin aluminum and glass design, you'll be able to make video calls in HD 720p resolution to friends and family on another iMac or MacBook. Additionally, you'll be able to connect to those using an iPad 2, iPhone 4, or iPod touch.
Key Specifications

21.5-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with IPS technology, a 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, and 178-degree viewing angle (horizontal and vertical). Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to a 30-inch display (2560 by 1600 pixels) on an external display.
2.5 GHz Intel Core i5 quad-core processor ("Sandy Bridge") with 6 MB shared L3 cache for excellent multitasking.
500 GB Serial ATA hard drive (7200 RPM)
4 GB installed RAM (1333 MHz DDR3; supports up to 16 GB)
AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics processor (with 512 MB of DDR5 SDRAM discrete video memory) for high performance when playing 3D games, editing HD video, or running design software.
8x slot-loading SuperDrive with double-layer DVD support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/
Built-in FaceTime camera for video chatting (up to HD 720p resolution when connecting to other Macs)
Wireless-N Wi-Fi wireless networking (based on 802.11n specification; 802.11a/b/g compatible)
Gigabit Ethernet wired networking (10/100/1000BASE-T)
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) for connecting with peripherals such as keyboards, mice and cell phones
Side-loading SDXC card slot
Four USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port
One Thunderbolt port
Mini DisplayPort video output with support for DVI, VGA, and dual-link DVI (adapters sold separately).
Built-in stereo speakers with two internal 17-watt high-efficiency amplifiers along with built-in microphone, optical digital audio output/headphone out, optical digital audio input/audio line in
Dimensions: 20.8 x 7.42 x 17.75 inches (WxDxH)
Weight: 20.5 pounds

What's in the Box
iMac, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse, cleaning cloth, power cord, install/restore DVDs, printed and electronic documentation
Apple Magic MouseMagic Mouse is unlike any other mouse you've ever used. The Multi-Touch surface lets you use gestures to swipe through photos and scroll down web pages. And the entire mouse is the button, so you can click anywhere.
Apple Wireless KeyboardThe sleek aluminum Apple Wireless Keyboard lets you type in front of your computer, on your lap, or anywhere within range. It's also incredibly thin and streamlined, so it sits on your desk surrounded by nothing but glorious space.
Limited Warranty And Service
The iMac comes with 90 days of free telephone support and a 1-year limited warranty, which can be extended to 3 years with the AppleCare Protection Plan.
Installed software
Mac OS X Lion is an even more powerful and refined version of the world's most advanced operating system. In ways big and small, it gets faster, more reliable, and easier to use. New core technologies unleash the power of today's advanced hardware technology and prepare Mac OS X for future innovation.

Mac OS X v10.7 Lion (includes iTunes, Time Machine, Quick Look, Spaces, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Photo Booth, Front Row, Xcode Developer Tools, and more)

iLife helps you do more with photos, movies, and music than you ever thought possible. In iPhoto, you can browse, edit, and share your photos in stunning new full-screen views. Create epic Hollywood-style movie trailers from your home video in iMovie. And GarageBand gives you everything you need to make a great-sounding song--including tools for keeping your song in perfect rhythm and guitar and piano lessons.

iLife (includes iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, iWeb, and iDVD)

AppleCare Protection Plan
Because Apple makes the hardware, the operating system, and many applications, the Mac is a truly integrated system. And only the AppleCare Protection Plan gives you one-stop service and support from Apple experts, so most issues can be resolved in a single call. Extend the complimentary service and support on your Mac to 3 years from the original Mac purchase date with the AppleCare Protection Plan. You get direct telephone access to Apple experts for technical questions, and you get global repair coverage--including both parts and labor--for your Mac and select Apple peripherals.
Optional Accessories and Related Products
Time CapsuleBack up a lifetime's worth of memories with Time Capsule, a wireless hard drive that works seamlessly with Time Machine in Mac OS X. It's also a full-featured 802.11n Wi-Fi base station with simultaneous dual-band support. Choose from 1 TB and 2 TB models.
AirPort Extreme Base StationSpeed, range, and easy setup make AirPort Extreme the perfect wireless solution for home, school, and small business. It offers simultaneous dual-band support and lets up to 50 people share Internet access, a wireless network, a hard drive, and a printer.
Apple Magic TrackpadMagic Trackpad is the first Multi-Touch trackpad designed to work with your Mac desktop computer, and it supports a full set of gestures. Click, scroll, swipe, and rotate to control what's onscreen. Use it along with your mouse or as an alternative to one.
Apple Battery ChargerThe Apple Battery Charger comes with a high-performance, power-efficient charger and six ready-to-use AA NiMH batteries that are exceptional at holding a charge and can last for up to 10 years.
Introducing the new iMac. The ultimate all-in-one goes all out. The new iMac features next-generation quad-core processors and the fastest graphics ever in an all-in-one computer. It also brings Thunderbolt I/O technology to the desktop for lightning-fast data transfer. And a new FaceTime HD camera lets you make full-screen HD video calls. All from a beautiful widescreen LED-backlit display that takes up just a sliver of your desk. It’s everything you want in a desktop. Now more powerful, more advanced, and even more incredible than before. FaceTime requires a FaceTime-enabled iOS device with a Wi-Fi connection or a FaceTime-enabled Mac with an Internet connection and FaceTime for Mac software (may require separate purchase). Not available in all areas.

Product Details

Product Dimensions: 22.2 x 9.3 x 25.5 inches ; 27.6 pounds
Shipping Weight: 28.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
ASIN: B004YKXGIK
Item model number: MC309LL/A

Technical Details

2.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with 6MB on-chip shared L3 cache
500GB Hard Drive
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM, DVD SuperDrive
21.5" LED-backlit display with a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio, AMD Radeon HD 6750M
Mac OS X v10.7 Lion

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