In article <
15ydnVeebZG28DjO...@giganews.com>, Alan Browne
<alan....@FreelunchVideotron.ca> wrote:
> On 2014.06.18, 10:33 , Michelle Steiner wrote:
> > There's a new, lower-cost iMac; here's a comparison with the former
> > bottom-end iMac (which is still available as the middle iMac).
> >
> > New Former
> > $1099 $1299
> >
> > 1.4GHz 2.7GHz
> > dual-core quad-core
> > i5 i5
> >
> > 500GB 1TB
> > hard drive hard drive
> >
>
> I believe, from the MBA that I just got, that the 1.4 Dual Core in this
> new iMac is hyper threaded - so the performance will be a bit better
> than one would assume from the clocks. Generally, HT delivers about 30%
> more performance than a non HT core.
>
> But still ... for $200 ...
Macworld UK has these two articles ...
Why not to buy the �ソス899 iMac
----------------------------
5 reasons why you shouldn't buy the new budget iMac.
Here are five reasons not to buy the low-cost iMac,
but be sure to read our five reasons why it might
actually be the best Mac for your needs.
- Not the cheapest iMac
It's not cheap, it's not the cheapest Mac, and it's
not the cheapest ever iMac. You can buy a 11in
MacBook Air for the same price that has exactly the
same processor and the same graphics card, although
it's got half the RAM, and half the storage - but
that storage is fast flash storage rather than an
old fashioned hard drive.
- iMac vs Mac mini
Even a two-year-old Mac mini turned out to be faster
in our tests! We tested the 2.3GHz Quad-Core Mac
mini, which costs �ソス649. It scored higher in our
benchmarks than the new iMac. If you can find a
display for �ソス250 it's a still a good deal (although
we'd wait for Apple to update the Mac mini).
- Price drops all round
The really good news that happened when Apple
introduced the new entry-level iMac was that it
dropped prices of all the other iMacs in the range,
the 21in iMacs are now �ソス100 cheaper, and the 27in
models are both �ソス150 cheaper now. This makes buying
last year's entry-level iMac an attractive
proposition, it's �ソス1,049 and in our Speedmark tests
its score was 54% higher than the new entry-level
model.
- No RAM upgrades
Not only will you never be able to upgrade the RAM
in this new iMac, there is not even an option to
add more RAM when you buy it. Upgrade options are
almost nonexistent, except for the option of
including a Fusion Drive.
- Not for games
If you want to play games then this is not the Mac
for you. We tested using Tomb Raider and Batman
Arkham City and in both cases game play was poor
due to frame rate limitations.
http://www.macworld.co.uk/feature/mac/why-not-buy-899-imac-3535431/
Reasons to buy the �ソス899 iMac
----------------------------
5 reasons why you should buy the new budget iMac.
Here are five reasons to buy the low-cost iMac, but
be sure to read our five reasons why it might not
actually be the best Mac for your needs.
- Time to move to the Mac
Now that everyone has an iPhone and uses a Mac at
home, perhaps it's time to equip your staff with
Macs. Looking for a desktop? The entry-level iMac
will be perfect, if it will be used for standard
office work rather than editing the next Hollywood
blockbuster it will be plenty good enough.
- Fusion Drive bonus
If you still think it might not be powerful enough,
add a Fusion Drive for �ソス200. Then, for just �ソス50
more than the next machine up, you will have a
faster machine thanks to the flash storage.
- More RAM than MacBook Air
The budget iMac offers 8GB RAM, which is more than
you get in the MacBook Air, which ships with a
measly 4GB.
- Good looks
If you have never owned a Mac before this is a
great desktop Mac that will transform your
computing experience. The whole computer is built
into the incredibly thin display so there is no
tower to stick on or under your desk, and it looks
gorgeous.
- iMac screen
If you'd been put off iMacs in the past because
you had heard they had reflective screens this is
no longer the case. The screens on recent
generations of iMacs are less reflective but
images on the display are still striking, with
vivid colours - perfect for perusing your holiday
photos, watching films and streaming TV. However,
a high-res Retina display for the iMac may be on
the way.
http://www.macworld.co.uk/feature/mac/reasons-buy-899-imac-3535439/