What’s new in the early 2009 iMac, Mac mini
Cosmetically little has changed, but there are many under the hood differences. What’s hot and what’s not in Apple’s newest consumer and prosumer desktop computers, including the numbers to flesh all of that out.
When it comes to fetishizing simple commercial products, the fan boys (and girls) of Apple’s iPod, iPhone and, of course, Macintosh computers really are in a class of their own. Thereupon, check out Macminicolo, which has posted Mac mini unboxing and dissection photos, and iFixIt’s look at the inside of the new iMac, giving new meaning the words “money shots.”
Apple has transitioned from FireWire400 to FireWire 800
See also: Macworld’s Inside the Mac mini
When it comes to performance, as you might expect, the new Mac mini handily beats its predecessor. This fact is hardly surprising given the 600-plus day gulf separating their respective introductions, highlighted by the differences between nVidia’s widely praised 9400M and Intel’s roundly derided GMA 3100, the chipsets that power the two generations.
However, looking for a clear performance winner between current and last generation iMacs is not so clear cut. That is, a well priced last gen refurb will certainly have it charms, whereas the newer models bring faster memory and graphics to the table. iFixIt says on iMac and Mac mini performance:
Processor performance hasn’t increased substantially in the latest hardware; the performance increase seems to scale with processor speed; you might be better off getting a discontinued (or refurbished) previous-generation Mac rather than one of the new Mac models
From the straight review department, comes analysis and opinion from Oppenheimer & Co and Crave (News.com), both of which offer high praise for the new iMacs and the value they represent. Oppenheimer analyst Yair Reiner says:
We believe the product refreshes announced today will bring renewed momentum to Apple’s flagging desktop sales. While the much anticipated update did not break new ground in terms of form factor (as we had hoped), the extent of the hardware improvements is a positive surprise.
As is often the case when comparing Apples to whatever, the qualitative details that the Mac brings to the table—ie display crispness, bundled apps, fit and finish, OS smoothness—make all of the difference. Happily, News.com and Oppenheimer have this vision and can offer sound insight into what makes these latest OS X desktops worth your time and money.
You’ve had a few days to look at Apple’s new iMac and Mac mini models—where do they shine and what leaves looking for more? Sound off in the comments below…
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March 5th, 2009
good stuff