Tuesday, January 31, 2006

I've been using a new Intel-based Apple iMac since last week. I had been curious to see how the machine would compare to its predecessors, and I’m happy to say that the news is mostly quite good. Encased in the same case as its predecessor, the 20" widescreen iMac looks almost identical to the iMac G5 it replaces, albeit with one new exterior addition: a mini-DVI-out port, which, when combined with an external display, lets you extend the Mac desktop to two screens.

Inside, of course, the iMac is all new, with an Intel Core Duo processor, and Intel-based versions of Mac OS X 10.4.4, Front Row, and iLife '06. In day-to-day use, the iMac is virtually indistinguishable from its predecessor: The performance is snappy, especially in the Finder, the bundled applications, and iLife.