Apple iMac (20-Inch Aluminum)

The latest iteration of the Apple iMac ($1,499 direct with 1GB of RAM, $1,649 with 2GB of RAM) comfortably straddles the worlds of consumer and business. It's the fourth generation of the popular system, if you count the first as the CRT G3 iMacs, the second as the "Luxo-style" iMac G4, and the third as the white plastic iMac G5 and Intel systems. Though the last white iMac was marketed as the "consumer Mac" (the Mac Pro was the "professional Mac"), the latest iMac doesn't fall into the pigeonholes of "business" or "consumer." Its aluminum and black appearance can work in the home, next to your iPhone, or in the office next to your Aeron chair. With its Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows compatibility, it is certainly the "computer for the rest of us," making good on the promises put forth in the original "1984" Macintosh ads. All that earns it our Editors' Choice.

The white iMac G5s were marketed as "from the creators of the iPod." The look of the new iMac suggests that it plays nice with Apple's other baby, the iPhone. Both have aluminum and glass front panels, polycarbonate black plastic on the back, and a sleek facade. These materials are being touted "more recyclable," and since the iMac now meets Energy Star 4.0 requirements, it's a "green PC" as well. Like the white iMacs, the new iMac is a design wonder: a sleek, suspended slab with just the power cord. Though I tested the new iMac with the included wired keyboard and mouse, the new Bluetooth 2.0 keyboard and (same old) wireless Apple Mighty Mouse will work with the new iMac, so you can use the system almost completely wirelessly on your Wi-Fi network.

The new iMac rests on a "foot" base similar to those on the older white iMacs, with a smooth tilting action that lets you find a good angle for working. The foot raises the computer so you can slide the keyboard below the screen for handy, space-saving storage. There's still no height adjustment, but in practice the tilt is varied enough to support both low sitters and standees. The tilt action is smooth, and unlike some systems with cheaper mechanisms, the iMac stays put after you set the angle of the screen. The new glossy screen lets colors "pop" more than the older antiglare LCDs, but I can see it being annoying in an office with a lot of windows (think: streaming sunlight). Unfortunately, unlike the MacBook Pro, you don't have the option of ordering an iMac with an antiglare screen. The iMac's proportions seem improved—either I am getting used to the bezel with its "Jay Leno chin" (the extra metal below the screen), or Apple has shaved a bit of girth below the screen (I think it's the latter). The black border around the screen is a good thing: Aside from echoing the iPhone, it also provides a good contrast to the aluminum shell, which, to me at least, reduces eye fatigue. Either way, the design is such that I would have no problem working in front of the iMac for extended periods of time.

The new Apple wired keyboard is very much like the MacBook's in style, with flat, shallower keys. Using it was similar to using the MacBook keyboard, with enough travel and "bounce" to make typing comfortable for me. Made of aluminum and plastic, it's much thinner than the old all-plastic one, so it may take a little while to get used to the new typing position. It's no ergonomic "curve" keyboard, but it is quite usable. The optional wireless keyboard lacks a numeric keypad, likely in order to save space and to make lap-typing more comfortable (the wired keyboard comes with all function and numeric keys). The wireless keyboard is as responsive as its wired counterpart, and is a good companion to the iMac.

If you're one of the first people to get a new iMac, however, make sure you get the "Keyboard Software Update 1.1" off Apple's Web site, so the Expose (F3), Dashboard (F4), and multimedia function keys work right (it's part of Apple's automatic Software Update if it's not already installed at the factory). The new function keys rearrange the volume, Dashboard, and Expose buttons, marking them with distinct icons. The right-hand function keys (F7-F12) are now the multimedia controls (play, FF/REW, pause, volume up/down), which control iTunes and QuickTime out of the box. The new layout is a switch if you're an older Mac user that's used to bringing up the Dashboard with F12, but it's fairly easy to get used to, as long as you're not going back and forth often from an older Mac to the new iMac. If you prefer it, the old Apple keyboard plugs in readily and works fine, too. One notable improvement is that the new metallic wired keyboard has two USB 2.0 ports on the back (something the wireless keyboard lacks), an improvement over the USB 1.1 ports on the back of the older Apple Keyboard. I verified their speediness by connecting a USB 2.0 hard drive to the keyboard. Data transfers were at full USB 2.0 speed. In addition to the USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400 and FireWire 800 ports await camcorders and external hard drives as well. The faster FireWire 800 is a new addition to the iMac family, available on all models.—next: Under the Hood >