BusinessWeek: iMac Undisputed Desktop Champ

In a four and a half-star review, BusinessWeek reviewer Cliff Edwards called Apple’s current line of iMacs the “undisputed champ, even as rivals Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, and Sony step up their offerings.” He cited Apple’s hardware design, peripherals, set-up ease, Mac OS X Leopard, and iLife as reasons that make the iMac a “star.” “It’s been just a year since Apple made the switch [to Intel],” wrote Mr. Edwards, “and the iMac has very quickly become the machine to beat if you want an all-in-one desktop computer.” Mr. Edwards was specifically testing the top of the line 2.8 GHz 24″ iMac priced at US$2,399, along with the optional wireless keyboard and Mighty Mouse. His only criticism was that the glass and aluminum iMac design that replaces the previous white iMac model makes it impossible to magnetically stick the Front Row remote to the front of the unit. In the cons, he also listed the lack of a media card reader, and the inability to upgrade the DVD drive to a high-definition drive. The review otherwise serves as a sterling mainstream rave for both the iMac model and the Mac platform in general.