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iMac - first impressions from a recent convert July 5, 2008

Posted by Wille in Uncategorized.
5 comments

I got my shiny new 24″ iMac yesterday, with 500gb hd, 4gb ram and a 2.8ghz core 2 duo processor.

As pretty much a Mac virgin, I’ve spent a lot of time the last 16 hours learning the ropes, and overall the impression is overwhelmingly positive, I can’t believe I didn’t try earlier!

Among the positives:

  • Just so polished it is unbelievable compared to Windows or Linux, everything is snappy, doesn’t crash etc.
  • So Unixy, I’ve got a nice little native bash console and all. I’ve always loved Unix- and Linux, but never been able to make a 100% plunge, since there’s always something missing in terms of applications. No longer the case. With a Darwin Unix kernel under the covers, the Unix:ness of Mac is not that strange.
  • Hardware calibrated to perfection: I thought my top-end 24″ external screen I already had was good, but the iMac screen is calibrated to perfection for the computer (as you might expect since it’s built in). My old 24″ screen looks a bit cruddy compared to the iMac screen when hooked into the Mac, even though I spent 30 minutes calibrating it yesterday (but it’s still better than most external screens you’d find).
Things I don’t like (might have to do with being used to different things:
  • Don’t have anything like the windowbar in windows showing me what applications I have running, I have to use Expose or Command-Tab to see that. Something in the dock would be nice, but maybe I’m missing something?
  • The application toolbar unconnected to the main window takes some getting used to, especially on a dual screen set-up where your main window might literally be in the other monitor.
  • Maximizing windows, aligning windows: it would be nice if maximizing actually always was maximixing. Also, being able to drag windows of the screen entirely into nothingness is a bit of a nuisance.
That being said, I’ve found replacements for most of the essential apps already: Adium for instant messaging, NetNewsWire for RSS reading, Safari works fine for browsing, VLC player is a lot more polished on Mac compared to it’s basic Windows look, VMWare Fusion is brilliant for running Windows Apps with it’s “unity” interface, and in Time Machine I have a dependable, non-hassle way of making backups for the first time in my life.