To fully discuss all the features of the latest iMac would take a lengthy amount of time and space, so I will break it down into two parts: hardware and software. This article is mainly focusing on the hardware. Simply read my publication entitled 'OS X Lion' for my sentiments on the operating system and its programs.
When you first behold a 27-inch iMac, specific words might pop into your head. Beautiful would definitely be one of them, but words such as epic, immense, monumental, towering, colossal, astronomical, titanic, gargantuan, behemoth, Herculean, and multistory would flood your thoughts as well. The enormous screen size belittles anything of ordinary dimensions, and yet maintains a gorgeous resolution.
Having a big screen is wonderful, but that's not entirely what sets it aside from Windows computers, as some PCs have 27-inch screens or larger. The screen size doesn't make it altogether unique; the difference comes in when you take it from two dimensions to three.
In geometry, we learned all about the x-axis and y-axis, but when studying three dimensions, the z-axis is added in. That z-axis is a significant figure in this equation, because the iMac has no computer tower housing its insides; there is no separate storage area for the hard drive and motherboard and all those little green things that go inside a computer. Everything, yes, everything, is in the monitor. The z-axis in geometry measures from front to back instead of the x-axis measuring side to side. My estimation concerning the z-axis of this all-in-on computer is a maximum of three inches in the middle, all thinning out to approximately one inch at the perimeter. This sleek body rests on a super-thin metal stand that flattens out and almost becomes one with the desk surface.
On the front of the iMac, above the screen, is the HD webcam. This allows you to use FaceTime, iChat, and Photo Booth (among many other programs) to their full potential. [See my next blog post, OS X Lion, for more details on these software applications.] Also at the top of the computer is a built-in microphone which records in high quality audio. Just below the screen is a black Apple symbol, which not only depicts one of the most well-known symbols in modern technology, but it also doubles as an infrared receiver for the Apple Remote, with which one can control the computer from up to thirty feet away. Under the computer/monitor/mammoth wonder we find the speakers. Not visible to the casual observer, these beauties produce extremely high quality sound. No external speakers are necessary unless you're a major computer geek and must have them.
In the back of the iMac are the various ports for USB, Thunderbolt, headphones, networking, etc. These ports are invisible from the front of the computer, making the body appear seamless. On the right side are slots for CDs/DVDs SD cards. Both of these are thin slits in the side, and there is no CD tray that slides out to receive disks. You simply slide the CD or DVD into the slit when you need it and hold down an eject key on Apple's Magic Keyboard when you wish to remove it.
That leads us to the keyboard. Customers have a choice of keyboards when buying from Apple, but I will only talk about my keyboard, the Magic Keyboard, as Apple calls it. This keyboard is approximately one-fifth of an inch thin
(not counting the unsuppressed keys, as, when pressed, the keys are level with the actual keyboard) and rests on a cylinder running the width of the keyboard which houses the batteries. This cylinder slants the keyboard, making typing easier and more efficient. The wireless freedom offered by the Magic Keyboard allows one to sit a distance from the computer, and the large screen supports it as well. As I am typing this portion, I have the keyboard in my lap, and its ultra-light design makes holding it a joyous experience.
Like the keyboard, the Magic Mouse also has a replacement: the Magic Trackpad. But because I have the Magic Mouse, I shall convey to you its greatness. It is, like the Magic Keyboard, wireless, and upon testing them both, I found that they will send wireless commands to the computer from a distance nearly equal to the length of my house. This path includes such things as walls and other obstacles. As for the mouse itself, the surface is all one button; there are no separate left-click and right-click buttons. It detects whether you wish to click the right or left side with its touch-sensitive surface. This unique ability allows you to control some aspects of the iMac similarly to the way you would control an iPad or iPhone--by touch. It isn't touchscreen, but you can control scrolling, sliding between screens, zooming, and the Mission Control feature all through the touch-sensitive mouse. This enables the user to be more efficient as well as awed.
When all these separate descriptions are thrown together into one reality, the true wonder of such a marvelous computer becomes overwhelming. In this article, I have only touched key points of the hardware; the software is much too diverse to be thoroughly discussed together with the hardware. My blog publication should be posted in a week or so, and I hope you'll be back to read about the various programs and features, as they are every bit amazing as the physical body, yet in completely different ways. So be on the lookout for my OS X Lion article, as it should follow this one shortly.
Though this is a relatively brief walkthrough of the hardware of a 27-inch Apple iMac, I hope you are as enthused as I am. When viewed in its full glory, the sheer beauty of this multistory phenomenon is wondrously breathtaking.
No comments:
Post a Comment