Getting a new Computer: How is the new 24" iMac?

Tony-S wrote in post #7813732
I think the question is about entertainment (e.g., movies, etc.). I don't know what you mean by "highly available on Macs" as I know of no providers for such content, other than 1080p trailers from the Apple web site. And those aren't too entertaining.

It means that there is plenty of content in HD and it is available on Mac's. I personally get over-the-air HD from local stations (18 stations - 10 of which are true HD vs just digital), Vuse, recorded work (FCS), Hulu offers 420p (weak, but still counts), HD content via torrents (mostly TV shows in HD via component not HDMI - but still way over SD), external blu-ray w/ bootcamp & XP/Vista and there are online shows shot in HD as well (Sanctuary is one example).

I am currenlty beta testing two online HD video packages for some popular companies and I'm pretty impressed. Right now I have a 10Mb (not MB) connection and it is being put through it's paces. There's no way you can get true full HD from the Internet. Heck, you cannot even get true HD from cable or satalite - they compress it so much! I also have seen Apple's HD player being tested so blu-ray is right over the horizon (probably this year).

Edit: I should have said HD not 1080p

MaxxuM wrote in post #7814277
Edit: I should have said HD not 1080p

Yeah, that's the key. The only 1080p content readily available is Blu-ray, and there's not support for that in OS X (and maybe not for some time to come if I read Jobs right).

I have the 2.66 Ghz / 640 GB / 4GB 24" iMac. I bought it the day after it came out and it's been great. The only thing is that I need to get this thing calibrated to get the best colors possible. Other than that, it's a powerhorse. I got it with the student discount too and bought a printer to get the rebate.

The only thing I would complain about is the screen is too bright even at its dimmest setting. I use the program called Shade to darken the brightness, but it does hurt my eyes from time to time.

DDWD10 wrote in post #7812316
I'm torn between the low and mid-range 24" iMac now. I'm sure I'll find some way to justify the $300 premium

I've already put off getting the 200mm f/2.8 L

The base iMac is the best value if you're not a gamer. See Macworld, PCmagazine and Cnet, barefeats.com etc...

Apple wants too much to go from the base model to the 2.93 with the GT120 card. You gain very little with either upgrade from base in terms of performance. Certainly not $300 worth.

I just bought the base model and it's been great. OS X is a revelation. It's so nice to be able to just have things work and work the way you want them to without the OS getting in your way constantly (yes I'm talking to you, Vista).

Now if Apple would've allowed a graphics card upgrade to the base model I probably would've went for the GT130. But I don't play games on the computer and I'm not a PS CS user (Elements for me). I may one day end up with Aperture. I'm just a casual photographer and shoot mostly jpegs so the 2.66 C2D with 4GB ram is plenty fast enough for the next couple of years at least.

IMO you can't go wrong with the base 24" iMac.
Gene