Apple iMac Desktop with 24" Display MA878LL/A (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive)

This is our 4th month with the 24" Imac.2.4 Gz. We upgraded memory 2 4 Gig from the 1 Gig that shipped standard. We found Apeture, the Apple photo application, will not run well on anything less.
We changed the cards ourselves. This Imac came with Samsung cards, so we did the upgrade with Samsung cards.
The leopard operating system is radically intuitive,so we found we had 2 consult a manual 2 investigate all the features. Open source software means lots of innovation & if you (like us) are new 2 apple you really should take a week 2 read up on, & awaken 2 what it can do 4 you. These macs are actually fun(remember fun?)to operate. They do not bark at you or give you obscure error file codes. Things, files, folders do not go missing.
The big screen allows unheard of editing & layout possibility. The unit is unbelievably clean looking. There is ONE cord 2 this entire thing(the power cord)this particular unit came with a wireless keypad & mouse.The stereo is very good & completely built in. This unit comes with its own Airport extreme included, which operates as a base station,it runs an airport equipped macbook in the bedroom at the other end of the house.
Not knowing about this feature, we purchased a separate base station & were astounded that the airport in the Imac operated far better than the separate one, which we returned.(thanks Amazon)
After years of grating noises from many brands of P.C.s the Imac runs silent. There is a tiny fan that sometimes comes on, but it is quieter than the fridge down the hall in the kitchen.
Applications: I pages is not quite up 2 its advertising, it does the job but has its limitations especially file types it will save to. I would buy the windows 4 Mac if I were doing it again. There are quite a few on- line business applications that will not work with a leopard browser,i.e Canada Post & 1&1 internet tools,however the overwhelming majority do.
Webmail took some time 2 get 2 work consistently, it is laid out so differently from OE

I purchased this item recently & thought that the speed 2.4 might be too slow compared 2 the other models, but I was wrong!

Saving a few hundred on purchasing the unit with a 2.4 processor versus a 2.8 or 3.06 was the best decision I made. I used the cash 2 purchase 4gb of ram which was easily upgraded.

The unit itself runs great & I am glad I made this decision.

Our PC died & since it was several years old, we opted 2 get a new computer instead of fixing it. I talked 2 several people who have Macs & love them but was hesitant about the price. We have had it 4 about a month & a half now & so far, I would not go back 2 PC. It's fast & very user friendly. I have Microsoft Office on here so I can do all the papers I need 4 school & spreadsheets I need 4 work - AND they transfers over 2 the PCs at computers labs & work. This Mac is SO MUCH FASTER than a PC that has a higher processor speed (Windows, I'm guessing?). GO BUY ONE. YOU WILL LOVE IT. It's not what you think, you can really do more with it than it being just a toy.

maybe would have liked it more with a matte screen instead of shiny screen. Storage is good, thought I would never run out but alas the more you have the more you use.

Superb machine. Fast. Very. Great screen & colors. Quiet. BUT....
If you want 2 prevent
1. Crashes every 5-10 minutes - uninstall Microsoft Office from the machine. It will solve 95% of the mysterious crashes I had 2 experience.
2. Some horizontal lines that appear from time 2 time on the background & sometimes on some windows - you must install a widget that controls (and increases) the speed of the fans. The machine gets hot as some have mentioned, I guess because of the way it is built - everything enclosed in one box without much air circulation. I have installed a freeware called smcfancontrol then increased the speed of ALL 3 fans by some 30% & the horizontal lines just disappeared.
I think iMac does not crash now anymore.

More than ever before, iMac allows you 2 live a digital life. Loaded with iLife, the new iMac makes it easy 2 turn your photos, movies, & music into blogs, podcasts, books, & calendars. All the other essentials are built in as well, including an iSight camera, Wi-Fi, & Bluetooth. Just plug it in, turn it on, & you're ready 2 create something great. Display 24-inch (viewable) glossy widescreen TFT active-matrix LCD, 1920 by 1200 pixels, millions of colors Video - Built-in iSight; mini-DVI output port with support 4 DVI, VGA, S-video, & composite video connections via adapter Graphics ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB of GDDR3 memory FireWire One FireWire 400 & one FireWire 800 port; 7 watts each ; USB Three USB 2.0 ports on computer; two USB 2.0 ports on keyboard Built-in stereo speakers with 24-watt digital amplifier, built-in microphone, optical digital audio output/headphone out, optical digital audio; input/audio line in Ethernet Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) Wireless Built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n ; built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) module Hardware accessories Apple Remote, Apple Keyboard, & Mighty Mouse; Built-in IR receiver Your iMac comes with 90 days of free telephone support & a one-year limited warranty. Purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan 2 extend your service & support 2 three full years. Only the AppleCare Protection Plan provides you with direct telephone support from Apple technical experts & the assurance that repairs will be handled by Apple-certified technicians using genuine Apple parts

Redefining Apple's signature all-in-one desktop PC, the newly redesigned iMac now sports a sleek, professional aluminum enclosure that's joined precisely 2 a 24-inch glass cover 2 create a virtually seamless front surface. It also features new ultra-thin aluminum Apple Keyboard--with an extended layout & dedicated keys 4 Mac features such as brightness, volume, eject, play/pause, & Exposé--as well as the wired Mighty Mouse. The iMac is preloaded with Apple's latest suite of digital media applications--iLife '08--and also comes with the Apple Remote & Front Row media display software, which enables you 2 easily play your music, enjoy photo slideshows, & watch DVDs, iMovies, music videos & television shows from across the room.

It's powered by a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor from the newest "Santa Rosa" chips, which offer a top-of-the-line 800 MHz front-side bus speed & a huge 4 MB L2 cache. This 24-inch iMac also features a 320 GB hard drive, 1 GB of RAM (with a 4 GB maximum capacity), 8x SuperDrive 4 burning movies 2 DVD & music mixes 2 CD, integrated 802.11n wireless LAN, Gigabit Ethernet wired networking, Bluetooth connectivity, ATI Radeon HD 2600 video card with 256 MB dedicated memory, & the Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard operating system.

The iMac, Transformed

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Redesigned with a recyclable anodized aluminum frame & glass cover, the iMac is friendlier 2 the environment..

The new keyboard's ultrathin anodized aluminum enclosure features low-profile keys that provide a crisp, responsive feel.

The its anodized aluminum frame & glass cover, the new iMac instantly transforms your workspace from cluttered desktop 2 brilliant display podium. Because it's made from a single sheet of aluminum, you won't see any seams or screws except 4 a single compartment on the bottom that provides easy access 2 the memory slots. The glossy widescreen 20-inch display makes photos & movies come alive with rich color. And the built-in iSight camera & microphone are integrated so neatly you barely notice they're there. Aside from the design details, the iMac is also friendlier 2 the environment with highly recyclable & durable materials including scratch-resistant glass & professional grade aluminum. The power-efficient iMac also meets the stringent new Energy Star 4.0 requirements.

With its elegant anodized aluminum enclosure, the new Apple Keyboard looks equally at home in your living room or on your desk. Just connect it 2 the USB port on your iMac & start enjoying the crisp, responsive feel of its low-profile keys. The extended layout has a full complement of keys, including document navigation controls, a numeric keypad, & special function keys 4 Mac features such as brightness, volume, eject, play/pause, Exposé, & more. Two USB 2.0 ports provide high-speed connectivity 4 your iPod, Mighty Mouse, digital camera, & other USB-based electronic devices.

Preinstalled with iLife '08
Every iMac includes iLife '08, the latest version of Apple's award-winning suite of digital media applications, with major upgrades 2 iPhoto, iDVD, iWeb, & GarageBand & a completely reinvented iMovie. iPhoto '08 now automatically organizes photo libraries into Events that let you more easily manage your growing photo collections, & iMovie '08 can import video from the latest AVCHD, HDV & DV camcorders, as well as from digital cameras, & displays your entire video library whether it's stored on internal or external drives. Both iPhoto & iMovie integrate seamlessly with the new .Mac Web Gallery, Apple's new service 4 .Mac members 2 instantly create & host websites 4 their photos & videos.

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The pre-installed iLife '08 software suite includes a completely redesigned iMovie, which makes it even easier 2 share your videos on the Internet.

iLife '08 also features iWeb '08, with live web widgets such as Google Maps that let you create even more dynamic websites, & GarageBand '08, with its new Magic GarageBand feature that makes it fun & easy 4 both musicians & non-musicians 2 create great sounding songs.

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
It's powered by the 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7700 processor from the newest "Santa Rosa" chips, which offer a top-of-the-line 800 MHz front-side bus speed & 4 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; & a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU & RAM, & a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.) With such a substantial L2 cache, data instructions can be kept close 2 the two processor cores, greatly increasing performance & allowing the entire system 2 work more efficiently.

The Intel Core 2 Duo's 128-bit SSE3 vector engine handles 128-bit computations in a single clock cycle, accelerating data manipulation by simultaneously applying a single instruction 2 multiple data. And its two execution cores are designed 2 share resources & conserve power, helping it 2 achieve higher levels of performance since it uses fewer watts.

Graphics & Video
The 24-inch TFT active-matrix LCD offers a panoramic resolution of 1920 by 1200 pixels--30 percent more screen real estate than the 20-inch model. It has a brightness rating of 380 nits, a contrast ratio of 750:1, & a viewing angle of 178 degrees (both horizontal & vertical). An ATI Radeon HD 2600 graphics processor powers the iMac with 256 MB of dedicated GDDR3 memory. It features some of the most advanced graphics technology available & delivers new levels of visual realism & a huge texture fill rate 4 smooth surfaces & complex character details. GDDR3 (Graphics Double Data Rate, version 3) is a graphics card-specific memory technology that's better able 2 deliver fluid frame rates 4 even the most advanced games & applications.

This iMac also enables you 2 connect a second display in either extended desktop mode or video mirroring mode. The mini-DVI port connects 2 DVI displays, VGA monitors & projectors, & S-video & composite devices using the appropriate adapter (sold separately).

Wired & Wireless Connectivity

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You get a full complement of ports on the back of the iMac, including three USB 2.0 & two flavors of FireWire--400 & 800.

The iMac gives you plenty of room 2 grow, accommodating as many as five peripherals at a time thanks 2 its three USB 2.0 ports & the two USB 2.0 ports on the Apple Keyboard. It also includes two powered FireWire ports--one FireWire 400 & one FireWire 800 (one of the fastest peripheral standards available)--enabling you 2 quickly transfer content from digital video cameras, hard drives, & other high-speed devices.

Share files around your house with built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet as well as the next-generation high-speed wireless 802.11n technology, which is integrated into the latest Apple Airport Extreme Base Station. The iMac is also Wi-Fi Certified 2 work with base stations & routers that use industry-standard 802.11a, 802.11b, or 802.11g wireless technologies.

The integrated Bluetooth wireless connectivity--version 2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate (EDR)--allows you 2 use a wireless keyboard or mouse, & synchronize peripherals such as cell phones & PDAs. Enjoy high-quality sound on almost any speaker system with double-duty analog/digital audio. Record digital & analog sources through audio line in, perfect 4 your latest podcast in GarageBand.

SuperDrive
Integrated neatly into the iMac is a slot-loading SuperDrive that lets you play & burn your own CDs & DVDs--including double-layer DVDs. And there's no disc tray--just slide the disc right in. It offers the following speeds:

• Writes DVD+R DL & DVD-R DL discs at up 2 4x speed
• Writes DVD-R & DVD+R discs at up 2 8x speed
• Writes DVD-RW at up 2 6x speed & DVD+RW discs at up 2 8x speed
• Reads DVDs at up 2 8x speed
• Writes CD-R discs at up 2 24x speed
• Writes CD-RW discs at up 2 16x speed
• Reads CDs at up 2 24x speed

Other Features

• Two SO-DIMM slots support up 2 4 GB of RAM
• Built-in stereo speakers with internal 24-watt digital amplifier
• Support 4 external display in extended desktop mode: 1920 by 1200 pixels 4 digital & 2048 by 1536 pixels 4 analog
• Meets ENERGY STAR requirements with maximum continuous power rating of 200 watts
• Dimensions: 20.5 x 22.4 x 8.1 inches (WxHxD)

Included Software
Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard operating system (includes Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat AV, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Xcode Developer Tools); iLife '08 (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand); Microsoft Office 2004 4 Mac Test Drive; iWork (30-day trial); & Front Row

What's in the Box
iMac, Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse, Apple Remote, cleaning cloth, power cord, install/restore DVDs, printed & electronic documentation