The 27-inch Apple iMac Review (2011)
by Anand Lal Shimpi on May 27, 2011 2:30 AM ESTThe Display
Apple offers two display options with the iMac: a 1920 x 1080 21.5-inch panel and a 2560 x 1440 27-inch panel. I tested the latter for this review.
Right away I noticed a huge difference in the default settings for the 27-inch iMac vs. my 27-inch Cinema Display. The new iMac has a lower white point, I measured 6102K uncalibrated vs. 7133K on the 27-inch Cinema Display. Here's a quick pic showing you the difference side-by-side:
27-inch iMac (left) vs. 27-inch Cinema Display (right)
Obviously that's just a calibration issue, but it shows a little more foresight on Apple's part with the 27-inch iMac. Viewing angles seem the same between the two as well. There is a noticeable change in how Apple maps brightness levels to the software OSD on the iMac vs. the Cinema Display however. The iMac's controls are far more linear:
I'm not sure if Apple has made similar changes in currently shipping versions of the 27-inch Cinema Display but it makes a whole lot more sense now. Linear controls for non-linear curves are silly.
The change in default white point alone should be an indication that Apple is experimenting with panels or panel vendors, the rest of the data seems to back this up as well. Maximum brightness is down a bit and but so are black levels, which means overall contrast ratio remains unchanged.
The new panel seems less uniform than the old one but it's not something that's noticeable in regular use, only if you actually measure the white/black levels on the panel.
Where the 2011 iMac does a lot better than my Cinema Display is in its color reproduction. The overall delta-E of the new panel is measurably lower than what was used in the first run of 27-inch Cinema Displays (and presumably last year's iMac):
I will say that despite what you see here numerically, you'd be hard pressed to tell a difference between the two panels as long as they're both calibrated.
Color gamut is a bit worse on the new panel vs. the old one from what I can tell. Both are WLED backlit which limits the spectrum of colors they can accurately reproduce.
Overall I'm just as much a fan of the 27-inch iMac display as I was of the 27-inch Cinema Display. The iMac is obviously bulkier but overall desk footprint is similar and you get a Sandy Bridge system as a part of the deal.
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tipoo - Friday, May 27, 2011 - link
*When the MBA gets the HD3000 and Thunderbolt. We need an edit feature, lol.KoolAidMan1 - Friday, May 27, 2011 - link
The MBA should work once it gets a Thunderbolt port in the next revision. Current ones do not since they lack it. Also, the only MBPs that can drive the 2011 iMac are 2011 MBPs, nothing sooner without the Thunderbolt port.I am very curious to see if someone makes an adapter. I can't imagine that it would be cheap, but there would be at least some market for it.
damianrobertjones - Friday, May 27, 2011 - link
The hard drive cable/fan issue ALONE ensure that I'll never buy a machine like this. No. Freedom of choice and options is what I'd like and I'd prefer not to have to short any cables.TEAMSWITCHER - Friday, May 27, 2011 - link
Why does everyone want an iMac computer, just to crack it open and put a faster/larger/different hard drive in it. Why not just buy it and use it the way it is. That's what having a Mac is all about, buy it, use it, abuse it if you want to, but just enjoy it. I think that Freedom of choice work both ways.tipoo - Friday, May 27, 2011 - link
Well, what do you do when your out of warranty and the drive fails? Or you need a bigger one?TEAMSWITCHER - Friday, May 27, 2011 - link
I understand the concern, but a hard drive failure is actually a pretty rare event. I have had several Apple computers over the years, most of them notebooks, and never has a hard disk failed on me.That said, if your still worried about it you should buy the Apple care extended warranty for $169.00. That'll give you three years of warranty service.
mschira - Friday, May 27, 2011 - link
lovely machine I am almost ready to buy one, but:"you have to buy a pair of suction cups, pull off the magnetic glass cover, remove the LCD, remove the motherboard"
I don't know. I don't think I can swallow that....
so again no Mac for me...
M.
GeorgeH - Friday, May 27, 2011 - link
If the 27" model was upgradeable it would be my next computer - and the first Mac that I bought personally. Unfortunately the chances of Apple ever making upgradeable hardware are just about zero. If that SATA cable is any indication, their engineers are instead actively working to add BS complexity for no reason other than to keep Mac hardware "special".So instead of a Mac I'll just put together another ITX box and hope for the day that someone pairs a nice display with good design and upgradeable hardware.
alent1234 - Friday, May 27, 2011 - link
the resale values are so good that it doesn't make sense to upgrade them. and most people don't upgrade CPU and RAM that works on the same motherboard chipsets. they wait for a new generation of everything to buy something new.i did this years ago and got tired since the motherboards changed every few years anyway making me buy a new motherboard, CPU and RAM. might as well just buy a pre-built computer since it's about the same amount of money
GeorgeH - Friday, May 27, 2011 - link
I'd guess the best GPU in the 27" has about 6 months before I'd want to be upgrading it. I definitely would want a faster SSD than it comes with, and would probably want to upgrade that again in a year or so. The CPU could last me, but Ivy Bridge might be enough of a jump to make me throw some money away just because.Also, I actually enjoy tearing computers apart and messing with them as a hobby. Spending an afternoon every year or so ripping apart my hypothetical iMac would be fun for me - selling and buying a new one on the same schedule would be tedious.