Price: $2,115
Website: apple.com
Apple’s one-boxer was never going to
disappoint on the style front. The boffins at Cupertino have fit all the
necessaries into a rectangle only 5mm thick at the edges, which makes it
thinner than even the skinniest smartphones. Crazy.
There’s
no touchscreen here but multi-touch gestures on Apple’s Mighty Mouse ($90)
might satisfy you just as much.
The iMac has a quad-core i7 chip, dedicated
graphics, a gorgeous 1080p, 102PPI screen and plenty of RAM. This is the
fastest, smoothest all-in-one on test.
It’s also the most expensive per inch, and
as is always the case with Macs, it’s not as fully featured as its rivals here.
The optical drive has been ditched for space reasons and connectivity is also
limited, with an SD slot, four USB3.0 and two Thunderbolt sockets, but no HDMI.
Yes, sacrifices needed to be made in order to make it so skinny, but given that
it sits on the same angled stand as the previous model, it takes up the same
amount of desk space. Style over substance? Probably.
All of that negativity fades the moment you
turn it on though. Mac OS X Mountain Lion is warm and cuddly after the hubbub
of Win 8, and it purrs along on the crisp, vibrant screen. It was never going
to win on value or features, but if you want a truly useful machine, the iMac
still leads albeit by a thinner margin than ever.
The
Mac’s speakers aren’t the best here, but they’re serviceable. If you plan to
use it for movies or music, pick up some externals.
Thick and thin
It may be pancake-thin, but the iMac
squeezes in a Core i7 chip and a dedicated graphics chip to deliver top performance.
You can save up to $600 if you’re happy with i5.
Hey big screener
In spite of the screen’s glossy look, new
technology reduces the amount of reflections and delivers a wider viewing
angle. The iMac screen is lusciously great.
Apple’s
Fusion Drive is an extra $300. It’s a combo HDD and SSD that shuffles your
files around, giving you the fastest access to those you use the most.
Tech Specs
·
Display 21.5in, 1920x1080
·
CPU Quad-core Intel Core i7-3770S @ 3.1GHz
·
GPU GeForce GT 650M
·
Storage 1TB, 8GB RAM
·
Optical drive No
·
Connectivity USB3.0 (x4), Thunderbolt (x2), SD
reader
HP Spectre One
Price: $1,800
Our lawyers might get excited if we said
that HP had been peeking over Apple’s shoulder before they sketched out the
23.6in Spectre One. So we won’t say that but we will say that someone at HP has
decided that Win 8 PCs don’t have to look like Win 8 PCs.
Eschewing touchscreen tech, the Spectre One
concentrates on looking good, staying thin and pulling the same
bigger-on-the-inside trick as the TARDIS and, er, certain fruit-based
manufacturers.
Although
not quite as thin as the iMac, the Spectre still makes the others look like
they should be going to Weight Watchers.
A full HD resolution squashed into a 23.6in
screen makes for crisp visuals. The angled stand isn’t as thin as some, but it
houses nearly all of the PC’s connectors as well as some thumping Beats Audio
speakers. Windows 8, it seems, works just as happily without you prodding the
screen all the time, and the Spectre comes with a wireless touchpad for tactile
users. Another handy trick is a built-in NFC receiver, so it’s easy to hook up
NFC phones, speakers or mice.
An
HDMI input allows you to connect other devices, though at 23in the Spectre
isn’t at its best used as a dumb display.
The Spectre One runs on a desktop i5 chip,
unlike the mobile processors of its rivals here. But while it will never
outpace an i7 PC, we were disappointed by how the HP lagged behind the Acer’s
i5 mobile chip. It’s a shame, but there’s just not enough oomph on show.
The
lack of a touchscreen is annoying, but a bundled touchpad and built-in NFC are
some consolation.
Wireless and dongleless
Is HP the only PC manufacturer which realizes
it can twin an elegant keyboard, mouse and touchpad with a built-in wireless
receiver? Apparently so.
Make a stand
The Beats Audio speakers are the best on
test and have been placed at a sweet spot in the angled stand. This is the only
PC here you won’t need to buy external speakers for.
Tech Specs
·
Display 23.6in, 1920x1080
·
CPU Dual-core Intel Core i5-3470T @ 2.9GHz
·
GPU GeForce 610M
·
Storage 1TB, 4GB RAM
·
Optical drive No
·
Connectivity USB3.0 (x2), USB2.0 (x2), HDMI-in,
SD, audio-out
Test Winner
Apple iMAC
Pros Great design; fast processor; Mac OS X
Cons No optical drive or touch
Apple
iMac
Lenovo A720
Pros Blu-ray; can lie flat; multi-touch;
speedy performance
Cons Screen a bit low-res
Acer Aspire 7600U
Pros Feature-packed; Blu-ray; good
performance; wall-mountable
Cons Weak sound; noisy fan
HP Spectre One
Pros Great screen and design; NFC
Cons Average performance; no optical drive
HP
specter one
Sony Vaio TAP 20
Pros Battery; tablet skills
Cons Poor performance; heavy and huge for a
tablet
The Winning Team
Apple iMac 21.5in
Price: $2,115
Website: apple.com
Sleek, bright and fast, the iMac delivers great
performance for good value, with all the benefits of Mac OS X Mountain Lion.
Canon EOS-M
Price: $1,155 (w/18-55mm lens)
Mid-way between compact and full DSLR, the
EOS-M’s stills and video will look great on the iMac.
Monitor Audio WS100
Price: $375
Active, plug and play wire free speakers
that bring sound to life in a way that the iMac’s weedier noisemakers can’t
touch.
Adobe Premiere Elements
Price: $120
Website: adobe.com
With this kit and the eminently usable
Premiere, you can be making your own movies in no time. Some talent required.
