Advantages and Disadvantages of an Apple iMac

People who already have an Apple iMac tend to rave about them. People who don’t own an Apple iMac tend to crave one. But for some diehards it will only ever be about the PC. The Apple iMac can be an emotive subject, so here’s a breakdown of some of the pros and cons associated with this particular machine.

The Pros of the iMac

For sheer simplicity, the Apple iMac wins hands down over just about any model of desktop PC. With everything engineered into a single, beautifully designed and engineered package, there are no unsightly trailing wires and no fiddly connections between components. One cable to plug in allows you to start computing straightaway with no set-up required.

The design of the iMac makes it an extremely desirable object. Even older models have been through such a rigorous design process that they tend to retain value far better than their PC counterparts. This means that if you are planning on making money from your old iMac at some point in the future, you certainly won’t be disappointed! Getting a good price for your old equipment allows you to purchase an even higher specification of machine next time around.

There is a good reason why so many professional graphic designers choose to work on an iMac. Gorgeous graphics are displayed to full advantage on widescreen – up to 27″ on 2013 models. Apple is renowned for the attention to screen resolutions, with incredible backlighting and anti-reflective glass along with a wide viewing angle.

Those clever folk at Apple not only develop and manufacture all of the company’s own hardware, but they also design and develop the software too. This means that there are none of the software conflicts that occur with such astonishing frequency on the PC. The iMac does not crash or hang and it is far less susceptible to malicious attacks than its PC counterparts too.

The cons of the iMac

One of the biggest disappointments for many potential users is the lack of hardcore gaming for the iMac. Although some games are available, this is one aspect of computing where the PC really is streets ahead. However, perhaps the serious business users and graphic artists are not overly concerned about the lack of gaming opportunities.

The sleek clean lines of the iMac are not marred by any unsightly ports, but this means that SC cards and other peripherals have to be plugged in via the back of the machine, which can be an awkward process.

A common complaint is the lack of adjustment to the angle of the screen which could lead to repetitive strain injury if the screen is not placed accurately for the user.

The Apple iMac is considerably more expensive than its PC rivals, although it holds its value very well and so this is perhaps not as much of a problem as it might at first seem. The canny purchaser of an iMac can be reasonably certain of being able to resell the machine in the future and not incur too much of a loss along the way.