How to Make a Mac Killer

Desirability, Satisfaction and Value

When we first unboxed the iMac, it seemed a very desirable machine. It was gorgeous to look at, improbably slender and very shiny. Several weeks later, we’re less convinced. It’s quiet and good-looking, and of course, ‘it just works’ and did so straight out of the box. There’s considerable satisfaction to be had from the closeness of the hardware and software, and small conveniences such as being able to trim volume and screen brightness directly from the keyboard are a boon.

However, £1,500 is a lot of money to spend, and when you make a direct comparison with a PC, you can see where corners have been cut: the display and audio are average, performance in both games and image and video editing is mediocre, and the peripherals leave much to be desired. The bundled software is all well and good but it seems more suitable for newbies: for more experienced users such as ourselves, it was less relevant, and we were soon eschewing iPhoto for Photoshop, for example.

While we accept that the iMac isn’t intended to be a gaming powerhouse, the GeForce GT 120 is far too stingy a specification for a 24in, £1,500 machine. One argument many Mac users make is that they’re satisfying machines to own: they exude a sense of quality, good design, and the feeling that someone has put thought into form and function. That is undoubtedly true, and were we comparing the iMac to a box from Dell or A.N. Other SI, this feeling would definitely count in the iMac’s favour.


We’re not comparing it to a beige box, however; we’re comparing it to a PC we designed, built and modded ourselves, and while that process takes time, when the end result works, looks good and performs well, it’s a tremendously rewarding process. Add in the fact that the Mac Killer is good value for money in terms of performance and the quality of its display, and we feel it’s fair to give the
Mac Killer the victory in this round.

Results

When we first had the idea for this feature we figured that beating the iMac would be easier than eating cake by the pool on a sunny day, cocktail in hand. However, as the results show, it was a much closer fight than we expected. The iMac is a terrific computer in terms of looks, noise and feel, but the feel of quality is let down by the performance of the core hardware and the display.

OS X may be superior to Windows Vista (we’re undecided as to how Windows 7 compares), but when it comes down to it, while the iMac is easy on the eye, you just don’t get as much machine for your money as you do with our iMac Killer.