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Apple iMac 27-inch unboxing

Apple's new giant iMac is in the house, and we've unpacked it and poked around a little.

Craig Simms
Craig was sucked into the endless vortex of tech at an early age, only to be spat back out babbling things like "phase-locked-loop crystal oscillators!". Mostly this receives a pat on the head from the listener, followed closely by a question about what laptop they should buy.
Craig Simms
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Apple's iMac has given birth to a new brother, at a giant 27-inches, 328 ounces.

That's 9.3kg for the rest of us, and at AU$2199 it represents excellent value too. The base model features a 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB RAM, 1TB hard drive and an ATI Radeon HD 4670. Another AU$290 will upgrade you to a Core 2 Duo 3.33GHz, but if you want to make the jump to the quad core Intel Core i series, you'll need to pony up AU$2599 for the base Core i5 2.66GHz version, and another AU$290 on top of that for the Core i7 2.8GHz.

By default this includes Apple's wireless keyboard (without numpad, although picking up a corded one with a numpad will cost no more), and its new multi-touch Magic Mouse, which features no physical buttons.

Other options include a 2TB hard drive (for the usual Apple overpriced AU$350 extra), up to 16GB RAM (for the usual Apple over-priced $1960 extra), and ATI's Radeon HD 4850 for AU$210 extra. AppleCare, which extends your coverage to three years will cost you an extra AU$268.

The LED back-lit, IPS-based screen supports an impressive 16:9, 2560x1440 resolution, and rather nicely can double as an external display for recent model MacBooks through its Mini-DisplayPort connector, or simply allow another monitor to be daisy chained off the iMac.

The box is quite large, but still presented in Apple's distinct, oft-imitated style.

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When things get this big, it's harder to pack things in a fancy manner. The iMac is held in by four bits of foam, and itself is covered with protective material and clear plastic stickers. That's the accessories box you can see at the top nestled in the foam.

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Opening the accessories box, showing off the wireless keyboard without the numpad and a sliver of the software/manual pack.

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The thin keyboard is supported by a circular stand, which contains the batteries.

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AA is the order of the day — two of them, in fact.

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The Magic Mouse. Look ma, no buttons! Swipe across the acrylic surface to scroll, tap for left click, tap two fingers for right click. Hold a key on the keyboard and scroll to zoom.

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Another set of AAs run the mouse, which isn't so much magic as just chemistry.

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The accessories pack together. The black square on the left is a cleaning cloth.

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The box is big enough that it really does need to be tipped on its side to get the iMac out.

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The Mac of the moment, covered in protective plastic.

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Ports! As well as allowing your to daisy-chain a second monitor off the iMac, the Mini-DisplayPort can be used to turn the iMac into an external monitor for your MacBook.

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Slot-load DVD drive and SD card reader on the right hand side.

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The back of the iMac, with the power connector situated behind the neck.

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