First look: Apple's new 27-inch iMac is finally a formidable system

A 27-inch iMac is one overwhelming piece of digital machinery. Sit close enough to it and there’s only screen, and the iconic aluminum chin and polished chrome Apple logo below.

It’s always been a good system, the kind that your co-workers lust after, even if they didn’t know that under the hood were relatively mid-level components. The iMac is easily Apple’s most popular desktop and, even though it lacks the performance of a Mac Pro, it’s been the choice of many professionals for years. Of course, if you use a non-pro-system for pro-level tasks, you may be frustrated. Apple heard the complaints and decided to give these hard workers what they always wanted: more powerful components in the same stunning profile. Read more...