Apple iMac 27-inch (Late 2012) Review

Viewing Apple's iMac 27-inch (Late 2012) desktop (model MD096LL/A) from the front, it looks at first as if Apple is doing the same thing to the iMac that it did with the Mac mini (Late 2012): updating the internal hardware but leaving the exterior unchanged. The edge-to-edge glass over the display, the wide brushed aluminum "chin" below the display, the single piece aluminum stand—it's clearly an iMac. If looking at it from the front, side by side, the new model would be indistinguishable from last year's iMac, the Apple iMac 27-inch (Thunderbolt). That illusion is broken as soon as you view the iMac from an angle. Suddenly the difference is dramatic—this thing is thin, dropping nearly a full inch at the edges. And the differences are more than skin deep. Thanks to upgraded hardware and a new internal design, the iMac is faster and more responsive, offering larger, smarter storage. It all adds up to be our new Editors' Choice for high-end all-in-one desktops.

Design and Features
From the front, the looks almost identical to the previous iteration, the Apple iMac 27-inch (Thunderbolt), but you may notice that the display looks a little bit better. The 27-inch panel has the same 2,560-by-1,440 resolution, and a backlit panel with In-Plane Switching (IPS) technology offers clear viewing from 178 degrees, and glowing with up to 300 nits brightness. This isn't all about numbers, though—when compared side-by-side with the Acer Aspire 7600U (A7600U-UR308) , the higher resolution display on the iMac is far better to the naked eye.