Apple iMac review

Apple's minimalist remote control for its lightweight Front Row media-centre application is also included, although this iteration of the iMac ditches its predecessor's magnetised area on the right-hand side for handy storage.

Performance offered from the graphics card is respectable - the ATi Radeon 2600 Pro is a decent mid-level card and returned 18fps in Call of Duty 2 at its medium settings. Bringing down the settings to their lowest produced 38fps. Even Call of Juarez produced 23fps, albeit at its lowest settings.

This tightly integrated all-in-one offers plenty of performance and fabulous looks, yet it costs less than £1,000. And we can't name a system by a PC vendor that does all of that. Sony manages a vaguely threatening shot with the VAIO VGC-LA1 (web ID: 95996, now supplanted by the LA2), but that costs around £200 more before VAT and has only a 19in screen. Rock also unsteadies the boat with the Meivo (web ID: 110696), which starts at just £850. For that, you lose two inches of screen, but perhaps more importantly, you also lose the iMac's wow-factor.

The iMac offers some significant improvements over the old model and good value for money. We'd love to recommend a system from a Windows OEM, but until the rest of the industry takes a slice from Apple's pie the iMac remains the most impressive all-in-one on the market.

Author: Dave Stevenson