Apple iMac Desktop with 24" Display MA878LL/A (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive)

This is our 4th month with the 24" Imac.2.4 Gz. We upgraded memory to 4 Gig from the 1 Gig that shipped standard. We found Apeture, the Apple photo application, will not run well on anything less.
We changed the cards ourselves. This Imac came with Samsung cards, so we did the upgrade with Samsung cards.
The leopard operating system is radically intuitive,so we found we had to consult a manual to investigate all the features. Open source software means lots of innovation and if you (like us) are new to apple you really should take a week to read up on, and awaken to what it can do for you. These macs are actually fun(remember fun?)to operate. They do not bark at you or give you obscure error file codes. Things, files, folders do not go missing.
The big screen allows unheard of editing and layout possibility. The unit is unbelievably clean looking. There is ONE cord to this entire thing(the power cord)this particular unit came with a wireless keypad and mouse.The stereo is very good and completely built in. This unit comes with its own Airport extreme included, which operates as a base station,it runs an airport equipped macbook in the bedroom at the other end of the house.
Not knowing about this feature, we purchased a separate base station and were astounded that the airport in the Imac operated far better than the separate one, which we returned.(thanks Amazon)
After years of grating noises from many brands of P.C.s the Imac runs silent. There is a tiny fan that sometimes comes on, but it is quieter than the fridge down the hall in the kitchen.
Applications: I pages is not quite up to its advertising, it does the job but has its limitations especially file types it will save to. I would buy the windows for Mac if I were doing it again. There are quite a few on- line business applications that will not work with a leopard browser,i.e Canada Post and 1&1 internet tools,however the overwhelming majority do.
Webmail took some time to get to work consistently, it is laid out so differently from OE

I purchased this item recently and thought that the speed 2.4 might be too slow compared to the other models, but I was wrong!

Saving a few hundred on purchasing the unit with a 2.4 processor versus a 2.8 or 3.06 was the best decision I made. I used the cash to purchase 4gb of ram which was easily upgraded.

The unit itself runs great and I am glad I made this decision.

Our PC died and since it was several years old, we opted to get a new computer instead of fixing it. I talked to several people who have Macs and love them but was hesitant about the price. We have had it for about a month and a half now and so far, I would not go back to PC. It's fast and very user friendly. I have Microsoft Office on here so I can do all the papers I need for school and spreadsheets I need for work - AND they transfers over to the PCs at computers labs and work. This Mac is SO MUCH FASTER than a PC that has a higher processor speed (Windows, I'm guessing?). GO BUY ONE. YOU WILL LOVE IT. It's not what you think, you can really do more with it than it being just a toy.

maybe would have liked it more with a matte screen instead of shiny screen. Storage is good, thought I would never run out but alas the more you have the more you use.

Superb machine. Fast. Very. Great screen and colors. Quiet. BUT....
If you want to prevent
1. Crashes every 5-10 minutes - uninstall Microsoft Office from the machine. It will solve 95% of the mysterious crashes I had to experience.
2. Some horizontal lines that appear from time to time on the background and sometimes on some windows - you must install a widget that controls (and increases) the speed of the fans. The machine gets hot as some have mentioned, I guess because of the way it is built - everything enclosed in one box without much air circulation. I have installed a freeware called smcfancontrol then increased the speed of ALL 3 fans by some 30% and the horizontal lines just disappeared.
I think iMac does not crash now anymore.