New, Larger iPad

So if you want an optical drive, you have to add an external box. If you want additional HDD storage, you have to add external boxes. You buy a compact computer but then wind up with external components cluttering the desk. Kind of defeats the purpose,

But I think you are right: Apple computers are not for me.

My old 2006 white iMac with the video memory problems is still looking for a home.

I think it would be quite happy in the waste bin.
That's where my Apple II wound up.

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Given two identically designed hard drives with the same areal densities, a 7200 RPM drive will deliver data about 33% faster than the 5400 RPM drive. Consequently, this specification is important when evaluating the expected performance a hard drive or when comparing different HDD models.

Some things don't change.

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It’s no surprise that when many people begin evaluating the expected performance of the new solid state hybrid drive (SSHD) technology, they look at the RPM specification since an SSHD is basically an HDD with a bit of solid state technology integrated into the device. So RPM should still matter right? The truth is, RPM in an SSHD device is largely irrelevant. Here’s why:

SSHD design is based on identifying frequently used data and placing it in the SSD or NAND flash portion of the drive. NAND flash media is very fast, partly because there are no moving parts since it’s made of solid state circuitry. Therefore, when data is requested by host computers, there is typically not a dependence on pulling this data directly from the spinning media in the HDD portion.

Sometimes, however, data will be requested that is not in the NAND flash, and only during these instances does the HDD portion of the device become a bottleneck. Since the technology is so effective at identifying and storing frequently used data in the NAND area, SSHD technology is much more efficient in delivering data to a host computer quickly.

Some things do.

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only during these instances does the HDD portion of the device become a bottleneck.

Yes. Bottleneck.

If there is no reason to use a faster drive, why does Apple put 7200 rpm drives in the 27" iMac?

No clue.  Does a 7200rpm drive require a larger power supply, such as might be found in a larger monitor?  Is a 5400rpm drive physically smaller, so it fits better inside the smaller iMac?  

These are design decisions I do not feel qualified to second-guess the Apple engineers on (unlike some other, unnamed, contestants).  I'm fairly certain they have their reasons.

But more likely ... they're just doing it to piss you off, Howard.

Out of curiosity, I finally found some data on the iMac drives.

The new 21" iMac uses a 2.5-inch hard drive. These are designed for notebooks and so use very little power - about 1.2 to 1.5 watts. However, there are many 7200 rpm drives available in this form factor, so size or power consumption don't explain why they chose to use the slow drive.

The previous 21" iMac used a 3.5-inch desktop drive made by Western Digital, which uses about 8 watts. But, following Apple's business model, the drive used in the iMac had a different connector than all other SATA drives in the world, so you cannot replace it with an off-the-shelf drive, but have to buy a drive from Apple.

NoCoPilot wrote:

_Howard wrote:

A couple of articles I read indicate that even adding RAM to the iMac is a  nightmarish task.

Took me less than a minute.  Pop the door, slide in the SIMMs, close the door.  But I didn't read the article first so what do I know?

Unlike the 27-inch model, the 21-inch iMac does not have the door for upgrading the RAM and requires tearing down the computer (whether or not you read the article).

For someone who hates Apple you're sure spending a lot of time researching them.

I wouldn't reject them without reason.

NoCoPilot wrote:

Why do you need three internal HDDs?

Performance. Security. Convenience.