For the past couple of years lawyers across the country have migrated from Windows-based machines to Macs. At first it was a trickle. Then with the release of Windows Vista, which professionals were encouraged to upgrade to by Microsoft, the trickle turned into a steady stream. With the release of Apple's latest machine, it's high time to turn that stream into a flood.

I work on both Mac and PCs. I have a strong bias towards what works. For the past several years, any time I wanted to get serious work done, I always preferred my Macs. I kept my PCs in the office for a simple reason. There were no good law office management programs for Apple's platform. Now that I'm a full-time webmaster and technology adviser for lawyers, my PC serves one simple purpose. I use it only to test web pages and other programs to make sure they are Windows-compatible and to review new technology for my clients.

So there you have it. My bias is on the table. I thought things would change when I paid my approximate $200 and installed Windows 7 on one of my PCs. But it didn't. So then the question became, what can I do so that I don't have to look at that Dell quad core monster that I wasted $3,000.00 on? Then came the 27-inch iMac.

Beyond the scope of this review is how the iMac runs Windows programs. Suffice it to say that it handles them every bit as well as the Dell when I am forced to open a Windows application.

Now for the 27 inch iMac itself.

The Screen

If you are looking for a reason to justify the price tag of the new iMac, the screen is the start and the end of the debate. Simply put, you won't find a better screen of that size anywhere for less than the cost of the whole iMac. It's a fantastic value. The 2560x1440 is enough screen real estate to have two full browser windows open. It is also plenty of room to work on two word processing documents side by side.

The screen is a phenomenal leap forward from a decade ago when apple unveiled the first iMac. Check out the video below to see how far they have really come.

If the screen isn't enticing enough, the you probably haven't seen it in person. Once you do, all of your other screens will look quaint by comaprison, unless you have an Apple 30 inch monitor. But even then, you won't feel like anything is lacking with the 27-inch iMac.

The Bad: The "Magic" Mouse

Lest you think I have my head too far up Apple's you-know-what, let me tell you what I think is wrong with the new iMac. The new Mouse and Keyboard are terrible. The world's first "Magic" mouse leaves a lot to be desired. It is fairly difficult to get used to. It is not all that responsive. On the upside, it looks great. On the downside, it is in a drawer next to my computer while I use my old Apple corded Mighty mouse.

This mouse simply does not like my hand. If I had to decide whether this thing is built for speed or comfort, speed is the obvious answer. But when you sit at a computer 8 hours a day, you start to desire something a little more fleshy

I have to say that the scrolling on the mouse works like a charm. It is fast and accurate, and easier to use than the scroll ball on their old mice. You can even click with one finger while scrolling with another finger. In addition, you can scroll a full 360 degrees.

The two-finger swiping to "thumb" through web pages is not up to the standards of the MacBook line at this point. It simply takes too much effort and coordination to be worth it, and I found myself simply using the mouse to point to the on-screen back button instead.

The Processor

I bought the Core-2 Duo model at 3.06 GHz. I decided on it because I have a slightly slower version of that chip in my MacBook Pro and it works great. I have 8 GB of memory installed. This machine is adequate for everything that I do. I can process multiple pictures in Photoshop and edit movies in Final Cut Pro without waiting for the computer to catch up with me. For any lawyer wanting to process documents it is all you will ever need.

Conculsion

If you are a lawyer and are tired of wasted hours with hardware and software crashes, there is no better time to invest in an iMac. This technology will assure that you are in step with your competitors from a computing standpoint for years to come. It will probably also allow you to fire your PC technician because you won't need much help setting this machine up or keeping it running.

Disclosures: While I am very biased towards Apple computer products, I have NOT been paid or given any free products or services for this review. In fact, I gladly pay retail for all of my Macs, and they are worth every penny.