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(Credit: CNET)

After reading Engadget's report citing recent complaints about Flash video playback mucking up system resources on the latest 27-inch Apple iMacs, we decided to test out the claims using our own system. Users on the Apple Discussion threads noticed a bug in the Flash Player that bogs down CPU processes, resulting in choppy audio and video playback.

We visited several sites with heavy streaming video content like Hulu, YouTube, and the Break Media Network, and experienced similar issues: popping sounds and jerky video rendering the content unwatchable on several accounts. Like many of the users in the Apple thread, we called up the Activity Monitor and saw that the Flash Player demanded a surprising 114.4 percent of the iMac's CPU processes.

We were able to temporarily fix the problem by putting the computer to sleep and waking it up, but some people are speculating that a hardware malfunction could be to blame. We've also tried to contact Apple for official word, but our messages have been as yet unreturned.

If you're experiencing similar problems, we'd like to hear about it--leave a comment and let us know the issue and what you did to fix it.

(Credit: Matthew Fitzgerald)

Apple's new iMac all-in-one desktops impressed us, especially the massive 27-inch model we reviewed this week. But we're left wondering what happened to the rumored Blu-ray drive option. Playing HD optical disc content on that big 2,560x1,440 screen seems like a no-brainer, so we set out to see if we could successfully hook up an external Blu-ray drive.

First we connected a USB-powered external BD-ROM drive from HP to the new 27-inch iMac. The iMac's OSX 10.61 operating system allowed us to explore the file structure of the Blu-ray disc, but there's no official Blu-ray software available for Mac, so we were unable to actually play it.

Our next step was to create a Boot Camp partition so we could install Windows, an operating system compatible with most Blu-ray playback software. In this case we installed Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit, along with Cyberlink Power DVD9. After creating the partition and installing Windows, we ran the boot camp software on the Mac OS X Install DVD, another necessary step that allows Windows to identify our hardware.

Finally we loaded in a Blu-ray disc into the slot-loading external drive. Through Cyberlink, it played back well, at least at first glance. The picture looked as crisp as we' d expect from a BD disc, and definitely seemed much sharper than a DVD. To delve a little deeper we also checked out some specific video quality tests along with CNET HDTV reviewer David Katzmaier.

First we checked a helicopter flyover of the Intrepid from "I Am Legend" and it was clear the setup couldn't properly handle the 1080p/24 content--we saw the halting, stuttering motion in the conning tower and the wings of the airplane, for example.

The next thing we looked at was picture quality using the test patterns on the FPD Benchmark Software for Professional Blu-ray disc. Overall it was good; during the motion blur test it performed poorly, with the onscreen test patterns (letters, numbers, etc,) hard to make out. But this problem can be caused by a number of sources--Windows Vista running on Mac hardware, the USB Blu-ray drive, the Cyberlink Power DVD9 software or all the above. Suffice it to say that average users probably wouldn't notice these issues if they weren't looking for them.

In the end, Blu-ray is still a distant dream for iMac owners, but if you absolutely, completely need to have this feature, it is technically possible--even if the results aren't perfect.

Note: If you're wondering about the Apple Magic Mouse in the photo above--we did get it to work in Vista--but just the basic, not the "magic" finger gestures.

Read the 27-inch Apple iMac review.

Read the Apple Magic Mouse review.

More on motion resolution on HDTVs

Apple may be ready to introduce a new line of iMac all-in-one desktop computers before the end of year, according to a new report on AppleInsider.

Citing "people familiar" with Apple's plans, AppleInsider said the new iMacs got the go-ahead in early September and have been in production for the past couple of weeks.

(Credit: Apple)

In addition to a new thinner enclosure, the new iMac line is rumored to possibly include a Blu-ray optical drive. This would mark the first time Apple would include a Blu-ray drive in one of its desktop or portable computers.

Based on previous updates from Apple, it's reasonable to expect the company to also include faster processors, perhaps newer graphics cards, and increased hard drive capacity. Current models feature processors ranging from 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo to 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo.

Hard drive capacities go from 320GB on the low-end model to 1TB on the high end.

Apple also usually keeps the prices of its updated machines pretty close to the previous ones, although they have reduced prices on occasion. Current prices range from $1,199 to $2,199.

An old iMac shell seems to make a suitable habitat for a hamster. Who knew? And the good news is you can buy it now on eBay. The bad news, of course, is the creator wants a ridiculous $350 for this thing--and it doesn't even boot up on hamster power.

The most suitable rodent inhabitant for the iMac cage, says its creator, would be a hamster, since hamsters tend not to chew as voraciously as mice, gerbils, and rats.

(Credit: eBay)

"Everything is safe. I put my own hamster in there for a while just to get a good laugh and sense of accomplishment," says the cage's maker.

(Credit: eBay)

This story originally appeared on Gizmodo.

It's been a busy day for Apple.

In addition to quietly updating the consumer-friendly MacBook, Apple on Wednesday also launched an iPod promotion targeted to students.

The iPod Touch

(Credit: CNET)

With the promotion, students, faculty, or staff members can buy a MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or iMac and get a free iPod Touch. Of course, students and educators can also see if they qualify for additional savings through Apple's education store.

There is a bit of a catch. You have to buy the iPod Touch at the same time as the Mac to qualify for a rebate. After the purchase, you fill out the rebate online and wait for the money from Apple.

To qualify you have to be a student or employee of any K-12 or higher-education institution. Parents of a higher-education student are also eligible for the program. Full details are available from Apple's Web site. The promotion ends September 8. Rebates must be submitted by October 9.

Apple has a long history of offering its education customers discounts and incentives when they head back to school. However, this year is a bit different because many students haven't even left school yet.

Typically, Apple starts this type of promotion in the summer and ends it in September. The earlier start date may be a way for the company to try to boost Mac sales over the summer.

If you were following me on Twitter last week, you probably know of the disaster that hit me hard Tuesday night: my 24-inch aluminum iMac, sporting a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 320GB hard drive, failed.

I quickly determined that it was a hard-drive failure. I tried running Disk Utility off my Leopard install disc to repair it. Unfortunately, it didn't work. I then tried repairing the invalid sibling link and invalid node structures. Once again, I failed.

Remembering that I also failed to pay for AppleCare, I decided that I needed to find a way to salvage my hard drive. So I tried connecting my iMac to my MacBook through a FireWire cable to get the contents off of it. That didn't work.

At this point, it seemed that I was out of options. I determined that it definitely was my hard drive that failed on me, so I could still use my iMac with a new hard drive, but there was one catch: removing the hard drive and replacing it would be extremely difficult, since unlike most other computers, opening the case with a few screws and popping out the hard drive was impossible with my iMac.

Believe it or not, that 24-inch aluminum iMac has only one screw on it, and it only gives you access to the RAM. To access the hard drive, I had no other option but to crack open my beautiful 24-inch iMac with the aid of suction cups. And I decided to share my experience with you.

Here's my step-by-step guide on how to crack open your iMac and replace your hard drive. (Disclaimer: Neither I, nor CNET, nor any of its affiliates is liable for any damage that might occur to your computer by following these steps. Follow them at your own risk.)

(Credit: Apple)

It's kind of funny when an Italian-language site breaks a wee bit of English-language-based Apple news, but that's what happened when SetteB.IT spotted a small mention of an $899 17-inch iMac for the education market on Apple's own Web site.

Currently, Apple is offering iMacs only in 20- and 24-inch screen sizes. The 20-inch model starts at $1,199, and the 24-incher starts at $1,499.

No word on when the "new" 17-incher will arrive (or if it's really new), but we'll await official confirmation from Apple.

Anybody interested? In this economy, I think the sub-$1,000 market is a good spot for Apple to play in--especially when it comes to cash-strapped parents of students.

(Source: Gizmodo via SetteB.IT)

Update: Wired's Gadget Lab is reporting that the "new" 17-inch iMac isn't really new and is just a reference to the old white plastic iMac 17-incher. Of course, Apple could very well do a 17-inch aluminum iMac at some point, so we'll see how this all plays out.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

With the review of the new 20-inch iMac live as of a few hours ago, we've finally worked through our batch of four new Apple desktops.

The $1,199 20-inch model actually ended up with the best rating of the lot, largely because it has the same CPU as the $1,499 24-inch iMac. In both cases, the 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo chip inside the new iMacs translated to fantastic multitasking performance, but the 20-incher also had stronger single-app performance relative to competing Windows PCs in its price range. That comparative speed advantage earned it our admiration.

We should also point out that in looking for competing all-in-ones, we were shocked at how inexpensive 20-inch models have become. We were impressed when Sony brought its Vaio JS100 series under $1,000 last year. Now a 20-inch Dell XPS One starts at $749. We've never really loved the XPS One, as inexplicably it's only ever run 32-bit Windows Vista. But it's hard to knock $749 for all of the all-in-one screen real estate.

We're going to see about shooting the 20-inch iMac video. In the meantime, you can check out the reviews of the other three new Apple desktops, as well as the written version of the 20-incher.

Read our review of the 20-inch Apple iMac.
Read our review of the 24-inch Apple iMac.
Read our review of the $599 Apple Mac Mini.
Read our review of the $799 Apple Mac Mini.

Sure, PMA was lots of fun, but there was plenty of other stuff going on here at Crave this week. Here's some of the best and some of the worst.

(Credit: Apple)

• We took a look at the new 24-inch iMacs from Apple--and liked what we saw.

• We brought you news of "trashy" lingerie made from recycled materials. We won't tell if you click.

• Strangely, it seems Amazon wants to help the iPhone be the Kindle killer with its own Kindle app. It works, but there's some strangeness.

• We can rebuild him: Meet the quasi-bionic eye camera. Do not want, but kind of do want. Chinese DVD pirates, take note.

The foyer of my new mansion.

(Credit: Frank McKinney)

• Craver Justin Yu channeled his inner Shania Twain in putting down the new Mac Mini. In a nutshell: $200 gets you a decent laptop with more features.

• We also covered the next place I will live. No, really, I'm working on the financing. Bloggers can get great loans for eco-mansions in this economy, right?

• I'll take one of these amazing eco-friendly supercars to go with it. You've got to have the complete package these days.

See anything we missed? We're not perfect, it can happen. If so, get to us at Crave at cnet dot com and we'll take a look.