iMac question .. is this a desktop or hybrid or what ..?

Question

i am basically a pc user, but i get to read so much about these mac freaks / die-hard fans
this is the specifications sheet,
http://www.apple.com/imac/specs.html
what the hell is a mobile processor doing inside a desktop
gma950 & other components also indicate a mobile system
i am at a loss > is this plain stupidity or some masterstroke or what
never needed to bother much about them cause i know my limitations ... a porsche made good posters in hostel, lol
could some kind hearted soul give me some clue on this inner secrets

ok, small form factor makes sense, but sure small form factors also have fans
no fans & screen mount make me more confused
... elaborate please

mysticman, your answer is the only one that makes sense !
after digging deeper into issue, the first answerer is indeed right & i thought too > some sort of hybrid
i do not understand need for such a contraption, even the front office reception girl can only have her lcd monitor atop table & yett have space enough to put her small factor or mid factor desktop system under her table
given acute space shortage, laptops exist as also tablets
cooling sure could have been better, my point is who needs / uses such a contraption

Answer 1

Well apparently it is the heat issue as others have alluded to. Although just to clarify some things, the Dell P390 does NOT use laptop processors, it uses desktop ones. In fact, the iMac is the only small form factor desktop that I am aware of that uses laptop processors, there could be others, but noned that I have seen.

This reason just does not add up to me though, because it seems that if Apple put the effort in, they could come up with a cooling solution that would allow them to put desktop Core 2 Duos in the iMac, instead of the less powerful laptop versions. After all, many other companies manage to put the desktop versions in small form factor desktops, and ASUS has even managed to put them into a laptop. Seems to me to just be lazy engineering on the part of Apple.

Answer 2

The iMac is (obviously) a desktop system.

Like other small form factor desktop systems it makes use of laptop components to save space, reduce heat, etc.

Answer 3

Dell uses the same CPU in their desktops like the P390. Like the first guy said, heat dissapation is the main concern, also the iMacs and Mac Minis have no fan so they have to have CPU's that run cooler.

Answer 4

They use a mobile processor so it doesn't get hot in the gap between the screen and the case, you know where the computer is.