SSD in iMac

I doubt the Genius Bar would do that especially for such an old machine. However, you could purchase an external SSD and move your startup disk to it. This should significantly improve your machine’s performance.

Apple Stores will not do upgrades or work on older Macs. You will need to check with your local independent Apple Authorized Service Providers.

Also keep in mind that a 2009 iMac only has a SATA ll 3G drive controller and that some SATA lll 6G SSDs are not backwards compatable to SATA ll 3G.

No, an Apple Store will not perform that for you. However you may be able to find an independent Apple Authorized Service Provider in your area that will do the work. However considering the age of the computer, (close to 12 years old) it may be time to consider spending any monies on replacing it, it's had a good life so far.

External SSD's for a late 2009 will not help performance as a 2009 only supported USB 2.0 which is VERY slow.

Apple won't do the installation but most independent resellers will - look for an authorized Apple repair center in your area. Your computer has USB 2 and FireWire 800 ports. USB 2 is too slow to even think about putting an SSD into a USB 2 enclosure. FW 800 is fast enough to provide a bit of a speed improvement over a 7200 RPM drive (which is what your computer probably has). Back around 2010 I played with a FW 800 enclosure and an SSD so I know it will be faster but I don't think it is enough to justify purchasing an SSD and a FW 800 enclosure. After seeing the results I just went ahead and opened up my iMac and installed it internally. I worked for an Apple reseller at the time so I knew what I was doing and had a Saturday free. There are guides online and it isn't the toughest job in the world. Just tedious.

Your welcome.

You're welcome.