iMac G5... arrives

flywheel

more info on iMac G5

now that's some design

kevmac

You just have to hand it to Apple.

This looks very impressive and just seems to make so much sense.

I am waiting for the G5 Powerbook but this new iMac should sell loads.

Gordon

Great, wonder if you can take off the stand and carry it like an iBook/powerbook.

Yoda

Very pretty. I'm waiting for the G5 PowerBook, if they can get the heat problem licked. I would think that carrying the new iMac around would be asking for a broken screen though.

Gordon

They'd probably sell some sort of cool hard bag for that and the key/mouse though. Or, someone will.

Pantera

Yeah as usual with apple it LOOKS great... the question is (again as usual) is it any use for anyone who is not a grafic designer. There is also the fact that a PC of the same spec is more than likely half the price of this unit. Oh yeah and there is damn little software available for it or any other mac. So it is not something that I will be gettin too excited about.

Gregor Samsa

Pantera wrote:

Oh yeah and there is damn little software available for it or any other mac.

If you're looking to buy your software in Tesco, maybe you're right. If you're looking in the right places, then I'm sure you'll find what you need:

http://www.apple.com/macosx/applications/

http://www.versiontracker.com/macosx/

http://www.macupdate.com/

wes

The specs to price ratio seem some what disappointing here. Fantastic design however. As for the G5 heat problem, maybe redesigning a mobile version of the chip might be an idea for a power book. Kinda like what Intel did with the Centrino.

acous

Pantera: Yer views seem to be a bit old fashioned in relation to macs. OS X is a very powerful operating system and there is a wealth of software available, much of it of higher quality than the windows equivilant. As regards specs... good luck finding an all-in-one pc anywhere near as small and powerful as that (not even considering the 64 bit processor or the great looks) for a similar price. This mac is good value.

I'm not just saying that as a mac fanboy - I'm a graphic designer and I use a pc for most of my serious work. My mac is used mostly for nerdy stuff. It genuinely looks to be good machine.

Pantera

Acous wrote:

Pantera: Yer views seem to be a bit old fashioned in relation to macs. OS X is a very powerful operating system and there is a wealth of software available, much of it of higher quality than the windows equivilant. As regards specs... good luck finding an all-in-one pc anywhere near as small and powerful as that (not even considering the 64 bit processor or the great looks) for a similar price. This mac is good value.

I'm not just saying that as a mac fanboy - I'm a graphic designer and I use a pc for most of my serious work. My mac is used mostly for nerdy stuff. It genuinely looks to be good machine.

What I hate is that on the release of ever single new mac, people seem to think that it is the one to change the industry... unfortunately this is far from the case. I am also no windows fan boy or anything else. I despise amny parts of windows xp however I use it more than any other system by virtue of the fact that it is the most convenient. Unless apple make some major changes, then their computers will be inaccessable to most people. I do admire the fact that they have gone with the 64 bit route however I would far rather spend my hard earned cash on an AMD 64 FX-53 and still have all of the compatibility of windows to back it up. However before anyone jumps on the bandwagon.... I am aware of microsoft's failings with regard to delivering a 64 bit OS... Microsoft are far from perfect but I must say that for me anyway.... buying a Mac would be like buying a car that only drove on 10% of the roads and cost twice as much.

kevmac

Pantera,

That's the same old analogy traipsed out time and time again for the last ten years.

The Mac will never dent the PC market but put it this way: if the historical facts were turned around and the Mac was the de facto computer standard but someone tried to convert you to the strengths of Windows XP...i think i'd still see you rolling around the ground laughing.

flywheel

Gordon wrote:

Great, wonder if you can take off the stand

looks like you can take it off the supplied stand alright, site quotes a Mount Adapter Kit available October time



BrianG

flywheel

Pantera wrote:

Unless apple make some major changes, then their computers will be inaccessable to most people.

when you say "most people" what are they doing on their PCs?

Bluehair

Well I'm a convert having played around with a mates ibook for a few months. Impressed me that the girlfriend (not particularely computer friendly at the best of times) found OS X much more intuative than windows.

Plenty of software avail but personally I'll be using the Ilife stuff a lot (music, video editing, creating dvds etc.) Having it all in one nice linked up package is a huge selling point.

I'm no apple fanboy but having had some opportunity to see and play with OS X recently I'm beginning to realise just how much time I waste getting the friggin pc to do what I want rather than using it productively (constant 'security' updates, virus downloads, os updates, trying to remove crashing software, fixing bizarre windows problems and having to re-install every 6 months anyway etc. etc. etc.)

I used to actually enjoy expanding my windows knowledge and help others out with their pc problems but staying on top of a bloated os through so many versions is just tiresome now.

The apple just 'works' properly. The os and packaged software is easy to understand, use and most importantly get things done with. I suspect many a pc nerd is treatened by this ease of use but to quote my girlfriend (playing with Imovie) "why can't pcs be this easy?"

Pantera

DubWireless wrote:

when you say "most people" what are they doing on their PCs?

I mean average joe who as it stands will probably go buy a dell because he knows no better!

Draíochta

I use windows but I like to try other things including my OS. Rather than buy an iMac I wanted to try out OS X but I couldn't. I think this was due to running it on my processor.
This seems to be the case with Mac, most things don't work with it, if I want to upgrade the grahics card (FX5200 I have one of those - it's crap) can I?
This why I think most people won't shift over, it's all to distant.
I am very curious about the Mac, but can one of you tell me what's so good about it?

flywheel

Pantera wrote:

I mean average joe

entry level pricing and perhaps more marketing/customer education (about what a Mac can offer) would be the only areas i can understand where you may be coming from but not concerning the hardware or the OS to any great extent

i'd expect an average user would find a Mac quite acceptable as a computer and productive for their needs, as you haven't specified any requirements i'll assume they would likely want easy internet connectivity / email / web / work processor / spreadsheet - perhaps even reaching into digital photography / music / address book / calendar / online homepage... would be of the opinion macs do pretty well in providing those capabilities (mostly out of the box - bar loading the office / works onto it or getting a .mac account for the homepage)

for my 'average joe' tasks i use both a PC Desktop (XP) and Mac Laptop (OS 10.3) pretty much interchangeably - using web/email/im, sharing files/printers/drives, office apps, digital photography, syncing PDAs/Smartphones... and i'm certainly no graphic designer!

flywheel

Dra&#237 wrote: »

I am very curious about the Mac, but can one of you tell me what's so good about it?

this might be a good read for you:
Mac OSX: Switch

BrianG

Pantera

As you have said the lack of entry level pricing is a major issue for most. Average Joe buys a PC as a family machine which will probably mean including games also. This is a market where Apple are left far behind. I actually find using a mac good, but my point is that most people are not willing to switch over to something which offers little or no extra benefits at a higher price than most Windows based PC's. As someone said earlier, this would no doubt be the reverse situation had apple dominated the market as microsoft did at an earlier stage. But to go back to my point in my first post, what I was trying to get accross is that I don't understand why anybody is getting overly excited about this as it offers no more than any laptop except for the fact that it doesn't have a keybord & mouse built in. So as far as I can see it is a little pointless. I don't hate macs and I can see where there advantages lie with regard to audio production and graphic design but beyond that, they hold no gain. imo

Hecate

Yeah the range of software available for Microsoft OSes far outstrips the Mac. Particularly in the area of malware

acous

Pantera wrote:

I don't understand why anybody is getting overly excited about this as it offers no more than any laptop except for the fact that it doesn't have a keybord & mouse built in. So as far as I can see it is a little pointless. I don't hate macs and I can see where there advantages lie with regard to audio production and graphic design but beyond that, they hold no gain. imo

It's better than a mac laptop because it's cheaper, more powerful (g5), slightly more upgradeable (3.5" hard drive) and has a bigger screen (20"). It's better than a windows laptop because it runs OS X.

Advantages of OS X:

• Stability over windows.
• Unix inside.
• Security (partly through obscurity :P mostly because security has been considered from the beginning)
• Most modern GUI & Audio of any OS.
• iPhoto (though picasa now comes close on windows).
• iCal, mail.app, address book, iSync (nothing comes close, in my experience).
• Integrates extremely well with hardware (e.g. instant on from sleep mode, decent bluetooth support)
• It's improving at an extremely fast rate.

Subjectively... It looks nicer and is more logical. I've also grown attached to some of the programs available for it. Safari is better than IE, mail.app is better than outlook express, iChat > MSN (Proteus > Trillian), Colloquy > mirc, Network utility > sam spade, textedit > notepad, keynote > powerpoint, terminal > putty, finder > explorer. Then there's programs I now miss on windows... where's garageband? where's iSync? xpad? salling clicker? konfabulator?

I use both OSes about equally and I only miss Digiguide and fruityloops from windows. Oh and MSN webcam/audio chat. I still enjoy using windows, it just comes out poorer in almost every area.

Hugh_C

Pantera wrote:

There is also the fact that a PC of the same spec is more than likely half the price of this unit. Oh yeah and there is damn little software available for it or any other mac. So it is not something that I will be gettin too excited about.

Troll. More software than you can shake a big stick at...

I'm going to reserve judgement until I actuall see one of these in the flesh, then probably wait for Rev B before I trade in all my old machines and get one of these babies.

They look awesome...

flywheel

@Pantera

your scaring me with 'average joe' now being married and having kids all of a sudden

although would expect most folk in that situation may likely have got a separate games console when demanded by the kids... but who knows as 'average joe' can be all encompassing depending on the point one is trying to make

you keep mentioning people are getting overly excited - reading back over the thread the only excitement i read is that the machine has an impressive design and it had just been announced - so i don't see any Mac fanatics getting their knickers in a twist

i'm getting the distinct feeling you think that Apple are attempting to take over the world and replace PCs/Windows with their machines and OS - much as they would like that it's not really a likely situation (in the near future anyhow ) - but your thinking that Macs are only worthwhile for audio / video / graphic production or is crippled with limited software / apps doesn't ring true with me

if you check out a more level playing field - configuring an entry Dell Desktop with: 3GHz P4, 1Yr Support, 265MB, 80GB HD, 17" UltraSharp Flat Panel, DVD/CDRW, Std. Speakers, Modem, MS Works it comes out around Eur 1300 - the entry G5 iMac + Apple Works is around Eur 1525 - not as much in it when you use a more level comparison

so contrary to your assertion the machine is far from pointless... imo

SouperComputer

buying a Mac would be like buying a car that only drove on 10% of the roads and cost twice as much.

lol, you forgot to mention the crashing without provocation and the lack of locking wheel nuts & central locking, in addition to many basic security features with respect to the PC.

Before you even touch the internet, as a newbie, you can be 100% guaranteed to be fleeced with malware, spyware and other nasties. Not to mention some gaping holes in an OS that has a giant "kick me" sign stuck on its back! With a mac, in the vast majority of cases, you don't have to worry about such issues.

Personally, I think the discussion about the lack of software for Mac is BS. Out of the box, any Mac meets the needs of 80% of the home computer market. Email, internet & office productivity. Not only does it offer this, but it does it more safely, reliably and with better support than "most" PC's. It even has basic MS office compatabilty as standard with Appleworks.

im not an advocate of either technologies in particular. But I think apple's market share may well grow strongly as long as people have these basic needs without the hassle of frickin 150Mb patches. Not to mention the patches for the patches.........ad infinitum.

thats my 2c

Dr_Teeth

I'm with Souper and the rest.. there is no software gap between Mac and PC anymore, with the exception of Games - but as we all know the 'Average Joe' crashes out in front of the TV with his Playstation if he wants to do that.

Teeth.

yankinlk

this argument is silly. The New Mac will run and run, simply because it's soooooo good lookin. People will be buying these "in addition" to the PC, one of each from now on. PC for gaming, MAC for everything else.

Now the real debate should be will the PC be able to STOP the Mac from taking over completely in another 4 years, and how does the industry plan to do it?

I recon MAC will win the battle to be the entertainment unit of the house (bar gaming?)