Updated iMac and eMac in April?

[MacRumors]

ThinkSecret reports (http://www.thinksecret.com/news/0503imacemac.html) that Apple will be bringing updates to both the iMac and eMac line in April.

The iMac, code-named Q45 C/D, is expected to come in at 2GHz but with few other changes.

A faster eMac upgrade is also expected with speed bumps possibly up to 1.5GHz, and video upgrades. The eMac's future has been in question with the recent release of the Mac Mini. Some reports had indicated that the eMac was being phased out, but apparently may not be the case.

[narco]

How about lower iMac prices, and discontinue the eMac all together.

Fishes,
narco.

[zakatov]

I want a new PowerMacs!!!! cmon apple!! :(

eidt: grammar

[miloblithe]

Well there we go. I'm surprised by the idea of an update to the eMac's graphics card, although it's definitely a good idea.

[aranhamo]

Finally somebody publishes a rumor! Now I have some time frame to look forward to.

[plastique45]

How about lower iMac prices, and discontinue the eMac all together.

Fishes,
narco.


I agree 100%, but unfortunately, LCD prices are still to high for them to do that.

From 1.8 to 2Ghz? Hum, ok... But get rid of the FX5200 and put a 128 mb 9600XT as entry level card and give buyers the option to pay more for a 9800 256MB in high end model(s). Now make that rumor of 512MB of default ram in all desktops true and you'll have a heck of a great machine in your hands for the price!

[ryannel2003]

Thank the lord!!! I'm so glad that Apple has decided to update the eMac to a 1.5GHz G4 and a better graphics card!! Dropping it would be dumb because there would be no middle computer!!! Also, a 2GHz iMac!!! Very nice but DON'T keep the nVidia FX 5200 in that computer!!! Put it in the eMac and put a FX 5600 Ultra or something similar in the iMac with 128MB of graphic memory.

[runninmac]

Well i think apple is in some truoble if they dont update the PM. The iMacs will be blazing and close to the PM range. If they can fit a 2GHz iMacs then a Powerbook cant be to far behind can it? (ps dont meen to sound like im complaining.) This should be interesting to see where the eMacs go

[dornoforpyros]

I really think they gotta keep the eMac around specfically for the education market. I mean let's face it, a eMac is gonna hold up alot better in a classroom full of grade 3-4 students than an iMac will.

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Any news on the iBooks...? :p

I think it's great if they keep the eMacs, along with the Mac minis and iBooks they make a great low end line-up... and for people with deskspace who care less about style the eMacs are great (and virtually unstealable) machines...

[miloblithe]

Thank the lord!!! I'm so glad that Apple has decided to update the eMac to a 1.5GHz G4 and a better graphics card!! Dropping it would be dumb because there would be no middle computer!!! Also, a 2GHz iMac!!! Very nice but DON'T keep the nVidia FX 5200 in that computer!!! Put it in the eMac and put a FX 5600 Ultra or something similar in the iMac with 128MB of graphic memory.

I would like to see options on the graphics cards for the iMacs. 256 seems unlikely, to me. But at least the option of a 128 should be mandatory.

[slu]

I think this is great news.

The iMac will really scream now at the top end, and I like the position the eMac fills in the line up (between $500 and $1000).

Anyone know if it will be possible to put one of those 8x superdrives in a Rev A iMac G5? Can you even get the part? I know I would be very interested in doing this (and I know I can go external, but I'd rather not).

[Sargiel]

Great to see that the eMac will remain with us !! :D I've been holding off of buying a mac mini while waiting to see what happens to the sturdy eMac - and given the rumoured upgrades it looks like I'll be plumbing for the latter when it arrives.

Lots of great news today.

[Zaty]

New iMacs alongside Tiger seems plausible. I'm not so sure about the eMac, though. If Apple keeps the eMac, it might only be available for educational customers. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense to remove eMacs from Apple Store's kids' section. But I wouldn't be surprised if Apple drops the eMac (at least the current form factor) completely.

[wdlove]

It's certainly about time that the eMac is updated. Just wonder what the changes will be like on the iMac, can't imagine that it would be much more than a sped boost.

[nek]

From 1.8 to 2Ghz? Hum, ok... But get rid of the FX5200 and put a 128 mb 9600XT as entry level card and give buyers the option to pay more for a 9800 256MB in high end model(s). Now make that rumor of 512MB of default ram in all desktops true and you'll have a heck of a great machine in your hands for the price!

Yeah the 200MHz bump is expected, but unless they also improve the graphics and increase default RAM to 512, they are making a mistake. And the ability to choose better graphics at the time of purchase is also a necessary change.

I'd like to see the X700 Pro as an option, since its slightly better than the 9800XT. I think its only PCIe, but so was the X800 until ATI released it for the Mac.

[joeswinehart]

Might the RAM get boosted to 512 to accomodate Tiger? I know the word was an across-the-board increase in June, but would they ship new iMacs with 256 and Tiger? Seems awkward. I'm looking to add a G5 iMac to the mix, so hopefully this update will be just what I need...

[eji]

I'm hoping for an updated graphics card as well. That's the main reason I held off from buying a Rev A, and it would be slightly disappointing to have waited six months for little more than a minor speed bump. As for Tiger pre-installed -- well, I can buy Tiger separately; upgrading the GPU isn't so simple.

I plan to have this iMac as my primary computer for several years, and I can't help but feel the existing 5200FX would be severely limiting the longevity of the computer from the outset. I still haven't got the bitter taste out of my mouth after discovering that my two-month-old iBook wasn't equipped to handle Quartz Extreme and the related video effects like the much-flaunted user-switching "cube." With the advances (and hardware demands) that Tiger is expected to make after its release, the 5200FX will be doomed to rapid obsolescence.

[BakedBeans]

are you lot mad??

all this talk of x700s and 256mb 9800s

they still have 5200s in all but there top of the range powermac (and even thats got a 9600)

come on guys, get real please

[Ambrose Chapel]

are you lot mad??

all this talk of x700s and 256mb 9800s

they still have 5200s in all but there top of the range powermac (and even thats got a 9600)

come on guys, get real please

true, but the apple store allows users to upgrade - letting iMac users do the same would be great. i can see it happening for the 20" iMac only though...as another incentive for people to buy it.

[Doctor Q]

I'll be glad if eMacs stay around a bit longer. The eMac still makes sense for classrooms. Apple can push consumers to switch to LCDs, but schools will be slow to follow. Eventually, protected LCD screens might survive in a K-12 environment, but that's not the hardware of choice yet.

By the way, I think "Q45" is an excellent choice of name. Let's go with that name for the retail release too!

[BakedBeans]

true, but the apple store allows users to upgrade - letting iMac users do the same would be great. i can see it happening for the 20" iMac only though...as another incentive for people to buy it.

only on pro lines though - dont get me wrong im all for it - but the talk of x700s and 9800xt ;)

[Daveway]

I'm most excited about the upgraded SMU firmware. The current iMacs are in dire need for it.

[Lacero]

Mac mini and a generic PC monitor makes more financial sense than Apple trying to keep updating a dying eMac line.

[dongmin]

are you lot mad??

all this talk of x700s and 256mb 9800s

they still have 5200s in all but there top of the range powermac (and even thats got a 9600)

come on guys, get real pleaseHa ha, "getting real" is not really a strong suit of this crowd, I'm afraid.

I agree though that Apple should have BTO options for the graphics card. I doubt there is much overlap among people who buy iMacs and Power Macs. They're totally different beasts. Apple should let people accessorize and max out their iMacs to their hearts' content.

It'd be awesome if the new iMacs come with Tiger. I'm thinking of picking up the low-end one for my Mom (it'd be her first computer).

[Artful Dodger]

I've been watching the iMac 20" recons and the price dropped $100.00
It is now $1599 for a 20" recon and last week...well it was $1699, so not sure if it adds to some truth :rolleyes:

[Ambrose Chapel]

only on pro lines though

oops yeah! i meant they allow Power Mac users to upgrade...d'oh
;)

[crap freakboy]

Bloody hope the iMac gets a decent graphics card.
I'd buy a PM but space is limited at home, as well as budget, and the mega metal tower isn't an option. A dream yes, but reality bites. I'd be more than happy to pay a premium for a better graphics card on a system thats got such a small footprint.
I'm really pinning my hopes on this update else I'll be stuck with this Sawtooth for another six months plus.
Guess its out of my hands really...bah sometimes I hate how apple puts components in its hardware that are so out of date.

[slu]

I'm most excited about the upgraded SMU firmware. The current iMacs are in dire need for it.

Can someone explain what this means and how it will make my iMac better?

[ryannel2003]

I would like to see options on the graphics cards for the iMacs. 256 seems unlikely, to me. But at least the option of a 128 should be mandatory.

I doubt that 256MB graphic memory will ever happen b/c the PM has the option of one and it would look weird if the iMac did. I think Apple might do like they did with the PBs. They have 64MB Vid Memory standard with 128MB RAM option; however, they will probably leave this to the 17" SuperDrive and the 20". If Apple doesn't upgrade the iMac GPU, then I think ALOT of people will be disappointed.

[nagromme]

Long live the eMac!

There's DEFINITELY a place in Apple's line-up for a COMPLETE system under $1000.

[Trout74]

We need to relax a little. Look to history for an example.

Think secret has good leads but they are NEVER totally correct. They got the color screen mini Ipods all wrong, and some pricing. It is VERY plausable that they dont have all the specs. for the iMac correct either.

I would bet a better GPU, IS in the cards.

Think secret is not Gospel, I think the only thing you can hang your hat on with this recent news is that there WILL be an update, as to the extent of the specifics in the update, I bet Think Secret does not really know.


trout

[Dont Hurt Me]

I doubt the accuracy of this report, i find it hard to except apple would keep plugging along with fx5200 just as i find it wrong for apple to continue the emac. I think this report would be pure fiction except for those model numbers they use. If this report is valid then imac isnt getting much and by popping in a fx5200 into emac it takes away from imac sales.

[AP_piano295]

nobody with an emac needs a good vid card up the imacs graphics pleaseee!!

[jiv3turkey748]

How about lower iMac prices, and discontinue the eMac all together.

Fishes,
narco.

i hope they dont discontinue the emac ive been waiting for an update like this to buy one

[lilrabbit129]

nobody with an emac needs a good vid card up the imacs graphics pleaseee!!

huh? Just because the eMac doesn't have the latest processor and is CRT doesn't mean it doesn't need an updated video card. I think they should up both the eMac and iMac to 9600xt's at least, especially considering they can't be upgraded (the video).

[iDeclare]

Is a 128mb (soldered) graphics chip able to run using passive cooling? :confused:

I think that might be the only thing hold apple back from having an upgrade option for the gpu on the imac. Of course, if they can pull it off with ati in the powerbook, then why not? Bring on the updates!!! :D

[jiv3turkey748]

Mac mini and a generic PC monitor makes more financial sense than Apple trying to keep updating a dying eMac line.

no it doesnt at least not for someone like me who doesnt want some crappy ugly pc monitor i think if they upgrade the emac and maybe drop the price $50 it will be a better deal than the mac mini

[MacsRgr8]

I doubt the accuracy of this report, i find it hard to except apple would keep plugging along with fx5200 just as i find it wrong for apple to continue the emac. I think this report would be pure fiction except for those model numbers they use. If this report is valid then imac isnt getting much and by popping in a fx5200 into emac it takes away from imac sales.

Agreed.

The 200 MHz speed bump is a no-brainer.

The grfx card is left to speculation.
Maybe Doom 3 does get a mention here.... Remember the spec for a "recommended Mac"? 2.0 GHz, 128 MB VRAM, 512 MB RAM.

IMHO these would be the specs of the top-end coming iMac:
2.0 GHz G5
512 MB RAM (as previous rumors expect for all Macs)
Radeon 9600 XT (128 MB VRAM). Yep. As usual, don't expect any fancy grfx cards in an iMac. There never has been one, there never will be... :(

PCI Express will hopefully be announced for coming PowerMacs. (WWDC, anyone?)

[BenRoethig]

Mac mini and a generic PC monitor makes more financial sense than Apple trying to keep updating a dying eMac line.

Not if the students put them in their backpack while nobody's looking. Try doing that with an eMac.

[Squire]

Stressful time for me. I'm about to sell my 1 GHz iMac and I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to replace it with. (I don't want to be Mac-less for very long.) The other day, I finally decided to go with a bare bones Mac mini. After checking with a few resellers, I learned that there are only a handful in the country. The iMac's look great but I know they'll be updated soon. And finally, I found out that, despite its absence on the online store, a number of resellers here actually do carry 1.8 GHz single PowerMacs.

Decisions, decisions...
Sometimes these rumors just complicate things.

Maybe I'll just get a new 12" PowerBook. But then should I wait for the release of Tiger...?

Back to square one. :(

Squire

[SteveC]

Maybe I'll just get a new 12" PowerBook. But then should I wait for the release of Tiger...?

Back to square one. :(

Squire
Wait until next month and then buy an iMac. :D

[andiwm2003]

Yeah the 200MHz bump is expected, but unless they also improve the graphics and increase default RAM to 512, they are making a mistake. And the ability to choose better graphics at the time of purchase is also a necessary change.

I'd like to see the X700 Pro as an option, since its slightly better than the 9800XT. I think its only PCIe, but so was the X800 until ATI released it for the Mac.


LOL.
the 9800XT is $350 now as an upgrade in the PM. there is no way that it get in a $1800 machine. let alone cooling and space issues. the 9600XT may be possible, maybe. its price fits more the imac line.
i myself would be happy with the 9600xt but i want a 23" 2.3GHz.

andi

[Platform]

Well why can't the iMac get a better GPU than the entry PM.
If it does it will only be temporary until the PM updates anyway ;)

What I hope for

2.0 Ghz
512 MB RAM
128 VRAM
Price Drop :D

edit: Look's like we can get Tiger shipping with the new iMac :D

[The Black Rock]

2.0 Ghz
1.0 Ghz bus
512 MB RAM (1 chip)
128 MB VRAM
Bluetooth 2.0 BTO
8x SD
Maybe 1 Firewire 800 port
Video in/Video out
iLife '05

anything else?

[BakedBeans]

Well why can't the iMac get a better GPU than the entry PM.
If it does it will only be temporary until the PM updates anyway ;)

What I hope for

2.0 Ghz
512 MB RAM
128 VRAM
Price Drop :D

edit: Look's like we can get Tiger shipping with the new iMac :D

its not just the entry powermac, how could they justify puting a 9600xt in a iMac (i hope they do because i would get one and it would save me a ton of cash) and a 5200 in a dual 2ghz pm

i think apple should be putting a x800 in the top o the line powemac anyway

[JzzTrump22]

Can't wait to see what they come out with for the emac. That thing really needs to be updated.

[jadam]

Stressful time for me. I'm about to sell my 1 GHz iMac and I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to replace it with. (I don't want to be Mac-less for very long.) The other day, I finally decided to go with a bare bones Mac mini. After checking with a few resellers, I learned that there are only a handful in the country. The iMac's look great but I know they'll be updated soon. And finally, I found out that, despite its absence on the online store, a number of resellers here actually do carry 1.8 GHz single PowerMacs.


Why update in the first place? That 1ghz iMac still has plenty of life left in it, heck we are using dual 500mhz G4 powermacs for computational Physics work!

[Little Endian]

The imac will most likely get a Geforce 6200 w/possibly 128MB of Ram. This is the most likely card as Apple has exclusively used Nvidia GPUs in imac since the imac G4. The 6200 is PCIe only but it could easily be made AGP for Apple's needs or vice versa in that Apple will actually support PCIe.

Other than the 6200 the other cannidates would be a 9600/9700 mobile type GPU as found in the Powerbooks or possibly a newer Radeon GPU like X300-X600. All this talk of sticking X700/X800 or 6800/6600 is wishfull thinking. All those cards are either way to expensive to stick in an imac $250+ or run too hot. Remember Apple needs low cost good performance GPU to keep imac at the same or better price points. Heat is also still a factor and whatever successor they chose to replace the 5200Ultra really can't run that much hotter than that considering they would also be bumping the CPU up to 2Ghz.

128 is a must though for the GPU or at least as an option on the higher end imacs. 128MB is not enough especially if you are pushing 1680x1050 on a 20" imac.

[crawdad62]

While I agree that doing too much to the iMac line might take away from the Powermacs I also think there's a market for a "pro-sumer" line. Now the iMac is sorta there anyway but it would be nice for them to offer a built to spec iMac where you could choose the video card.

I really think there's a market for it. There's a lot of people like me that have a Powermac now and realize they could go to a higher end iMac and be very happy. I just don't have the room for another PM.

"Ahh they'll never do anything like that." Well they pretty much did exactly that by bridging the gap between iMovie and Final Cut Pro by releasing Final Cut Express which a lot of people said they'd never do.

I'd definitely pay for a suped up model iMac. Well actually I'll pay for what ever they give me in this revision. That' all I've been waiting for anyway. Just give me something. :p

[The Black Rock]

128 is a must though for the GPU or at least as an option on the higher end imacs. 128MB is not enough especially if you are pushing 1680x1050 on a 20" imac.

Not enough? Why not?

[aafuss1]

The iMac could get a GF6200 (bridged to AGP), but I haven't heard ikf a Mac version is being planned.

[aswitcher]

Well I hope thr prices drop a little in Aus. They say they turned good profits last year so with a strong AUssie dollar its time to capitalise on that.

[topgunn]

While I agree that doing too much to the iMac line might take away from the Powermacs I also think there's a market for a "pro-sumer" line. Now the iMac is sorta there anyway but it would be nice for them to offer a built to spec iMac where you could choose the video card.
A couple of points. First, the role of the iMac has changed greatly since it was first introduced back in the late 90's. It moved up the product line when the iMac G4 was introduced and the eMac tooks its place as the consumer model. The current iMac is very much a pro-sumer model meaning that it has more than enough power for 95% of the user base. Even if the iMac begins to encroach on the Powermacs specifications, you will still have the professionals who need dual processors, large amounts of fast storage, vast amounts of RAM, PCI expansion capabilities, firewire 800, and the need for the latest GPU's.

Second, it would not be cost efficient to have BTO options on the iMac for items that are soldered onto the midplane. They would have to make thousands of each model and then they are stuck with the possiblity of one selling while the other sits and gathers dust destined to be sold on Apple's refurb page. Instead, Apple will decide on one GPU that will satisfy the needs of 99% of the people who the iMac is targeted too.

My projection remains the same as what it has since January:

1.6GHz->1.8GHz
1.8GHz->2.0GHz
256MB->512MB
FX5200->ATI 9600XT
Improved SATA performance
8x superdrive on higher and highest
BT 2

I am hoping that they decide to remove the power supply from the iMac's Jay Leno chin and make it into an external brick. This would improve the overall appearance of the machine and reduce fan noise since a major heat producer is now out of the picture. I know a lot of you hate power bricks and dont want the clutter but I would just attach it to the bottom of my desk and be done with it.

[glennsan]

I hope that the new machines are released before April. Like many others I have been waiting for version B of the new iMac. If the video card is upgraded as well one will be sitting in my den as soon as they can ship me one.

[Etrain]

This is great news as I am buying a 20" in May. Even though I am a newbie, here are my predictions.

$1199
1.6 GHz 17"
512 MB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra
64MB GPU
80GB

$1399
1.8GHz 17"
512 MB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra
64MB GPU
160GB

$1799
2.0GHz 20"
512 MB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500
128MB GPU
160GB

I am just taking a stab at it. I am new so I really don't know what to expect. :D I am just mad happy! :cool:

[Squire]

Why update in the first place? That 1ghz iMac still has plenty of life left in it, heck we are using dual 500mhz G4 powermacs for computational Physics work!

The decision was made about 5 minutes before reading your post. You're right. I'm going to stick with my iMac, get the broken Superdrive fixed next month, and wait for WWDC to see if a low-end Powermac interests me. Or if these iMac updates are appealing, maybe I'll go for another one.

[Initially, I wanted to sell mine before new iMacs (but not too long before) were announced in an effort to keep the resale value high.]

Like a lot of you, I expect small speed bumps, a 128 MB graphics card (at least on the top two), Bluetooth 2.0, and perhaps larger and/or faster hard drives.

Squire

[crawdad62]

Even if the iMac begins to encroach on the Powermacs specifications, you will still have the professionals who need dual processors, large amounts of fast storage, vast amounts of RAM, PCI expansion capabilities, firewire 800, and the need for the latest GPU's.

This is true and I know there's a market for the Powermacs. There always was and there always will be. There's no way an "off the shelf" computer can do what a pro might need it to do. No argument there.


Second, it would not be cost efficient to have BTO options on the iMac for items that are soldered onto the midplane. They would have to make thousands of each model and then they are stuck with the possiblity of one selling while the other sits and gathers dust destined to be sold on Apple's refurb page. Instead, Apple will decide on one GPU that will satisfy the needs of 99% of the people who the iMac is targeted to.

That I agree with. I guess I'm talking more like something like an iMac Extreme (to use the vernacular). Basically an even more top of the line iMac. Something that may actually out perform the lower leveled Powermacs with an all in one configuration. Of course the cost point would reflect that as well. I wouldn't expect it to under cut the PM line. I'm just thinking there are some that would prefer that form over the PM and pay to have the same, if not better performance.


I am hoping that they decide to remove the power supply from the iMac's Jay Leno chin and make it into an external brick. This would improve the overall appearance of the machine and reduce fan noise since a major heat producer is now out of the picture. I know a lot of you hate power bricks and dont want the clutter but I would just attach it to the bottom of my desk and be done with it.

That I whole heartily agree with. I could certainly live with a brick.

[~Shard~]

I wonder if these updates will be related to an impending Tiger release...

Regardless, excellent news - the eMac is long overdue for an update (and I believe it still had its place and should not be discontinued) and updating the iMac is great news as well - probably a smart move too, what with the introduction of the Mac mini and all.

[~Shard~]

The decision was made about 5 minutes before reading your post. You're right. I'm going to stick with my iMac, get the broken Superdrive fixed next month, and wait for WWDC to see if a low-end Powermac interests me. Or if these iMac updates are appealing, maybe I'll go for another one.

[Initially, I wanted to sell mine before new iMacs (but not too long before) were announced in an effort to keep the resale value high.]

Like a lot of you, I expect small speed bumps, a 128 MB graphics card (at least on the top two), Bluetooth 2.0, and perhaps larger and/or faster hard drives.

Squire

Blatantly off-topic, how's it going Squire? ;) :cool:

[Squire]

Blatantly off-topic, how's it going Squire? ;) :cool:

Great, man. Yourself? It's amazing how much time I can spend here on MacRumors after dropping one of my courses. I spent Christmas in NB and headed down to the Gulf Coast of Florida so the kids could spend time with their grandparents. A 2-and-a-half-month vacation (Dec. 20~March 2) does wonders, you know. Anyway, I started work the week before last.

Sorry, folks.

Umm...yeah...new graphics card would be well received, as would a price drop. ;)

Squire

[~Shard~]

Great, man. Yourself? It's amazing how much time I can spend here on MacRumors after dropping one of my courses. I spent Christmas in NB and headed down to the Gulf Coast of Florida so the kids could spend time with their grandparents. A 2-and-a-half-month vacation (Dec. 20~March 2) does wonders, you know. Anyway, I started work the week before last.

Sorry, folks.

Umm...yeah...new graphics card would be well received, as would a price drop. ;)

Squire

Sounds great, vacations are excellent for the body, mind and soul. But, let's continue this over PMs, as we're already pushing our luck. ;)

And to remain on topic, yes, a new graphics card would be nice, but I don't know if Apple sees a huge need to put a new one in the iMac - not saying that's the right philosophy of course, but this is the same company that has stuck with 256 MB RAM standard for all this time. ;)

As for the price drop, again, would be nice, although the new iMacs came in at a lower price point than their predecessors to begin with, and I don't know if LCD prices have dropped significantly enough to allow Apple to do this without cutting into their margins.

[Trowaman]

My projection remains the same as what it has since January:

1.6GHz->1.8GHz
1.8GHz->2.0GHz
256MB->512MB
FX5200->ATI 9600XT
Improved SATA performance
8x superdrive on higher and highest
BT 2


I approve and I'll join you on the same specs. However, the BT 2.0 may be questionable, I would definately welcome that on the iMac but I feel if they did BT they would also add Airport Extreme.

[computerfan]

I can't wait for these updates. I, like most of you, would welcome as many upgrades as possible. I am almost positive I'll be buying the highest iMac model as soon as they get updated. So please Apple, put a good vid card in there.

[Demon]

I don't know why, but i'm just happy the eMac will still be around. I really like the looks of it, some of my friends have been using the eMac since it's birth, while my grandma (nearly 90 years old) is a faithful eMac user as well ;)

[Sped]

My projection remains the same as what it has since January:

1.6GHz->1.8GHz
1.8GHz->2.0GHz
256MB->512MB
FX5200->ATI 9600XT
Improved SATA performance
8x superdrive on higher and highest
BT 2


That seems reasonable. I would like to see a new GPU but don't have a specific preference. I know how frustrating it is to have your Mac outdated because of its video card. My original G4 iMac is a classic example. I love the computer, but the 32 MB of GPU RAM makes it obsolete for games (and I'm not talking about DOOM 3 - just plain old Railroad Tycoon).

Can I ask what SATA performance would mean? I haven't heard of any new performance steps in SATA. Is it akin to DMA steps for EIDE?

Last question, what does anybody think about Blu-ray? Steve talked about 2005 being the year of HD. I hope PMs get Blu-ray by the end of the year with iMacs getting the drives by this time next year.

[aafuss1]

I'd be happy to see a slot loading optical drive in the eMac and BT 2.0.

[eXan]

Guys don't bo foolish - there is no way they can upgrade iMac to 256 MB of VRAM.

They CAN include the BTO option on the 20 incher to 128 MB or it could come with 128 stock.
But this means that they should upgrade Dual Power Macs to come with 128 (the high end - 256) stock and Single to come with 64.

Mac mini - 32
eMac - 64 (yum!)
iMac - 64/128
Power Mac 64/256

That would be great! :)

[homer_simpson]

just want to know when these updates will be released. been holding off for so long now

[Platform]

2.0 Ghz
1.0 Ghz bus
512 MB RAM (1 chip)
128 MB VRAM
Bluetooth 2.0 BTO
8x SD
Maybe 1 Firewire 800 port
Video in/Video out
iLife '05

anything else?

Yes this is a very good option, would like it very much.
But would the raise the FSB to 1/2 of the speed :confused:

[Devie]

ATM, I feel that no matter what, I will be buying the REV B 20". The price is great enough, just the speed bump, RAM bump to 512 standard (I'll be putting a GB in it anyway) and GPU to a card at about a 9600XT performance range will make it the best thing ever.

Bring on April!

[hamishb]

The graphics card is the Achilles heel of the iMac. I was going to buy one but the graphics card is just too lame and not enough RAM.

Now I am prepared to pay extra for the "iMac G5 DOOM3 Special Edition", (or even better, the iMac G5 Half-Life 2 Special Edition!) with a faster graphics chip and say 128 Meg VRAM.

[gekko513]

Remember guys and girls that the video solution on the iMac is part of the motherboard. This makes it more difficult and more expensive to allow a build to order option for the graphics solution. It's not impossible; they do it on the most expensive PowerBooks, but the PowerBooks have a much higher profit margin which gives room for such an option.

I hope for a modest upgrade to the graphics solution for the whole line, or maybe they will choose to go with two different graphics solutions, so that just the 20" and the faster 17" will have upgraded graphics.

I doubt there will be a build to order option for the graphics.

[crap freakboy]

The graphics card is the Achilles heel of the iMac. I was going to buy one but the graphics card is just too lame and not enough RAM.

Now I am prepared to pay extra for the "iMac G5 DOOM3 Special Edition", (or even better, the iMac G5 Half-Life 2 Special Edition!) with a faster graphics chip and say 128 Meg VRAM.


that'd be grand....ideal situation for me.
more VRAM please...Tiger needs it surely?
128 and I'll be buying one without feeling it's been crippled, Apple aren't always right. I mean, how long did the Mac faithful scream out for a headless basic Mac? Lo and behold, once Apple swallow their pride and release the Mini it receives tons of orders and praise from PC users.

Now about that outdated idea of a 1 buttoned mouse Mr.Jobs... :)

[topgunn]

Can I ask what SATA performance would mean? I haven't heard of any new performance steps in SATA. Is it akin to DMA steps for EIDE?
The iMac G5 has notably slow SATA performance. I don't think its a problem with the technology but rather with the implementation. The iMac G5 falls behind even the eMac and iMac G4 in disk intensive tests. For example, its Xbench scores are in the low 100's while the eMac and iMac G4 are in the high 120's low 130's. Barefeats has some good tests that show this in real world applications, too. Hopefully this is fixed with the next revision as, to me, it is the second biggest problem with the iMac.

[MacSA]

Good to see that the eMac should still be around a while longer - I wonder if Apple decided not to update it because of the new iMac last year and the new Mac mini earlier this year?

Was hoping for some rumours about new iBooks - maybe we won't be seeing anything new for quite a while ?

[Squire]

As for the price drop, again, would be nice, although the new iMacs came in at a lower price point than their predecessors to begin with, and I don't know if LCD prices have dropped significantly enough to allow Apple to do this without cutting into their margins.

I think that might be Apple's new game plan, to be honest. Take a slight hit in the margin department and sell more stuff. The comments made by their CFO recently (yesterday?) support this.

Squire

[~Shard~]

I think that might be Apple's new game plan, to be honest. Take a slight hit in the margin department and sell more stuff. The comments made by their CFO recently (yesterday?) support this.

Squire

Actually that's true - I remembered reading/hearing that Apple's margins on the iPod shuffle and Mac mini were very tight - perhaps this will be a new strategy on Apple's part - if so, let's hope they can execute it properly without hurting themselves. :cool:

[itsa]

ThinkSecret reports (http://www.thinksecret.com/news/0503imacemac.html) that Apple will be bringing updates to both the iMac and eMac line in April.

The iMac, code-named Q45 C/D, is expected to come in at 2GHz but with few other changes.

A faster eMac upgrade is also expected with speed bumps possibly up to 1.5GHz, and video upgrades. The eMac's future has been in question with the recent release of the Mac Mini. Some reports had indicated that the eMac was being phased out, but apparently may not be the case.

With the new imacs ,why would anyone want an emac? Would it not be better for a school to just get imacs?

[Plymouthbreezer]

This would be great news if it's true. The eMac needs an update, and this would help keep the line fresh for a few more years. The iMac, while fine now, would stay ahead the competition with speed bumps and a better graphics card. I also hope they don't raise prices with the updates...

Standard Bluetooth on the two higher end iMacs would be nifty, as well as more RAM. :)

About overlap with the PowerMacs - I think this might mean they are due for an update. ;)

[Squire]

With the new imacs ,why would anyone want an emac? Would it not be better for a school to just get imacs?

That's why. ;)

Squire

[Burai]

While I agree that doing too much to the iMac line might take away from the Powermacs I also think there's a market for a "pro-sumer" line. Now the iMac is sorta there anyway but it would be nice for them to offer a built to spec iMac where you could choose the video card.

I really think there's a market for it. There's a lot of people like me that have a Powermac now and realize they could go to a higher end iMac and be very happy. I just don't have the room for another PM.

I think you've hit the nail on the head as to why the Pro/Consumer divide is nonsense when it comes to graphics.

I, personally, would like to play World of Warcraft and find it absolutely absurd that there isn't a consumer machine currently available that will run it in any sensible way and I cannot justify the budget or find the room for a G5 tower and screen just to play one game.

Yet on the other hand, you've got the pro who needs a 30" display on which to edit his films or make his images or to lay out his Reason boxes being forced to spend an absurd amount on the fastest gaming graphics cards available in spite of the fact that he'll NEVER run any games on the thing.

There are some features that will remain very much in the realm of the professional. I have no desire for a fibre channel network card to connect an iMac to an Xserve cluster with Xsan, for example, nor do I have the need for any PCI/PCI-X slots, gigabit ethernet, 8GB of RAM, Firewire 800, RAID or optical audio in or out, nor do hardly any other home users.

But better graphics are not a feature solely desired by professionals.

It's not just consumers that get hurt by this either. It's the games developers too. After all, who's most likely to make spur of the moment games purchases? The home user with the iMac for the family or the pro user editing movies on a PowerMac? Who's most likely to buy The Sims 2 when it's released? The father of two girls in their early teens or the guy desperately trying to get his client's website finished before the deadline?

Yes, the consumer Macs are designed for those who want to write letters, send emails, edit their home movies, sync their iPods and browse the Internet, but to suggest that they don't fancy playing a few games every now and again is just silly and something even Apple wouldn't agree with. (http://www.apple.com/uk/imac/graphics.html)

I'm not saying to make the Mac into a serious games machine with all the benchmark tools and willy-waving you get with that on the PC. Just something that could play the likes of WoW or Doom 3 in something resembling a sensible way.

Would I be happy with the current revision A iMac with a 128MB 9600 Pro thrown in for an extra ~£50? Very happy indeed, quite frankly and judging by the reaction in this thread so would a fair few other people.

[Plymouthbreezer]

Folks, school NEED eMacs. Let me tell you, an LCD will not last in a classroom full of 3rd graders!! If some adults don't know that LCD's can't be poked, I'm sure as hell most kids don't. ;)

If Mac drops the eMac, they can kiss the education market goodbye.

[fanbrain]

Is there any word on if the new iMacs will have FW800? That's the only thing holding me back from buying one now. That and maybe the GPU.

A Powermac is a tempting but expensive option right now, and the iMac fits better into my budget. I just want it to have FW800 for video editing storage. I also want Tiger. And a million bucks.

[mklos]

I would too like to see a better graphics card in the iMac G5. An ATI Radeon 9600XT would be great. It all comes down to a heat issue. There's no room for a real heat sink on a graphics processor in an iMac G5. I just bought a 20" 1.8GHz iMac G5 and it gets really hot. You take the G5, give it 200 more MHz, increase the FSB a little to match the 1/3 processor/FSB speed ratio, putting a faster optical drive in there, and you're adding even more heat as it is. I think thats the main reason why you don't see a better graphics card in an iMac. So an ATI x700/x800 is certinally out of the question unless you want to see some melting plastic. Maybe Apple can figure out a way to include the liquid cooling system into the iMac to keep it cooler. I don't see Apple putting a large processor in the current enclosure down the road unless they can adopt some kind of liquid cooling system for the processor.

Before anyone comments, unless you've used an iMac G5 for a long period of time you don't actually know how hot iMac G5's get. I mean its not so hot that it will degrade the life of the G5, or the iMac itself, but I can feel the heat radiating off the front just sitting in front of it just to give you an idea of how hot they get.

[Yvan256]

With the new imacs ,why would anyone want an emac? Would it not be better for a school to just get imacs?

eMac = lower price, CRT, sturdy, heavy.
iMac = higher price, LCD, could easily fall off since it's balanced on a small leg.

I'd rather have kids poke their fingers at a CRT rather than an LCD. Easier to clean up too.

[aswitcher]

The graphics card is the Achilles heel of the iMac. I was going to buy one but the graphics card is just too lame and not enough RAM.

Now I am prepared to pay extra for the "iMac G5 DOOM3 Special Edition", (or even better, the iMac G5 Half-Life 2 Special Edition!) with a faster graphics chip and say 128 Meg VRAM.

Yeah I agree Apple need a deluxe/mac royale ;) iMac for both the 17 and 20 with upped hardware specs.
20" 2x 512Meg sticks, 160gigHDD/option 250, 128VRAM, BT, AE...

And on the issue of better graphics cards, the PBs have the same on the logica board graphics cards and options were available for the 2nd rev, so why not the iMac...

[~Shard~]

With the new imacs ,why would anyone want an emac? Would it not be better for a school to just get imacs?

Further to Squire's excellent picture, the main problem with using iMacs would be the LCD. I would love to take a stopwatch into a class of kids and time how long it takes for one of the screens to get damaged by some kid poking at the screen. :cool:

[Plymouthbreezer]

Further to Squire's excellent picture, the main problem with using iMacs would be the LCD. I would love to take a stopwatch into a class of kids and time how long it takes for one of the screens to get damaged by some kid poking at the screen. :cool:Like I said, most adults think it's okay to poke an LCD. Will kids be any better?? Nope.

I'm in 9th grade and see how messed up the computer get in my high school. I know for a fact, LCDs won't work in schools.

[dsharits]

Is there any word on if the new iMacs will have FW800? That's the only thing holding me back from buying one now. That and maybe the GPU.

A Powermac is a tempting but expensive option right now, and the iMac fits better into my budget. I just want it to have FW800 for video editing storage. I also want Tiger. And a million bucks.
Not too hard to satisfy, are you? :D

Daniel

[~loserman~]

Further to Squire's excellent picture, the main problem with using iMacs would be the LCD. I would love to take a stopwatch into a class of kids and time how long it takes for one of the screens to get damaged by some kid poking at the screen. :cool:

Or using his/her pen/pencil to try to write on the screen.

[rdowns]

I would too like to see a better graphics card in the iMac G5. An ATI Radeon 9600XT would be great. It all comes down to a heat issue. There's no room for a real heat sink on a graphics processor in an iMac G5. I just bought a 20" 1.8GHz iMac G5 and it gets really hot. You take the G5, give it 200 more MHz, increase the FSB a little to match the 1/3 processor/FSB speed ratio, putting a faster optical drive in there, and you're adding even more heat as it is. I think thats the main reason why you don't see a better graphics card in an iMac. So an ATI x700/x800 is certinally out of the question unless you want to see some melting plastic. Maybe Apple can figure out a way to include the liquid cooling system into the iMac to keep it cooler. I don't see Apple putting a large processor in the current enclosure down the road unless they can adopt some kind of liquid cooling system for the processor.

Before anyone comments, unless you've used an iMac G5 for a long period of time you don't actually know how hot iMac G5's get. I mean its not so hot that it will degrade the life of the G5, or the iMac itself, but I can feel the heat radiating off the front just sitting in front of it just to give you an idea of how hot they get.

My experience with my 20" iMac is very different. Very quiet and doesn't get very hot. I reach around to the slot on the back a lot to see how hot it is and am surprised that it is not.

As for a better video card, I don't see it happening. The only time my fan ever comes on is with heavy graphics web sites or playing a game. Seems to me the heat problem is video card generated.

[iPlm]

It's nice Apple would continue the eMacs. There should be a Mac for every person ;) (responding in style and needs...)

Apple really should upgrade graphics on low-end Macs. The iMac is a fast computer and deserves better graphics, and so does the iBook and eMac. At least put a nVidia FX5600 Ultra or something like that(Radeon 9600 non XT). After all it's not so much more expensive than a FX5200 Ultra and Radeon 9200.

[Paul O'Keefe]

No one has answered or elaborated on this. What is an SMU firmware upgrade?


Anyway, here is my predictions about changes with the iMac revision:
• faster processor (up to 2 GHz) and faster front side bus
• faster optical drive (the same as new powerbooks)
• one firewire 800 port
• gigbit eithernet
• Tiger OS X 10.4
• iLife 2005

And of the new video features of Tiger won't go beyond a need for 64 MB VRAM. Most of the new powerbooks only ship with 64 MB. Heck, I bet the Mac Mini's 32 MB VRAM could use these new effects.

Expect the iMacs to follow whatever technology is used in PowerBooks when it comes to optical drives and graphics capability.

[~loserman~]

And of the new video features of Tiger won't go beyond a need for 64 MB VRAM. Most of the new powerbooks only ship with 64 MB. Heck, I bet the Mac Mini's 32 MB VRAM could use these new effects.


I doubt it. THe mini doesnt have enough vram to even support all of Panthers effects.
Have you tried a switch user on a mini. Instead of the screen rotating it just flashes from one desktop to another

[~Shard~]

Or using his/her pen/pencil to try to write on the screen.

That's funny cuz it's true...

[dsharits]

I doubt it. THe mini doesnt have enough vram to even support all of Panthers effects.
Have you tried a switch user on a mini. Instead of the screen rotating it just flashes from one desktop to another
Not true. The iBooks have the same video chip and RAM as the Mini, and they execute the cube transition between users flawlessly. 32 MB is enough for the visual effects in Panther.

[~loserman~]

Not true. The iBooks have the same video chip and RAM as the Mini, and they execute the cube transition between users flawlessly. 32 MB is enough for the visual effects in Panther.
Must be screen resolutions then cause they don't work on my mini.
I'll try a lower resolution.

Yep that was it. It works at 1024x768 mea culpa

[dsharits]

Must be screen resolutions then cause they don't work on my mini.
I'll try a lower resolution.

Yep that was it. It works at 1024x768 mea culpa
I'm not able to try it at any higher resolution, with 1024x768 being the highest for the iBooks. I'm not complaining though. It's infinitely better than the 800x600 clamshell days. :eek:

[gekko513]

Must be screen resolutions then cause they don't work on my mini.
I'll try a lower resolution.

Yep that was it. It works at 1024x768 mea culpa
It works at 1280x1024, too, on my Mac mini.

[~Shard~]

It works at 1280x1024, too, on my Mac mini.

Just can't let him off easy, can ya? ;)

[mklos]

My experience with my 20" iMac is very different. Very quiet and doesn't get very hot. I reach around to the slot on the back a lot to see how hot it is and am surprised that it is not.

As for a better video card, I don't see it happening. The only time my fan ever comes on is with heavy graphics web sites or playing a game. Seems to me the heat problem is video card generated.

Well mine is also pretty quiet, and is hot. Although I just found out that if you boot from a CD and fans go absolutely nuts!

What do you have your G5 Settings at and what kind of things do you do with your iMac?

[~loserman~]

Just can't let him off easy, can ya? ;)

Well it doesn't work on mine. Maybe I need to reinstall.

[~Shard~]

Well it doesn't work on mine. Maybe I need to reinstall.

Taking a page out of the Windows Help File are ya? "If something goes wrong, reinstall Windows..."

[miloblithe]

Yeah, fast user switching works on my eMac 1Ghz, which has an older graphics card, at 1280x960. I don't expect it to do too well with all of Tiger's eye candy though.

[aafuss1]

No one has answered or elaborated on this. What is an SMU firmware upgrade?


Anyway, here is my predictions about changes with the iMac revision:
• faster processor (up to 2 GHz) and faster front side bus
• faster optical drive (the same as new powerbooks)
• one firewire 800 port
• gigbit eithernet
• Tiger OS X 10.4
• iLife 2005

And of the new video features of Tiger won't go beyond a need for 64 MB VRAM. Most of the new powerbooks only ship with 64 MB. Heck, I bet the Mac Mini's 32 MB VRAM could use these new effects.

Expect the iMacs to follow whatever technology is used in PowerBooks when it comes to optical drives and graphics capability.

OK:
1. iLife 2005 isn't correct-it's iLife '05
2.FW800-No, as Apple still believes (I have read this somewhere) that FW 800 is not a feature coming to consumer Macs (iMac, iBook, Mac mini,etc).

[gekko513]

Just can't let him off easy, can ya? ;)When were ever anyone let off easy on an internet forum ;)

[thoroughbred]

Don't any of you guys think that there are regular people who want a mac just to surf the internet and to send e-mail, maybe listen to a little music while their at it. Maybe they just want to do their homework or right a letter or for that matter even create a presentation. Infact the eMac, which is what I'm talking about, is great for small administrative offices as well. All emplyees in offices need to do, is make documents. And the emac is more than capable of that, all it can't do is play a few games. For only £150 you can put 1gb of ram in it. And their are still people who want CRT's, they have better picture quality. Some people might say that space is of the essence in a office, well the size of 1 emac is way less than the standard dell I am currently using. You'll have; no tower, less cables, no speakers, etc. I'd rather have an emac than the huge dell I am using. And how can people even mention that the mini is here to replace the emac, the mini is only for people on an extremely tight budget, or for people who don't reguire a monitor but need a very small computer. For, example people are now putting computers in there cars to take care of the multimedia, they usually use very small ones, but even they are bigger than the mini, so they could now implement the mini into situations like that. And that thing about 3rd graders and eMacs is right on, Excellent thinking by that person.

[thoroughbred]

And 1 more thing. If i was steve, the first thing I would do on any revision, would be to fix any known issues. The PM has noise issues, with audio leaking out when its not supposed to and a PSU issue. The imac is very messed up in terms of reliability. There's loads of buzzing about that on their own forums (punn intended), hence theres loads fan noises and "shuttle taking of sound fx", they are not as quiet as they're ssaid to be. Although I haven't experienced these, but there's lots of complaints. (I should mention that I don't own one, but I didn't hear it in any stores i went to). Also the latest metal LCD displays have colourfull stripes around the edges, I have heard the following; shade of pink, yellow band, orange band, dead pixels. And apple monitors aren't cheap and they are supposed to be best known for their graphics performance and picture quality and stuff like that. And at the prices of the minotors they should a have a reputation like that. So here are just some of the issues apple or Steve Rather needs to accept and fix them, no shortcuts or anything, if he has to he should replace all faulty ones, that have been sold to date.

[DakotaGuy]

2.0 Ghz
1.0 Ghz bus
512 MB RAM (1 chip)
128 MB VRAM
Bluetooth 2.0 BTO
8x SD
Maybe 1 Firewire 800 port
Video in/Video out
iLife '05

anything else?

Looks good, but I can almost guarantee a 2Ghz iMac will have a 667Mhz FSB on it and not the 1Ghz like the PowerMac has.

[danielwsmithee]

Has anyone else noticed that in the last two weeks the price has droped on refurbished iMac's twice. A few weeks ago it was sitting at $1699 for the 20' iMac, which is where it had always been. Then about a week ago they dropped it to $1649, and now this week to $1599. Sounds like they are trying to clear out the old to get ready for the new. :D

[Plymouthbreezer]

Has anyone else noticed that in the last two weeks the price has droped on refurbished iMac's twice. A few weeks ago it was sitting at $1699 for the 20' iMac, which is where it had always been. Then about a week ago they dropped it to $1649, and now this week to $1599. Sounds like they are trying to clear out the old to get ready for the new. :DWhere are these prices from??

[kenneth]

Hi, I am a owner of a PC who is getting tired of all the problems with Windows, even XP. I have decided that the next computer I get will be a Mac but not until my current computer becomes something of an antique; paid dearly for it. Any guesses as to when Apple maybe coming out with their G6s? The only complaint I have with the Macs at this time, is that for the premium price Apple charges, one would not expect to see bottom of the line graphic cards as standard, and non-replaceable on most models. Hope this situation will change when the G6s will come out.
I am one of those who much prefer a CTR screen over any flat monitor when it comes to reading text (different story when it comes to graphics). My eyes go buggy trying to read anything on a LCD screen. I hope Apple will keep and improve on the eMacs. I like the fact that it is an affordable all-in-one unit with a CTR screen; minimum of clutter with wires.

[~Shard~]

I am a owner of a PC who is getting tired of all the problems with Windows, even XP. I have decided that the next computer I get will be a Mac but not until my current computer becomes something of an antique, paid dearly for it. Any guess when Apple will be coming out with their G6s? The only complaint I have with the Macs at this time, is that for the premium price Apple charges for their machines, one would not expect to see bottom of the line graphic cards as standard, and non-replaceable on most models. Hope this situation will change when the G6s will come out.

I think before we see a G6 we'll be seeing things such as higher speed G5s, dual-core G5s, those Cell processors IBM is working on, etc. etc. But, I guess whether Apple decides to brand one of those technologies as a G6 is up to them. I wouldn't hold out just for a G6 "just because it's a G6" - that's rather arbitrary. There will always be something new and great, and better coming down the road, so it's easy to get caught up in the waiting game and never end up being satisfied or making a purchase!

As for premium, I hear what you're saying, but keep in mind there are a lot of other factors at play as well - Macs have greater longevity and useful lives than PCs, thus figuring into the price, they are more stable, allowing you to be more productive (in general), they have a higher resale value, they come with OS X which is superior to Windows IMO, and they also come with iLife included, which would cost you a fair bit of money for the same level of apps on a PC. There are many other reasons too, but a person needs to keep all these things in mind when looking at the price of a Mac.

[auxplage]

Where are these prices from??

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/71708/wo/5345HS9C9zsf2u94i951TCLu73A/1.0.0.11.1.0.6.7.1.0.1.1

[~loserman~]

I think before we see a G6 we'll be seeing things such as higher speed G5s, dual-core G5s, those Cell processors IBM is working on, etc. etc. But, I guess whether Apple decides to brand one of those technologies as a G6 is up to them. I wouldn't hold out just for a G6 "just because it's a G6" - that's rather arbitrary. There will always be something new and great, and better coming down the road, so it's easy to get caught up in the waiting game and never end up being satisfied or making a purchase!

As for premium, I hear what you're saying, but keep in mind there are a lot of other factors at play as well - Macs have greater longevity and useful lives than PCs, thus figuring into the price, they are more stable, allowing you to be more productive (in general), they have a higher resale value, they come with OS X which is superior to Windows IMO, and they also come with iLife included, which would cost you a fair bit of money for the same level of apps on a PC. There are many other reasons too, but a person needs to keep all these things in mind when looking at the price of a Mac.

Good advice....

[~Shard~]

Good advice....

Thanks. :) I try and display a healthy mix of helpfulness and advice, along with just being a bastard. It's what I do. :cool:

[dotdotdot]

No eMacs in my Apple store!!

Yep, they are all GONE... though they said that it was discontinued there, another said it was "being repaired..." they kept the "stand thingy" there though...

[~loserman~]

Thanks. :) I try and display a healthy mix of helpfulness and advice, along with just being a bastard. It's what I do. :cool:


You sound just like me.... :)

[~Shard~]

You sound just like me.... :)

And we even have tildes in our names too... ;)

[The Black Rock]

Yes this is a very good option, would like it very much.
But would the raise the FSB to 1/2 of the speed :confused:

Looks good, but I can almost guarantee a 2Ghz iMac will have a 667Mhz FSB on it and not the 1Ghz like the PowerMac has.

I'm afraid that you might be right. Though we all would prefer a 1:2 FSB ratio on our future iMacs, I'm sure Apple would come up with some reason to deny us of it; probably citing some heat or electrical consumption issue.

The iMac G5 has been one of the best selling products Apple has ever had, and I'm fairly certain that they lose nothing on any part in the machine. Taking profits for all components from the beginning (assuming small or no losses), and considering the natural depreciation in their value with time (as is usually the case when it comes to computers), we can deduce that the greatest profit margins for the iMac G5 would be just before a product revision.

My hope is that the large profits they've been taking in over the last few quarters (thanks to us, the consumers) would result in an investment in the best that can be reasonably had by us. I'm not sure if the sales of the iMac G5 have slowed yet; if they have, has Apple concluded that the slowing is due to the natural drop-off after Christmas or people finding better products for the money? If they see that sales (considering normal fiscal operations) have not slowed they'll be less inclined to do any improvements at all, and continue to make higher and higher profits.

But my hope for an imporved product remains. And I keep my previous estimates as reasonable expectations of what's to come. I doubt that the form factor will change (as others have dubbed it "the Jay Leno Chin"), but the other parts can definitely go. 8x SD shouldn't be a problem as a suitable one exists on the current eMac. A 2.0 Ghz chip is available from the Power Mac line and rumor sites (dubious sources I know...) have stated that a 2.0 Ghz chip has been stable in an iMac G5 for some time now (I'll take that statement to go for heat issues, but it's not solid for the FSB). 512 MB RAM chips could be the most easily done as we now see in the Power Books. Bluetooth 2.0 we can also guess at from the last Power Book release. iLife '05 is a given.

The 128 MB of VRAM and the video in/ video out is the only real mystery, as the GPU bump is damn near necessary (beginning of September '03 release?) but the VI/VO is iffy. Many people have commented on their desire to use the monitor in the iMac for other machines. 128 would be enough to power an external for more than just mirroring, but I don't think they'd gaff their beautiful rear design.

Firewire 800 is a complete toss up. Apple would like to further the intergration of their new standard but I think that so far it's been a failure. The Wiebetech white paper on Firewire 800 and the future of Firewire convinced me of the precariousness. FW might not survive, though it is the absolute best thing out.

Sorry for so many words... :(

[aswitcher]

No eMacs in my Apple store!!

Yep, they are all GONE... though they said that it was discontinued there, another said it was "being repaired..." they kept the "stand thingy" there though...


Tuesday is looking goof for new revs :)

[Platform]

Tuesday is looking goof for new revs :)

Yes that would be GREAT :D

What is actually the reason for apple releasing HW on Tuesday's :confused:

[The Black Rock]

Yes that would be GREAT :D

What is actually the reason for apple releasing HW on Tuesday's :confused:

Why do all music albums come out on Tuesdays?

[Squire]

Taking a page out of the Windows Help File are ya? "If something goes wrong, reinstall Windows..."
I got a chuckle out of that one.

OK:
1. iLife 2005 isn't correct-it's iLife '05
2.FW800-No, as Apple still believes (I have read this somewhere) that FW 800 is not a feature coming to consumer Macs (iMac, iBook, Mac mini,etc).
I hate to be an pessimist, but I wouldn't be surprised to see FW800 go the way of the dodo bird. I sure hope not, though.

And 1 more thing. If i was steve, the first thing I would do on any revision, would be to fix any known issues.

As opposed to what? Introducing a fresh new batch of problems? ;) (Just kidding. I know what you mean.)

Squire

[~loserman~]

Yes that would be GREAT :D

What is actually the reason for apple releasing HW on Tuesday's :confused:

Maybe it's because we are all still hung over from the weekend

[Goatbert]

Folks, school NEED eMacs. Let me tell you, an LCD will not last in a classroom full of 3rd graders!! If some adults don't know that LCD's can't be poked, I'm sure as hell most kids don't. ;)

If Mac drops the eMac, they can kiss the education market goodbye.

You say that like it'll hold up any better in a room full of 12th graders. I'm an IT Manager for a public K-12 district and if they pull the eMac I'm going to have to buy Minis and CRTs and security locks to stop them from ending up in back packs. Not something I'm kooking forward too.

[Platform]

You say that like it'll hold up any better in a room full of 12th graders. I'm an IT Manager for a public K-12 district and if they pull the eMac I'm going to have to buy Minis and CRTs and security locks to stop them from ending up in back packs. Not something I'm kooking forward too.

But is there no way that they can mac the eMac stury and durable with an LCD just give it a big case like the current model ;)

[oingoboingo]

But is there no way that they can mac the eMac stury and durable with an LCD just give it a big case like the current model ;)

I hope you're joking. Please please please I hope you're joking...

I only say that because it sounds suspiciously like my business plan to build large couch-sized enclosures for the Mac mini which will prevent them from being stolen, and will also address the design shortcoming which prevents them being used as a comfortable seating device.

[adamjay]

Has anyone else noticed that in the last two weeks the price has droped on refurbished iMac's twice. A few weeks ago it was sitting at $1699 for the 20' iMac, which is where it had always been. Then about a week ago they dropped it to $1649, and now this week to $1599. Sounds like they are trying to clear out the old to get ready for the new. :D

i sure did. $1599 for a 20" iMac G5. updates on the way or not, thats one hell of a deal!!! almost pulled the trigger on that but this (1) damned Tiger release, (2) speculation on updated iMac G5 graphics cards, and (3) post-Tiger Ableton Live update have me waiting to see which machine i'll buy.

it will be either a 20" iMac G5, or a dual G5 powermac and a smaller sized 3rd party LCD... the specific details are going to depend on whats available after i receive all 3 pieces of information listed above.

where's the anxious emoticon?

[SteveC]

You say that like it'll hold up any better in a room full of 12th graders. I'm an IT Manager for a public K-12 district and if they pull the eMac I'm going to have to buy Minis and CRTs and security locks to stop them from ending up in back packs. Not something I'm kooking forward too.

Want a cheaper way? How about a few hundred $ for a security camera system? Keep "eyes" (camera) on the minis 24/7 and you'll have any theif on cam.

[maya]

Already predicted the iMac G5 going 2.0GHz for the top end when the rev A was released. Even predicted the month of release.

As for the eMac it might be the last revision either before being taken off the line or going G5. Since it seems the only thing holding the portable line back is the GX chips. :)

[~Shard~]

I got a chuckle out of that one.

Your welcome...

I hate to be an pessimist, but I wouldn't be surprised to see FW800 go the way of the dodo bird. I sure hope not, though.

What do you see replacing it as a means of high speed data transfer?

As opposed to what? Introducing a fresh new batch of problems?

Hey, why not, Microsoft does it... :cool:

[wdlove]

Already predicted the iMac G5 going 2.0GHz for the top end when the rev A was released. Even predicted the month of release.

As for the eMac it might be the last revision either before being taken off the line or going G5. Since it seems the only thing holding the portable line back is the GX chips. :)

Apple will still need hardware that's attractive for the educational market. Certainly if they could do the G5 with the iMac they can with the eMac.

[Lacero]

eMacs may see a low-end 1.6Ghz G5 across the line. This would seem to be the natural upgrade paths for the somewhat obsolete eMac line. It would be a shame if they continued using G4s, since much of the orders for the chips make way into the Mac minis and iBook line.

[Squire]

What do you see replacing it [FW 800] as a means of high speed data transfer?

I dunno. USB 3.0? Ever since the last iPod revision, it seems like USB is Apple's new bitch. In an effort to avoid this, I wish they'd add FW800 ports to every machine they sell. (What percent of Macs sold are equipped with it? Fifteen-percent, maybe?) Despite its superiority, it hasn't seemed to have taken off.

Squire

[Rootman]

That $1599 reconditioned 20-inch iMac looks mi-i-i-i-ghty tempting. Won't be there long...

If April just brings an OS upgrade and maybe more standard RAM, I wouldn't hold off, cause I can do those myself later.

What makes me hesitate is the possible GPU bump-up. Hmmm, how much does that really matter for what I do?

But on the other hand, this rumor could be wrong and I'll be waiting 'til summer...

Yet if I buy in March I get bonus miles from American Express...

But April brings new GPU?

But it'll be $1899 instead of $1599...

Hmmm.

[Surreal]

[QUOTE=Squire]I dunno. USB 3.0? Ever since the last iPod revision, it seems like USB is Apple's new bitch. In an effort to avoid this, I wish they'd add FW800 ports to every machine they sell. (What percent of Macs sold are equipped with it? Fifteen-percent, maybe?) Despite its superiority, it hasn't seemed to have taken off.

Squire[/QUOTE

They need to keep FW800 on the pro lines for at least a couple more generations of com[s. he pro line is all that really needs it. and if you want to know why, think about a firewire mouse. while usb has its fundamental issues, implementing 2.0 was a sound idea..but not pushing firewire...that would be criminal. firewire is pverkill for many tasks right now..but video and audio prosumers and pros use it. i know that if 800 is kept on lines for long enough there will be monster audio interfaces made for it... look up the MOTU HD896 and then think about the fact that it is on FW400.

without hardware that USES F800...it WILL die. but if apple backs out on it before the hardware arrives...

[Plymouthbreezer]

You say that like it'll hold up any better in a room full of 12th graders. I'm an IT Manager for a public K-12 district and if they pull the eMac I'm going to have to buy Minis and CRTs and security locks to stop them from ending up in back packs. Not something I'm kooking forward too.Oh I know, high schoolers will just steal 'em! I'm in 9th grade... And most kids my age don't care about other's stuff. How sad.

[rdowns]

Well mine is also pretty quiet, and is hot. Although I just found out that if you boot from a CD and fans go absolutely nuts!

What do you have your G5 Settings at and what kind of things do you do with your iMac?

Firs time I booted the diagnostic CD, the fans scared the $%^& out of me.

Nothing too heavy, web, iTunes, iPhoto and iDVD mostly. Occasional game where it gets very hot and the fans kick in.

[Squire]

They need to keep FW800 on the pro lines for at least a couple more generations of com[s. he pro line is all that really needs it. and if you want to know why, think about a firewire mouse. while usb has its fundamental issues, implementing 2.0 was a sound idea..but not pushing firewire...that would be criminal. firewire is pverkill for many tasks right now..but video and audio prosumers and pros use it. i know that if 800 is kept on lines for long enough there will be monster audio interfaces made for it... look up the MOTU HD896 and then think about the fact that it is on FW400.

without hardware that USES F800...it WILL die. but if apple backs out on it before the hardware arrives...

You're sort of supporting my point. If Apple doesn't get going and include it on more machines, hardware manufacturers will exclude it. If they exclude it, Apple might be less inclined to include it in their future products. It's a vicious cycle.

I understand your point in saying only pro models need it but I don't entirely agree. What about external hard drives? For the additional cost/unit, it should be included. (After all, it is backwards compatible, isn't it?) Not doing so is simply a marketing decision aimed at distinguishing one line from another.

Squire

[Plymouthbreezer]

Firs time I booted the diagnostic CD, the fans scared the $%^& out of me.

Nothing too heavy, web, iTunes, iPhoto and iDVD mostly. Occasional game where it gets very hot and the fans kick in.Today I installed Panther on my iMac G3... Oh god the fans went crazy!! I can only imagen what Tiger would do to it!

With that said, I don't know how well Tiger will really run of a G3 - Exposé works, but all buggy, and fast user swtiching isn't the 3D cube, but it just goes from user to user. If Panther put that much strain on the system, Tiger will only be worse.

[Trout74]

im a bit surprised that nobody has thought of this yet, maybe its a dumb idea, but seems very Logical to me.

emacs have been removed from apple stores, none in the one here in Denver.

Rumored eMac updates............

Ill bet there is a new form factor coming. I bet a major revision, or at least enough of one that the old ones dont look enough like the new ones that they have to remove them from the learing center.

trout

[The Black Rock]

You're sort of supporting my point. If Apple doesn't get going and include it on more machines, hardware manufacturers will exclude it. If they exclude it, Apple might be less inclined to include it in their future products. It's a vicious cycle.

I understand your point in saying only pro models need it but I don't entirely agree. What about external hard drives? For the additional cost/unit, it should be included. (After all, it is backwards compatible, isn't it?) Not doing so is simply a marketing decision aimed at distinguishing one line from another.

Squire

Actually, I don't think it is even backward compatible. Apple's been killing Firewire 800 almost since it's introduction. You really should read that Wiebetech whitepaper. Lemme see if I can find the link...

...

...

Here it goes: http://www.wiebetech.com/pressreleases/firewireevolution.pdf it's a pdf though.

[combatcolin]

FireWire will be around for a long long time.

Apple are working on FW 1600 and have trademarked the name and we might see something intresting in the next PM G5 update.

They could make FW 1600 work on the same connecter as FW800.

[combatcolin]

Intresting article.

End result is very simple.

APPLE GET YOUR ARSE IN GEAR AND SHOVE FW800 IN EVERYTHING!

This would increase the market no end.

[The Black Rock]

Even though this is dragging the thread off-topic, I'm mostly hoping for Firewire 3200. Maybe they can skip 1600 entirely and go straight there. Everything could use it. It would be the perfect cord for HD everything! 3.2 Gbps! Incredible.

You wouldn't even need to compress your HD to send 1080p stuff anywhere. I can get a nice RAID setup with 3200 connections, and just go at it for my BRD movies.

:eek:

[Squire]

Actually, I don't think it is even backward compatible.

The information on this site (http://discountcablesusa.com/firewire-faq.html) seems to imply that it is.

Bilingual Firewire cables refer to those that have a 9-pin connector on one end, for a 800Mpbs device or port, and an "A" connector, either 6-pin or 4-pin, on the other. FireWire 800 is backwards compatible so if you have a FireWire 800 device but your computer is still FireWire 400, you can still plug and play, although you'll need one of these special cables and you'll miss out on some of the speed of FireWire 800.

There are two types of bilingual cables available for mixing 800 and 400 devices:

9-pin to 6-pin - For connecting a standard FireWire device or computer to an 800Mbps connector.
9-pin to 4-pin - For connecting an 800Mbps device or computer port to a 4-pin connector.

Apple's been killing Firewire 800 almost since it's introduction. You really should read that Wiebetech whitepaper. Lemme see if I can find the link...

Thanks a lot for the link. That was a very interesting read that, unfortunately, confirmed a lot of my fears concerning FW800.

What do you see replacing it as a means of high speed data transfer?

~Shard~, the author of that article (take a look when you get a chance...at least at the conclusion) mentions a few possible technologies. The one he sees as most likely successor is SATA. I'll highlight a couple of the points.

* "For FireWire 800 to have been broadly successful, it should have been promoted as a consumer technology, not as a professional technology. This would have spread costs over many more platforms, and would have allowed FireWire 800 a great chance to become ubiquitous."

* "SATA is a hot technology and is on the upswing."

* "FireWire 400 will continue to retain market share. USB2 will be popular among cost conscious consumers. NAS will offer benefits forsome, but SATA will be the biggest winner, because of its low costs and high performance."

* "FireWire 800 is a great technology which was not supported by great planning or great marketing. It succeeded in its mission to provide a technically superior alternative to FireWire 400, but failed to gain prominence in the market."

Squire

[~Shard~]

<snip>


Cool, thanks for providing the info Squire. :cool:

[Paul O'Keefe]

Must be screen resolutions then cause they don't work on my mini.
I'll try a lower resolution.

Yep that was it. It works at 1024x768 mea culpa

My girlfriend uses a lower resolution on my iMac G5 than I do. The cube transition doesn't work between our two user accounts as a result. However, our roommate's account which operates at the same res as mine will complete the transition correctly when going to an account with the same res.

[jouster]

Today I installed Panther on my iMac G3... Oh god the fans went crazy!! I can only imagen what Tiger would do to it!

With that said, I don't know how well Tiger will really run of a G3 - Exposé works, but all buggy, and fast user swtiching isn't the 3D cube, but it just goes from user to user. If Panther put that much strain on the system, Tiger will only be worse.


Interesting. I run Panther on a G3 iBook (admittedly with a whopping 16MB of VRAM) and it cruises along nicely. Don't think I've ever even heard the fans....

I don't expect Tiger to strain it all that much.

However, like so many here, I reject the 'usage argument' wrt Apple's choice of GPU for the iMac. It doesn't matter to me what I intend to use it for; what does matter is that the 5200 ultra fails to represent good value for money on a close-to-$2000 computer.

They'll get my money when the GPU is more powerful. I'm not much of a gamer, but I'd like to have the option at least.

Perhaps the rumored dual-core procs will also make their way into the iMac. Then I'd be on the phone to the Applestore pretty much immediately.....

[andreas.b]

There is no way in hell they will put the geforce 5200fx in any new medium to high end models in the future. The reason for this is that the geforce 5200fx doesn't support the CoreVideo functions to be included in Tiger.

If they do, I don't know what to say... I'd be very dissappointed. The card is an old, outdated low end card. What is it doing a Mac? I simply do not know. The technology to put something better in it is there. For the amount the user pays the option should be there too. And if they don't update the powerbook line soon, they better change the name into AverageBook and drop the price by 50%.

The fact that they're still using 5200fx and 9700 mobile to this day... Sheesh. At least the 9700 mobile supports corevideo, but it is still 2 year old technology. What the hell?

While Apple really rules the software world, it seems like everybody is passing them by in the hardware world... It's really so sad, especially when they do take higher prices than their x86 competitors...

[OnaMacSince1989]

I've been getting the itch to upgrade from my 2 yr old eMac (1-Ghz, 386MB upgraded RAM, & Combo-drive) and I'm happy to see the rumors that eMac and iMac updates are coming next month. I'm really glad to see the eMac may be sticking around longer than expected - I'm still not sold on spending the extra money for an LCD screen iMac when a high quality CRT still looks great and the eMac fits very nicely on my desk at home. And, some of the benchmarking I've seen on the G5 iMac has been disappointingly close to the performance of a G4 eMac.

Considering the cost to buy iLife '05, Tiger, and a RAM upgrade to 512MB would exceed $200, I'd rather use that money to buy a new eMac with a faster (1.5 Ghz) processor, faster front bus, better graphics card, and a SuperDrive and USB-2.0 connectors. If a high-end eMac stays at $999 or drops to $899 with the expected updates in April, I'll be 1st in line to buy one. Plus, I can sell my current eMac on eBay for a few hundred bucks to help defray the cost of upgrading.

Separately, I've found the MacMini to be a little underpowered & underfeatured for my tastes. If only Apple would release a sister/brother model with more power and features (ie: MacMax) for $699 or $799... I'd like to see a small monitor-less model like the MacMini with the power of an eMac or even the iMac (dreaming). It's pretty easy & cheap to pick up a monitor, keyboard, and mouse that could be used over an over, saving more money down the road as only the CPU would be replaced when upgrading to the next latest and greatest model. Guess we'll see what Apple's got up it's sleeve next as they continue working on gaining market share. :cool:

[ASP272]

I agree with others who have said the graphics cards are much too weak. What's the deal with Apple and graphics cards anyway? Why can't we get a standard 128mb card in our machines instead of 32 or 64mb? It's obvious the extra video ram is needed with the larger monitors, games, and design apps we all use on our macs. Get it right this time Apple! No more wimpy graphics cards.

[thoroughbred]

I think, if i'm not mistaken, that Macs handle graphics differently to other computers. They have special circuits in them, and software that pushes the graphics power of any card further, hence they don't require such a large amount of Vram. I was told this many times. Its something to do with the fact that a graphics chip is incorperated into the mother board, which improves the graphics overall. E.g if you got a PC with the same specs as a Mac and put the same graphics card in both of them, the mac would naturally perform better.

It is just like thier processor clock speeds, 1 mac ghz = 2 PC ghz, hence G4 1ghz is approximately = P4 2 ghz.

Someone said that they are waiting to see what Apple do to gain more market share. I hope they do nothing, just keep acting the way they are right now. I don't want to be common, I don't want everyone to have macs, I want them to be rare. If they become any more poplular then we will start to get virus's and crappy programs as there will be too much 3rd party support in both hardware and software terms to keep apple's own software compatibility up to date, like the problems windows has been encountering since it has been released. Ha Ha.

But yeah back to the point, i enjoy being unusual, we have a fairly nice little community hear I dont want it to be like the Windows Community.

[enjoyapple]

personnaly i don't care if it rains or freezes, as long' as i've got my plstic Jesus and my IMAC 23" !!!
wisch for a bigger screen and firewire 800... see you next year dudes! may thoses dreams come true!
:rolleyes:

[ASP272]

I think, if i'm not mistaken, that Macs handle graphics differently to other computers. They have special circuits in them, and software that pushes the graphics power of any card further, hence they don't require such a large amount of Vram. I was told this many times. Its something to do with the fact that a graphics chip is incorperated into the mother board, which improves the graphics overall. E.g if you got a PC with the same specs as a Mac and put the same graphics card in both of them, the mac would naturally perform better.

It is just like thier processor clock speeds, 1 mac ghz = 2 PC ghz, hence G4 1ghz is approximately = P4 2 ghz.



I am familiar with the RISC vs. CISC based processing comparison. No doubt the PowerPC chips are faster. But as far as graphics go, I don't know. I am still seeing the same recommendations for vram on a Mac vs. a PC game - take Halo for instance. Halo requirements for PC are actually a little less than those on the Mac. Granted, this is only one example, but you can see where I think Mac graphics cards should still have more Vram. I wish someone would comment on what they know about Mac AGP graphics systems in the G4/G5 architecture vs. PC graphics architecture. It seems like the G5 architecture is dramatically better from what I've seen in keynote demonstrations, but I haven't seen enough about PC graphics to know.

[ManchesterTrix]

You say that like it'll hold up any better in a room full of 12th graders. I'm an IT Manager for a public K-12 district and if they pull the eMac I'm going to have to buy Minis and CRTs and security locks to stop them from ending up in back packs. Not something I'm kooking forward too.


Personally if they get rid of the eMacs for the minis, my high schools are going Dell. Ghost Server and Deep Freeze Enterprise has made administering Dells even easier than Apples.

Funny story about high school kids and LCDs. Out of our 4 High Schools, we have one lab that has mostly Power Macs and LCDs, it's scary how much money has been poured into that lab. Anyways, we had some kids goofing around and tossing floppy disks around in the lab. One hit smack dab in the center of a brand new 20" Apple LCD(Before the pricedrop) killing all the pixels. I think of that every time someone says schools should go iMac.

On a related note to the rumor, the boss-lady called me today saying I need to attend a meeting Wed. because we have to buy our eMacs by a week from Friday since some sale price ends or something.

[Plymouthbreezer]

Personally if they get rid of the eMacs for the minis, my high schools are going Dell. Ghost Server and Deep Freeze Enterprise has made administering Dells even easier than Apples.

Funny story about high school kids and LCDs. Out of our 4 High Schools, we have one lab that has mostly Power Macs and LCDs, it's scary how much money has been poured into that lab. Anyways, we had some kids goofing around and tossing floppy disks around in the lab. One hit smack dab in the center of a brand new 20" Apple LCD(Before the pricedrop) killing all the pixels. I think of that every time someone says schools should go iMac.

On a related note to the rumor, the boss-lady called me today saying I need to attend a meeting Wed. because we have to buy our eMacs by a week from Friday since some sale price ends or something.Get those eMacs before they sell out!! ;)

[sigamy]

In reading this thread I had a thought...no matter how much I love the Mac mini, and I'm glad that it is out there, it seems that there is still a desire for a headless, upgradable Mac. Now does the target market only consist of macrumors members? I don't know.

Steve said in the keynote that we always asked for "a computer with no screen". And he gave us the mini. That quote was actually wrong. It should have been, "if they just give us a small form factor, upgradable (video card), headless Mac".

mini: beginners/kids/living room. People who have a screen, want style.
eMac: education/beginners/kids. People who do not have a screen.
iMac: prosumer/style conscisous. People who use iLife to the fullest.
Power Mac: prosumer/power user/professional

A while back they gave us a crippled SP Power Mac. Then they gave the mini. Niether one of those is the right one. we still need a mini tower Mac with upgradable video.

ps--I may get a new iMac if they do bump video, RAM and drop price. If not, I may go for the rev A refurb 20" or just keep my iMac G4.

[Squire]

Isn't the single 1.8 GHz PowerMac upgradeable?

Squire

[Squire]

Cool, thanks for providing the info Squire. :cool:

Don't thank me. Thank The Black Rock. I just...(burp)...regurgitated the info.

Separately, I've found the MacMini to be a little underpowered & underfeatured for my tastes. If only Apple would release a sister/brother model with more power and features (ie: MacMax) for $699 or $799... I'd like to see a small monitor-less model like the MacMini with the power of an eMac or even the iMac (dreaming).

I agree. That would definitely be nice. But MacMax?! Come on. Don't you know the lingo, brother? It would have to be MacExtreme. How long have you owned a Mac anyway? ;)

Squire

[RichardCarletta]

If the eMac is more durable in the classroom , since Apple would be making them for schools, why not continue selling them to the public ? Afterall , a sale is a sale. You can't guarantee that many third party companies wil continue making and selling CRT monitors. There are electronic companies that are starting to phase out the larger CRT televisions to replace them with LCD models. Summer 2006 is the deadline for 32" integrated HDTV models to be available for sale . How many of those models can really be expected to be CRT , when LCD models take less space in the stores' storeage/warehouse area, allowing more merchandise to be sold and delivered more conveniently , quickly, and easily ? I could see that happening with CRT computer monitors.

Also Apple gained a marketplace image when it introduced the first Macintosh
computer . Why should Apple abandon that one piece desktop design that helped them standout from most other computers like the IBM PC , Commodore 64 or Amiga, Atari ST, ect. ? Apple has sold one piece CRT Mac systems during the entire 21 year history of the Macintosh . It would as bad as Kelloggs firing Tony the Tiger .

The eMac has a faster hard drive than the Mac Mini . I would be hesitant to use a 4200 RPM hard drive with my Formac Studio .

Upgrading the eMac to 1.5 GHZ G4 is the right thing to do. Later down the road, the eMac and the Mac Mini can be fitted with a 90 NM 2 GHZ G5 ( When the G5 reaches 3 GHZ and the iMac is 2.5 GHZ. January 2006 ? )

[Doctor Q]

I was glad Apple changed its mind after originally marketing eMacs only to schools. There were certainly plenty of consumers for whom an eMac was just right.

I agree that Apple might as well sell the eMac to anyone who wants one, but I would like to point out that there are a few differences between an ideal entry-level K-12 classroom computer and an ideal entry-level consumer computer:

1. Abuse. There is no pride of ownership at school, so computers have to be durable. The fewer cables, sensitive areas, and removable pieces, the better.

2. Games. Many or most consumers like to play games, where CPU speed and graphics speed can make a big difference. "Edutainment" games that are more likely to be used at school rarely have such needy requirements.

3. Networking. Homes can be networked either with cables or wirelessly. Classrooms rarely have much choice. Depending on the furniture and the number of computers, wireless may be the only choice.

4. Portability. Consumers are likely to get a desktop system if it won't travel and a notebook computer if it will travel. Some classrooms require notebook computers simply because there is no way to get a power cord where the students will use the computers and because computers must be "put away" somewhere when not in use.

5. Software. All our school computers have Quicken on them. I'm thrilled :rolleyes: that 6th graders can work on their taxes at school, but I know it's because our iMacs and eMacs came with the standard consumer software suite and not software intended for use at schools.

[Zigster]

Noob question:

Why can't the emac go g5? It was already reported that there was a complete redesign of it's internals....

[~loserman~]

Noob question:

Why can't the emac go g5? It was already reported that there was a complete redesign of it's internals....

It's not likely to happen until the iMac and PMac greatly outdistance them in speed. For example if the Power Macs get say a dual core then the top iMac could get 2 Ghz or better single cores(which might be difficult given the form factor) and maybe a 1.6 for the emac.

[neilw]

In reading this thread I had a thought...no matter how much I love the Mac mini, and I'm glad that it is out there, it seems that there is still a desire for a headless, upgradable Mac. Now does the target market only consist of macrumors members? I don't know.


This echoes my sentiments 100%, though I'm a whole lot more confident that there's a good market out there for such a machine, if it were priced right.

It's easy to spec out this machine:

1) Start with the PowerMac SP
2) Get rid of the PCI slots (this can be debated; maybe leave one)
3) Keep the AGP slot (upgrade to PCI-E when available)
4) Shrink the freakin' enclosure

That's it. I'd be all over the PowerMac SP except for the fact that it's ridiculously huge, a fact made more annoying because it's mostly unusable empty space inside, with a ton of room allocated for second CPU and extra DRAM slots. Make it start at $1299 at most.

Oh, and there'd be no reason to limit this machine to the slowest CPU.

This would be the other switcher machine, and pretty appealing for lots of Mac upgraders as well.

[Platform]

There is no way in hell they will put the geforce 5200fx in any new medium to high end models in the future. The reason for this is that the geforce 5200fx doesn't support the CoreVideo functions to be included in Tiger.

If they do, I don't know what to say... I'd be very dissappointed. The card is an old, outdated low end card. What is it doing a Mac? I simply do not know. The technology to put something better in it is there. For the amount the user pays the option should be there too. And if they don't update the powerbook line soon, they better change the name into AverageBook and drop the price by 50%.

The fact that they're still using 5200fx and 9700 mobile to this day... Sheesh. At least the 9700 mobile supports corevideo, but it is still 2 year old technology. What the hell?

While Apple really rules the software world, it seems like everybody is passing them by in the hardware world... It's really so sad, especially when they do take higher prices than their x86 competitors...

What is core video :confused: do you mean core image if so,
The gfx 5200 DOES support core image but still a change to a new gen GPU would not hurt :p GF 6200 :rolleyes:

[BenRoethig]

This echoes my sentiments 100%, though I'm a whole lot more confident that there's a good market out there for such a machine, if it were priced right.

It's easy to spec out this machine:

1) Start with the PowerMac SP
2) Get rid of the PCI slots (this can be debated; maybe leave one)
3) Keep the AGP slot (upgrade to PCI-E when available)
4) Shrink the freakin' enclosure

That's it. I'd be all over the PowerMac SP except for the fact that it's ridiculously huge, a fact made more annoying because it's mostly unusable empty space inside, with a ton of room allocated for second CPU and extra DRAM slots. Make it start at $1299 at most.

Oh, and there'd be no reason to limit this machine to the slowest CPU.

This would be the other switcher machine, and pretty appealing for lots of Mac upgraders as well.

With the MacMini at $499, I'd shoot for $999. To save money, I'd choose shuttle as the OEM provider and use the XPC formfactor.

[aswitcher]

Well its officially Tuesday...no sign of new Macs just yet...

[~Shard~]

What is core video :confused: do you mean core image if so,
The gfx 5200 DOES support core image but still a change to a new gen GPU would not hurt :p GF 6200 :rolleyes:

Core Video is a new Core technology in Tiger. Read about halfway down the page here (http://developer.apple.com/macosx/tiger/coreimage.html) under "Not Just for Still Images". Jobs talked about the Core tools on one of his keynotes, maybe you missed it...

[RichardCarletta]

can anyone guess when the new iMacs and eMacs wil be released ? :)

[crawdad62]

can anyone guess when the new iMacs and eMacs wil be released ? :)

My uneducated guess would be that it (the iMac/eMac release) would be independent of the release of Tiger. I'm just guessing that Apple won't want anything taking the thunder from that release.

I could be wrong but I'll bet they announce the release of Tiger early in April. Then maybe later in the week announce the updated hardware and also announce they'll ship with Tiger installed.

[Platform]

Core Video is a new Core technology in Tiger. Read about halfway down the page here (http://developer.apple.com/macosx/tiger/coreimage.html) under "Not Just for Still Images". Jobs talked about the Core tools on one of his keynotes, maybe you missed it...

Oh ok did not get that with me :o

But what cards are supported for core video then :confused:

[The Black Rock]

Oh ok did not get that with me :o

But what cards are supported for core video then :confused:

No one knows. Apple hasn't really referred to Core Video much. They showed it off at WWDC last year. You can still find the video online at Apple's site. If you're looking on the QT clip go to the part with Phil Schiller and the "Electric Zebras".

I figure the next thing they put up on their developer pages will be Core Video stuff, just in time for NAB. After that it's Core Data... probably.

In case you need a visual cue to remember it, think of the open glass sphere from Core Audio except green rather than orange.

[Uma888]

Hmmmm

I think the new iMacs need the following things

Bigger Screens:
17", 20" and a 23" (30" (i know its impossible) :eek: ?)

Graphic Card:
iMacs really need an upgrade to something more powerfull or something with at least 128mb onboard RAM

Speed:
Speed bumps of 200mhz wont be noticable, so there is no point in upgrading the speed unless its 500mhz or above (2.5ghz iMacs would be nice :eek: )

RAM:
Is OS X a RAM hog? does the wonderful display eat all the RAM? is 256mb sufice for multitasking? if not 512mb (or more) RAM is a MUST!

Accesories:
Wireless Keyboard and Mouse would be great (as standard)
Integrated iSight?
Speakers?

any thoughts?

[crawdad62]

Hmmmm

I think the new iMacs need the following things

Bigger Screens:
17", 20" and a 23" (30" (i know its impossible) :eek: ?)

Graphic Card:
iMacs really need an upgrade to something more powerfull or something with at least 128mb onboard RAM

Speed:
Speed bumps of 200mhz wont be noticable, so there is no point in upgrading the speed unless its 500mhz or above (2.5ghz iMacs would be nice :eek: )

RAM:
Is OS X a RAM hog? does the wonderful display eat all the RAM? is 256mb sufice for multitasking? if not 512mb (or more) RAM is a MUST!

Accesories:
Wireless Keyboard and Mouse would be great (as standard)
Integrated iSight?
Speakers?

any thoughts?

My thoughts? 23" highly doubtful. 30" NO WAY! While I'd like as much screen as possible the 20" just "seems right." Balanced. I don't know I just don't see anything with the screen happening.

Graphics cards maybe. I see a low end 128MB as a possibility. I really don't play games on my Mac so I'm on the fence. However I do want it to be able to handle all Tiger can throw at it so I'd like a bump there.

Processor speed bumps and RAM seem like the most logical. Unless there's an update to the PM's I don't see it going to 2.5 but a 2Ghz seems logical. True it might not be that much but there's probably more people like me that are just waiting for them to push the 2Ghz barrier to buy.

RAM is almost a no brainer. 256MB this day and age is a joke.

Wireless keyboard will probably still be an option. I don't see that many people clammering for it plus it's a decent deal to go with the BT package now.

Integrated iSight is interesting. That would be cool.

[OnaMacSince1989]

RAM is almost a no brainer. 256MB this day and age is a joke.


Who ever thought that 256MB wouldn't be enough RAM to run their computer at top speed? I imagine it won't belong before 512MB is insufficient.

My first RAM upgrade experience was in 1991. I doubled my MacPlus memory from 1MB to 2MB! The 1MB upgrade cost me $300! And if you never had the experience of opening up a case on a MacPlus and wriggling your hands & fingers down past the sharp edges of the CRT to reach and retrieve the deeply embedded RAM card - boy did you miss out on a good time! :D

[wdlove]

Apple might just surprise us with a 23" model. Which would come with a higher end graphic card.

Can't Apple not introducing 512 MB of RAM on all models.

[~loserman~]

Apple might just surprise us with a 23" model. Which would come with a higher end graphic card.

Can't Apple not introducing 512 MB of RAM on all models.

This could happen, but wouldn't it be much higher priced than the Power Mac line?
At the very least I could see it eating into the sales of the bottom end PMs

[wdlove]

This could happen, but wouldn't it be much higher priced than the Power Mac line?
At the very least I could see it eating into the sales of the bottom end PMs

Yes, the price would be higher. The positive side is would have the built in LCD. It would be a big sell for those that want the real estate without the big foot print.

[Lacero]

I don't see this happening. A Mac mini paired with a 23" LCD makes more sense, especially if you don't want to pay for Apple's premium on their monitors. At a certain point, a too big of an LCD is a detriment, since the LCD will likely outlast the computer housed inside.

[~loserman~]

Yes, the price would be higher. The positive side is would have the built in LCD. It would be a big sell for those that want the real estate without the big foot print.

Given the size increase of an iMac compared to the monitor it would probably be about as big as the 30 inch too.

I personally like the current iMac but don't like the wide White space at the bottom.

[OnaMacSince1989]

A Mac mini paired with a 23" LCD makes more sense, especially if you don't want to pay for Apple's premium on their monitors. At a certain point, a too big of an LCD is a detriment, since the LCD will likely outlast the computer housed inside.


My thoughts exactly! It'd be much better to buy the CPU and monitor separately when considering anything over 20-inches. :eek:

[iDeclare]

Although a 23" model would be AWESOME, I couldn't imagine something that large on that seemingly small footprint....of course, the 30" cinema display sits on roughly the same size pedestal, but the size/weight of a 23" imac would just make me nervous...

On a daily basis, my dog bumps into the computer desk on his way to biting my socks- I couldn't imagine the thoughts I would have if the thing toppled.... ;)

[Platform]

No one knows. Apple hasn't really referred to Core Video much. They showed it off at WWDC last year. You can still find the video online at Apple's site. If you're looking on the QT clip go to the part with Phil Schiller and the "Electric Zebras".

I figure the next thing they put up on their developer pages will be Core Video stuff, just in time for NAB. After that it's Core Data... probably.

In case you need a visual cue to remember it, think of the open glass sphere from Core Audio except green rather than orange.

Thanks.

But will core video be a big thing and will it require a lot of power... "the current iMac/PM are they good enough for this and the furtue :confused:

[the dr]

Heh heh..... all this talk of 512MB RAM a MUST!!! My mac (233MHz Beige G3) had 32MB until a month or 2 ago - and I ran OSX on it.... but now i have 288MB (due to a bit of mac cannibalism).

Soon to be the owner of an almost free iMac for dyslexia award - but will wait for updates, i think!

doc

[wdlove]

Heh heh..... all this talk of 512MB RAM a MUST!!! My mac (233MHz Beige G3) had 32MB until a month or 2 ago - and I ran OSX on it.... but now i have 288MB (due to a bit of mac cannibalism).

Soon to be the owner of an almost free iMac for dyslexia award - but will wait for updates, i think!

doc

That is awesome. Do you have dyslexia or have you done work on dyslexia to win this award?

[Lacero]

What can be expected of course are upgraded video chips to be compatible with the features in Tiger. If Apple doesn't do this, then they are truly eff'd up.

[the dr]

I (supposedly) am dyslexic, however, may or may not know a little bit about the test that they use for the diagnosis (Wechsler adult intelligence scale)... ;)

They decided I was eligable for a free computer in December but have been dragging it out as I thought it couldn't be long until the upgrades and graphics cards in current models are crap la la la.... etc. - you all know that anyways.

so yeah - the UK government pays for my stuff (computer / printer / scanner / 'Digital voice recorder' (read iPod) for being a disabled student..... :D :D :D

doc

[~loserman~]

Thanks.

But will core video be a big thing and will it require a lot of power... "the current iMac/PM are they good enough for this and the furtue :confused:

Nah it won't require a lot of Power just about 200 to 250 watts :)

[BenRoethig]

Isn't the single 1.8 GHz PowerMac upgradeable?

Squire

In theory, yes. Apple hasn't made it easy for upgraders though. You have to reprogram the fans somehow.

[Platform]

Nah it won't require a lot of Power just about 200 to 250 watts :)

I meant power in "Speed/ power of the hardware" it's capabilities like a chip's power and ++ ;)

[Sunrunner]

In theory, yes. Apple hasn't made it easy for upgraders though. You have to reprogram the fans somehow.

Apple could make the whole upgrade process easier by designing boards that can simply be slid out of the system, similar to the way the 6500 did it...

[thorshammer88]

Yes, but then you wouldnt have to buy a whole new system from Apple. I'm sure Apple really isnt too concerned about this as they would rather you just buy a brand new computer

[Sunrunner]

Yes, but then you wouldnt have to buy a whole new system from Apple. I'm sure Apple really isnt too concerned about this as they would rather you just buy a brand new computer


True, very true.

From Apples standpoint third-party processor upgrades only take away from the bottom line. It is in the companies interest to make it more dificult to artificially extend the useful life of a Mac. Making it easy for outside companies to develop upgrades simply looses them money. Apple has to walk the fine line between discouraging the upgrade-trend and keeping consumers satified that they got a long-term value.

[wdlove]

True, very true.

From Apples standpoint third-party processor upgrades only take away from the bottom line. It is in the companies interest to make it more difficult to artificially extend the useful life of a Mac. Making it easy for outside companies to develop upgrades simply looses them money. Apple has to walk the fine line between discouraging the upgrade-trend and keeping consumers satisfied that they got a long-term value.

Apple and the upgrade suppliers are both in the business of making money. The average Mac user doesn't have the technical ability to install an upgrade.

It seems that this thread has gone off topic of talking about and updated iMac & eMac in April.

[Lacero]

While CPU upgrades may seem to be a better deal, in fact, the cost/value ratio is lowering than buying new. If you only upgrade once every 4 years, it makes better financial sense to buy new than just upgrade.

[wdlove]

While CPU upgrades may seem to be a better deal, in fact, the cost/value ratio is lowering than buying new. If you only upgrade once every 4 years, it makes better financial sense to buy new than just upgrade.

Thank you, I happy to know that my view is correct. I always thought that just upgrading still leaves an owner with older technology. Most times My up grades are four years apart, so I'm in the market now.

[Zigster]

If they upgrade the video card, all is well. IF they don't, it doesn't matter what they do with the lil speed bump. :cool:

[Squire]

Thank you, I happy to know that my view is correct. I always thought that just upgrading still leaves an owner with older technology. Most times My up grades are four years apart, so I'm in the market now.

As am I, wdlove. However, I think I'm leaning more towards a PowerMac than an iMac right now. I'd like to have easier access to the innards just in case I want to, say, add another hard drive. But, we'll see what these updates bring and decide then. (I'm also considering a Mac mini for my office as opposed to a notebook.)

Squire

[~loserman~]

Sometime late this year or at the least early next Year I will buy a couple iMacs for the house.
I'm waiting on a single dual core processor to be put in them and HOPING it will be 2Ghz or above.

[thorshammer88]

Thank you, I happy to know that my view is correct. I always thought that just upgrading still leaves an owner with older technology. Most times My up grades are four years apart, so I'm in the market now.

Im satisfied yet surprised to hear that you feel that your own opinion is correct :rolleyes:

Good thing you set us straight as I thought Apple was a charity :rolleyes:

[RichardCarletta]

The latest word on the street is that the Powermac G5 line will be updated in April after the release of Tiger on April 15th. Why couldn't the Powermac G5 be updated to 2.5 , 2.8 , and 3 GHZ and have the iMac G5 updated to 2.5 GHZ for the 20 inch Superdrive model and 2.2 GHZ for the 17 inch models ? That would allow the eMac the option of later being updated with a 2 GHZ G5 this fall and the Mac Minis updated with 1.6 and 1.8 GHZ or 2 GHZ.

[crawdad62]

The latest word on the street is that the Powermac G5 line will be updated in April after the release of Tiger on April 15th. Why couldn't the Powermac G5 be updated to 2.5 , 2.8 , and 3 GHZ and have the iMac G5 updated to 2.5 GHZ for the 20 inch Superdrive model and 2.2 GHZ for the 17 inch models ? That would allow the eMac the option of later being updated with a 2 GHZ G5 this fall and the Mac Minis updated with 1.6 and 1.8 GHZ or 2 GHZ.

That would be nice. I'm having my doubts about a 3GHZ Powermac though. Why I don't know. I know it was promised within the year but I just haven't heard much else.

But anyway a 2.5GHZ iMac would be good. Heck just do something I'm ready to buy!

[SteveC]

just do something I'm ready to buy!
Hang in there. It won't be long!

By this time next month you can be enjoying a Rev B iMac with boosted specs and Tiger. :cool:

[~Shard~]

The latest word on the street is that the Powermac G5 line will be updated in April after the release of Tiger on April 15th. Why couldn't the Powermac G5 be updated to 2.5 , 2.8 , and 3 GHZ and have the iMac G5 updated to 2.5 GHZ for the 20 inch Superdrive model and 2.2 GHZ for the 17 inch models ? That would allow the eMac the option of later being updated with a 2 GHZ G5 this fall and the Mac Minis updated with 1.6 and 1.8 GHZ or 2 GHZ.

The way Apple has crammed everything into that Mac Mini, I don't know if a G5 would work in there just yet! ;)

[mrwonkers]

I'm most excited about the upgraded SMU firmware. The current iMacs are in dire need for it.

Sure update the firmware....But the firmware aint gonna help in fixing that PIG of a GPU the 5200. I own a Rev A iMac G5 which has been the least reliable Mac I have ever owned........I hate it.......it is revolting.
I purchased the machine at the end of last year and am presently up to my third mid plane/logic board......the culprit being a combination of the lack lustre firmware and ****ty GPU. The machine really heats up to the point where the only way that the machine can be used is to run in Automatic Mode under the energy saver control panel (effectively chopping processor power in half..whats the point of havin a 1.8ghz G5 when it can only ever safley run at half speed)....otherwise the GPU just cooks.........I dont understand why Apple didnt use a mobile GPU in this design as the 5200 just performs so badly and runs GOD DAMN HOT.
Maybe the updated firmware will address this to a degree but will it b enough. I'm selling my iMac G5 and I feel sorry for whoever buys it.......at least it still has plenty o warranty. Alas I'm hopefully gonna invest in a dual core powerMac come on Apple bring them on....... ;)

[SteveC]

Of course, thousands of iMac owners are elated with their purchases... ;) in the interest of full disclosure. I hear what you're saying though. I know there have been annoying problems.

I do recall the eMac monitors being a mess for quite a while, too. I personally owned one, however, and the screen was beautiful and problem free.

Here's to hoping the Rev. B iMacs are much better than the A models though... :)

[macs]

The eMacs are currently being advertised over here as part of a computers for schools deal.
This is indicative of three things:

Apple still are working hard to make up ground in the education field over here.

Apple see the eMac as an attractive product for educational use still.

Apple want to offload stock of eMacs to end the line.

I can't see any problem with any of these arguments and they all make sense to me and support the idea of phasing out the eMac.

Or not. In fact the LCD screens are not strong enough for class room use so staying with and even upgrading the eMac would make a lot of sense if the market is big enough.
This is about product placement in a younger edu group capturing hearts and minds early. So, I don't see the end of the eMac for some time.

[~Shard~]

Sure update the firmware....But the firmware aint gonna help in fixing that PIG of a GPU the 5200. I own a Rev A iMac G5 which has been the least reliable Mac I have ever owned........I hate it.......it is revolting.

<rant, swearing, yadda yadda....>



It sounds as though you are having more fundamental hardware problems, so I don't know if you can blame the graphics card for that. Can you explain in more detail why you feel the FX5200 is a subpar graphics card? I have one in my iMac and it runs just fine - I have no problems with it whatsoever. My friend has a FX5200 and is driving a 1600x1050 LCD monitor AND a 2048x1536 CRT monitor @ 75Hz and it runs extremely smooth. Please explain to me how this relates to poor performance and being a "pig of a GPU" as you so eloquently put it. :cool:

[homer_simpson]

i just wish they would hurry up and release the revisions. i want an imac and emac and am holding off and have been for a while now.

[mrwonkers]

It sounds as though you are having more fundamental hardware problems, so I don't know if you can blame the graphics card for that. Can you explain in more detail why you feel the FX5200 is a subpar graphics card? I have one in my iMac and it runs just fine - I have no problems with it whatsoever. My friend has a FX5200 and is driving a 1600x1050 LCD monitor AND a 2048x1536 CRT monitor @ 75Hz and it runs extremely smooth. Please explain to me how this relates to poor performance and being a "pig of a GPU" as you so eloquently put it. :cool:

What is good for some is below standard for others, thats just the world works. We all have different requirements, I really don't like the fact that anything that is in the least bit graphically intensive makes my imacs fans whirr up like PIG on heat. Try running the standard itunes visualizer and hear your imac wail like homer simpson finding out santas little helper ate his last doughnut. I was just stating in my experience after 3 midplane logicboard replacements I really dont think its cool that I spend 2500$ Aus dollars on a machine that is unreliable and that could quite easily double as a cooktop.....EACH TIME APPLE HAS FIXED IT THE CULPRIT HAS BEEN THE INTEGRATED 5200 PIG CARD......Apple please bring out Rev B's without the 5200... Shard I'd spring for the extended warranty on your Rev A chances are your gonna need it, but I truely hope you don't....Good luck

[~Shard~]

What is good for some is below standard for others, thats just the world works. We all have different requirements, I really don't like the fact that anything that is in the least bit graphically intensive makes my imacs fans whirr up like PIG on heat.

Fair enough. I am still not sure if this is really a common problem or not though. Nonetheless, if it is a problem for you, that's all that matters, and Apple or whomever should fix it! That definitely should not be happening.

Shard I'd spring for the extended warranty on your Rev A chances are your gonna need it, but I truely hope you don't....Good luck

Actually I have a G4 iMac with a FX5200. Perhaps that's part of the problem - the G5 iMacs are designed differently, and more problems could potentially arise in that small enclosure. Ironically, I've never had any troubles with my iMac/FX5200 and mine is the older model. Ah well, I prefer the G4 iMac design over the G5 iMac design anyway, so I'll this to my growing list of reasons why I'll be sticking with my machine and not upgrading. So thanks, but I guess you're the one I should be wishing good luck to. ;) :cool:

[wdlove]

I didn't realize that owners of the new iMac G5 were having problems. If so then Apple needs to be coming out with a fix via a Rev. B soon.

[Lacero]

Yes it is amazing to realize the iMac G5s are still rev A. machines. Like I say, always wait to buy rev B. or latter machines. I bought a rev C. PM G5 Dual 1.8Ghz and a rev C. PB and they have been dream machines.

[~Shard~]

I didn't realize that owners of the new iMac G5 were having problems. If so then Apple needs to be coming out with a fix via a Rev. B soon.

Such are the risks one takes though by buying something brand new. If a consumer wants the leading edge, sometimes they have to pay for Apple's growing pains as they themselves learn and uncover issues. Happens all the time.

[FFTT]

What is good for some is below standard for others, thats just the world works. We all have different requirements, I really don't like the fact that anything that is in the least bit graphically intensive makes my imacs fans whirr up like PIG on heat. Try running the standard itunes visualizer and hear your imac wail like homer simpson finding out santas little helper ate his last doughnut. I was just stating in my experience after 3 midplane logicboard replacements I really dont think its cool that I spend 2500$ Aus dollars on a machine that is unreliable and that could quite easily double as a cooktop.....EACH TIME APPLE HAS FIXED IT THE CULPRIT HAS BEEN THE INTEGRATED 5200 PIG CARD......Apple please bring out Rev B's without the 5200... Shard I'd spring for the extended warranty on your Rev A chances are your gonna need it, but I truely hope you don't....Good luck

This is the first time I've heard of any major issues with the new iMac.

I wonder what your activity monitor might reveal as to what might be bogging down your system?

Your problems seem somewhat isolated and may be worth a return to
the factory.
Your local technician may not be catching some other problem causing
your troubles.

I know several graphics professionals who have nothing but good reviews
using their iMac G5 extensively in daily use.

[~Shard~]

This is the first time I've heard of any major issues with the new iMac.

I wonder what your activity monitor might reveal as to what might be bogging down your system?

Your problems seem somewhat isolated and may be worth a return to
the factory.
Your local technician may not be catching some other problem causing
your troubles.

I know several graphics professionals who have nothing but good reviews
using their iMac G5 extensively in daily use.

I agree - that's why I was so surprised in reading the initial post as as well... This is really the first I've heard of such issues.

[combatcolin]

Yes it is amazing to realize the iMac G5s are still rev A. machines. Like I say, always wait to buy rev B. or latter machines. I bought a rev C. PM G5 Dual 1.8Ghz and a rev C. PB and they have been dream machines.

I bought the first gen iMac a week after they came out to replace the 6500/250 i got my money back on.

Solid solider for years.

Of course now i wouldn't buy a Rev A of an Apple product, but there not as unreliable as some Macrumors members make out.

[oskar]

If Apple was just about to announce an updated iMac, why would they put the "The all-new iMac G5" ad back on the startpage with the same iMac released last year in August? (Or is there something different about it?)
I don't know when they put that ad back up again, but I hadn't seen it in a while. In fact when I saw it I thought it was a new one and quickly came to check the rumors for a recent update.

[SteveC]

If Apple was just about to announce an updated iMac, why would they put the "The all-new iMac G5" ad back on the startpage with the same iMac released last year in August? (Or is there something different about it?)
I don't know when they put that ad back up again, but I hadn't seen it in a while. In fact when I saw it I thought it was a new one and quickly came to check the rumors for a recent update.
Edit: I now found what you were talking about. :) On the startpage... yes, it's there. But not on the Apple HOME page.

So I hope this does not misinform people waiting to buy new iMacs. They ARE coming. The startpage is not a page for breaking news.

The only products I see displayed/featured on the Apple home page are the new iPods.

New iMacs are coming.

[jmurray]

If Apple was just about to announce an updated iMac, why would they put the "The all-new iMac G5" ad back on the startpage with the same iMac released last year in August? (Or is there something different about it?)
I don't know when they put that ad back up again, but I hadn't seen it in a while. In fact when I saw it I thought it was a new one and quickly came to check the rumors for a recent update.

I saw that too, and I believe in a few periodicals [MacWorld??]. I immediately thought, and this is pure speculation of course, that they wanted to re-submit the image of the G5 iMac back into people's foreground. Whether it's Rev A or B is not the point. So with Rev B coming, "the All-New G5 iMac" mental image ad campaign will be in full swing.

Another less "heady" take on the situation might be more practical. They have a bunch of Rev A's still left on the shelf. Move 'em out...

Either way, I'm looking for Rev B, and will take the plunge. Hopefully, lifting the hood will reveal a bump in speed, a new GPU [although, I agree that the 5200 is not the "pig" as previously stated, just bad luck], and 512 RAM single stick stock.

JM

[Yvan256]

are you lot mad??

all this talk of x700s and 256mb 9800s

they still have 5200s in all but there top of the range powermac (and even thats got a 9600)

come on guys, get real please

Your comment only makes sense if you limit your GPU/VRAM view on Apple computers.

However, look at the market right now, and putting a 9600XT/128MB in the high-end PowerMac makes no sense at all. The 9600XT/128MB is simply a mid-range card now.

I agree with the others:
- the iBook/eMac/Mac mini need the FX5200 Ultra with 64MB
- the iMacs/PowerBooks need something like a Radeon 9800/128MB (256MB option)
- the PowerMacs need the X800/256MB (512MB option).

[Yvan256]

Mac mini and a generic PC monitor makes more financial sense than Apple trying to keep updating a dying eMac line.

That setup would still be more fragile than an eMac for schools.

[Yvan256]

Yes it is amazing to realize the iMac G5s are still rev A. machines. Like I say, always wait to buy rev B. or latter machines. I bought a rev C. PM G5 Dual 1.8Ghz and a rev C. PB and they have been dream machines.

So Far So Good(tm) with my rev A. Mac mini. :o

[~Shard~]

So I hope this does not misinform people waiting to buy new iMacs. They ARE coming. The startpage is not a page for breaking news.

New iMacs are coming.

Well that's a pretty obvious statement to make. Of course new iMacs are coming. As are new PowerMacs, and eMacs, and xServes, and iPods, and iBooks and PowerBooks and... :p The million dollar question is when. If you can't answer that, you're probably not going to be helping people too much who are wondering when to make their purchase. And just saying "soon" isn't much better either. However, a lot of posters in this thread have some good reasoning behind their predictions and thoughts, so hopefully this will be of assistance to all those wondering when to bite the bullet.

If you're into making broad statements though, then let me boldly proclaim that the sun is going to rise tomorrow morning. However since there is a specific time associated with my event, I guess that makes it more accurate than "New iMacs are coming". :p ;) :cool:

[wdlove]

All that wee can be sure of is that updates are overdue. We should see the updates between now and WWDC. If the update is something major then Steve will announce at WWDC.

[~Shard~]

All that wee can be sure of is that updates are overdue. We should see the updates between now and WWDC. If the update is something major then Steve will announce at WWDC.

From the sounds of it, Steve might have his hands full with other major updates at WWDC, so perhaps the revised iMacs (I don't think using the word "new" is warranted in this case) will indeed appear beforehand.

[oskar]

Edit: I now found what you were talking about. :) On the startpage... yes, it's there. But not on the Apple HOME page.

So I hope this does not misinform people waiting to buy new iMacs. They ARE coming. The startpage is not a page for breaking news.

The only products I see displayed/featured on the Apple home page are the new iPods.

New iMacs are coming.

I wasn't saying there won't be an updated iMac soon. There has to be a lot of updates before or during WWDC, that's obvious. Especially with the much-awaited release of Tiger. Don't get too excited about arguing about something that you want so badly but aren't any more sure is going to happen than any of us.
What I only meant is: Why would they put that ad back up again after it had been replaced by the iPod Shuffle and then by the new PowerBooks, in other words, new products.
For example, I think that those who just bought the new PowerBooks before a major update worrying a new book would be released in less than 6 months, have nothing to worry about as long as the same ad appears anywhere on the Apple website. Unless Apple is going for a different strategy and not worrying about whether people will confuse the current iMac with a newer iMac, the ads saying "New" should disappear for a few weeks before the next revision appears, as should be the case for the PowerBooks.
That is what I find strange. We're all expecting a new iMac and if there's no indication of it on Apple's website it would probably mean that something new is about to appear. So why does the same ad/link appear after being away for a while? Is Apple going for a different strategy?

EDIT: I've been looking through Apple's website and maybe the word "new" means nothing to them and you are right. Maybe unless it's not on the main Apple page, it doesn't really matter to them whether they're calling the product new or not. The PowerMac, the PowerBooks, and the iMac hardware pages still say "new". On the home page only the iPods and the PowerBooks say "new".

[auxplage]

Your comment only makes sense if you limit your GPU/VRAM view on Apple computers.

However, look at the market right now, and putting a 9600XT/128MB in the high-end PowerMac makes no sense at all. The 9600XT/128MB is simply a mid-range card now.

I agree with the others:
- the iBook/eMac/Mac mini need the FX5200 Ultra with 64MB
- the iMacs/PowerBooks need something like a Radeon 9800/128MB (256MB option)
- the PowerMacs need the X800/256MB (512MB option).

They all need these cards, but there is no way that the last two will happen. The iMacs, PowerBooks and PowerMacs will all get new cards (PowerBooks when they go G5), but they will not be that great. The PowerMacs will most likely get the 9600XT standard, and the iMacs (the top two) the same card while the base most likely will unfortunately keep the FX5200.

[Rootman]

What I only meant is: Why would they put that ad back up again after it had been replaced by the iPod Shuffle and then by the new PowerBooks, in other words, new products.

The name of the image for the iMac ad on the start page is imac_03252005.jpg

That's a creation date of Friday (today is Sat.). Newly revised ad for an old "all new" product. Something's up...

The G5 iMac is an awesome machine. I'm hoping for a speed and GPU bump plus a Tiger in the tank in April.

[oskar]

The name of the image for the iMac ad on the start page is imac_03252005.jpg

That's a creation date of Friday (today is Sat.). Newly revised ad for an old "all new" product. Something's up...

The G5 iMac is an awesome machine. I'm hoping for a speed and GPU bump plus a Tiger in the tank in April.

Good point, that proves the image was recently updated, and that they didn't simply upload the old one. That still leaves the same question: Are they trying to give the iMac presence, to launch a new one in the very near future or are they saying the current iMac is still 'new'.

[pknz]

Oh, can't wait to for new iMacs to be released, then can't wait to get one to replace a Mac Performa.
An upgraded graphics card, speed bump, Optical drive upgrade, RAM increased.

I still don't see why Apple doesn't bring in dual layer DVD burners? It will be a while till blu-ray is standard.

[sammyman]

The name of the image for the iMac ad on the start page is imac_03252005.jpg



WHEN I GO TO THE IMAC PAGE, THE IMAGE IS indextop20040831.jpg. That is old. Maybe I am looking at the wrong part of the site.

[jmurray]

Are they trying to give the iMac presence, to launch a new one in the very near future or are they saying the current iMac is still 'new'.

The former. Yep. Advertising and marketing ploy to bring "iMac" and "new" to the foreground.

[Rootman]

WHEN I GO TO THE IMAC PAGE, THE IMAGE IS indextop20040831.jpg. That is old. Maybe I am looking at the wrong part of the site.

No, we're talking about the ad on the start page:

http://images.apple.com/startpage/images/imac_03252005.jpg

[Benjamindaines]

I want a new PowerMacs!!!! cmon apple!! :(

eidt: grammar

I hear that they are working on them but there are heat and they cant get the G5 faster.

[Benjamindaines]

All that wee can be sure of is that updates are overdue. We should see the updates between now and WWDC. If the update is something major then Steve will announce at WWDC.

Dual Core PowerBooks I hear.

[Sped]

That's a creation date of Friday (today is Sat.). Newly revised ad for an old "all new" product. Something's up...

I wonder if Apple realises just how closely it gets monitored by rumor wonks.

Otherwise, good catch. I know I would never have caught such an adjustment.

[Platform]

Your comment only makes sense if you limit your GPU/VRAM view on Apple computers.

However, look at the market right now, and putting a 9600XT/128MB in the high-end PowerMac makes no sense at all. The 9600XT/128MB is simply a mid-range card now.

I agree with the others:
- the iBook/eMac/Mac mini need the FX5200 Ultra with 64MB
- the iMacs/PowerBooks need something like a Radeon 9800/128MB (256MB option)
- the PowerMacs need the X800/256MB (512MB option).

That is how the line up should look like :D ;)

Then there would be true speed and the Mac's would fly away from the PC's because of their PPC G5's :D

[combatcolin]

Oh, can't wait to for new iMacs to be released, then can't wait to get one to replace a Mac Performa.
An upgraded graphics card, speed bump, Optical drive upgrade, RAM increased.

I still don't see why Apple doesn't bring in dual layer DVD burners? It will be a while till blu-ray is standard.

Er, your still using a Performa?

Ignore this post if i'm getting the wronf end of the stick!

[Platform]

Oh, can't wait to for new iMacs to be released, then can't wait to get one to replace a Mac Performa.
An upgraded graphics card, speed bump, Optical drive upgrade, RAM increased.

I still don't see why Apple doesn't bring in dual layer DVD burners? It will be a while till blu-ray is standard.

Do you think apple will skip dual layer and just give us Blue-Ray instead :confused:

[pknz]

Yep, still using a Performa 180MHz, 10GB HDD (originally 2). Sad isnt it. Dad keeps on saying next year...next year...next year, since the first iMacs came out. This time I think he is telling the truth. If not, BAM fork in the eye.

[wdlove]

Yep, still using a Performa 180MHz, 10GB HDD (originally 2). Sad isn't it. Dad keeps on saying next year...next year...next year, since the first iMacs came out. This time I think he is telling the truth. If not, BAM fork in the eye.

Maybe your Dad has fallen into the cycle that many end up with. He keeps thinking that something better is coming along. At some point you just have to bite the bullet. For your sake I hope that this will be the year.

[Lacero]

How about lower iMac prices, and discontinue the eMac all together.

Well, iMacs ARE due for an update. What, has it been 8 months? I'd also like to see eMacs discontinued. They are so ugly and underpowered.

[pknz]

but eMacs serve there purpose, as an Education Computer for schools. They are big, heavy, sturdy and have a CRT screen while not being to expenive, and they are Macs. So I say Apple should keep them to keep control of the education market.

Any fact behind a 23" 'HD iMac'? hat is a higher end model.

A click wheel on the front to break up the white space on the iMacs

[SteveC]

but eMacs serve there purpose, as an Education Computer for schools. They are big, heavy, sturdy and have a CRT screen while not being to expenive, and they are Macs. So I say Apple should keep them to keep control of the education market.

Any fact behind a 23" 'HD iMac'? hat is a higher end model.

A click wheel on the front to break up the white space on the iMacs
A click wheel? :p Funny... how about an iPod dock? Seriously... it's staying as a blank white space. You know what I have ALWAYS wondered though? Why not have the word "iMac" along with the Apple logo on the front? Maybe they tried it and it looked too crowded? I just don't really get the point of having "iMac" on the back of the computer. My wall gets to look at it, but no one else can see it. Not that it matters. :p

[~Shard~]

Maybe your Dad has fallen into the cycle that many end up with. He keeps thinking that something better is coming along. At some point you just have to bite the bullet. For your sake I hope that this will be the year.

Exactly. That's what I always say - if you're always for the next best thing to come along, you'll always be waiting. It's a vicious circle that many people fall into.

[pknz]

Mac mini and a generic PC monitor makes more financial sense than Apple trying to keep updating a dying eMac line.

Ummm, don't you think, a Mac Mini, could be stolen as its so small. It wouldnt take much of a beating.

I think Rev B iMacs will come with Tiger, it would seem silly to release a new product just as or after a new OS is coming out, it would just be a hassle for all the owners to upgrade.

The iMac definitly has a new graphics card to support Core Image and Video.