iMac at the Apple Store

[blakespot]

I took a trip to the new Apple Store in Clarendon, VA today and snapped some shots of the new iMac, up close and personal. Have a look (http://homepage.mac.com/blakespot/PhotoAlbum7.html). Even though I was very impressed with the new iMac ever since I first saw photos of it, I've got to say that seeing it and actually touching it, in person, has made me so much more impressed by it. It definitely feels very solid and sturdy, moreso than one might imagine in looking simply at photos. And you want to touch it, standing there in front of it. I came away feeling it was less "cute" and more "super high tech" looking, standing in front of it and using it. Even though I've got a G4 DP 800, I now really want a new iMac as well. A truly incredible piece of hardware, featured in an amazingly impressive new Apple Store.

[Unregistered]

presumably that's your wife in the other photos?

[voicegy]

Hey, *I* didn't go snooping around in your other pictures. :)

Because I haven't taken the time to go to our Apple store to see iLamp in person, I appreciate the posting of these pics.

I *can't* get past the fact that in one of the photos (total package...iMac, speakers, keyboard and mouse) the damn thing looks, for all intents and purposes, like a friggin' puppy sitting up on his hind legs looking quizzically at anyone who will take the time to pet it!

It's the speaker placement and the angle of the screen that do it for me. (screen = doggie's head and speakers = front paws) :p

I believe one of the reasons that the original Mac didn't fly off the shelves as much as anticipated (besides the price) was that it was considered "cute" and not a "real" computer.

Well, that was ages ago, and Apple has proven themselves over the years. So, for all the advanced technology involved in making a machine of the new iMac's capability and shape, I've gotta say that somewhere in the mix during the days of its design, Apple wasn't afraid of peppering it with a bit of whimsy..."cuteness", if you will. And that's why it's so dang different from its predecessors.

An observation that makes me neither like it or dislike it more. It took me a couple of days, but I went from shocking dismay to full acceptance.

One thing is for sure...no matter what the heck *I* think or many others, these Puppies aren't going to have ANY problems finding homes!


Scott

[amichalo]

Scott,

Nice cartoon (it's the link on his post to "today")

[voicegy]

I was fiddling with the .gif to see if I could post it as is, instead of an attachment. It's OK now, with a more descriptive name. : )

Scott

[blakespot]

Originally posted by Unregistered
presumably that's your wife in the other photos?

Indeed. My wife of a little over 3 years.



blakespot

[lazyrighteye]

Hey all,
While I thought the iMac was pretty cool, I also wondered how it would hold up in person. I couldn't help agreeing with the iLamp and other silly comments.
Boy was I wrong.
Went to the Apple Store in Aspen Grove (Littleton, Colorado). And I can now say it is MUCH cooler in person. Very impressive industrial design. The arm is so cool. The screen so effortlessly glides to the position you desire.
The base is a bit larger than I expected, even seeing the photos. But it's still an amazing feat cramming all they did inside that little dome.
The screen appears larger than you might imagine.
While I can now confirm the "coolness," it woun't be for me. I'm still paying on a G4/500 and new iBook. Phew...
But for any user, who does not need PCI slots, this is a killer Mac.
And for those out there griping about the new iMac... wait until you see it. Really. You might change your mind. I did.
That's my quick, rambling 2¢.

peace,
lazyrighteye

ps - my buddy had been having trouble with his iBook/500, so he took it to the Genius Bar (I still think that name is so, so cheesy). Anyway, they completely hooked him up. Gave him OS 10.1.2, iPhoto, iEverything, burned them all to CD-R - the works, a complete tune up for free. Go try that in ANY Gateway or Crap USA. Raising the standard for customer service.
Well done Apple!!

[Unregistered]

The imac image used in the headline page is the old imac. Since this is obviously an image thing for Apple, perhaps the new imac should be used when talking about the new imac.

Rocketman

[applesurferrr]

that mouse is really cooo i have a apple pro mouse thats black and i really want that white one to match my iBook! does anyone no if u can buy those?
thanks
-cody

[MisterX]

Hi All,

I went to the Apple Store in Tysons Corner, VA today.

I arrived at the store which is in the Mall thinking I would be able to get a good look at the new iMac.....boy was I wrong! You couldn't get near one! The place was packed with people wanting to gaze at the new iMac.

I asked if they had any in stock (doesn't hurt to ask) and was told they were taking names to be in line for the Jan 21st arrival.

This is the best computer on the market, it is sooooo cool, much better in person than in pictures.

Gotta have it!!!!!


MisterX

[Kethoticus]

I got some DV footage of one this evening. If anyone would like a couple of short clips, feel free to e-mail me.

[Kethoticus]

Nice shots! Shoot... better than my DV footage. The first one, in my opinion, is particularly well-composed.

[Moby1]

I'm all set to order the new iMac with SuperDrive but does anybody the speed of the 60GB drive? I'm guessing 5400RPM?

I did not see this spec on Apple's site.

p.s. Yes, it is MUCH cooler in person.

M1

[jwdawso]

I went to the Apple Store at the Shops at Willow Bend, Plano, Texas. To add to the "coolness", I was amazed at how cool the iMac is. I have an iMac DV SE and it is hot on top. Also, I compared the screen (as best I could) with the 15" Apple monitor. The iMac's seemed better (but it may just have been the lighting). I had heard somebody complain about it, but there is nothing to complain about.

If the Store had iMac's in stock, they would have been all heading out the door!

[Clara]

It's probably listed on Tech Specs, but the hard drive rpm is 7200. I checked before I placed my order =).

Level 2 cache is the same as the tower, but there's no level 3 cache.

One annoyance is that when they mean 1 gig of ram, they mean 512 in the DIMM slot behind the logic board (only through an Apple Service Provider unless you're in the mood to deal with thermal pads and thermal paste) and a 512 in the SO-DIMM slot available to the consumer (expensive). Grr. Getting a 512 installed by Apple costs $200 more (if you get 512 for $100 more, it's two 256's)

Hope that's helpful.

[scar_ace]

Actually it is 5400 rpm as you suggested, not 7200 rpm. Ive ordered the same model, but I'm a little wary now since the max. RAM available to upgrade is unknown.

[scar_ace]

Also, the if you really study the pdf you can tell that you don't necessarily need to add new thermal pads, because you don't have to remove the logic board to have access to the on board ram slot. Only adding new thermal paste to a small surface area is necessary and that isn't such a big deal. I will probably get the 256MB onboard then remove that and add in a new 512MB chip. But I really want max ram! Can anyone tell me the highest capacity you can get a SODIMM to fit in the iMac?

[MisterX]

RAM is a problem

Right now the max ram you can get installed from the Apple Store is 768 MB (2 DIMMS)

If you want to max out the memory at 1G you need to order it with the 512 MB SO-DIMM which makes the iMac $1999.00 and then add a 512 third party DIMM
A 512MB SO-DIMM is $215.99 from www.crucial.com , bringing your total to $2214.00 without shipping and tax.

The iMac uses laptop memory so it is more expensive than fullsize DIMMS. :(

[samy85114]

Where'S the problem, RAM is not that expensive, depend if purchase it from Apple, if it's the case, just go get it from another place... because I know Apple's RAM is pretty expensive. That's what i'm doing, when I need extra RAM, i take it at Costco... here in Canada, they are selling kensington RAM, I suppose that in US it,S the same thing, it,s even bigger there :) and it,s not that expensive too.. pretty affordable... doesn't matter if this is PC RAM or whatever written on the box, both are the same ( PC and MAC ) just check the number of pin, if you're using PC100 or 133, soon we're gonna use DDR-RAM :)
Just choose your computer with the less RAM as possible. And after put third-party memory! But I guess you already know it !

Do not buy it from Apple, that'S not a good decision.
But their computers still the best :)

[MisterX]

Where'S the problem, RAM is not that expensive,
Excuse me?

Yeah...regular DIMMs are not expensive but the RAM for the new iMac is much higher in price.

Do not buy it from Apple, that'S not a good decision.
If you buy an iMac you have to buy it with some RAM, and the smallest you can get is 256 MB. Ok, now take that SO-DIMM out throw it away, and buy (2) 512 MB SO-DIMMs from a third-party.
$215.99 USD each for 512 MB SO-DIMMs. Now add the cost of the iMAC which is $1799.00. USD

COST: $2229.00 USD Still cheaper to buy it from Apple with 512 MB and add a third-party 512 MB SO-DIMM.

[IndyGopher]

I don't follow your logic on this one. The iMac has 2 DIMMs. One, internal, 168-pin PC133 DIMM, and one externally-accessible 144-pin SO-DIMM. If you buy the iMac with the standard 256M, it will have an internal 256M PC133 DIMM, which you would then remove, replace with a 512M PC133 DIMM for a cost of roughly $50, and add a 512M PC100 SO-DIMM to the empty, externally accessible socket, for a cost of around $150. There is your 1 Gig of RAM, for a total cost of about $2,000. You then have a spare 256M DIMM to sell on eBay, or keep for a keychain for all they cost.

[MisterX]

Thanks IndyGopher:

I stand corrected on the factory installed DIMM, it is indeed a standard SDRAM DIMM.


replace with a 512M PC133 DIMM for a cost of roughly $50, and add a 512M PC100 SO-DIMM to the empty, externally accessible socket, for a cost of around $150.
Where are you able to buy the SO-DIMM for $150.00?

Thanks:)

[IndyGopher]

Originally posted by MisterX

Where are you able to buy the SO-DIMM for $150.00?

Thanks:)

Mohawk Memory, but I was a little low. It's actually $159. Check out http://www.pricewatch.com

[Unregistered]

Originally posted by Kethoticus
Nice shots! Shoot... better than my DV footage. The first one, in my opinion, is particularly well-composed.

Thanks! The light was doing some strange things to my camera (Canon PowerShot S30, 3.2megapixel). Did not use flash, and the resultant pics were really yellow. I had to use Photoshop to change the levels and color balance a bit to get satisfactory shots. Surprised anyone made a positive comment. (Shold've used a flash!)


blakespot

[RayCon]

...is the only way to see it. I went to the Apple Store at the Mall of America today. Yes, seeing it in person is worth a thousand pictures. And touching is worth much more than that. Unless you've done this, any critique/praise is premature. My feeling is that the new iMac is the most logical design for a computer. If it could be sufficiently upgraded at the user's discretion, there would be no reason to purchase anything else. My sincerest hope is that it will inspire the kind of response (in visibility and sales) that the original iMac did.

[Macmaniac]

I have a snow iMac and those keyboards and mice look perfect for a snow iMac, I want one!

[Unregistered]

Too EXPENSIVE, Too LATE:

http://store.apple.com/133-622/WebObjects/australiastore.woa/821/wo/cP51g0TmGYpi1USIjp/0.3.0.3.30.19.0.1.3.1.3.1.1.0?212,93

[sparkleytone]

u think posting something from the australia store means anything?

[liven2]

Originally posted by Moby1
I'm all set to order the new iMac with SuperDrive but does anybody the speed of the 60GB drive? I'm guessing 5400RPM?

I did not see this spec on Apple's site.

p.s. Yes, it is MUCH cooler in person.

M1 :p

The drive is 7200rpm for anybody who needs to know!

:)

[skyhawk]

I checked out the rest of your pages. If anyone wants to see my pages I'll be glad to share. These pc losers I work with don't even want me to bring up the fact that I can build a web site so easy on my macs. These pc losers buy digital cameras, digital cam-corders and they can't get their pieces of crap to do anything right. They come to me in secret to try to help them figure it out, but when we're all together, they look down on me because of my outnumbered but never outclassed computers!

[britboy]

actually the drive speed is 5400 rpm

[samy85114]

I didn't know about that. I thought iMac and PowerMac used both the same kind of memory. Sorry...

But I've got a question for, how much does it cost for 256Mb? I'm looking for an IMac right now and I just want to know more about it.

and I just checked out the price on the Apple Store... and iM agree with you, it's pretty expensive!