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Will the 17" iMac G4 show up at the Apple Store again?

D

dferigmu

macrumors 6502
Original poster
I'm asking because the 17" iMac G4 is my favorite design out of all the iMacs. If I can get a 17" Apple certified iMac G4 for a good price, I think I would do that instead of risking getting a broken iMac G5. The 15" with combo drive is up there now. Any chance the 17" Superdrive one will return?
 
I'm sure they will.....but not very often. You'll probably just have to keep looking. You might also try looking at Apple Resellers to find one.
 
I would of said no, but if the 15'' model was there, then it prob will return. Again, prob not for very long though. Not sure where youlive, but CompUSA might still have some for ya. My local store is still selling them, brand new.
 
just a quick question, why do you risk getting a broken iMac G5? because some people have reported problems with them? wait a couple of weeks and i'm sure the problems will have remedies.
 
stevehaslip said:
just a quick question, why do you risk getting a broken iMac G5? because some people have reported problems with them? wait a couple of weeks and i'm sure the problems will have remedies.
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Have you read the discussions on the iMac G5 support page at Apple.com? There's a thread with almost 500 posts on power supply and fan problems. Some people even have problems with the new parts Apple is sending them.

It seems like these are more-widespread problems than Apple would like to admit. I'm pretty angry since I've been waiting for so long to get an iMac. It was a year between the last iMac G4 update and the new iMac G5.

Apple had plenty of time to test it and make sure everything was working fine and I'm not going to risk having to deal with a new broken computer that Apple expects me to fix.
 
dferigmu said:
Have you read the discussions on the iMac G5 support page at Apple.com? There's a thread with almost 500 posts on power supply and fan problems. Some people even have problems with the new parts Apple is sending them.

It seems like these are more-widespread problems than Apple would like to admit. I'm pretty angry since I've been waiting for so long to get an iMac. It was a year between the last iMac G4 update and the new iMac G5.

Apple had plenty of time to test it and make sure everything was working fine and I'm not going to risk having to deal with a new broken computer that Apple expects me to fix.
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What you have to look at is the fact that people only post on those forums when they have problems. 500 people have had problems out of THOUSANDS of computers. If everyone that bought an iMac G5 posted on those forums, you'd have 500 people with problems and 95,500 people without problems.

There is a VERY slim chance that you'll have a problem with your machine. And if you do have a problem, Apple will fix it at no cost to you. I really don't see any problem with getting an iMac G5.

If you want one, get it. Stop worrying. It'll all work out, and you'll be extremly happy.
 
dferigmu said:
Have you read the discussions on the iMac G5 support page at Apple.com? There's a thread with almost 500 posts on power supply and fan problems. Some people even have problems with the new parts Apple is sending them.

It seems like these are more-widespread problems than Apple would like to admit. I'm pretty angry since I've been waiting for so long to get an iMac. It was a year between the last iMac G4 update and the new iMac G5.

Apple had plenty of time to test it and make sure everything was working fine and I'm not going to risk having to deal with a new broken computer that Apple expects me to fix.
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As the person above me said, posts on a forum of people with problems are meaningless. It doesn't account for the other 99% of the people who are happily using their machines and don't have a reason to post.

AND, you said it yourself, those are the SUPPORT forums, not the "I love my machine it is so great" forums. People are there for support because they have a problem.

If I had to guess, the iMac G5 will probably sell 200-300 thousand machines this quarter. That means that even if 3000 people reported problems, that is only 0.01% of the sales from this quarter. NOT a widespread epidemic!

Buy, and enjoy!

Cheers,

James
 
totally disagree w/ the previous post. you, sir, sound like an apple rep reading a script. If a consumer is expected to dump $1500 into a machine, he has every right to be cautious, check forums, get his needs addressed with certainty before buying and then seeing his iMac resurface as a post-defect refurb 3 months later.

I've had my "new" PowerBook replaced 5 times in the last 18 months (edit: Rev A 2x; Rev B 3x); a different machine but a classic case study. Was I simply "unlucky" all those times? Don't think so. There were obviously problems that Apple was suppressing, unwilling to admit them, preferring to "settle" under the table as not to get their rep tarnished. That being said, they paid me handsomly w/ an iPod, Airport Express, multiple RAM chips, Computer bags, so in the end, I got what I deserved.
 
Me and some of my friends have macs, none on us have ever went and posted on the forums. Between us we bought about 15 Macs, none have had any problems except for one who had a minor problem with the hook that hooks the screen to the bottem of the iBook and got the replaced in 5 mins. All products have a problem with them, if you look at the amount of unites sold and the amount that have a got a problem its very small.

I agree with you that paying $1500 on a computer then you except it to be in good conditions but these things happen and looking at apple track recored i give them the benifit of the dought.
 
djkny said:
I've had my "new" "flawless Rev C" PowerBook replaced 5 times in the last 18 months; a different machine but a classic case study. Was I simply "unlucky" all those times? Don't think so. There were obviously problems that Apple was suppressing, unwilling to admit them, preferring to "settle" under the table as not to get their rep tarnished. That being said, they paid me handsomly w/ an iPod, Airport Express, multiple RAM chips, Computer bags, so in the end, I got what I deserved.
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How can your rev. C powerbook have been replaced 5 times in the last 18 months? 18 months ago Apple was selling rev. A powerbooks... 😕
 
dferigmu said:
I'm asking because the 17" iMac G4 is my favorite design out of all the iMacs. If I can get a 17" Apple certified iMac G4 for a good price, I think I would do that instead of risking getting a broken iMac G5. The 15" with combo drive is up there now. Any chance the 17" Superdrive one will return?
Click to expand...
I think there is a good chance of one showing. be patient. it was a great design.
 
djkny said:
totally disagree w/ the previous post. you, sir, sound like an apple rep reading a script. If a consumer is expected to dump $1500 into a machine, he has every right to be cautious, check forums, get his needs addressed with certainty before buying and then seeing his iMac resurface as a post-defect refurb 3 months later.

I've had my "new" PowerBook replaced 5 times in the last 18 months (edit: Rev A 2x; Rev B 3x); a different machine but a classic case study. Was I simply "unlucky" all those times? Don't think so. There were obviously problems that Apple was suppressing, unwilling to admit them, preferring to "settle" under the table as not to get their rep tarnished. That being said, they paid me handsomly w/ an iPod, Airport Express, multiple RAM chips, Computer bags, so in the end, I got what I deserved.
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Thank you. Its common sense criticism like this that will make Apple change for the better.
 
PowerMax and SmallDog tend to sell refurbished Macs. Sometimes they'll have the iMac G4 in stock. But for what they cost, you could buy a nice eMac, iBook, or even a single G5 PowerMac. If you buy a G5 iMac, just buy AppleCare and if you have any problems in 3 years, they'll replace them. When you first get it, watch for common problems like the loud power supply issue some had. If it's a widespread problem like the G3 iBook logic boards or 15" white spots, Apple will fix them. You risk getting a bad product any time you buy something, Apple is no exception. But plenty of people are happy with their Rev. A products.

You could always wait for a refurb G5.
 
djkny said:
totally disagree w/ the previous post. you, sir, sound like an apple rep reading a script. If a consumer is expected to dump $1500 into a machine, he has every right to be cautious, check forums, get his needs addressed with certainty before buying and then seeing his iMac resurface as a post-defect refurb 3 months later.
Click to expand...
What he said. Of course I was one of those "minority" that had a G5 iMac problem out of the gate. After two weeks of Apple jerking me around (and swapping out a mid-plane) I finally got a refund.

Let me assure you that when Apple has $1500 of YOUR money and you don't have a working computer for nearly two weeks that talk of "oh, only the minority have a problem" doesn't make you feel any better. 😡

Speaking of which, since we're throwing around anecdotal evidence, what about those people out there having G5 iMac problems that don't post, go to the Apple forums, and are just languishing on the phone w/ Apple support or flat went back to CompUSA and returned their defective machines? We're not hearing from them, either.

There is a problem with the iMac. Apple knows about it, 'cause they're sending out mid-planes like candy and Engineering is working on a firmware update.
 
Don M. said:
What he said. Of course I was one of those "minority" that had a G5 iMac problem out of the gate. After two weeks of Apple jerking me around (and swapping out a mid-plane) I finally got a refund.

Let me assure you that when Apple has $1500 of YOUR money and you don't have a working computer for nearly two weeks that talk of "oh, only the minority have a problem" doesn't make you feel any better. 😡

Speaking of which, since we're throwing around anecdotal evidence, what about those people out there having G5 iMac problems that don't post, go to the Apple forums, and are just languishing on the phone w/ Apple support or flat went back to CompUSA and returned their defective machines? We're not hearing from them, either.

There is a problem with the iMac. Apple knows about it, 'cause they're sending out mid-planes like candy and Engineering is working on a firmware update.
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How do you know? Are they working on fixing this problem?
 
That's what I was told by two Product Specialists and one supervisor. I was unwilling to wait for their resolution and got my money back.
 
Perhaps a refurb, but that would be it - no brand new ones, or new ones sitting in stock which they'll start selling again. Remember how Apple said they goofed with the new G5 iMac, and miscalculated their JIT inventory formulas? As a result, they couldn't take orders for the G4 iMacs, as they basically ran out of them.

You may see some G4 iMacs in some limited fashion, but I wouldn't count on it, and I wouldn't count on them being offered for a log period of time -this isn't the same situation as it was with the G4 PowerMacs...
 
Don M. said:
That's what I was told by two Product Specialists and one supervisor. I was unwilling to wait for their resolution and got my money back.
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So what exactly is a firmware update? Is that an update to the hardware without bumping specs, just fixing the problems? When do you think this will happen and how will we know when it does? I really want an iMac G5!!!
 
dferigmu said:
So what exactly is a firmware update? Is that an update to the hardware without bumping specs, just fixing the problems? When do you think this will happen and how will we know when it does? I really want an iMac G5!!!
Click to expand...
A firmware update is a software update, like the machine's BIOS. My guess, and mind you this is totally a guess, is that there will be a firmware update that will fix the fan speed at different levels. The problem w/ my iMac is that the fan made a whining noise, however the noise was better as there was more air flow, masking the fan noise. It was really the whining up and down, up and down as you used the machine that drove me nuts. I'll bet a new firmware fixes the fans to spin at more clearly defined levels as opposed to this constant ramping up and down.

Beyond that I'm not sure what a firmware update would to to resolve the fan noise issue. (As a note, at full blast, the fans noise was even worse; the sound of air flow couldn't dampen the noise.)
 
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