G5 iMac Specs?

[Stike]

Suckage!

I didn´t read the whole bunch here, but...

...has anyone noticed that this new *upcoming* iMac would not even be able to run "CoreImage" from Tiger? An OS feature that will not work on a future system? How lame can it get 🙁
I mean, current low systems, okay, but the next generation, too?

 

[vouder17]

Agree

But honestly I doubt the specs are correct remember the info we got on the first iMac I thought it was going to look like a mac classic with a cd rom I have noticed the spec of this machine are close to the current iMac
17-inch widescreen LCD
1.25GHz PowerPC G4
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra
64MB DDR video memory
256MB DDR333 SDRAM
80GB Ultra ATA hard drive
SuperDrive
Apple Pro Speakers
AirPort Extreme Ready
Bluetooth Option

Apple tends to make giant leaps not small steps I tend to think to think the iMac will have the following features 1.6-1.8 g5, 256 ram, 60 gig hard drive ,bluetooth keyboard and mouse,and a built in wireless card on the intro machine they will have a 15 inch lcd a 20 ich on the high end model the starting price will be 999.99 apple made a statement in one of the share holder meetings that iMacs were not selling well because they were above the 999.99 price point I am guessing apple spent alot of time trying to do things to get the cost of this machine down.

Yeah i guess i could agree with you cos there isn't much difference in the two models apart from Processors..............i am starting to also doubt the validity of this rumour hmmm. very interesting could thinksecret be wrong???

 

[gekko513]

I also want a headless G5 alternative in the $999-$1299 range. However, this is just an iMac rumor, so there is still hope for a headless alternative with another name.

 

[eji]

I can only speak for myself, not for "Joe User" or the suburban housewife who supposedly makes 90% of household purchasing decisions or the tech-savvy teenager, and I think these specs are pretty poor.

I'm an intermediate Mac user -- when I say "intermediate," I mean that I use my Mac for CD/DVD ripping and burning, file-sharing, Web surfing, e-mail, Civilization III, word processing, photo editing and organization, daily iTunes use (sometimes individually, sometimes simultaneously) -- of nearly four years who had plans to upgrade to a desktop when then G5 appeared in the iMac. I wouldn't even contemplate buying a PC after falling in love with the Mac; but price and specs are nevertheless a major concern.

To think that the new iMac will arrive (based on these likely accurate rumored statistics) with little to no improvement on the G4 iMac, which already features a less-than-stellar video card and insufficient RAM, is a real disappointment. A new form factor, 20th anniversary iMac should do more than meet minimum requirements for all existing apps, especially Apple's own, whether they're intended for pro users or not. Who would feel comfortable about buying a new, out-of-the-box computer that is already behind the times in terms of hardware (FireWire 800) and software (Motion)? I want something that will stay useable for slightly longer than my G3/500 iBook has, and this proposed G5 iMac certainly won't.

I agree with the person who said he buys his computer for tomorrow, not just today. If prices were lower, that mentality might change; but there's even talk that these will be raised.

Last week I was really excited for the new iMac. That has since changed.

 

[Windowlicker]

Craptacular!

muahaha! this made me laugh my ass off! ;D nice one!

 

[Zaty]

it's just embarising when your g5 imac makes core image effects lag because of a crappy 5200 card, a 9600 would not cost that much more and in reality they should really be useing an x300 or idealy an x600

So true, but Apple would make less $$ if they used better GPU. I've said it before and I'm going to say it again: Wake up people, Apple is just acompany who like any other public company has only one main objective that is making as much money as possible.

 

[BornAgainMac]

Terrible specs. It sounds like it was designed by a PC user that hates Macs. While they are at it, it should have OS X lite. A crippled version that only allows 3 program to run at the same time, single account only, and only up to 800x600 resolution, and including MSN Messenger, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Media Player.

The iMacs should at least have a build-to-order graphics card to include one from this year's model. I liked it when the iMac had a flat screen and not a flat screen with a backpack so that it looks more like a CRT. Also the eMac can't be replaced when it cost $799. It's a good value and it also means that a used eMac should fall within $500 ~ $600.

I understand that dropping the CD drive but also the price should drop to $799 with a flat screen even if it means having a G4 and a small 15 inch screen. Buy your own memory, hard disk, and video option.

 

[Zaty]

I didn´t read the whole bunch here, but...

...has anyone noticed that this new *upcoming* iMac would not even be able to run "CoreImage" from Tiger? An OS feature that will not work on a future system? How lame can it get 🙁
I mean, current low systems, okay, but the next generation, too?

Yes, it is, the 5200 does support core image. That's why it seems logical from Apple's corporate point of view to use that card because it's the cheapest one that supports core image.

 

[Mord]

So true, but Apple would make less $$ if they used better GPU. I've said it before and I'm going to say it again: Wake up people, Apple is just acompany who like any other public company has only one main objective that is making as much money as possible.

they would make more money as they would acctually sell well 🙄

 

[bux]

Yes, it is, the 5200 does support core image. That's why it seems logical from Apple's corporate point of view to use that card because it's the cheapest one that supports core image.

Yeah, the 5200 does support it but... the low level of the new iMac has a geforce 4 mx, which isn't supported. So my guess is that these specs are false.

 

[Zaty]

they would make more money as they would acctually sell well 🙄

If Apple built PCs, yes but since many Mac users buy what ever Apple offers, they make even more money by using cheap components and selling them for a premium. Macs are great machines but it seems to me that the new iMac is too expensive for what you get no matter how cool it looks. So, I hope that prices are wrong.

 

[Zaty]

Yeah, the 5200 does support it but... the low level of the new iMac has a geforce 4 mx, which isn't supported. So my guess is that these specs are false.

Yes, but that's an education only machine, students won't need core image for writing e-mails and papers.

 

[nagromme]

ThinkSecret could be wrong--they have been before, like any rumor site. Their record is good lately, though--as is MacRumors' judgment of what makes Page One. I think the specs have a good chance of being right.

Don't judge them too much on the edu model though: that's for a specific need and won't be available to most of us anyway. It's for basic no-frills computer labs. So the lack of a modem, optical drive--and maybe even Core Video support--could all make perfect sense as cost-saving measures.

 

[Mord]

If Apple built PCs, yes but since many Mac users buy what ever Apple offers, they make even more money by using cheap components and selling them for a premium. Macs are great machines but it seems to me that the new iMac is too expensive for what you get no matter how cool it looks. So, I hope that prices are wrong.

look at imac sales for the g4 imac compared to the g3 imac, the g3 imac sold 3 times as many, apple has go to stop useing budget nvidia cards and start either useing the better nvidia stuff like the 5600 or the 5900 or swithc to ati,

mac users wont buy what apple offers if what apple offers is crap they will stick with what they have got or get a pc, that excuse is crap if apple makes a kick ass imac like the g3 imacs were they will sell well, untill then they will not sell well.

 

[iMeowbot]

...has anyone noticed that this new *upcoming* iMac would not even be able to run "CoreImage" from Tiger? An OS feature that will not work on a future system? How lame can it get 🙁

Core Image isn't what a lot of people seem to think it is. It really amounts to object wrappers for common OpenGL tasks.

OpenGL will work with a graphics chipset that's dumb as rocks, it's just that the pretty stuff would be offloaded to the CPU instead of the GPU.

The "supported graphics cards" are the ones that natively support the latest OpenGL spec. That doesn't mean that the Core Image won't work with other cards, just that some of the work will be handled by the CPU by the device driver. Indeed many, maybe even most, real-world operations will still end up being accelerated -- remember, Quartz Extreme also relies on OpenGL (albeit a previous version), and that acceleration isn't going away.

 

[dragonslive]

Yes, but that's an education only machine, students won't need core image for writing e-mails and papers.

Why would they need a $1200 Mac for that at all? or a eMac for that matter? A PII at the market for $30 will do all that........talk about detached from reality.

 

[Mord]

ThinkSecret could be wrong--they have been before, like any rumor site. Their record is good lately, though--as is MacRumors' judgment of what makes Page One. I think the specs have a good chance of being right.

Don't judge them too much on the edu model though: that's for a specific need and won't be available to most of us anyway. It's for basic no-frills computer labs. So the lack of a modem, optical drive--and maybe even Core Video support--could all make perfect sense as cost-saving measures.

i agree with you on the edu model but a better gpu would be benificial as a 9200 would be better, a 5200 would be a major bottle neck in an imac g5, look at g5 benchmarks with a even with a 9600 a g5 is nearly twice as fast as the same cpu with a 5200 apple neads to leapfrog and go with x300 and x600 gpu's that would sell.

 

[Zaty]

mac users wont buy what apple offers if what apple offers is crap they will stick with what they have got or get a pc, that excuse is crap if apple makes a kick ass imac like the g3 imacs were they will sell well, untill then they will not sell well.

I hope you're right because that's the only way that would Apple force to reconsinder their plans.

 

[mvc]

Yes, but that's an education only machine, students won't need core image for writing e-mails and papers.

Hmm, but the point of coreimage is that most developers and software can and will use it easily. Apple's own apps will use it. Quicktime will use it. Preview will probably use it. There is no way a brand new Mac of any flavour, education or otherwise, will fail to support it.

Its called COREimage for a reason.

This rumour is seriously messed up, and probably terminal 🙄

 

[JW Pepper]

I hope that Apple are reading these comments because it is abundantly clear that this product could go the way of the CUBE.

No one is really bothered about the processor speed, that will scale.


But...

There are two issues the percieved problem of a very low end GF card

and

The very real problem of very small HDD, 160gb has to be the minimium.

An iPod and the OS can take 80gb, video editing needs atleast a further 20-30 gb and that is just with one project on the go.

Fixing the GF is probably a small cost, the HDD must be a BTO option and for goodness sake make BT standard on all machines.

 

[Mord]

I hope you're right because that's the only way that would Apple force to reconsinder their plans.

the annoying thing is they will probably sell okish slightly better thsn the imac g4 for a bit and then slump back down

 

[Mord]

I hope that Apple are reading these comments because it is abundantly clear that this product could go the way of the CUBE.

at least the cube was a good mac just a little pricey, this imac g5 sucks and is expencive.

now that we want a cube apple is giveing us a crappy imac, 😡

 

[Stella]

2200 for a high end model is way too expensive if the rumours are true.

Apple should be aiming for lower model < $1000...

 

[Penman]

ah. that makes sense. In that case it sounds cool. I still have an issue with the lack of an optical drive though...

I disagree - it'll look almost identical to an Apple LCD in my view. I think the whole line will look the same. Also - the depth of the unit will give an idea of the cooling needs of a G5. I'm sure that the iMacs are going to be a good indicator of how small you can make an existing G5 box. If they're big an full of fans it'll be a clear indication to me that the current G5 will never see a PowerBook.

 

[vouder17]

Isn't this the same rumor site that said that apple "laughed" at the iMac G5 rumours floating around.
Well i am slightly doubtful about these specs, i believe that there may be a educational model but perhaps something a bit cheaper and with a few less specs.
And i think that the high end model will be a bit more explosive..
Who knows lets wait and see....