New iMac G5 Announced

[daveg5]

A-men brother. Preach... but it's an ULTRA lol

You have read everyones mind. Apple are you listening,. We will pay extra for a BTO Good video card, like with the powerbooks, you could make more money with BTO, since you are the only one with the cards, hopefully this will be added with the rev2.

 

[rfenik]

bluetooth keyboard/mouse

Now that the base can be removed and it can be hung on a wall, the ONLY way to use it would be with a bluetooh mouse and keyboard...

now why didn't they include that? I can't imagine bluetooth costs that much!?

 

[macidiot]

People just love to complain, don't they?

You're upset because the new iMac has an average vid card and a small amount of ram.

What's so funny is, if Apple had put in a better card and some more ram, the machine would have cost a couple hundred dollars more, and you would then be screaming about the high price tag.

You just can't please everyone.

The new iMac looks like a GREAT machine, at a suprisingly great price. (something Apple isn't really known for.) In fact, there's nothing else like it out there. It's the first of it's kind. Design that intuitive and ground-breaking doesn't come cheap.

You can buy a souped-up Corvette that's faster than a BMW, but it's still just a Chevy.

mudflapper

Upgrading the gfx card to a 9600/128mb would add about $50. Another 256MB ram would cost about $50. It would NOT add hundreds to the price. And that video card is not average. It is budget weak. ENTRY LEVEL.

 

[woodsey]

I Love It!

Firstly, I would like to express my admiration for Ives and the other hardware designers at Apple. I love the new design.

To everyone complaining about the graphics card, and the screen- ENOUGH ALREADY. If you want the best mac, get a powermac.

No doubt those complaining about the graphics card and display specifications are the same people who would have complained if apple included better components and jacked up the price accordingly.

 

[punkmac]

iMac audio

OK, I'll ask again...Does anyone know if it supports multi-channel sound?

For example 5.1 Dolby surround. So I can watch a DVD with audio as nice as the video.

I.

 

[Corrupted]

iMac SOOOO UGLY

I will more than likely get flamed for the following statement.

I think the new iMac design looks like total crap. I will give apple this it is a big performance leep.

 

[daveg5]

only problem is:
1) graphics card - gaming should one of the priorities of this computer, I think the card's specs are below market demand. ATI 96/9700 should be more like it.
2) RAM - come on!! I'd use 256MB just idling!!
3) bus speed - this could slow things down, only tests will tell. HOWEVER this may be good for the heat factor.
4) Superdrive - I don't understand why they put a 4X drive in there - 8X is pretty much standard now - my advice - get the combo drive and get an external burner - better off in the long run.
Other than that it's expected... nice to see they can fit a G5 in that small space!! At least there's PLENTY of storage!
That G5 Powerbook is looking alot healthier.........but i think it depends on how the iMac goes first.

even a 64-128MB version of the emacs 9200 might have been better, not sure though. the non upgradable non bto video system is the biggest flaw, or is it, is the video socketed or soldered, regular AGP, notebook AGP, proprietary ? maybe apple or a 3rd party can supply better cards?

 

[macidiot]

HOW THE F&*# is apple stock down right now? Thats impossible. Now i'm getting mad.

No one cares about the imac. The drivers of Apple stock are the ipod, music store, and laptops. In other words, areas where Apple is actually growing. And the cash hoard. Wall St. will be happy if the new imac just stops the slippage in imac sales. And the stock actually finished up today.

 

[daveg5]

Upgrading the gfx card to a 9600/128mb would add about $50. Another 256MB ram would cost about $50. It would NOT add hundreds to the price. And that video card is not average. It is budget weak. ENTRY LEVEL.

I would gladly pat extra for the better video card from Apple, they would not loose profits, they would make more.
256MB ram is inexcusable in any desktop over $800 IMO!

 

[macidiot]

Are the G5 iMac widescreen LCD's the same quality as the cinema display's?

No, but I don't know why. Lower viewing angle, lower brightness, contrast. No report on the pixel responses.

Maybe the imac uses the "non-hand-picked" panels that the "other" manufacturers get.

 

[GGC]

It's beautiful

OK, all you naysayers, I have to weigh in. The new iMac is gorgeous. It's elegant, clean, and will make any desk look awesome.

The only thing I'd like to see...a fully metal enclosure some day...and I'm sure we will see that within 12-18 months.

You rock, Apple!!!

 

[mjtomlin]

The more I think about it...

The more I like it. However I'm sure looking at photos of it over the web aren't nearly the same as being able to touch and use one in person and become even more enamored over it.

Are you not in awe of the ports on the back of the iMac? Just as on the iBook, all cleanly lined up. Easy to find. Easy to connect. Brilliant. Is Apple the only company that knows how to line up their ports?

I will have one... Someday! But for right now, my G4 iMac is still chugging along without any problems. Outdated!? Who says? How old is the Luxo Jr. design? And people are still impressed by it, and its speed for that matter.

 

[GGC]

OK, I'll ask again...Does anyone know if it supports multi-channel sound?

For example 5.1 Dolby surround. So I can watch a DVD with audio as nice as the video.

I.

I'm also certain I saw that on the Apple.com/iMac site that, yes, it does provide 5.1.

 

[aussie_geek]

There is a shareware app out already...

Also, and I figure that some 3rd party will put this together, it would be interesting to have a master plus client unit(s) so that one could control 2 or more iMacs side by side from one the master with the appearance of a contiguous display.

The Name of the app you are after is called: teleport. It can be found at version tracker:

Teleport download URL

aussie_geek

 

[andiwm2003]

how bad is the graphics card?

so far my powerbook graphics card ATI Mobility Radeon
9700 (64MB DDR) is absolutely good enough for everything i'm doing (photoshop, powerpoint, iphoto, easy games).

1.)what would be the limit of the NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra?

2.)would photoshop suffer from it or do i notice it only in heavy duty gaming?

3.)also apple advertises this card as very fast and good. is that a lie or just overstatement or o.k.?

4.)would the imacs performance go down with tigers new core graphics features?

has anybody experience with both graphics cards i mentioned and can compare their performance in real life situations?

thanks, andi

even a 64-128MB version of the emacs 9200 might have been better, not sure though. the non upgradable non bto video system is the biggest flaw, or is it, is the video socketed or soldered, regular AGP, notebook AGP, proprietary ? maybe apple or a 3rd party can supply better cards?

 

[daveg5]

i can't believe all the complaining about the graphics card. Did any of you actually think Apple never consiidered this? Jesus Christ! Do you have any clue what sort of research goes into launching a product that was in RD over a freakin year! Most people who buy this machine have no freakin use for a 128 card!! i guarantee it!! this is a desktop for people who want to use Word, Internet and listen to Music (64mb gpu in fact is overkill for this). it is for highs school kids who can't be trusted with a $3000 PM!!! Let me be clear - it is not a gd gaming machine, it isn't suppose to be close in performance to one, it will never be one!! There will never be a high end graphic card in a mac! (If you haven't learned this after six bloody years of the machines, maybe you never will) Apple has no incentive to put a more expensive card into the gd machine! Would you people either get over it or get a Powermac???

Wrong many people buying this machine do need a 128 card to justify it, soon Games will need that, Apple themselves brag on it being a game machine, I guess you disagree with them, I doubt those are the only thing people will do with this machines 1.6-1.8 G5 processors, thats a put down,on Apple BIGTIME!!.
THe Problem is the G5 is being crippled by a crappie graphics card. with that bus and memory and power. why bottleneck it with a crappy card. people are not asking for the ATI x series or even 9800 or Nvidia's 68000. they are asking for a chip better than the Imac G4 chip, progress you know, and with 128MB memory, and they will pay BTO to have it.
A good incentive is BTO and the $$$$ it makes with Apple being the only provider of the cards. This may happen. some people dont want or need the hhuge dual powermacs and the fastest video cards, they need the Imac G%with a simple recent fast card with 128MB.
Get over it yourself, take a poll of Macrumors, and you would see that many would like that paid option. but you are correct many dont, along with schools, businesses, light computer users. but for them there is the Emac, and old left over Imac G4's, shouldnt the Imac G5 have a better card than the outcoming Imac G4, at least as an BTO option.
I think that is a fair question, and Apple may have one planned for later, in fact I am almost sure they do.

 

[oingoboingo]

I believed they used the baseline 1GHZ imac with the 32 MEgabyte Gforce 4 MX.

The comparisons were done against a 1.25GHz iMac G4 system, which could have only been a system with a 64MB nVidia FX 5200 Ultra (ie: either a 17" or 20" iMac).

 

[punkmac]

...

I'm also certain I saw that on the Apple.com/iMac site that, yes, it does provide 5.1.

Cool. Thanks.


I'll dig around a little and see if it's true.


I.

 

[trstno1]

No choice for video card

I know I'm beating a nearly dead horse here, but I'm also disappointed in the video card, not only because it is lower powered than I'd like, but also because it isn't upgradeable. I like that I can spend a little money for additional memory, a little more for a bigger hard drive, a little more for blue tooth. That's how it should be - a person can choose which items are worth the extra cash. Unfortunately, the memory card is fixed.

I'm going to trust that Apple has a good reason for the card they chose, and for not making it upgradeable, whether it's cost, size, or heat generation. I really want one of these G5 iMacs! I just dread buying it, then feeling down about it because it didn't have the memory card I would have chosen (which is a little irrational, but that's MacEnvy for you).

 

[Maxx Power]

Wrong many people buying this machine do need a 128 card to justify it, soon Games will need that, Apple themselves brag on it being a game machine, I guess you disagree with them, I doubt those are the only thing people will do with this machines 1.6-1.8 G5 processors, thats a put down,on Apple BIGTIME!!.
THe Problem is the G5 is being crippled by a crappie graphics card. with that bus and memory and power. why bottleneck it with a crappy card. people are not asking for the ATI x series or even 9800 or Nvidia's 68000. they are asking for a chip better than the Imac G4 chip, progress you know, and with 128MB memory, and they will pay BTO to have it.
A good incentive is BTO and the $$$$ it makes with Apple being the only provider of the cards. This may happen. some people dont want or need the hhuge dual powermacs and the fastest video cards, they need the Imac G%with a simple recent fast card with 128MB.
Get over it yourself, take a poll of Macrumors, and you would see that many would like that paid option. but you are correct many dont, along with schools, businesses, light computer users. but for them there is the Emac, and old left over Imac G4's, shouldnt the Imac G5 have a better card than the outcoming Imac G4, at least as an BTO option.
I think that is a fair question, and Apple may have one planned for later, in fact I am almost sure they do.

Yes, definitely, 128 MB is minimal if you invest so much for a GOOD BRAND NAME computer. Also, what's with the crapidelic single channel memory ? The 1.6 G5 is slow already (still a good machine, overpriced), how slow do they want their computers ?

 

[Maxx Power]

Cool. Thanks.


I'll dig around a little and see if it's true.


I.

Um, for starters, that's 5.1 NON-Hardware Accelerated Sound. You won't get positional sound or 3D sound with ANY of your games, or applications unless they specifically use software algorithms or the source was encoded in 5.1 (like sound tracks of DVD's). The G5's also has that.

 

[daveg5]

I know the powerbooks do much better than the imac G4, but the Powerbooks have a faster 1.33-1.5 processor, more cache also in addition to the extra ram BTO. In some Games there is an enormous difference and some not so much. than scrolling, animation 3d, cad. upcoming tiger, Video, DVD, Ati does DVD better., etc. Games will soon probably need 128MB for acceptable performance, right now 64MB is required for many, because of large textures, soon 128MB>
www.barefeats.com will have test soon I presume.

 

[macidiot]

<rant>

So, there have been a lot of folks complaining about graphics capabilities on the new iMac. I would just like to point out that these are for consumers, not the gaming community. I know the gaming community likes to think that everything should meet its outrageous minimum specs, but the focus of the iMac lineup is the everyday email/Web surfing/word processing/send photos to grandma crowd. If you want better graphics, more RAM space and bigger hard drives buy a PowerMac. How many soccer moms play Unreal Tournament 2004 or Doom 3? Apple is trying to get a machine in every household it can, not make sure every household can blast mutant demons in its spare time.


</rant>

Sadly, all the things you describe are very adequately served by a 6-700 pc. An average consumer looking for basic things is going to buy a basic computer. I just don't know how this will help Apple's market share.

 

[izzle22]

Most of the people here complaining about the graphics cards are probally 15 year old high school kids with nothing better to do and couldn't afford a better card anyway. Quit complaining and tell your parents to go buy you a POS Dell!!

 

[Maxx Power]

I know I'm beating a nearly dead horse here, but I'm also disappointed in the video card, not only because it is lower powered than I'd like, but also because it isn't upgradeable. I like that I can spend a little money for additional memory, a little more for a bigger hard drive, a little more for blue tooth. That's how it should be - a person can choose which items are worth the extra cash. Unfortunately, the memory card is fixed.

I'm going to trust that Apple has a good reason for the card they chose, and for not making it upgradeable, whether it's cost, size, or heat generation. I really want one of these G5 iMacs! I just dread buying it, then feeling down about it because it didn't have the memory card I would have chosen (which is a little irrational, but that's MacEnvy for you).

I think their margins on their machines pushed them to this. They chose a closed-loop feedback system selling luxury computing to an increasingly non-existent market niche, the only way to expand in profit is to milk a higher margin, since your customer base isn't growing as fast as you are projecting your fiscal profits. As well, for a smaller market share, a higher margin of increase is necessary to increase corporate growth. Greedy.