New iMacs Released

[Mac One]

I don't really like the thick black rim or the large black but I guess it will grow on me, the aluminium is cool though.

Spec wise I like it how there is a single 1Gb stick of RAM, procesor speed and large storage. But I suppose they want the MBP to be better than the iMac so didn't want to start with 2GB RAM, or have 256/512 VRAM, or nvidia cards.

In my opinion the wireless keyboard is a waste of time, the wired is much better having the 2.0 USB now.

That's my opinion, all up a pretty good refresh

 

[mongoos150]

On PCs, we call those "laptop slots".

On a desktop machine, PCIe is the expected expansion slot - or PCI if you're getting a cheap "last generation" machine.

Why do you want a rat's nest of USB and 1394 cables connecting things that should be inside the cabinet?

I've never once come across an individual with a host (or even one!) ExpressCard/34 expansion card in his or her desktop PC. Everything most people need are already in the case. If not, there's a USB or Firewire add-on for it. And unless you're a messy individual with 4 USB hubs daisy-chained to one another, strewn across your desk, you should be fine.

 

[Wharrgarbl]

sore thumb

Check out the iSore lined up next to the rest of the products:

https://buyersguide.macrumors.com/

It doesn't even fit! It looks like some cheesy Apple knockoff out of Taiwan.

Steve used to get so excited about hardware; he was so passionate. Now he's passionate about software -- and for good reason. The software they're shipping now (and the stuff announced today) is insanely great the way the hardware used to be.

The mainstay systems are sporting 2003 case designs; why?? Check out the dates on these articles:

Release of current desktop case: https://www.macrumors.com/2003/06/23/powermac-g5-worlds-fastest-desktop-computer/

Release of current laptop design: https://www.macrumors.com/2003/01/08/12inch-and-17inch-powerbooks-released/

Remember how exciting hardware used to be? It was exciting for Steve and that excitement was infectious. We were so amped up on the possibilities; the way the design of a Ferrari belies the incredible engineering inside and the incredible capabilities of the machine.

Now we get a black plastic iSore that could have been designed by anyone at Dell or Acer. The laptops and desktops are languishing in museum-piece cases. And the Mini isn't fugly but it has no passion or style or inspiration. It's just small.

Even the old bicycle-helmet iMac was better than this! Bring back the flower pot if you must, but don't leave us with this black plastic iSore!

Beyond that, why are we no longer allowed to have the fastest machines in the industry? Why must we wait 6 months longer than Windows users for a given chipset? C'mon Steve; speed used to be a point of pride with you. Have you forgotten the very things that made mac users so proud and passionate in the first place?

 

[armani]

That's a pretty huge leap in assumptions. didn't meet the deadline? What deadline? it was announced last week, they could have moved the deadline wherever they wanted.

No comments. Obviously you dont' know how the corporate planning works. I am sure Steve saw the new iMac few days before the announcement, as he has trust in his team and a lot of other stuff on his hands. This time the iMac team let him down. If the boss is not smiling and does not look happy at new product launch it is a great sign, he is absolutely pissed. You can clearly see he is holding a lot inside. I watched it again......I would leave that presentation if I worked at Apple. Or I don't know, may be his girlfriend left him that morning......

 

[StealthRider]

$500

you do get 500gb HD and 2gb RAM with it though. not a bad deal.

It's actually $250 - you can upgrade the $1799 model to the C2E for a total of $2049.

 

[Sean Dempsey]

No comments. Obviously you dont' know how the corporate planning works. I am sure Steve saw the new iMac few days before the announcement, as he has trust in his team and a lot of other stuff on his hands. This tike the iMac team let him down. If the boss is not smiling and does not look happy at new product launch it is a great sign, he is absolutely pissed. You can clearly see he is holding a lot inside. I watched it again......I would leave that presentation if I worked at Apple. Or I don't know, may be his girlfriend left him that morning......

lol, obviously I don't! I'm glad we have experts in corporate body language here to help.

He was like Jim Kramer on Mad money the other day! JOBS ANGRY!!!


Also, can I just add that the "iSore" nickname is ridiculous. Seriously, what a horrible attempt at being clever.

 

[MrGouda]

Hmmm, I guess you could try putting a BR drive in an external case.

That would unfortunately defeat the purpose of an all-in-one computer like the iMac. Having external components that are not all in the computer.

 

[davekarn]

I'm about to buy my first mac so I'm very hyped. I'm a bit amazed at all the negativity. I was about to buy a new iMac ~6 weeks ago and got lucky that I heard about the new iMacs just before I pulled the trigger.

I'm now getting more machine for the exact same amount money I was planning on spending! I'm so looking forward to joining the mac world. I don't think it looks horrific at all. I do think there could have been better color coordination, but geez...that's far from a reason to trash it. For anyone in the market for an iMac I don't see how today was close to a "bad day". Maybe not as great as some wanted, but hardly a reason for depression.

Sorry so many of you are bummed, but I can't see anything but positives.

I'm about to plunge and make the switch too! I've been lurking these sites for the past month or so anticipating the new iMac and there is so much negativity because people were building this machine to be the computer to end all computers type of thing. No matter what people aren't going to be happy, if they left it white they were lazy and if they change the color then they miss the white. The design is really growing on me, and, like everyone else, am really bummed about the graphics card especially as how more gaming companies are starting to make games for Macs again. I suppose they are targeting the small Pro market? I would love to be able to get a Pro, but I'm kinda intimidated by it and plus I would want to go stupid with all the upgrades and buy an unnecessarily big display (30"). So, for now, I'm gonna go with the iMac (when Leopard comes out) and be happy with that.

 

[kainjow]

My bro-in-law was the first to buy the new iMac at our local Apple Store. I helped him figure out how to use it and such (he's a switcher from an old 400Mhz Win98 machine). He got the 24" iMac (2.4Ghz, 320GB). Quite an upgrade I'd say.

The machine is gorgeous. Very slim. New keyboard looks sleek, but not sure how useful it will be. Mighty mouse is still lame as ever .

Didn't get a chance to check out iLife 08 yet.

 

[MindBrain]

Geeze why do they gotta put this ATI HD 2600 card in the iMac. Although it has these options for HD video or whatever and DX 10, Apple should give a free option between the 2600 and a Nvidia card like the 8600 or whatever is similar in price that gives better 3d performance for DX 9.

But complaining aside how does the HD 2600 compare realistically? Can it run current games ok? Is it comparable to say a Nvidia 7800 GS or so?

I'd really wish Apple would make a small form desktop that you could put any video card you want in it. Bigger then the MacMini and smaller then the MacPro. Come on what would Apple have against that?

 

[mongoos150]

Wow - After watching the CNBC clip of when SJ unveiled the new iMac there was just about no response from the crowd... I think I could hear a cricket chirping. Seemed a bit awkward. The rumors hyped up the design so much, I believe people were simply expecting something hugely radical in design.

 

[ImAlwaysRight]

That would unfortunately defeat the purpose of an all-in-one computer like the iMac. Having external components that are not all in the computer.

So what are we to do? Take away the 2 FireWire ports and 2 of the USB ports, because everything is suppose to be in there? That'd just give you one more thing to complain about.

Not everyone needs or wants to pay for Blu Ray now. I imagine it is not economically feasible. Do they make laptop-sized slot-loading Blu Ray drives? How much do they cost compared to Apple's DVD-RW burners they put in the iMac now?

 

[ImAlwaysRight]

Geeze why do they gotta put this ATI HD 2600 card in the iMac. Although it has these options for HD video or whatever and DX 10, Apple should give a free option between the 2600 and a Nvidia card like the 8600 or whatever is similar in price that gives better 3d performance for DX 9.

But complaining aside how does the HD 2600 compare realistically? Can it run current games ok? Is it comparable to say a Nvidia 7800 GS or so?

Hopefully the graphics questions will be answered in a few days by sites like barefeats. But one tell-tale sign is that Apple has no data showing how fast the new iMac graphics are compared to the 1.5-year-old Intel iMacs with X1600 video cards.

 

[bonafide]

I've been lurking these forums since Feburary watching for rumours and updates for the iMac. I've been to several stores to view/play with them. During each of those times I fell deeper and deeper in love with the machine. Not so much the look/design for it but mainly the software/capabilities. That is the Apple way.

With the release of iWork '08 and iLife '08 my mind was made up the instant I saw it. I ordered the new iMac 2.8 GhZ Extreme and I'm damn proud of it. I'll be switching over from a PC and I couldn't be more happy!

Not to mention I got a free iPod of out the deal!

I do agree the ATi card is a bit of a set back - as I would have perferred Nvidia. However, that being said I still believe this machine is impressive and I look forward to playing with it the moment it arrives.

 

[seb_carley]

Option Key

So the Command Key is now correctly labeled - helpfully eliminating the new user's "what f*ing command key?!" experience.

Apparently the problem has shifted outwards to the option key however - all keyboard shortcuts displayed in menus still show its old symbol, while the key now does not.

Why?

Also I'll miss the muscle memory to vol -/+ mute and eject I've had for the past 7 years - ah well.

...in other news... Does anyone else think leopard's dock is disastrous? Those blue fuzzy dots are so much less obvious than the clear black triangles - "APPLE! Option to switch back to Tiger's dock much needed!! (and to turn off that ghostly menubar)"

 

[ghall]

I've been lurking these forums since Feburary watching for rumours and updates for the iMac. I've been to several stores to view/play with them. During each of those times I fell deeper and deeper in love with the machine. Not so much the look/design for it but mainly the software/capabilities. That is the Apple way.

With the release of iWork '08 and iLife '08 my mind was made up the instant I saw it. I ordered the new iMac 2.8 GhZ Extreme and I'm damn proud of it. I'll be switching over from a PC and I couldn't be more happy!

Not to mention I got a free iPod of out the deal!

I do agree the ATi card is a bit of a set back - as I would have perferred Nvidia. However, that being said I still believe this machine is impressive and I look forward to playing with it the moment it arrives.

Congratulations on your purchase. Have fun with your new baby.

 

[ImAlwaysRight]

A newbie shows more wisdom than most "regulars"

I'm about to buy my first mac so I'm very hyped. I'm a bit amazed at all the negativity. I was about to buy a new iMac ~6 weeks ago and got lucky that I heard about the new iMacs just before I pulled the trigger.

I'm now getting more machine for the exact same amount money I was planning on spending! I'm so looking forward to joining the mac world. I don't think it looks horrific at all. I do think there could have been better color coordination, but geez...that's far from a reason to trash it. For anyone in the market for an iMac I don't see how today was close to a "bad day". Maybe not as great as some wanted, but hardly a reason for depression.

Sorry so many of you are bummed, but I can't see anything but positives.

Great post.

I don't mind criticism, but ...

... not about glossy screens when one has never used one

... not about the new keyboard when one has never used one

... not about the looks when one hasn't even seen the iMac in person

... not about the graphics card when no tests on the Mac have been done

But, if you check back, you will see similar things said when the MacBooks came out just over a year ago, glossy screen criticism, etc. Now people are using them and love the MacBook screen and keyboard. Sure, a few don't like them ... and a lot more have never tried them and still bash them anyway. I expect to see the same pattern with the new iMacs.

For anyone in the market for a new iMac, today is a good day. The list of improvements is quite long. The list of "taking a step backwards" is very, very short, for some it is probably even non-existant.

 

[armani]

Geeze why do they gotta put this ATI HD 2600 card in the iMac. Although it has these options for HD video or whatever and DX 10, Apple should give a free option between the 2600 and a Nvidia card like the 8600 or whatever is similar in price that gives better 3d performance for DX 9.

But complaining aside how does the HD 2600 compare realistically? Can it run current games ok? Is it comparable to say a Nvidia 7800 GS or so?

I'd really wish Apple would make a small form desktop that you could put any video card you want in it. Bigger then the MacMini and smaller then the MacPro. Come on what would Apple have against that?

I am almost sure it is a political decision, just to keep both companies happy. I guess iMac was the best bet to put 26oo in. I am not happy about it, but who cares. I was going to buy one for my son and now I am not sure what to do. I will probably buy it anyways, I promissed him. But I do agree that it is a better machine than the previous modeland my son liked it. The only thing I am worried is glossy screen. I don't know if it affects the eyes (he does not have a great eyesight), as he will try to use the computer in a dark room to avoid glare and reflections.

 

[Wharrgarbl]

Also, can I just add that the "iSore" nickname is ridiculous. Seriously, what a horrible attempt at being clever.

It was so obvious I didn't even have to think about it. I think it annoys you because you know there's good reason it might stick.

Making it out of black plastic was a pretty cheapskate move for a company with twice as much market cap as Dell. They could have afforded to at least make it entirely aluminum, and that would have given them massively improved thermal characteristics to boot.

But an aluminum enclosure would have taken like $25 per unit off the bottom line, and the bottom line is what it's all about after all.

It's frustrating because Apple has made so very few "forgettable" machines since Steve took over. Almost every machine has been iconic for its' time -- even the toilet seat iBook has a place in history.

It's an incremental step forward, and it's a decent-looking machine the way a bunch of the newer PeeCees are decent-looking. It's just not iconic or revolutionary, and that would have been nice.

 

[sblasl]

This is an iMac revision that will be remembered not for it's revolutionary new industrial design, cutting edge technology, or it's price/value. It will be remembered for all of it's shortcomings.

They really have dropped the ball on this "iSore".

I feel bad for all of those that visit these forums who for weeks were acting like little kids in anticipation of Santa's arrival to deliver the new iMac only to now declare that they are going to sit on the sidelines now that they see what Apple has delivered.

I really don't recall a let down so large and to so many people as this.

This is a hodge podge of ideas that looks like it was designed by committee.

 

[deannnnn]

I really don't like the new iMacs.... nor the keyboard.
It's an ugly computer and an ugly unpractical keyboard. No number pad!? What?!

YAY FOR THE OLD SCHOOL iMACS
lol

iLife on the other hand I am really excited for!

 

[MrGouda]

So what are we to do? Take away the 2 FireWire ports and 2 of the USB ports, because everything is suppose to be in there?

Sure, have all the external components you want. Add another USB hub if you like. Just as long as you're cool with your computer looking like the one on the right.

 

[Mac2004]

20 inch vs 24 inch model....

What is the better deal as far as the new Imacs go..... The 20 inch model or the 24 inch model. Which one should I get????

 

[thomasfxlt]

This is an iMac revision that will be remembered not for it's revolutionary new industrial design, cutting edge technology, or it's price/value. It will be remembered for all of it's shortcomings.

They really have dropped the ball on this "iSore".

I feel bad for all of those that visit these forums who for weeks were acting like little kids in anticipation of Santa's arrival to deliver the new iMac only to now declare that they are going to sit on the sidelines now that they see what Apple has delivered.

I really don't recall a let down so large and to so many people as this.

This is a hodge podge of ideas that looks like it was designed by committee.

While I don't see this redesign as anything revolutionary, I do completely disagree with you. The new iMac is a logical evolution. I think they'll sell very well. iLife is capturing the hearts and minds of people that are archiving their lives in pictures, movies etc. iWorks now contains a pretty competent spreadsheet for most of us and Pages is improved. $80 for an update to either is a bargain and there is plenty of new stuff in both to more than justify the price.

Your implication that somehow these new products represent a letdown to a majority is unfounded and just incorrect.

 

[Jimmery]

While I don't see this redesign as anything revolutionary, I do completely disagree with you. The new iMac is a logical evolution. I think they'll sell very well. iLife is capturing the hearts and minds of people that are archiving their lives in pictures, movies etc. iWorks now contains a pretty competent spreadsheet for most of us and Pages is improved. $80 for an update to either is a bargain and there is plenty of new stuff in both to more than justify the price.

Your implication that somehow these new products represent a letdown to a majority is unfounded and just incorrect.

I disagree with you. Judging by this thread, it seems that a majority of people ARE let down.