iMac G5 then

[John Beaulieu]

it booted up, they logged on, got apps running etc etc ... looked as though it was working to me

and the point the show was making was (though they took it to the extremes).. if something goes wrong with your mac then you are ****ered and paying through the nose to get it fixed

[Sarkster]

aye, i watched that as well. was shocked at how poorly the mac did on the tests it should have pwned on

[Firsty]

I think it looks a bit...meh in the pictures.
But you really have to see the thing to believe it. It's NOT as dinky as you'd think. In fact it's impressively large, but only 2" thick for the higher spec model. It's quite pretty, the only thing I don't like is the area under the screen. What I'd like is a wall mounting kit, but I doubt that'll happen. The usb/firewire/audio/video ports are on the back.

I really like how they've gone back to the older idea behind the original imac of having everything in one unit. They were so cool, they've aged fast but I still think they're cute. The integrated stereo speakers were reduced to just one speaker in the swivel iMacs.

It's strange that it's "only" got firewire 400 ports. I'm SO glad it has digital audio output now. Currently if I want digital audio out from my ibook or an older iMac I need a usb attachment. I think I'll wait 'til the next upgrade cycle for it before buying one. I'll be able to afford it then ^^.

Camps you gotta remember that PCs are getting faster every few days (maybe weeks). Macs only get speed bumps every few months. That top of the line mac may have been introduced a few months before the brand new pc.

[Fuddle]

somebody at work today told me it is wall mountable...but i dont know where they saw that.
what it really needs is the old imac swively arm thing built into a wall bracket.

[Firsty]

Well okay yes it is wall mountable, it will attach to any VESA wall bracket I think. What I meant was to have it flush with the wall. That's impossible since all the cables connect back there. I reckon it'd look pretty nifty tho.

[Papercut]

seen all the connector sockets lined up down the back?

ugly cable nightmare.

[womblingfree]

You can get PCs in damn near any size you could ever want - including smaller than that (eg Tablet PCs)

Except tablet PC's don't support 250 gig hard drives, 2gig of ram, have G5 processors and run OSX.4.

The graphics card is rather poo but does anyone seriously buy Macs for games?

My old iMac G4 duffer still quite happily edits hours of DV footage, makes DVD's with interactive menus etc. (out the box) and hasn't crashed in 2 years. So this puppy should run as smooth as a babies bum.

seen all the connector sockets lined up down the back?

ugly cable nightmare.

Bluetooth for an extra few quids will put a stop to all that.

aye, i watched that as well. was shocked at how poorly the mac did on the tests it should have pwned on

Macs aren't always the most blisteringly fast machines. What is so good about them is they work effortlessly. Also you can perform demanding tasks simply and with great results without having a nervous breakdown.

I initially preferred the design of the iMac2 but then realised that this one can support multiple stands and can also be hung on the wall! Bluetooth enabled 20" new iMac hanging from the wall with a wireless keyboard and mouse? Yes please, ta, thank you very much.

My only concern is how good are those built in speakers?

[ascender]

I was a late convert to Macs and if it wasn't for the gaming issue, there's no way I'd have a PC. Even with XP which has moved things on for MS, later versions of OS X were much better for day to day use - no crashes and things "just worked". If you're thinking of a new machine, I'd seriously recommend you give a Mac a go although you have to be prepared to re-train slightly when getting used to OS X.

Another good feature is that Macs hold their value well compared to PCs, so when it comes to upgrading, you can stick it on eBay and get some money back, which is nice.

I'm very tempted by the new iMac, I sold my last one a few months back in anticipation of the new model and bought a Shuttle PC. I'll keep this in the house, but it'll probably only get used for gaming and the Xbox is quickly gaining on it in that respect too.

[Ginza]

Id love one of these beauties as I am a complete windows mac fanboy. My laptop is kitted out to look like its a mac but it isnt :P. Its a wonderful illusion of mine.

Iv used Macs in College and although they were swish I found them annoying, frustrating and difficult to use. Everything iv learnt on XP, all the little short cuts etc are gone. I suppose id have to stick at it for a few weeks / months but im sure it would be advantageous to me. Iv just got a new laptop so i dont think ill be getting another computer until probably after uni in 4 years.

[JoeK]

Well, I loved my iMac, and I love my current iBook. Everything about the things ooze quality, from the gorgeous packaging to the ease of use.

Personally, whilst I'd be more than happy for one of those new iMacs, I'll be even more happy when Apple eventually release a G5 laptop!

[womblingfree]

all the little short cuts etc are gone. I suppose id have to stick at it for a few weeks / months but im sure it would be advantageous to me.

Yeah i was a bit disorientated by my Mac at first but after one week of solid use it was no problem.

Now i shudder every time someone asks me to 'fix' or 'install' something on their PC.

Cannae go back.

[Valken]

I use Windaes in work and Macs at home... this causes a lot of UI related nightmares... most of which are related to one button mice, the positions of close and minimise button the fact that WinXP doesn't have Expos?!

Still, you get used to switching between the two.

[replicant]

Theres nothing a mac can do that a high quality pc can do. Forget buying **** cheat cases, and componets. Buy quality gear and the performance in all applications will be superior.

The days of beige pc are over. You can get a nice shuttle pc with athlon 64, 1 gig, and a 6800 GT in it now.

[replicant]

Just read the description -

Extreme Graphics

The sizzling graphics processor and next-generation high-bandwidth architecture kicks 3D games and graphics into high gear, with three times the frame rate as the previous iMac in Unreal Tournament 2004. NVIDIA graphics provides hardware transform and lighting (T&L), per-pixel shading and drop-dead gorgeous effects at high resolutions. All models deliver over a billion textured pixels per second and an advanced Live FX engine engineered to generate the most lifelike characters. With Quartz Extreme, the graphics processors take over transform and lighting calculation functions from the CPU, freeing the G5 processor to perform essential system tasks faster than ever before.

What a crock of marketing bull****. The 5200 is the worst Nvidia chipset out there, with the exception of the gf4mx. Its based on GF2 technology, with slight dx9 compatiblity added as an after thought. a 5200 ULTRA agp card costs 30-40 quid brand new, and thats what they are using in their new Mac? Madness.

[bowser123]

Theres nothing a mac can do that a high quality pc can do.

Can it run OSX?
THE reason I use, and prefer, a Mac over Windows based PCs.