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iMacs Freshened with 2.0 GHz G5, Bluetooth, WiFi
amichalo writes "Apple has updated the popular consumer level Mac, the iMac G5.
So better support the now standard Mac OS X Tiger, Apple has made significant improvements to all standard configurations including 512MB RAM, Radeon 9600 128MB graphics, and on 2.0 GHz models (17" and 20"), a slot-loading dual-layer 8x SuperDrive is standard. The 1.8 GHz 17" model includes a slot-loading Combo Drive.
Also standard are Apple's AirPort Extreme 802.11g WiFi and Bluetooth. Pricing remains at $1300, $1500, and $1800 respectively for 1.8 GHz 17", 2.0 GHz 17", and 2.0 GHz 20", though 2.0 GHz models include additional upgraded features.
These improvements are significant as this line has not seen a refresh in about a year and the upgrade to a Radeon 9600 graphics card will allow the new iMac to take better advantage of Tiger features such as Core Image, which is significant because the video card cannot be upgraded. Lastly, Apple is continuing the interactive chat and QuickTime support program for the iMac G5."
To break existing 800 MHz iMacs! Those damn things just keep running!!! How is a self-respecting hardware junkie supposed to talk his wife into letting him purchase the latest and greatest from Apple, when they just keep working :-(
We have two matching 17" LCD, 800 MHz iMacs, purchased in November, 2002. They have run 24x7 since we purchased them, with the exception of the power outages caused by the hurricanes in September of 2004.
No matter where you go... there you are.
Funny, but I have both an iMac G5 and a PC. My two kids are always playing games on the PC. But when they do their homework it's on the Mac. One is in college and the other starts in the fall. I have asked both of them what computer do they want for school. They both wanted powerbooks, like mine. I talked to them about games, they said that their playstations are much better at gaming than either the Mac or the PC. So I guess a PC has alot of games, but to do real work it's best to have a Mac.
That is a valid point, but neither you nor your brother-in-law represent the average user. "Normal" people see computers as appliances; they don't know what a video card is or what Quartz 2D Extreme is or anything like that. To them, paying for a new computer that comes in a box and is easy to set up is far preferable to buying and installing a video card. And you can upgrade the memory and hard disk in all Macs.
Also, as a large number of people have pointed out, the low-end Power Mac now costs exactly the same as a midrange iMac, so you really can make a pure tradeoff between expandability and a free monitor.