New iMacs G5 Alu - short, cynical review...beware...

Apple's new marketing trend: "The new iMac is soooo cool and so are you!"

This is why the screen is so bright and glossy...so that you have to use it with your sunglasses on [while keeping tabs on how cool you look on the screen at the sametime].

The display itself is reminiscent of the old sixties rainbow Apple logo since it features uneven brightness and colour from left to right [my theory is that each screen is purposely unique displaying only a small part of Apple's logo rainbow]. Strangely enough Eizo CG monitors seem suddenly to be in short supply around here...

A must buy...and it goes well with your posh Ingo-Maurer table lamp too...

I am surprised they do not offer a non-glossy screen option.

Apple has always been about style before substance though. I'm disappointed by the new iMac, too. I've always disliked the Apple white and hoped that the new appearance would be a great improvement. The ACDs are so attractive so I just don't understand what they were thinking. Still has a big chin, distracting black border, awful glossy screen, nasty black Apple logo---it's not the improvement it should be.

I am typing on the new Apple keyboard and it's OK. Now if they could only do a nice mouse...in black.

Errr guys, the iMac is not a photoshop computer but a multimedia station. Glossy screens are great for movies and games. It's not a workstation.

Even the laptop screens are not all that great. You want a serious computer... buy a mac pro and a monitor that's accurate and calibrated.

For my money, the coolest iMac was the iMac G4:

Oh and Jorge... G5 is so 2005.... it's all intel now

Errr guys, the iMac is not a photoshop computer but a multimedia station. Glossy screens are great for movies and games.

Too bad there are little or no games available for the Mac!!!

I fail to understand why someone would want to buy a $500 monitor that is permanently attached to a computer that will be obsolete in two years and has Zero ability to be upgraded. If you want a computer that can't be upgraded, buy a Laptop already!

Dave

Uh, Dave, you're not a Mac guy are you? There are quite a few games to play on a Mac...all the big ones anyway. You just have to know where to go to get them.

Can't upgrade? Just two months ago I upgraded, myself, my SDRAM on my iMac so I could run Aperture. When you get into it back there, there are quite a few things, surprisingly, that can be easily removed and replaced.

And, unlike a PC, a Mac will continue to NOT be obsolete for at least 5 years. By that time the OS and hardware need upgrading and it is cheaper to just get a new computer.

Sorry. Not starting a flame, just informing. Everyone has their preferences. Canon or Nikon! :-)

And, unlike a PC, a Mac will continue to NOT be obsolete for at least 5 years. By that time the OS and hardware need upgrading and it is cheaper to just get a new computer.

Respectfully though I am and always have been a mac person - even in the early/mid 90s when things looked bleak........

But at least 5 years before obsolete? Ha!! You obviously didn't buy one of the G4s before Apple went Intel - the G4s will be hurtin' with the new Leopard operating system. I got 3-1/2 yrs out of my G4 and I feel lucky I did, with the PowerPC chip and the 1.25GHZ speed it slowed to a painful drip with my install of the new CS3. I could upgrade a lot of its parts but why as Apple will phase out the PowerPCs anyway.

If Apple doesn't change "chips" again, etc etc maybe a good life-span for these new macs but 5 years???? I wouldn't bet on it, unfortunately........ Still my G4 still has a life-span just for my husband who doesn't process lots of photos, video etc - but not for me anymore.

I think the new iMacs are kinda neat and spiffy. Not my cup of tea at all - I played w/them in the store. I hate the glossy screen for myself but others think it is really neat. Not a bad price point either. The computer is not marketed towards me but those that are its target audience seem to love it........, it looks like a big iPhone - granted metal instead of black though!

I just got a new MacBook Pro and it is really something else!!!! But at max 4GB of memory capacity I doubt I'll even get 4 years, much less 5+........ I could have gone with a Mac Pro and gotten some more flexibility in upgrading and longer computer life but that didn't suit my needs and it was a lot more expensive, although worth it for the additional power features. Still if Apple changes chip manufacturers again even the Mac Pro will become obsolete............ (of course I don't think that will happen but in theory it could - anything can and will happen in the computer world....). Boy everything 5 years from now will probably all be touch screen like the iPhone - scary thought!!

I've just resigned myself to the fact that I'll buy a computer and in 3 to 4 years (at best probably....) it will become too slow to deal with the ever growing digital camera/video requirements so then I'll just let someone I like "inherit" it for basic computing and fun..... (what are husbands for anyway......)

I say go Apple and go new iMacs, not not everything is totally great or to my liking but overall - wow....!!!!! - and they said in the 90s that Apple was dead!

Best, Carol

I composed a reply here, and then deleted it. What's the point??

You obviously didn't buy one of the G4s before Apple went Intel - the G4s will be hurtin' with the new Leopard operating system. I got 3-1/2 yrs out of my G4 and I feel lucky I did, with the PowerPC chip and the 1.25GHZ speed it slowed to a painful drip with my install of the new CS3.

Carol

I think what IMSushi meant was that they don't go into obsolescence with 2 OS upgades. My ol' PB G4 1.25 is chugs along with Capture One and CS2 for my 1D2 RAW files. You just need 2GB RAM. Obviously newer software is more bloatware. CS2 installation was about 1-2GB, CS3... 4GB. Each generation adds more crap. The good news is my pics still look the same with C1 so that G4 is not obsolete at 3.5 years old.

In fact my even OLDER 500mhz G3 PB still chugs along on OSX.2. It's been upgraded to a G4 500mhz and it works fine as a household controller. I just love the steel frame construction. And Apple also makes lemons... remember the Ti fiasco? I gave my Ti Book away to students in Africa... they looked at the peeling paint and wanted to throw it back at me! Ingrates!

I do think that Apple has become part of the PC world in building in obsolescence in their products. That's how they sell more. Look at the iPhones and iPods.

I composed a reply here, and then deleted it. What's the point??

Oh come on Eric... tell us.

Macs go obsolete just as quickly as PCs, it's the denial over it that's different. Prior to the Intel conversion, it was my opinion that Macs were already obsolete in the stores. Now that they are Intel, I've converted and am very pleased with the MBP and the Mac Pro.

Monitors may not become obsolete so quickly, but there is plenty of progress there as well.

I've never been a big iMac fan and wish they'd offer a headless machine between the mini and the pro, but the iMac has its uses and I don't agree that it's inappropriate for Photoshop use. I bought a Mac Pro because I wanted to use a better monitor than the iMacs offered, but I didn't pay the extra 2K for the quadcore processors and I'm perfectly happy with my performance. I've also not bothered loading the machine with RAM like so many insist you should do. I have 3GB and have never seen the machine go over 2.3GB allocated in actual usage. It is loaded with 750GB drives, though, and I love SuperDuper!

I composed a reply here, and then deleted it. What's the point??

Boo, was it something I said....

Carol

I think what IMSushi meant was that they don't go into obsolescence with 2 OS upgades. My ol' PB G4 1.25 is chugs along with Capture One and CS2 for my 1D2 RAW files. You just need 2GB RAM. Obviously newer software is more bloatware. CS2 installation was about 1-2GB, CS3... 4GB. Each generation adds more crap. The good news is my pics still look the same with C1 so that G4 is not obsolete at 3.5 years old.

In fact my even OLDER 500mhz G3 PB still chugs along on OSX.2. It's been upgraded to a G4 500mhz and it works fine as a household controller. I just love the steel frame construction. And Apple also makes lemons... remember the Ti fiasco? I gave my Ti Book away to students in Africa... they looked at the peeling paint and wanted to throw it back at me! Ingrates!

I do think that Apple has become part of the PC world in building in obsolescence in their products. That's how they sell more. Look at the iPhones and iPods.

I agree Drew and I didn't mean it to sound like Apples go obsolete before other computers for sure! (But granted I missed out on the whole fun of the Ti thing - woe is me.....)

Drew I DO have 2 GB RAM in my 1.25 PowerBook G4! I think the thing is the specs from Adobe are the 1 GHZ minimum to run CS3. Like you I ran CS2 fine on my G4 Powerbook, it "chugged" but bravely so........ But the installation of CS3, boy did it slow it down, so much so it was unuseable - even though I made space on the HD, tweaked settings in CS3 etc etc.

So at least I have someone who "wants" my G4 Powerbook..... ; and I guess it is the definition of "obsolete", for me yes, for someone else no. Depends on the demands put on the computer.

I think Apple is doing things pretty right, what was a pariah computer in the 90s in now the hot thing - my how things change..... B) Carol

Well Craig, I think you have to look at obsolescence subjectively. OS X, in my experience has been more stable, easier to setup and the workflow is better than on windows. Sure every major upgrade of software is going to demand a faster chip, no doubt.

However, speed isn't always only dependent on the m/ghz factor. Working with Capture One on my old G4 PB. I could clear a pic in say 3-5 mins (this is a Canon 1D2 8mb RAW file). I probably can do it slightly faster due to faster refresh on the new MBP Core2Duo. It's only the batchprocessing that takes the longer time.

And yes it can't even play 720P HD properly (which was why I upgraded).

So to me, the PB G4 isn't obsolete. It can still do email and browse the web almost as fast as the MBP. Furthermore, changing a computer every year is out of the question from an environmental standpoint, whether you recycle or not. I'd rather spend the extra carbon emissions on a boat.

The iMac isn't inappropriate for Photoshop, it's just not optimized for it. I believe CS3 is still limited to 4GB of RAM allocation. It's just that if you had 8GB or more, you can have Aperture or Capture One running as well, and answer emails if you had the quad or octo core.

Oh and Jorge... G5 is so 2005.... it's all intel now

...I know, know, don't have a clue how the G5 got there...old age I guess...

The performance is very much ok though...Apple, Apple make a user replaceable matt ND glass as an option...thing is like a table lamp...

The iSight camera is higher resolution and no extra sources of light are needed just crank up the brightness...

...and if DSLRs had a fraction of the useful lifetime of my Macs I would be a very happy person [and my wallet too]...damn the D3 specs look good [a camera not affected by the obnoxious error 99!]...have to be strong...strong...and wait for D3x, D3x...

I dunno Jorge. My 1D2 has been rocking since 2004 and I don't intend to drop it any time soon. Perhaps I don't have the same upgrade fever affliction. I do intend to pick up an old housing to house it once the Mark 3s start penetrating the market.

To me, it's the workhorse that'll keep on clicking.

That said, the D3 does look nice... just don't get it wet

Here is my "PCd" G5. Best of both worlds!

CPU: QX6700

GPU: 2900XT

Apples with powerpc's processors were not updated as fast and thus obsoleted as fast.

Now that they went to intel, I think that will change. My feeling is that they will be coming out with new models much faster with Intel chips. With last years models being left in the dust.

A Mac might not be obsolete if it continues to be useful to the one who owns it, but the same thing applies to PCs and to DSLRs. PCs don't get slower as new ones get introduced, it just seems that way as Windows gets worse. Likewise, DSLRs don't take worse pictures as they get older. Any advice for preserving the usefulness of a Mac applies equally to a PC or a DSLR.

Our standards get raised as new equipment gets better. That's true for Macs like anything else.

Defining obsolescence by what Apple offers is arbitrary. It may sooth the Mac-only buyer to know that Apple won't upgrade with every new part, but that doesn't mean there isn't better available. Obsolescence means different things to different people, but applying different standards to different products or different companies makes no sense. A Mac IS a PC, it grows obsolete the same way.

A Mac might not be obsolete if it continues to be useful to the one who owns it, but the same thing applies to PCs and to DSLRs. PCs don't get slower as new ones get introduced, it just seems that way as Windows gets worse.

Actually, they do indeed slow down, as the NTFS Master File Table (MFT) gets fragmented; and also the Registry gets bloated from all of the programs and hardware drivers added & removed, leaving hundreds of turds behind!

For what it's worth, Raxco PerfectDisk is the best defragger, as its offline defrag algorithm allows you to defrag and consolidate the critical MFT area. I've been using PD since NT4 back in 1996, and it works even better than Diskeeper.

Both defraggers have 30 day time-bombed trial versions. Also, both software houses (Raxco and Executive) migrated their NTFS defraggers from the OpenVMS mainframe OS; and work equally well to insure the integrity of the data, even if the PC crashes during a run.

Actually, they do indeed slow down, as the NTFS Master File Table (MFT) gets fragmented; and also the Registry gets bloated from all of the programs and hardware drivers added & removed, leaving hundreds of turds behind!

Yes, they do, and the more cynical side of me would mention that Windows products slow down even worse because Microsoft's B team is in charge of updates on older Windows products. Fact is, any Windows version will get slower and slower based solely Microsoft's crappy attitude toward support. Look at Windows ME!

Nevertheless, all computing devices suffer from degradation over time to some extent based solely on software issues. Every smartphone I've ever owned is a glaring example of this, the iPhone included. My jesus phone isn't nearly as responsive as it was when it was new. iPhones grind nearly to a halt if you fill them up with 8GB's worth of small music files. It's really quite laughable.

None of this changes the fact that Macs don't grow obsolete any more or less quickly than PCs. You can always fix performance degradation in Windows by reinstalling as many people do.