I never cared for the G4 iMac design, personally. That breast was just too damn inefficient at it's primary task: to house the internal components. For the sake of style Apple had to cram everything inside The Breast, nut-to-butt, and so the design had hard limits on heat and component set.
The nice thing about the G5 iMac is that as the screens get larger, there's more space for internal components. Very cool.
What I would like most is a consumer tower, something like the cube, with separate displays. This AIO shit has gone too far, with gorgeous displays married to obsolete components that will get old long before the LCD. I understand Apple's reasons for sticking with the AIO, but I wish things were different somehow.
Both iMac designs stun the opposition on the PC side. Nothing quite like them. I love the old design ... and the new, too.
Our organization just received a revB 20" iMac G5. It's a gorgeous ? and surprisingly mobile ? computer. We looked at both the 17" and 20" machines and felt that the white space at the bottom was less distracting on the 20" model.
I concur with the Dawg, though, about the hardware limitations of the all-in-one form as it currently exists. The latest revision was a solid step forward and will work well for many business, education, and design users, but there is always room for improvement and innovation.
Having just upgraded from the original G4 iMac to a revision b 20" iMac G5, I can say that the iMac G4's design ran it's course and is no longer necessary or appropriate for today's technology.
Dangling a 20" screen from an arm just isn't right. With screens getting larger and larger, the swiveling arm just isn't appropriate or necessary any longer. And with the viewing angle of LCDs having improved considerably, it's no longer necessary to rotate your monitor to see it.
Access to the insides of the iMac G5 is remarkably easy and allows access to all of the components. The iMac G4 was more difficult, and only allowed access to one of the RAM slots and the Airport card slot.
Lastly, the iMac G5 design takes up considerably less room on my desk, allows for me to stow my keyboard underneath the monitor, and as others have mentioned can be mounted on the wall with a VESA adapter. So no, Apple shouldn't bring back the iMac G4 form factor. It ran it's course, and while more radically different than any other design, isn't necessarily better given today's LCD sizes and viewing angles.
Great photos. An arm like that could provide a solution to using the G5 in situations where you can control its viewing. I wonder if it can support the weight of the G5 iMac?
Nice setup. Multichannel Miller-Kreisel speakers huge LCD or plasma and beefy VESA arm.
That arm looks a lot like the one I see Marathon Computing and others carrying. It's generally about $300 or more. It looks solid.
I think the current iMac G5 is pretty choice. I'm beginning to think that computer design should move back to functional rather than focus too much on the aesthetic appeal.
I think the current iMac G5 is pretty choice. I'm beginning to think that computer design should move back to functional rather than focus too much on the aesthetic appeal.
I don't think the iMac G4 was ever aesthetically appealing - it was an odd-looking awkward beast. It was its functionality that made it beautiful. I could almost say the same for all of Apple's current hardware products. They seem to build them from the inside out, with no piece that doesn't serve a purpose; whatever form or shape that causes them to take on the outside is what they become. Their intended functionality determins their form. Such is great design.
I completely agree. I really like the iMac G4 look too. I was looking at some websites and found this. I think this would have been a great way to update the iMac at that particular time.
Not to go too far OT, but AWESOME workstation! Tell us what the pieces are. I assume that's some big plasma HDTV there with the Sony logo. What are the two things right behind the keyboard?
Would anyone else be in favor of this as well? I find it an immensely more impressive design than the G5. Mind you, the iMac G5 is impressive, but not in comparision to the iMac G4.
I have an iMac G4. It's a beautiful machine - as long as you keep it in one spot. I move it back and forth from college every semester. At Christmas, my LCD got out of spec and I got sagging. $450 to fix that little arm - then after it was fixed, the RGB cables in the neck got kinked and I had to take it in again and have another neck put on it.
I'm dying to move to a G5 for power and performance - and like I said - I'm a college student. Space is everything. The iMac G4 was beautiful, probably more so than the G5, but the G5 is way more practical.
Absolutely true. It's a great machine and will just get better as dual core chips work their way in.
Agreed,
And let me elaborate on why I said the iMac G4 is the worst design ever.
#1, the arm. That thing is so expensive and caused more problems than solutions.
#2, the custom inards. The motherboard was what shape? Having troubles thinking of a name of the shape? It cost so much to manufacture that motherboard because of 2 reasons. A: how much silicon was wasted. B: the unusual shape.
Apple should focus to keep things simple, even when they do their prices are still sky high (powermac g5). But the iMac g4 was a waste IMO.
Comments
The nice thing about the G5 iMac is that as the screens get larger, there's more space for internal components. Very cool.
What I would like most is a consumer tower, something like the cube, with separate displays. This AIO shit has gone too far, with gorgeous displays married to obsolete components that will get old long before the LCD. I understand Apple's reasons for sticking with the AIO, but I wish things were different somehow.
Our organization just received a revB 20" iMac G5. It's a gorgeous ? and surprisingly mobile ? computer. We looked at both the 17" and 20" machines and felt that the white space at the bottom was less distracting on the 20" model.
I concur with the Dawg, though, about the hardware limitations of the all-in-one form as it currently exists. The latest revision was a solid step forward and will work well for many business, education, and design users, but there is always room for improvement and innovation.
Originally posted by Gene Clean
I'm all for it.
I sort of think the G4 iMac was more elegant. I wonder how a 23" iMac in a G4 configuration would look. It could be awesome or overwhelming.
Originally posted by Normworld
I sort of think the G4 iMac was more elegant. I wonder how a 23" iMac in a G4 configuration would look. It could be awesome or overwhelming.
And expensive. VESA arms that could hold the 20+lbs of a LCD 23" would be expensive.
Dangling a 20" screen from an arm just isn't right. With screens getting larger and larger, the swiveling arm just isn't appropriate or necessary any longer. And with the viewing angle of LCDs having improved considerably, it's no longer necessary to rotate your monitor to see it.
Access to the insides of the iMac G5 is remarkably easy and allows access to all of the components. The iMac G4 was more difficult, and only allowed access to one of the RAM slots and the Airport card slot.
Lastly, the iMac G5 design takes up considerably less room on my desk, allows for me to stow my keyboard underneath the monitor, and as others have mentioned can be mounted on the wall with a VESA adapter. So no, Apple shouldn't bring back the iMac G4 form factor. It ran it's course, and while more radically different than any other design, isn't necessarily better given today's LCD sizes and viewing angles.
Originally posted by hmurchison
And expensive. VESA arms that could hold the 20+lbs of a LCD 23" would be expensive.
I have no idea what they cost, but we have a few of these where I work.
Very functional and solidly built.
Nice setup. Multichannel Miller-Kreisel speakers huge LCD or plasma and beefy VESA arm.
That arm looks a lot like the one I see Marathon Computing and others carrying. It's generally about $300 or more. It looks solid.
I think the current iMac G5 is pretty choice. I'm beginning to think that computer design should move back to functional rather than focus too much on the aesthetic appeal.
Originally posted by hmurchison
I think the current iMac G5 is pretty choice. I'm beginning to think that computer design should move back to functional rather than focus too much on the aesthetic appeal.
I don't think the iMac G4 was ever aesthetically appealing - it was an odd-looking awkward beast. It was its functionality that made it beautiful. I could almost say the same for all of Apple's current hardware products. They seem to build them from the inside out, with no piece that doesn't serve a purpose; whatever form or shape that causes them to take on the outside is what they become. Their intended functionality determins their form. Such is great design.
It's too bad also that the optical drive is on a side... grrr
http://www.theapplecollection.com/de...-iMac-ad.shtml
Not to go too far OT, but AWESOME workstation! Tell us what the pieces are. I assume that's some big plasma HDTV there with the Sony logo. What are the two things right behind the keyboard?
Adding to my file of super setups...
(edit) and is that a bottle of liquid paper?!
Originally posted by jessearl
Would anyone else be in favor of this as well? I find it an immensely more impressive design than the G5. Mind you, the iMac G5 is impressive, but not in comparision to the iMac G4.
...
NO! That was the worst design ever!
I'm dying to move to a G5 for power and performance - and like I said - I'm a college student. Space is everything. The iMac G4 was beautiful, probably more so than the G5, but the G5 is way more practical.
originally posted by Wrong Robot:
Man, the iMac g5 is like, the best all in one computer design I've ever seen.
Absolutely true. It's a great machine and will just get better as dual core chips work their way in.
Originally posted by Sybaritic
Absolutely true. It's a great machine and will just get better as dual core chips work their way in.
Agreed,
And let me elaborate on why I said the iMac G4 is the worst design ever.
#1, the arm. That thing is so expensive and caused more problems than solutions.
#2, the custom inards. The motherboard was what shape?
Apple should focus to keep things simple, even when they do their prices are still sky high (powermac g5). But the iMac g4 was a waste IMO.