Personally I prefer the older G4 design. Don't get me wrong, technically the G5 iMac is superior, but IMHO if I was looking for an AIO computer that just looks the business then Ives previous effort is for me the design of the modern age. This new machine looks like any LCD TV you could buy.
Somehow I get the feeling that a lot more effort could have been made to give the G5 iMac a little more class and a lot more soul.
Personally I prefer the older G4 design. Don't get me wrong, technically the G5 iMac is superior, but IMHO if I was looking for an AIO computer that just looks the business then Ives previous effort is for me the design of the modern age. This new machine looks like any LCD TV you could buy.
I concur. The sunflower / desklamp iMac looks much nicer than the iMac G5.
Still, this isn't the Mac for me. Guess I'll continue plugging away on my year-old PowerBook G4 which still has a better video card then the brand spanking new iMac.
I don't live to criticize. I've been a Mac fanboy since my SE/30 (or perhaps since my Apple ][ ).
However, the G5 iMac also competes with the looks of the G4 iMac.
Maybe not you, but i can't even begin numbering the people that criticize every little aspect of this line. I bought a new sunflower and it is a great machine from top to bottom. I bought a new iBook... same thing. I have used every machine that apple has made for the past 6 years and have no real complaints. After they got rid of OS 9, they won me over, lock, stock..
Reliability is my biggest issue and apple has that all sown up.
Speed is down the list a couple, for me.
I am also impressed with the compatibility. I plugged in an old usb epson printer with no documented driver support and within seconds it found a driver that would work and i was printing using CUPS, I think.
I have found that so many things that "just work" with the new macs that even that is no longer an issue. rendezvous is incredibly useful.
It seems like connectivity is becoming exponentially more important than some of the things that used to be requirements.
Yeah, I like the iMac G4 much better. Maybe they will come out with a "Special Edition" iMac G5 that uses the old design.
It really doesn't seem like an Apple design and I felt the same way when the new Cinema displays were introduces. You've got this very thick bezel and a very thin stand that look ridiculous together. No front panel inputs. Lots of cable dangling down.
It's no surprise to see that Jonathan Ives was not involved with this. It was designed by the iPod team instead. Go figure. What's really interesting to me is that it goes against everything Steve Jobs said when the iMac G4 was introduced. Does anyone have that quote? Among the problems he noted was the slowdown when using vertically mounted drives. I don't know, the whole thing strikes me as strange. I mentioned this elsewhere but it really seems like a rejected design for a PowerBook G5 that was adapted for use as a desktop rather than a ground up iMac G4 replacement. In fact, it looks almost exactly like what I had pictured an eMac replacement to be.
Maybe not you, but i can't even begin numbering the people that criticize every little aspect of this line.
A lot of us are very much into design and aesthetics. More than that we all have different ideas as to what looks good. I think the design is more odd, even suspicious, than ugly. Not as much the overall look of it but the whole design process behind it. Since it was designed by the iPod team (again, odd) that may explain it. I would still buy it over an eMac but I'll be getting a PowerBook myself unless Apple decides to release a widescreen iBook of course.
Where did the notion arise that Ive had no part in the iMac's styling or design (which are different things)? He's the VP of Industrial Design, for crissakes--of course he had a say or two in the matter.
Secondly, the iPod team is headed by Jon Rubinstein, formerly the head of all Apple hardware engineering. He was in charge of engineering the TiBook, the iMac G4, G5, etc.
It's not as if there's some shadow design/engineering group at Apple creating this thing.
Where did the notion arise that Ive had no part in the iMac's styling or design (which are different things)? He's the VP of Industrial Design, for crissakes--of course he had a say or two in the matter.
It was mentioned on a few websites. The fact that it was designed by iPod team was mentioned in the keynote itself. There are now two main hardware divisions, Macintosh and iPod, as you will recall this change was officially made a few months ago. Why the iPod division would handle it as opposed to the Macintosh division I do not know. I could be wrong but I think the design shows Ive had very little if any input on this one. At the very least he was not as involved in it as with past projects. I think it's clear this isn't his baby. It's also odd that for the first time a promotional video was not shown for a major new product.
It does show that Ives had little or no input into the design.
In what way? Didn't Ive design the iPod? Looking across the Apple line--including peripherals--this iMac resembles and has the same cues as everything else: minimal and clean.
Or is there an iSight with some extraneous shark fin that I've missed?
It was mentioned on a few websites. The fact that it was designed by iPod team was mentioned in the keynote itself. There are now two main hardware divisions, Macintosh and iPod, as you will recall this change was officially made a few months ago. Why the iPod division would handle it as opposed to the Macintosh division I do not know. I could be wrong but I think the design shows Ive had very little if any input on this one. At the very least he was not as involved in it as with past projects. I think it's clear this isn't his baby. It's also odd that for the first time a promotional video was not shown for a major new product.
Actually Apple did show a promotional video of the new iMac during the keynote. I am waiting for Apple to post the video separately in the iMac section of their website as I much prefer watching them that way as opposed to watching it on the stream of the keynote where the quality of the video is not as good.
Jonathan Ive, as has been pointed out, did design the iPod. And I suspect he was the major force behind this new design as well. I suspect the new iMac was a lot like what he had designed for the G4 iMac before Jobs sent him back to the drawing board. I would love to see a new version of that AppleDesign book that would have the stuff he and the other guys at Apple have designed since Jobs returned to the company. You can fill an entire volume with all the iMac stuff from 1998 to today, the Power Macs, the iBooks, the PowerBooks, the LCD displays, the iPod, the iSight - I could go on and on. And they could even throw in stuff about the OS X GUI and all the other interface stuff we have seen in the iApps. Apple has such a rich design history that it would be a shame to see their best stuff uncovered because they have really raised the bar ever since Jobs returned. Some behind the scenes information along with sketches and prototypes would be very cool for those of us that are interested in Apple and great design. That would be a book on my shelf at home - that is for sure.
Jonathan Ive, as has been pointed out, did design the iPod. And I suspect he was the major force behind this new design as well. I suspect the new iMac was a lot like what he had designed for the G4 iMac before Jobs sent him back to the drawing board.
I guess you are right. I think the ports are what threw me. It just doesn't seem like the typical "Apple" way of design. Neither does the vast empty space in front.
Can't wait for the promotional video either. Usually they post it right away.
Not to take anything away from the iMac 2, which (especially in the 17" and 20" incarnations) was a gorgeous design, but this one is beautiful and most likely much easier and cheaper to make. It's probably easier for Apple to upgrade over time, and it should take BTO options more easily. It's much more user upgradable, which also means it's easier for Apple techs (and IT staff) to repair when that becomes necessary.
Aesthetically, it's about what I expected. It's growing on me. I thought the chiclet iBook was a cold design too, until I actually saw one. I expect this to be the same. As with the iPod, it can get smaller and thinner over time without compromising the basic design. And the basic design hews to the mantra that's been behind the iMac's design since day one: It's the interface, stupid. All the designs essentially reduce themselves to the screen and the keyboard when they're being used. This one simply takes that directive to its logical conclusion, insofar as the components inside will allow, by reducing the computer to its interface.
I like it. I want the 20". I can live with the big bezel: I have a 15" Studio Display now, so I'm used to that.
Okay, just watched the promotional video. Something really shocking... Ives is wearing... no, it can't be... a navy blue t-shirt! No more black! He has changed his clothes! Anyone notice how much he looks like Steve Jobs now too? Scary.
Seriously though, Steve Jobs had stated recently they no longer see the iPod as a way to lure Windows users over to the Mac platform. From viewing the promotional video it's clear this is being targeted towards iPod users in a big, big, big way, especially Windows iPod users. This is obviously what Apple wants to use to lure Windows users to the Mac now.
I totally concur, dude. (can't remember if that was Bill or Ted)
I'm really happy with the new iMac. The design has grown on me very quickly, and I am really happy with the pricing. I placed my order for a 20" iMac with a 250GB HD, plus BT and AE. It's going to look very sweet on my desk with the wireless keyboard and mouse.
I got my order in within seconds of the store reopening, let's just hope us poor Canadian bastards don't get stuck too far down on the delivery list this time.
I think the iMac has good bones. I like the style, think bottom or side connectors might be better -- can't really mount it on a wall with a bunch of plugs out the back.
From a manufacturing perspective, it looks to have solved the ease of assembly, update and configuration, as well as cost of construction. That ought to give the iMac a fighting chance of getting down to 999.
This isn't the iMac to buy. It needs a standard 512MB RAM and 120GB HDD (minimum, 160 better) as well as superdrives accross the board (1299 and up) and a touch more VRAM on the 20" model.
Ironically, if you're in the market for a big screen, the 20" model is a good deal.
It's the 17" models that are unconvincing. Apple should quit mucking about and spec the 512MB of RAM and larger HDD's if they insist on a 1299-1499 entry level, or they need to drop each of those machines by $200.
No matter, the mac heads will bite -- as usual Apple will punish the faithful first. The next rev will be the one to consider.
I don't even expect it to drop much, but the RAM/HDD will need looking after.
I don't like it personally speaking. Will I buy it? awwww, dunno, may rather go for a 2nd hand PM. The original iMac was kewl, iMac 2 was even more so but this one, personally speaking no. Having said that, I have to see it in person first but it doesn't look great on the pics I've seen
To keep its beauty, Rolston said, the new iMac requires that users heed Apple's design cues and use a wireless keyboard, mouse and Internet connection "If you've got a lot of USB peripherals, that whole vision falls apart."
I like it overall however I am unsure how I feel about the large eMac-looking gap from the bottom of the actual display to the base of the shell. At first appearance it looks like too much white realestate for a minimalist design. Design overall is good, but the choice of video cards makes me want to change the channel.
Urhmm...yes. My reservations about the design, initially.
eMac 2
However...Amorph and Matsu make valid noises about the design having legs in a way the iMac 2 hadn't. ie The iMac 2 was a nice cul-de-sac.
The iMac 3 can get: slimmer. Easier to upgrade. Looks like it might be easier to trim manufacturing costs with the next couple of revisions.
My issues.
Not price, surprisingly. £919 inc VAT UK pricing.
Initially disappointed it wasn't more...then...if you take off £26...and bang(!) you got £895 inc VAT. For a G5 processor and board. Not bad at all. Psychologically much better. So much so...I'm surprise Apple didn't squeeze the margins in Rip-Off Britain to breech those price points.
In fact, the next model up with 1.8 gig G5 isn't that far off the £995 mark.
That would have both models under £1K!
Big step forwards to the original iMac pricing!!!
And, even more impressive...the 20 inch model!
They're much cheaper than the overpriced 20 inch G4 sunflower.
A modest £1295 could be achieved...with little effort?
I'd like to see a special edition alu-ized display with Radeon 9800xt and a 2 gig G5 for £1595. That would kick ass and be my table faster than you could say, 'Pamela Anderson...nah...I do Macs...HARDCORE...!'
What has gnarked me is that the entry iMac 3 comes in at £720.79 quid from the $1299 currency convertion.
That's outrageous mark-up for Apple UK. Not impressed. They have the chance to got for a £795 or even £895 model and, impossibly, go for the weird £919?
Hurn...
No doubts. The high end model should have 512 megs min'. Should have a 9800xt. Even if a/ they have to raise price or b/ intro another 20 inch model as a special edition with said price hike.
I'm afraid...very afraid to see this in person...I think I'm frightened I'm going to like the iPod Mac. (a concept I've argued for to cash in on the iPod users ala PC users who are fed up with virus and want cool anti-virus zone computers instead...)
I hope Amorph aint lurking...I don't want him thinking I'm going soft on the AIO concept...
Comments
Some of you people must just live for things to criticize.
I mean, what is the alternative? These?:
http://products.gateway.com/products...prf5xlc&seg=hm
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTE...puters_VSeries
http://www.boldata.com/html/lcd.cfm
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTE...puters_VSeries
Space is important in most situations and this machine will look good just about anywhere. Think about it.
Somehow I get the feeling that a lot more effort could have been made to give the G5 iMac a little more class and a lot more soul.
My $0.02
Originally posted by NaplesX
I say wait till you get your hands and eyes on the actual machine. I think it will be much more impressive in person, as is usually the case.
Some of you people must just live for things to criticize.
I don't live to criticize. I've been a Mac fanboy since my SE/30 (or perhaps since my Apple ][ ).
However, the G5 iMac also competes with the looks of the G4 iMac.
Originally posted by MiMac
Personally I prefer the older G4 design. Don't get me wrong, technically the G5 iMac is superior, but IMHO if I was looking for an AIO computer that just looks the business then Ives previous effort is for me the design of the modern age. This new machine looks like any LCD TV you could buy.
I concur. The sunflower / desklamp iMac looks much nicer than the iMac G5.
Still, this isn't the Mac for me. Guess I'll continue plugging away on my year-old PowerBook G4 which still has a better video card then the brand spanking new iMac.
Originally posted by Yevgeny
I don't live to criticize. I've been a Mac fanboy since my SE/30 (or perhaps since my Apple ][ ).
However, the G5 iMac also competes with the looks of the G4 iMac.
Maybe not you, but i can't even begin numbering the people that criticize every little aspect of this line. I bought a new sunflower and it is a great machine from top to bottom. I bought a new iBook... same thing. I have used every machine that apple has made for the past 6 years and have no real complaints. After they got rid of OS 9, they won me over, lock, stock..
Reliability is my biggest issue and apple has that all sown up.
Speed is down the list a couple, for me.
I am also impressed with the compatibility. I plugged in an old usb epson printer with no documented driver support and within seconds it found a driver that would work and i was printing using CUPS, I think.
I have found that so many things that "just work" with the new macs that even that is no longer an issue. rendezvous is incredibly useful.
It seems like connectivity is becoming exponentially more important than some of the things that used to be requirements.
I keep talking myself into buying another Mac...
It really doesn't seem like an Apple design and I felt the same way when the new Cinema displays were introduces. You've got this very thick bezel and a very thin stand that look ridiculous together. No front panel inputs. Lots of cable dangling down.
It's no surprise to see that Jonathan Ives was not involved with this. It was designed by the iPod team instead. Go figure. What's really interesting to me is that it goes against everything Steve Jobs said when the iMac G4 was introduced. Does anyone have that quote? Among the problems he noted was the slowdown when using vertically mounted drives. I don't know, the whole thing strikes me as strange. I mentioned this elsewhere but it really seems like a rejected design for a PowerBook G5 that was adapted for use as a desktop rather than a ground up iMac G4 replacement. In fact, it looks almost exactly like what I had pictured an eMac replacement to be.
Originally posted by NaplesX
Maybe not you, but i can't even begin numbering the people that criticize every little aspect of this line.
A lot of us are very much into design and aesthetics. More than that we all have different ideas as to what looks good. I think the design is more odd, even suspicious, than ugly. Not as much the overall look of it but the whole design process behind it. Since it was designed by the iPod team (again, odd) that may explain it. I would still buy it over an eMac but I'll be getting a PowerBook myself unless Apple decides to release a widescreen iBook of course.
Secondly, the iPod team is headed by Jon Rubinstein, formerly the head of all Apple hardware engineering. He was in charge of engineering the TiBook, the iMac G4, G5, etc.
It's not as if there's some shadow design/engineering group at Apple creating this thing.
The new G5 iMac just hasn't got the "WOW" factor or the presence of the old G4 model.
I believe we will be seeing the old G4 iMac in "lifestyle" magazines and in the background of TV shows for some time to come
Originally posted by scottiB
Where did the notion arise that Ive had no part in the iMac's styling or design (which are different things)? He's the VP of Industrial Design, for crissakes--of course he had a say or two in the matter.
It was mentioned on a few websites. The fact that it was designed by iPod team was mentioned in the keynote itself. There are now two main hardware divisions, Macintosh and iPod, as you will recall this change was officially made a few months ago. Why the iPod division would handle it as opposed to the Macintosh division I do not know. I could be wrong but I think the design shows Ive had very little if any input on this one. At the very least he was not as involved in it as with past projects. I think it's clear this isn't his baby. It's also odd that for the first time a promotional video was not shown for a major new product.
Originally posted by MiMac
It does show that Ives had little or no input into the design.
In what way? Didn't Ive design the iPod? Looking across the Apple line--including peripherals--this iMac resembles and has the same cues as everything else: minimal and clean.
Or is there an iSight with some extraneous shark fin that I've missed?
Originally posted by TWinbrook46636
It was mentioned on a few websites. The fact that it was designed by iPod team was mentioned in the keynote itself. There are now two main hardware divisions, Macintosh and iPod, as you will recall this change was officially made a few months ago. Why the iPod division would handle it as opposed to the Macintosh division I do not know. I could be wrong but I think the design shows Ive had very little if any input on this one. At the very least he was not as involved in it as with past projects. I think it's clear this isn't his baby. It's also odd that for the first time a promotional video was not shown for a major new product.
Actually Apple did show a promotional video of the new iMac during the keynote. I am waiting for Apple to post the video separately in the iMac section of their website as I much prefer watching them that way as opposed to watching it on the stream of the keynote where the quality of the video is not as good.
Jonathan Ive, as has been pointed out, did design the iPod. And I suspect he was the major force behind this new design as well. I suspect the new iMac was a lot like what he had designed for the G4 iMac before Jobs sent him back to the drawing board. I would love to see a new version of that AppleDesign book that would have the stuff he and the other guys at Apple have designed since Jobs returned to the company. You can fill an entire volume with all the iMac stuff from 1998 to today, the Power Macs, the iBooks, the PowerBooks, the LCD displays, the iPod, the iSight - I could go on and on. And they could even throw in stuff about the OS X GUI and all the other interface stuff we have seen in the iApps. Apple has such a rich design history that it would be a shame to see their best stuff uncovered because they have really raised the bar ever since Jobs returned. Some behind the scenes information along with sketches and prototypes would be very cool for those of us that are interested in Apple and great design. That would be a book on my shelf at home - that is for sure.
Originally posted by 7E7
Jonathan Ive, as has been pointed out, did design the iPod. And I suspect he was the major force behind this new design as well. I suspect the new iMac was a lot like what he had designed for the G4 iMac before Jobs sent him back to the drawing board.
I guess you are right. I think the ports are what threw me. It just doesn't seem like the typical "Apple" way of design. Neither does the vast empty space in front.
Can't wait for the promotional video either. Usually they post it right away.
Aesthetically, it's about what I expected. It's growing on me. I thought the chiclet iBook was a cold design too, until I actually saw one. I expect this to be the same. As with the iPod, it can get smaller and thinner over time without compromising the basic design. And the basic design hews to the mantra that's been behind the iMac's design since day one: It's the interface, stupid. All the designs essentially reduce themselves to the screen and the keyboard when they're being used. This one simply takes that directive to its logical conclusion, insofar as the components inside will allow, by reducing the computer to its interface.
I like it. I want the 20". I can live with the big bezel: I have a 15" Studio Display now, so I'm used to that.
Seriously though, Steve Jobs had stated recently they no longer see the iPod as a way to lure Windows users over to the Mac platform. From viewing the promotional video it's clear this is being targeted towards iPod users in a big, big, big way, especially Windows iPod users. This is obviously what Apple wants to use to lure Windows users to the Mac now.
Originally posted by Amorph
I like it. I want the 20".
I totally concur, dude. (can't remember if that was Bill or Ted)
I'm really happy with the new iMac. The design has grown on me very quickly, and I am really happy with the pricing. I placed my order for a 20" iMac with a 250GB HD, plus BT and AE. It's going to look very sweet on my desk with the wireless keyboard and mouse.
I got my order in within seconds of the store reopening, let's just hope us poor Canadian bastards don't get stuck too far down on the delivery list this time.
From a manufacturing perspective, it looks to have solved the ease of assembly, update and configuration, as well as cost of construction. That ought to give the iMac a fighting chance of getting down to 999.
This isn't the iMac to buy. It needs a standard 512MB RAM and 120GB HDD (minimum, 160 better) as well as superdrives accross the board (1299 and up) and a touch more VRAM on the 20" model.
Ironically, if you're in the market for a big screen, the 20" model is a good deal.
It's the 17" models that are unconvincing. Apple should quit mucking about and spec the 512MB of RAM and larger HDD's if they insist on a 1299-1499 entry level, or they need to drop each of those machines by $200.
No matter, the mac heads will bite -- as usual Apple will punish the faithful first. The next rev will be the one to consider.
I don't even expect it to drop much, but the RAM/HDD will need looking after.
To keep its beauty, Rolston said, the new iMac requires that users heed Apple's design cues and use a wireless keyboard, mouse and Internet connection "If you've got a lot of USB peripherals, that whole vision falls apart."
We will need a wireless iPod as well...
I like it overall however I am unsure how I feel about the large eMac-looking gap from the bottom of the actual display to the base of the shell. At first appearance it looks like too much white realestate for a minimalist design. Design overall is good, but the choice of video cards makes me want to change the channel.
Urhmm...yes. My reservations about the design, initially.
eMac 2
However...Amorph and Matsu make valid noises about the design having legs in a way the iMac 2 hadn't. ie The iMac 2 was a nice cul-de-sac.
The iMac 3 can get: slimmer. Easier to upgrade. Looks like it might be easier to trim manufacturing costs with the next couple of revisions.
My issues.
Not price, surprisingly. £919 inc VAT UK pricing.
Initially disappointed it wasn't more...then...if you take off £26...and bang(!) you got £895 inc VAT. For a G5 processor and board. Not bad at all. Psychologically much better. So much so...I'm surprise Apple didn't squeeze the margins in Rip-Off Britain to breech those price points.
In fact, the next model up with 1.8 gig G5 isn't that far off the £995 mark.
That would have both models under £1K!
And, even more impressive...the 20 inch model!
They're much cheaper than the overpriced 20 inch G4 sunflower.
A modest £1295 could be achieved...with little effort?
I'd like to see a special edition alu-ized display with Radeon 9800xt and a 2 gig G5 for £1595. That would kick ass and be my table faster than you could say, 'Pamela Anderson...nah...I do Macs...HARDCORE...!'
What has gnarked me is that the entry iMac 3 comes in at £720.79 quid from the $1299 currency convertion.
That's outrageous mark-up for Apple UK. Not impressed. They have the chance to got for a £795 or even £895 model and, impossibly, go for the weird £919?
Hurn...
No doubts. The high end model should have 512 megs min'. Should have a 9800xt. Even if a/ they have to raise price or b/ intro another 20 inch model as a special edition with said price hike.
I'm afraid...very afraid to see this in person...I think I'm frightened I'm going to like the iPod Mac. (a concept I've argued for to cash in on the iPod users ala PC users who are fed up with virus and want cool anti-virus zone computers instead...)
I hope Amorph aint lurking...I don't want him thinking I'm going soft on the AIO concept...
Lemon Bon Bon