Apple unveils the new iMac G5

1161718192022»

Comments

  • Reply 421 of 440
    Bsodmike,



    it's hard to take some of your comments seriously when you write "it will be obsolete in a couple of months" in relation to the new iMac.



    I guess it depends on your definition of "obsolete", but I am running at home both an G4 iLamp 8--Mhz and a orihinal iMac G3 400 Mhz machine. The latter is, what, four and a half years old and cannot be described as obsolete in any sense. Sure I don't edit movies on it, and the Photoshop work is relatively light, but apart from that it still works a treat.



    Shame really, as when it dies the new iMac will replace it, whatever video card it has :-)



    Cheers,



    David
  • Reply 422 of 440
    pbpb Posts: 4,255member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by bsodmike

    ...You are seriously taking the micky out of us!"







    Sorry to don't know english as well as you do, but what does this means? Just curious.
  • Reply 423 of 440
    Quote:

    Originally posted by iMac David

    Bsodmike,

    it's hard to take some of your comments seriously when you write "it will be obsolete in a couple of months" in relation to the new iMac.





    Mmm, I was thinking if I should have defined it at the time but cba But you are right, what I meant by obsolete was you'd end up doing less on it, or found that what you *did* do was slightly restricted (by hardware constraints).



    However, for basic emailing, web-browsing etc it'll be fine. I got the go5200FX chip in my 12" Pbook here and it's great, so I'm not really too sure what the fuss is about.



    I will wait for Rev B hoping for a speed bump in CPU and a better GPU (would be nice but not too important for me) and maybe they'll consider doing a 23" version, which I highly doubt.....but can hope for!
  • Reply 424 of 440
    pbpb Posts: 4,255member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by iMac David

    Shame really, as when it dies the new iMac will replace it, whatever video card it has :-)





    If you are waiting it to die, the wait risks to be very long. I have a Wallstreet Powerbook (6 years from its introduction this September), a real computer dinosaur, that still works perfectly. Tough nuts those old Macs.
  • Reply 425 of 440
    Quote:

    Originally posted by PB

    Sorry to don't know english as well as you do, but what does this means? Just curious.



    It's like 'taking the piss out of' or 'making fun of' Another version would be me pointing my index finger @ the Manager and going "Bwahahahhahahhahha!"



    Get it?



  • Reply 426 of 440
    pbpb Posts: 4,255member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by bsodmike

    ...and maybe they'll consider doing a 23" version, which I highly doubt.....but can hope for!



    Exactly my thoughts for this model which, by design, could go up to 30" with the appropriate video card. But I would not expect a 23" model before 2006.
  • Reply 427 of 440
    Bodsmike,



    yep, I agree. BTW, what's cba? Haven't come across that one. :-)



    And yes, waiting for a Mac to die requires patience. The G3 iMac (running 10.2.8 ) started making a noise about 2 years ago, when previously it was silent as a lamb. I think it's connected to the power supply, but not too sure. Still, it keeps on going, and it is switched on 24/7 as it acts as the router in my house, so can't even sleep.
  • Reply 428 of 440
    mattyjmattyj Posts: 898member
    iMac David, my revision a iMac died after three to four years of use, the culprit was the power supply circuit which just simply chose to break. Apprently it's easy enough to fix, however it was a timely demise for the machine as I needed a new Mac for work.



    Now I've got a Powerbook 15" 1.33Ghz for uni, (this has got to last for at least 3 years lol) it's fantastic, the measley 256MB of RAM has to be boosted though, an extra 512MB should be enough. 256MB of RAM is way too little these days, games stutter, loading times slow to a crawl, garageband runs well but can do with more easily.
  • Reply 429 of 440
    Quote:

    Originally posted by iMac David





    And yes, waiting for a Mac to die requires patience. The G3 iMac (running 10.2.8 ) started making a noise about 2 years ago, when previously it was silent as a lamb. I think it's connected to the power supply, but not too sure. Still, it keeps on going, and it is switched on 24/7 as it acts as the router in my house, so can't even sleep.







    Quote:

    Originally posted by mattyj



    Mac David, my revision a iMac died after three to four years of use, the culprit was the power supply circuit which just simply chose to break.




    These are interesting comments from the two of you. My current Mac, a circa 1999 iMac DV SE, has had every major internal component fail on me (and that was as of 2002) *except* the interrnal power supply. I'm nervously waiting for the other shoe to drop. Given that I'm not a gamer, and the much-maligned graphics card in the iMac G5, I'm actually more concerned about the mirroring-vs.-spanning complaints vis-å-vis the new iMac. A second monitor would be nice alongside whatever I replace my current iMac with, but why would I want to see the same thing on both monitors? Do the Powerbooks have monitor spanning, or is that reserved for the G5 Power Macs?
  • Reply 430 of 440
    banchobancho Posts: 1,517member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by patrick

    These are interesting comments from the two of you. My current Mac, a circa 1999 iMac DV SE, has had every major internal component fail on me (and that was as of 2002) *except* the interrnal power supply. I'm nervously waiting for the other shoe to drop. Given that I'm not a gamer, and the much-maligned graphics card in the iMac G5, I'm actually more concerned about the mirroring-vs.-spanning complaints vis-å-vis the new iMac. A second monitor would be nice alongside whatever I replace my current iMac with, but why would I want to see the same thing on both monitors? Do the Powerbooks have monitor spanning, or is that reserved for the G5 Power Macs?



    I have a rev. A iMac from 1998. I had one of the ones with the bad analog board but since they fixed that it has kept going ever since. It's often left on for weeks at a time.



    Powerbooks have monitor spanning. I use mine with a 19" CRT when I want to have a larger screen to work with. It's a great feature.
  • Reply 431 of 440
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Bancho

    I have a rev. A iMac from 1998. I had one of the ones with the bad analog board but since they fixed that it has kept going ever since. It's often left on for weeks at a time.



    Powerbooks have monitor spanning. I use mine with a 19" CRT when I want to have a larger screen to work with. It's a great feature.




    Thanks, Bancho. It'll be awhile, but it seems my next Mac will be a Powerbook. After my previous post about mirroring, the following may sound odd, but here goes: Can the information (browser, varios apps, whatever) on a Powerbook be mirrored onto a larger external monitor? I wouldn't want to do this all the time, but my eyes would love a monitor of 20 inches or more, vs. the 17 inch screen on the Powerbook. If that's possible, it'd make it even better for me, as I could buy the smaller, more-portable 15-inch Powerbook for the same purpose.



    Addendum Edit: Odd, but this is what Apple's site says about the mirroring/spanning question: 'The system automatically displays to the external monitor when you connect it to the PowerBook. Alternatively, you can toggle between dual display and video mirroring modes through one touch of the F7 key.' It seems mirroring *and* spanning are capable with the Powerbooks.
  • Reply 432 of 440
    applenutapplenut Posts: 5,768member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by shetline

    Well, part of the problem is that we aren't all the same people.



    But anyway, ordering extra RAM right from the get-go when you buy a new computer is hardly what I think most people are thinking about when they say "people don't upgrade".



    It's sort of like the difference between the number of people likely to spring for the optional fancy hubcaps or "deluxe" sound system when buying a car vs. the number of people who'd add any those things well after having bought the car and used it without those things for a time.



    It's a rough analogy, but fairly close in the case of buying extra RAM as a BTO option from Apple... or Dell as the case might be. The analogy gets a little rougher in the case of buying third-party RAM at the same time you buy a new computer -- because then you have to be willing to install it yourself or find a geek friend/relative to do it for you -- but the analogy still holds to a degree, because I think there's a tendency for people to be more motivated to change things up front at purchase time, but then as long as what they've then got gets the job done for them, a lot of people settle in with what they've got and then leave it alone until they buy another whole new system.



    I'd hazard a guess -- and it's only a guess -- that when people do actually bother to upgrade their computers (apart from the above-mentioned case of extra RAM bought at the same time as the original purchase) that RAM would turn out to be the number-one internal upgrade, that is, the number one upgrade among all upgrades that requiring cracking open their computer's case. I'd futher hazard the guess that whatever the #2 internal upgrade is -- perhaps it is video -- it's a distant second to RAM.




    if someone is intelligent enough to know ram will offer better performance they are intelligent enough to know a better video card will as well. if they are capable of upgrading ram they are capable of upgrading a video card. if apple can offer to charge a premium for a ram upgrade at the time of sale they can also charge a premium to upgrade the graphics card.



    put aside your ideologies about the imac and what it is and how dumb "consumers" are. (personally I think consumer is the stupidest term ever created and means shit, I'm not a consumer by most of your definitions, i'm certainly not a professional, I don't have thousands of dollars to spend, so the iMac is what I need, however, since its "consumer" its only for idiots who know nothing and do nothing intense) Apple is missing out on increased revenue and profits by not offering a BTO option for the graphics card. Look at the Powerbook. How many people are ordering direct from Apple just so they can upgrade the VRAM, nevermind change the chip. A lot. Direct sales mean more money, BTO options mean more money. Apple is being dumb when they know demand is there. It just doesn't make sense. If they offered a 50 dollar upgrade to 128MB of VRAM don't you think a ton of people would jump at that? How about a 149 dollar upgrade to a better graphic chip?
  • Reply 433 of 440
    Quote:

    How many people are ordering direct from Apple just so they can upgrade the VRAM, nevermind change the chip. A lot. Direct sales mean more money, BTO options mean more money. Apple is being dumb when they know demand is there. It just doesn't make sense. If they offered a 50 dollar upgrade to 128MB of VRAM don't you think a ton of people would jump at that? How about a 149 dollar upgrade to a better graphic chip?





    So true. People order BTO so that they get that flexibility. The iMac design is very nice but it would have been nice had Apple stated that future cards would be "approved" for installation as long as they met thermal requirements. Has anyone been able to confirm that the card is soldered?
  • Reply 434 of 440
    reidreid Posts: 190member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by applenut

    Look at the Powerbook. How many people are ordering direct from Apple just so they can upgrade the VRAM, nevermind change the chip. A lot.



    Based on what data?



    Not trying to be combative here, as I agree that it's silly not to offer such an upgrade option if the design allows for it. (Given the space and cooling constraints, I'm guessing they would have done it if they could.) I'm curious to know if figures have ever been released on how many PowerBooks were sold with BTO upgrades.
  • Reply 435 of 440
    Quote:

    Originally posted by iMac David

    Bodsmike,

    yep, I agree. BTW, what's cba? Haven't come across that one. :-)





    cba = can't be arsed, not sure if I came up with this but I've been using it for some time....



    Well, if you can't wait for it to die you can always use that sledgehammer that's behind you on the table next to the iMac G5



    (Of course, don't use it on the iMac G5)
  • Reply 436 of 440
    applenutapplenut Posts: 5,768member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Reid

    Based on what data?



    Not trying to be combative here, as I agree that it's silly not to offer such an upgrade option if the design allows for it. (Given the space and cooling constraints, I'm guessing they would have done it if they could.) I'm curious to know if figures have ever been released on how many PowerBooks were sold with BTO upgrades.




    no figures....but i've seen no shortage of people ordering from apple to get the 128MB option. Personally, I'd never buy from Apple, because of tax, but the 128MB option would make me.



    as for space and cooling...I really don't think that is the problem. Apple has never offered a BTO option for this on the iMac. Even with designs that could have easily had no cooling or space issues. And if they can offer a 128MB option in a powerbook they surely can do that and then some in the iMac.
  • Reply 437 of 440
    banchobancho Posts: 1,517member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by patrick

    Thanks, Bancho. It'll be awhile, but it seems my next Mac will be a Powerbook. After my previous post about mirroring, the following may sound odd, but here goes: Can the information (browser, varios apps, whatever) on a Powerbook be mirrored onto a larger external monitor? I wouldn't want to do this all the time, but my eyes would love a monitor of 20 inches or more, vs. the 17 inch screen on the Powerbook. If that's possible, it'd make it even better for me, as I could buy the smaller, more-portable 15-inch Powerbook for the same purpose.



    Addendum Edit: Odd, but this is what Apple's site says about the mirroring/spanning question: 'The system automatically displays to the external monitor when you connect it to the PowerBook. Alternatively, you can toggle between dual display and video mirroring modes through one touch of the F7 key.' It seems mirroring *and* spanning are capable with the Powerbooks.




    You can run the Powerbooks in clamshell mode and use an external monitor exclusively if you like. When run this way the entire VRAM is devoted to the external display unlike when you are spanning and VRAM is split 50/50 between built-in LCD and external display.



    The extra functionality is definitely a nice perk of the Powerbooks.
  • Reply 438 of 440
    reidreid Posts: 190member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by shetline

    I'd hazard a guess -- and it's only a guess -- that when people do actually bother to upgrade their computers (apart from the above-mentioned case of extra RAM bought at the same time as the original purchase) that RAM would turn out to be the number-one internal upgrade, that is, the number one upgrade among all upgrades that requiring cracking open their computer's case. I'd futher hazard the guess that whatever the #2 internal upgrade is -- perhaps it is video -- it's a distant second to RAM.



    Just taking a look at the way BTO stores lay out your upgrade options, I don't think anyone would arugue this point. Both Apple and Dell offer RAM as the first configurable hardware option, followed by hard drive. On the PowerMacs, the video card is the next option on the page. With Dell, you have to scroll almost all the way to the bottom before you find the video card options. Also, note that their "consumer" machines come standard with Intel Integrated Graphics (whatever that is), and have no dedicated VRAM whatsoever.



    Point being: perhaps video performance isn't the huge deal to most PC buyers that a few on this board would make it out to be.
  • Reply 439 of 440
    3.14163.1416 Posts: 120member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Reid

    Point being: perhaps video performance isn't the huge deal to most PC buyers that a few on this board would make it out to be.



    For most it's not, but for a substantial minority it is. Those buyers can easily fix the poor graphics on a stock PC with a cheap AGP card. With the iMac, they can't.
  • Reply 440 of 440
    Quote:

    Originally posted by hmurchison



    ...

    My thesis is this.

    ...The horse isn't just dead on this subjects it's been ground into the Earth.





    ah, ... flogging dead horses, you do suppose to mean, don't you?
Sign In or Register to comment.