iMac G5 VS mactels
I'm really not sure what to do when it comes to this...so a full desktop styled mac is expected to come out around mid 2006, right? Well I need a computer pretty soon, at least within the month of January when the macintels are released. I can't decide if I should go with a macintel or the current iMac G5. I really like the iMac because of its all-in-one features but it could be "out of date" by the time the macintels come out. I also dont want a macintel with built in graphics like the iBook and mac mini might be, right? So should I go with the current iMac or which macintel? I will wait until the macintels are released to see their specs most likely. Thanks, your opinion is appreciated.
Comments
A fantastic late claim for worst troll of 2005.
Originally posted by krispie
A fantastic late claim for worst troll of 2005.
If you're thinking of getting a laptop, it would be wise to wait until MWSF on Jan 9th. If you know you want a desktop, though, I think the iMac is a very safe choice. The G5 is a very good chip, the current iMacs are drop-dead gorgeous, Apple will support PPC Macs for many years to come (at very least 3-5, and probably for a decade or more), and all the upcoming software to run on Intel Macs will be "universal binaries" that run on existing PPC Macs as well.
Originally posted by Hobbes
If you're thinking of getting a laptop, it would be wise to wait until MWSF on Jan 9th. If you know you want a desktop, though, I think the iMac is a very safe choice. The G5 is a very good chip, the current iMacs are drop-dead gorgeous, Apple will support PPC Macs for many years to come (at very least 3-5, and probably for a decade or more), and all the upcoming software to run on Intel Macs will be "universal binaries" that run on existing PPC Macs as well.
I completely agree with this. Also, you might consider getting one of the 2.0GHz 20" iMacs for only $1299! Apple is doing free overnight shipping on the "refurbs" (many of which are just overstock). Either way, the 20" iMacs really are great machines. I don't own one, but I work with them at work all the time (where I'm an IT consultant). Overall great machines.
Originally posted by Hobbes
Apple will support PPC Macs for many years to come (at very least 3-5, and probably for a decade or more)
A decade or more???
Leopart (2006) will be PPC and intel, 100%
10.6 (mid 2008?) will be, more than probably.
10.7 (end 2009?) will probably not
10.8 definetly not
I would say apple will support PPC for 4 to 6 years from now, at the maximum!
and all the new features, and new apps, will not be available with a super-slow G5 in 5 years! look at the required spec for iLife! a 5 year-old mac (iMac G3 500) cannot run any of them but iTunes!
A computer is a 3 years investment.
Apple has been taking a very subtle but hard nosed attitude recently, it has learned that Microsoft earns it's money from re-selling the same software with minor modifications. Apple's strategy is that new software is only supported by the latest version of OSX and will not be backwards compatible (note that third party developers do not seem to suffer from this phenomenon) and some will also require the latest hardware.
If you have seen any of the new version of the Mac developers stuff, in it is an option to build a fat binary, a PPC only or an x86 only binary. I am sure that some developers will increasingly build x86 only binarys. In many ways that would not make any sense as there will be very few x86 machines on the market, but I think that people do not build new products for legacy systems and ppc is now legacy, like it or not, and I am not sure yet that I do.
Originally posted by belzebuth
[snip]A computer is a 3 years investment.
indeed and most macs have in general a lifespan closer to 5-6 years. that will get us straight in the next decade.
will they still be supported with the newest os in 5-6 years? probally not.
is that a problem? of course not.
it's nice to have an almost 6 years old powerbook running tiger, but it starts showing its age. time to move allong
What non-troller would ask for buying advice on machines that no-one outside of a chosen few within Apple knows
a) when they'll be available
b) what the specs will be
These stupid 'should I buy now or wait' questions always have one simple answer: If you need it now, buy it now. If you don't, then wait.
I see nothing even *vaguely* trollish about the OP's post.
Anyway, yeah, OK, a decade is probably overstating it, but I do expect Apple and the Mac software market to be supporting PPC Macs for a good number of years. 20+ million PPC Mac users out there are going to take a good long time before they're all using Intel macs.
Originally posted by krispie
Of course it's a troll.
What non-troller would ask for buying advice on machines that no-one outside of a chosen few within Apple knows
a) when they'll be available
b) what the specs will be
These stupid 'should I buy now or wait' questions always have one simple answer: If you need it now, buy it now. If you don't, then wait.
Wow krispy u really have the christmas cheer ...
I had this strange thought run through my mind right after WWDC, and it's this: What if Mac OS X's primary development has been on Intel all along, and then effectively "ported" to PowerPC?
Think of things like performance of the Finder. Sure the Finder may work superbly on the Intel architecture from which it was designed, but reacts and behaves differently when run on PowerPC. If we are to give a Dvorak article a grain of salt, where he spoke of Intel's courting of Steve Jobs back to the point when Pixar switched its rendering farm to Intel processors, this is entirely possible.
The developers who have talked about the Intel transition system on loan from Apple speak of how much more responsive it is on the Pentium 4 3.6GHz processor as compared to the dual 2GHz Power Mac G5.
Bottom line, I can't wait to get my hands on an Intel Mac, and hopefully it will be a portable. I hope to be able to order one in 15 days!
Originally posted by Matsu
I think practical PPC support (from Apple) will not last too long. Officially, it may last for the next 5 years (with one down basically) but by the time the line-up is completely transitioned, you can expect that Intel versions will start to get little bells and whistles that never quite make it to the PPC.
I hope not...I just picked up a refurbished iMac G5 20" from Apple's store. I'd be okay with 4-5 years but anything less would certainly piss me off.
I had to upgrade since Apple has done away with Firewire in favour of Intel designed USB 2.0 (a sign of things to come?) on it's iPods and my G4 iMac only does USB 1.1.
When Apple introduced GB, they were still selling G3 machines. Try taking advantage of some of the key features on a G3. iLife represents the entry level. It barely runs on entry level machines.
This discussion comes up every time Apple introduces something new. There is always a contingent of people who have the bleeding edge and are not worried about the next transition because they are somewhat insulated from the effects for a while. They always give bad counsel to people thinking about purchasing the soon to be defunct hardware. New buyers are always optimistic about Apple not abandoning them. Finally, the inevitable happens. The new purchasers are upset because the next great feature left them behind. And the Bleeding edge folks are now singing a different tune, telling them to get over it and what did they expect when buying clearly obsolete hardware.
IMO, you have got to be crazy to buy any PPC equipment before MWSF. You know it will be something you will want and either then or soon after, more releases will come out that won't be compatible with the current stuff. Make a wise decision, not an emotional one.
By the way, the thread starter, if no a bit trollish, is at best, childish. Don't let the money burn a hole in your pocket. Don't get lured by the new iMac's sleek new design, remote control, FR, and iSight. Just because Apple puts lipstick on a pig doesn't mean you have to kiss it. Just wait a couple of weeks and see if a nicer pig comes along.
Originally posted by Matsu
I think practical PPC support (from Apple) will not last too long. Officially, it may last for the next 5 years (with one down basically)
I think 5 years is the minimum. The PPC installed base will be much bigger for years to come yet than the Intel one to be just ignored.
but by the time the line-up is completely transitioned, you can expect that Intel versions will start to get little bells and whistles that never quite make it to the PPC. It's just the way of things. OSX left some people behind -- and while it still works on even a 300Ghz iMac G3, it is far from optimal. Likewise, the last five years have seen subsequent verions of all sorts leave users back -- each generation of quartz improvements (quartz extreme and core graphics), versions of QT, iChat A/V, OSX, etc... A lot of it still works, but not as well as on supported machinery. This is not something to get too upset about, though, it's a pretty natural thing in the computer world.
This is quite reasonable, it happened in the past, it will happen in the future. I believe OS X will run on PPC for many years to come, just not optimally. This is nothing new.
However, I think it naive to expect "100%" support for a line that's being phased out, regardless of what Apple says about it. I would only expect 1 major dual binary release of any of Apple's first party applications.
And what they will sell to, say, 70% of their installed user base?
Originally posted by Mac Voyer
IMO, you have got to be crazy to buy any PPC equipment before MWSF. You know it will be something you will want and either then or soon after, more releases will come out that won't be compatible with the current stuff. Make a wise decision, not an emotional one.
You forget perhaps that are many people who need a Classic-capable machine. Classic will be dead on the Intel machines.
Originally posted by Mac Voyer
Don't expect Apple to respect your purchase of legacy hardware. They won't. They announced six months ago that the PPC was a dead end when they announced the switch to Intel. Any PPC purchased after that should only be for what the computer is good for today. Expect no future compatibility with anything new. And if you get it, consider it a bonus...
I believe that Apple, as all manufacturers are, is legally responsible for supporting their hardware for a set period of time. For a computer that includes repair parts and if I'm not mistaken OS updates.
The transition will happen like this:
"Full" support will be available for one "major" update of the OS and first party apps, and some minor updates as well. These are on about a 18-24 month cycle. So a release of all the major software at sometime next year, keeps PPC users covered through to end of 2008. After that support will just get less robust. Things will work, but certain features will of neccessity only work on Intel macs, the same way iChat AV, or QT encoding, or Quartz extreme, or Core Image only works on newer machines. The programs that utilize these technologies still work on older macs, but not as well. Likewise expect PPC support, but not 100% functionality, because that doesn't neccessarily happen even between generations of the same platform...
As for installed base, that's not so much of a concern. By the end of 2007, users will not have any PPC macs to buy, and most will have moved on before then. They will have updates in that time frame which will serve the PPC for 2-3 years.
Apple does not make it's software work perfectly with old macs now, and they can't, because new software demands more advanced hardware all the time. Third party manufacturers do the same. They add features to their software, and those features need ever increasing speed.
Is it a question that new software gets built for todays machiens or that new machines get built for today's software? The answer doesn't really matter because the net effect is the same. An upgrade cycle is assumed. Companies assume that anyone using three year old machines already bought their two or three year old software to run on them, and that assumption is correct.
Look at some professional operations. It's amazing how many older machines running older versions everything from office to FCP, to photoshop, to avid, are still in use...
Basically, the installed base doesn't really matter in the way some are counting it, they made their major software purchases when they were installed, and don't really make new ones untill it's time for a major new installation.
Originally posted by Matsu
As for installed base, that's not so much of a concern.
No, it is this exactly that will shape the time frame of PPC support.
By the end of 2007, users will not have any PPC macs to buy, and most will have moved on before then.
This is one of the most optimistic projections I have ever seen. In my opinion, by the end of 2007 and if the transition goes as scheduled, the Intel/PPC Macs ratio will be still tiny.