User Name
Password
AppleNova Forums » Apple Products »

Anyone Seen A Hands-On iMac Review Yet?


Register Members List Calendar Search FAQ Posting Guidelines
Anyone Seen A Hands-On iMac Review Yet?
Page 1 of 2 [1] 2  Next Thread Tools
Gizzer
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Hampshire (the original one)
 
2004-09-09, 08:42

...Obvioulsy there have been lots of stories about them in the newspapers etc. but has a website actually reviewed an iMac G5 yet?

I know the chances are slim as they've obviously not started shipping to the public. But you never know...
  quote
Powerdoc
Cat's Dreamlands
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2004-09-10, 13:22

The lack of answer, is the answer to your question. Don't expect a review until mid september.
  quote
bassplayinMacFiend
Banging the Bottom End
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
 
2004-09-10, 14:14

Someone somewhere on one of these forums said the Apple stores should have demo models at the beginning of next week.

I'm not buying one (damn vid card) but I'll definitely go check them out once they set some up at Westfarms.
  quote
MacRGood4U
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
 
2004-09-10, 15:32

Any reviews at this point would be based on the machines at Apple Expo. Being pre-production models, those reviews would not necessarily be accurate. I believe a website published benchmarks on the iMac a day or so after the Expo, but they were asked to remove them by Apple. They did. Reviewing what are basically prototypes doesn't do anybody any good. Expect the Apple stores to have samples of the new iMacs in 10 days or so. The San Fran store did have them on display the day the Expo opened so perhaps they still have them. Expect reviews from Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal fairly soon. He usually gets to test Apple products early.

Can't You See The Forrest Through The Trees?
  quote
psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2004-09-10, 15:49

Well, don't forget Macworld. They always get the goods too, and only review real, shipping products. I'm sure Breen or Engst or one of those guys is neck-deep in their article/review, as we speak.
  quote
revolver
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
 
2004-09-20, 10:45

Kind of generic review by the Washington Post-

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...0813_2004sep18

But. The guy nails one thing- the slowness of the computer at 256MB RAM. I played around with a G5 1.6 iMac at my local Apple store, and I was floored how S-L-O-W it was with stock RAM. It was definitely slower than my 1.5Ghz, 760Mb RAM G4 Powerbook. Apps took seemingly forever to launch when more than one open.

Apple really did their loyal and potential customers a disservice here. I mean, they released a $1300 computer which has to be upgraded right out of the box? Come on.

I was debating whether to get an iMac or a used G5 tower. Now there is no question- I'm getting a tower. Here are my impressions:

Slow with stock memory.

Large reflective white bezel makes screen look smaller than G4 iMac. Bezel on G4 had an incredible optical illusion which made the screen look bigger. On the 17" G5, the screen seems to shrink inside that bezel.

Cable management is going to be a nightmare. If I plugged all of my firewire/USB items I have in to that thing, it would look like jellyfish tentacles hanging down in an unsightly mess.

Tinny sound from speakers.

Overall, I think the G5 iMac is good for a certain niche- not sure what that niche is- College students with $1500 lying around?
  quote
bassplayinMacFiend
Banging the Bottom End
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
 
2004-09-20, 10:53

I checked out the 20" iMac at the Apple store Westfarms last week. Suprise, surprise, surprise; all the demo models had 512MB RAM in them. Still, it was a great little machine. I thought that if I checked it out in person I might want to buy one but nope. Guess I'll stick with my (just today) 1 year old Aluminium PowerBook G4. I'll take another look when Rev B. rolls around.
  quote
Luca
ಠ_ರೃ
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Minnesota
 
2004-09-20, 10:56

Ouch, the fan system is probably a lot like the iBook I owned a while back. It was super quiet until I started straining it. If I ran something processor intensive like a game, it would get very hot and the fan would rev up. Yeah, it was super quiet when I wasn't putting a big strain on the computer, but the fan sounded like a hair dryer. Extremely annoying.

Well, there's another reason why I wouldn't buy one. Desktops shouldn't have these issues.
  quote
revolver
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
 
2004-09-20, 11:07

Bassplayer

I feel the same way- I walked into the Apple store wanting to like it. I walked away not impressed, but satisfied that going with a G5 tower, or a used G4 iMac at a deep discount is the smart money here.
  quote
Luca
ಠ_ರೃ
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Minnesota
 
2004-09-20, 11:22

Yeah, you can get a refurb 20" G4 iMac for $1400. Not as fast or future-proof, but it DOES have the same amount of RAM and the same video card as the new iMacs. And seriously - a 20" screen for $100 more than the price of a standalone one! I would be tempted to buy one if I had a need for something like that.
  quote
bassplayinMacFiend
Banging the Bottom End
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
 
2004-09-20, 14:09

Quote:
Originally Posted by Luca
Yeah, you can get a refurb 20" G4 iMac for $1400. Not as fast or future-proof, but it DOES have the same amount of RAM and the same video card as the new iMacs. And seriously - a 20" screen for $100 more than the price of a standalone one! I would be tempted to buy one if I had a need for something like that.
Actually I like the sunflower macs more than the new iMac G5. It was much harder not to buy the sunflower mac than it has been for the new G5. Luckily for me, the Westfarms store sold out of 20" models before it wore me down.
  quote
usurp
High Monarch of MacDebate
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Kuwait
 
2004-09-21, 03:38

20inch imac.. who wasnt tempted into getting it.
thats like a perfect imac.
  quote
kscherer
Which way is up?
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Boyzeee
 
2004-09-21, 15:28

How about this treat from PC Magazine. Proof positive that bias has no place when the computer is that awesome!

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1648796,00.asp

- AppleNova is the best Mac-users forum on the internet. We are smart, educated, capable, and helpful. We are also loaded with smart-alecks! :)
- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Mat 5:9)
  quote
curiousuburb
Antimatter Man
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
 
2004-09-21, 16:03

Interesting review, though they don't specify the config of the testing machines.

Probably ran it stock with 256MB RAM.

And the Gateway 'competition' is mentioned, but not compared against. Wonder why.
  quote
kscherer
Which way is up?
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Boyzeee
 
2004-09-21, 16:43

Quote:
Originally Posted by curiousuburb
Interesting review, though they don't specify the config of the testing machines.

Probably ran it stock with 256MB RAM.

And the Gateway 'competition' is mentioned, but not compared against. Wonder why.
I would have to agree with you on the stock config. PC Magazine wouldn't want to load a Mac up tight. Might make 'em look bad.

And why WOULD they compare it to the Gateway? That thing is scaring people to death as it is!

- AppleNova is the best Mac-users forum on the internet. We are smart, educated, capable, and helpful. We are also loaded with smart-alecks! :)
- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Mat 5:9)
  quote
MCQ
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: NY
Send a message via MSN to MCQ  
2004-09-21, 20:44

Quote:
Originally Posted by curiousuburb
Interesting review, though they don't specify the config of the testing machines.

Probably ran it stock with 256MB RAM.


Quote:
Spec Data:
1.8-GHz PowerPC G5 processor, 512MB DDR SDRAM, 160GB SATA hard drive (7,200-rpm), nVidia GeForce FX 5200 Ultra graphics, 20-inch widescreen LCD, DVD-R optical drive, three USB 2.0 ports, two FireWire ports, integrated speakers, AirPort Extreme (802.11g) wireless, Bluetooth, Mac OS X 10.3.5.

Last edited by MCQ : 2004-09-21 at 20:52.
  quote
curiousuburb
Antimatter Man
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
 
2004-09-21, 22:44

  quote
Disko
Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Adelaide
 
2004-09-22, 00:30

I've just done a very light review on AppleTalk
http://forums.appletalk.com.au/index.php?showtopic=1537
  quote
nassau
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
 
2004-09-22, 01:14

Quote:
Originally Posted by revolver
I walked into the Apple store wanting to like it. I walked away not impressed...

cosign! maybe i'll change my view on this after a while..
  quote
bassplayinMacFiend
Banging the Bottom End
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
 
2004-09-22, 07:59

Quote:
Originally Posted by nassau
cosign! maybe i'll change my view on this after a while..
Watch out, it might grow on you like it's doing to me! I went to the Apple store (where's Phil Rizzuto when you need him?) Westfarms and I played around with the 20" iMac. While it was cool, there wasn't any kind of earth-shattering "I must have!" moment like there was when I got my TiBook in 2001. I thought, "this is a good thing that I'm not too impressed" since they had 3 20" models in stock.

Now, I've basically convinced myself to get one, and no one around here has stock and everyone has waiting lists! That'll teach me!
  quote
nassau
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
 
2004-09-22, 11:33

like others, i'm not that happy about the white slab under the screen. the only reason it is there is cause apple couldn't make it "screen only". no designer in their right mind would want it looking like that. the iMac is a compromise, no doubt.

ah well... it's not that bad.
  quote
bassplayinMacFiend
Banging the Bottom End
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
 
2004-09-22, 14:30

Quote:
Originally Posted by nassau
like others, i'm not that happy about the white slab under the screen. the only reason it is there is cause apple couldn't make it "screen only". no designer in their right mind would want it looking like that. the iMac is a compromise, no doubt.

ah well... it's not that bad.
Like many people and sites have mentioned, the chin is a great place for post-it notes!
  quote
murbot
Hoonigan
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Canada
 
2004-09-22, 15:07

Screw that. It would be a perfect place to stick a couple of AppleNova stickers!

  quote
bassplayinMacFiend
Banging the Bottom End
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
 
2004-09-22, 17:13

Actually, I could put my 2 year old As the Apple Turns stickers on there!
  quote
MacRGood4U
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
 
2004-09-23, 07:28

Walt Mossbergg at the WSJ has posted his rave review. He's always been an Apple supporter so it doesn't come as a surprise.

http://ptech.wsj.com/ptech.html

Can't You See The Forrest Through The Trees?
  quote
Luca
ಠ_ರೃ
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Minnesota
 
2004-09-23, 08:13

Sup-r-qwik review by Luca:

I had half an hour waiting in front of a mall for a bus transfer yesterday, and that mall just happens to have an Apple store. Lucky me .

They finally got the iMac G5s in stock there, on display. I first used a dual 2.5 they had set up and then moved to a 20" iMac. I have to say, mechanically, it's pretty nice. Same sort of finish as the white G3 iBooks (before they went opaque), but less concern about scratches since it's a desktop, not a laptop. Mount is very smooth and sturdy, and my concern about the cords pulling on the computer was debunked upon using it. It stays in one place but it's still easy to move. Excellent engineering, that.

Actual usage was... underwhelming. The energy saver settings were locked so I couldn't crank the processor performance up to "maximum." Also, the large screen bezel made the screen look smaller. I was using a 20" model, which has about 3.5" more viewable area than my 17" monitor at home, yet it didn't really seem any bigger. Maybe it's because it's a wide screen (no taller than my monitor, just wider), maybe it's because the dual 2.5 I was using earlier had a 23", but it didn't seem to be the overwhelmingly large screen I originally imagined for the 20". Still gorgeous and very bright and sharp.

I ran XBench pretty quick and saw an interesting phenomenon. First of all, it didn't get a very good score, just 109. A lot of that has to do with the disk test and the lower processor performance. The interesting phenomenon is that when running the OpenGL graphics test (spinning squares), it started quite slowly and within half a second I could see that the CPU performance had throttled up to the maximum, as the squares started turning about twice as fast. Personally, I would not be fond of this "turbo lag."

Anyway, there's no comparison to the dual 2.5 I used. Whoa nelly. That thing was so incredibly fast at everything. Even though OS X is snappy on pretty much any 1 GHz+ G4, I swear the 2.5 was noticeably faster just in general use. It felt like it was doing things about as quickly as I could think them. By comparison, the iMac felt about the same as my 1.33 GHz G4 tower - pretty fast, but not knock-your-socks-off performance. Personally I don't think there will be much of a difference for general use between the 1.25 GHz G4 iMac and the G5 iMacs (especially the 1.6 GHz). Replace the hard drive with a high-performance model (WD Raptor, Maxtor Diamondmax 10), set performance to highest, and try overclocking the video card a bit with ATIcelerator, and it would probably improve quite a bit over the G4.
  quote
BuonRotto
Not sayin', just sayin'
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Durham, NC
Send a message via AIM to BuonRotto Send a message via Yahoo to BuonRotto  
2004-09-23, 08:13

Actually, I remember when Mossberg would slam Apple's products and management back in the Bad Old Days(tm). Apple's has earned his praise back in recent years.
  quote
Escher
Sub-PowerBook Lobbyist
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Washington, DC
 
2004-09-23, 09:04

Quote:
Originally Posted by BuonRotto
Actually, I remember when Mossberg would slam Apple's products and management back in the Bad Old Days(tm). Apple's has earned his praise back in recent years.
Definitely remember Mossberg being pro-PC for many years. Wasn't it the Titanium PowerBook that brought him back to the Mac fold?

Escher
  quote
kretara
Cynical Old Bastard
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: The Hot, Hazey, Humid South
Send a message via AIM to kretara Send a message via Yahoo to kretara  
2004-09-23, 09:06

After 4.5 years with my B&W I decided to get a new computer. While my first impressions of the iMac (photos) was pretty poor I decided to give it another chance.
I spent ~30 minutes with the new iMac at the local CompUSA the other day and I was completely underwhelmed by it. Its a nice piece of engineering and is decent looking but it holds absolutely no love for me.
Instead of spending my money on a new iMac (or even and old iMac -- I am not an AIO supporter) I spent $450 on a 733 Quicksilver (and I saved quite a bit of money and desk space since the QS will work with my old monitor and my KVM switch).
  quote
Luca
ಠ_ರೃ
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Minnesota
 
2004-09-23, 09:12

Uh, kretara, you already posted that:

http://forums.applenova.com/showthre...1803#post31803
  quote
Posting Rules Navigation
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Page 1 of 2 [1] 2  Next

Post Reply

Forum Jump
Thread Tools
Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
I got a free iMac! Luca General Discussion 20 2007-06-25 07:35
iMac G5 Messiahtosh Apple Products 336 2005-03-08 02:35
New 15'' PowerBook Full Review Messiahtosh Apple Products 32 2005-02-02 19:48
new iMac G5 graphics card thegelding Apple Products 33 2004-09-02 20:02
Should Apple leverage the iMac with the iPod? Messiahtosh Speculation and Rumors 17 2004-08-23 14:26


« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:30.


Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004 - 2024, AppleNova