Apple Introduces New G5 iMac 1595
peatbakke writes "Well, here it is. Looks like the rumors of computer+monitor combined into a sleek little case were true." It's mostly what you'd expect both design-wise and specwise. And I want it.
Tablet PC? (Score:2, Interesting)
Wait for the patents from Apple?
long time coming (Score:4, Interesting)
they had something like this (along with a mac based on the tizio lamp, and a tablet mac)
too bad gateway got it to market a few years ago
Apple hate RAM. (Score:5, Interesting)
The old iMacs could hold 1GB. This one is about 10 times faster and maxes out at twice the memory. This is pretty poor. Why does apple insist on shipping systems with such little memory.
Also, why is the FSB at 1/3 of the clockspeed of the CPU, as opposed to 1/2?
Now you can all stop whining. . . (Score:5, Interesting)
As an aside, this weekend I called apple care to get my logic board on my G3 Ibook replaced for the third time. I wasn't pleased, and I asked for a new one. Guess what? They're shipping a new Ibook G4 1gz for me. That's service. Barring the fact that the hard ware was faulty, they really came through on this one. That's why I buy apple.
Re:Compare Apples and dells (Score:5, Interesting)
Do the prices of macs typically fall after an initial release... or do they just stay a set price for quite a while?
Just wondering (Score:2, Interesting)
Most motherboards I have seen don't have so many, or not so big. Or am I wrong?
Just wondering...
Touch screenversion? (Score:3, Interesting)
This would make for a perfect kiosk installation.
I want one, or two...
Torcuill
Am i the only one... (Score:1, Interesting)
Ok, it is just monitor, which should be a good thing, but what happened to esthetics?
I'm disappointed... (Score:5, Interesting)
Yes, Apple, I'm bored. The G4 iMac was a lot more interesting to look at than this machine. And design is what apple-addicts are really looking after.
Here's some nice examples for great iMac designs: http://www.mackompass.de/ [mackompass.de]
PLUS: no heating problems here? Picture from iside: http://forum.macnews.de/forum/show?mid=8894.1839.
Media Center (Score:3, Interesting)
Kind of funny, how silly this makes Windows Media Center PCs look. Even small form-factor cubes don't look as sexy as this. Exactly the type of machine that could adorn any room in a house. Good work, Apple.
Ports location (Score:4, Interesting)
Say you plug in a printer, a scanner, a digital camera dock, and iPod dock, some amplified speakers, your ethernet cable, perhaps the phone cable for faxing, and a firewire hard disk, that thing will have 8 cables just hanging there, on the side of the machine, with no support whatsoever. And since there's nothing below the connectors but thin air, what the user will see is a bunch of cables just hanging from the back of the machine. I'm no design engineering guru, but that wasn't too well thought-out, was it? Notice that all the photos are of the iMac with a bluetooth keyboard and mouse.
They should've put the connectors on the stand, near the bottom. Or in the middle of the screen, with a cable guide on the stand.
But as always, I'll wait to see one in person before passing a definitive judgement. I was wronged by the previous iMacs' pictures, this might be no different.
side-loading CD/DVD? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Compare Apples and dells (Score:3, Interesting)
The Dell comes with a LCD TV monitor, yet the iMac doesn't. Given the price of standalone LCD TVs here in the UK (400/500 UKP - i.e. over-inflated) it would make sense for Apple to have added in a TV tuner, added some nice PVR software to their iLife suite and cleaned up on the home entertainment front.
While I'm a Dell owner, I know I'd rather have an iMac sat in my front-room than a Dell box. At the moment, the nearest thing out there that I'd consider is the Sony Vaio V1 [sony-europe.com].
Re:Just wondering (Score:3, Interesting)
I wonder if some designer said "We need all those big round things all in one place" despite the fact it might not make sense in terms of the circuit
Sweet - here's my take (Score:5, Interesting)
I see they kept the PowerMac/iMac performance differential in part by using a 3x multiplier instead of the 2x that the PowerMacs use. That's OK - a 533 or 600 MHz FSB is still zippy.
The question I have is really about upgrades. Most importantly, can this model finally take an aftermarket internal Bluetooth module? All the previous versions only offer Bluetooth as a BTO option through the Apple Store online (except when it's standard equipment like on the PowerBooks). If you don't buy it at build time, you have to buy a 3rd party USB dongle. With access to the insides, that is now hopefully a thing of the past.
Will more VRAM be available as a BTO option? Right now, all 3 models ship with 64MB, and in my brief look online there did not appear to be an upgrade option. If the iMac is going to sell at all in the gaming market, there will probably need to be a 128MB option available. I wouldn't count on a better graphics processor, though, anytime soon. Apple likes to underpower the iMacs.
With this out there, will the eMac see a minor speedbump anytime soon? The two have traditionally had pretty much the same motherboard design - I don't expect a G5 eMac anytime soon, but maybe we'll get a 1.5 GHz G4 at some point now.
Most importantly, will normal human beings actually be able to buy these in stores anytime this year, or are we going to have to wait for the Tooth Fairy to deliver more G5 chips?
Reasons to like the previous iMac design better (Score:4, Interesting)
With this model I can see the following problems:
1. You will now see a million wires coming out of the right side of the machine, hanging in mid-air and visible at all times.
2. All that white space at the bottom of the display makes it look like a waste of space (of course it's probably used for the internal electronics, but geez, couldn't they think of a better design?).
3. The display now only rotates in one single dimension (either tilts up or down) as opposed to the previous iMac multi-dimensions of fredom).
4. That base seems awefully inadecuate for so much weight on top of it. Seems like if it is very easy to drop the display sideways if you have a crouded desk and move things around a lot.
5. This design has been created before by the big guys (IBM and Compaq/HP I think had/have something similar), why not come up with something as cool as the iPod? (it's a shame they say on the website "from the creators of iPod" - if I was one of the iPod designers I'd be shamed...).
6. And how about a $999 model?
Re:Like in the movies... (Score:5, Interesting)
Can I skip the monitor and get a G5 for $600, please?
Re:Compare Apples and dells (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Much sleeker than previous versions... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Apple hate RAM. (Score:3, Interesting)
Getting 1 bit more (4G support) would require just giving up signed int as addresses, not so hard really if you do it from scratch, pretty nasty work if you convert an existing large system that never cared about the last bit of the pointers.) Getting 2 bits more is way harder. You go above the 32bit address space limit and either use tricks like paging (think 128K in Commodore) or use architecture, compilers and generally everything with address space bigger than 32bit (the next step is 64 bit, 16 exabytes of address space, should suffice for a while...).
Re:Just wondering (Score:3, Interesting)
In the UK (Score:5, Interesting)
adding a TV tuner would be a disaster. If you didn't have one already, you'd be forced by Law to buy a TV license with your new iMac whether you wanted to use it as a TV or not. This would add an extra £121 ($216.90) to the cost of your computer.
Most people don't buy a computer to watch TV on, so why should we pay extra for functionality we don't need?
Re:Even my wife's impressed (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:side-loading CD/DVD? (Score:5, Interesting)
I feel sorta lackluster about this one, though. The tech specs are nice, and I'm glad that it's finally easier to get to the hard drive, but the design just looks too much like the Gateway Profile. I was hoping for something that looked similar to this and priced similarly, but consisted of a slim, 2U sized case that could directly attach to the back of the monitor (and was designed explicitly for that purpose), but could also be purchased stand-alone and used with another monitor. I know, I know, all that junk about cutting into margins and such, but a man can dream, right?
Re the horizontal drive: I don't remember anyone ever mentioning this, though I suppose it could've been cited. I've seen dozens of workstation-type cases going back at least 8 or 10 years, though, that used vertical mount optical drives, so I doubt that's an issue.
Re:Reasons to like the previous iMac design better (Score:5, Interesting)
2. Those who can, do. Those who can't, criticize. Let's see you stuff all those electronics into a smaller space and still provide adequate cooling, Einstein.
3. The new design allows them to use larger displays than 20", the weight of which the arm on the old iMac would not physically support (this is straight from the mouth of an Apple engineer who was visiting my office a few weeks ago).
4. The Cinema Displays use the same base, and those are pretty damned stable. How much crap do you have on your desk?
5. The granddaddy of the thin, LCD-in-front, guts-in-back computer is the 20th Anniversary Mac, [apple-history.com] released in May 1997. Apple is updating their own old design, not copying current designs of competitors.
6. Yeah, yeah. If they were selling it for $2, there'd be some fool whining "I'd buy it, if it was $1.50!"
~Philly
Re:The inside layout is far better for an all-in-o (Score:3, Interesting)
The value of the 20" Cinema Display (Score:4, Interesting)
20" Cinema Display : $1299
20" G5 IMac : $1899
That's a lot of extra gear for $600.00, isn't it? So, is the iMac a great deal or the Cinema Display now less of one?
And to think I was thiiiis close to picking up a Cinema 20" for my Powerbook...
Re:side-loading CD/DVD? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:In the UK (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:new icon! (Score:2, Interesting)
Twentieth Anniversary iMac (Score:3, Interesting)
They're very similar, except, of course, that the new iMac doesn't come with a built-in TV tuner, FM radio, remote control, or matching pen-and-pencil set.
On the other hand, it runs faster than the TAM's 250Mhz, too...
-Mark
Re:Just wondering (Score:2, Interesting)
On the plus side, the bezel beneath the screen makes a perfect place for sticky-notes.
Apple knows what they're doing. A guy in my office who has a PC at home took one look at this and said he wanted one, because the place where his PC currently is looks cluttered and messy, due to all the cables, the bulkiness of the components, etc. .. whereas one of these sleek little guys with cordless keyboard and mouse would really open up the available space.
At first blush, I still prefer the old iMac (the "iLamp" design) better, but it may grow on me.
Re:Just wondering (Score:4, Interesting)
Really, this is ingenious. This look builds off their strongest selling product in a way that encourages people satisfied with current offerings to branch out. And the price is right...$1300 is not that bad for a computer with a 17" flatscreen and a compact design. I'd say this thing has potential beyond even the original colored iMacs if they stress the key components: comparable performance and superior graphics with a smaller footprint, better service and few virus and spyware worries. Of course, they'll probably just do a commercial with Tobey Macguire or something, but marketed right, this could be a valuable product, one that could take the competition a while to clone.
Incidentally, Sony did the whole slim-LCD-PC thing a while back and sold it for about $400 more. It was a cool unit, but WAY bigger than this in both width and depth.
Re:Unlikely (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm very new to Mac...just got an older iBook 800Mhz G3 which I've gotten to dual boot with Gentoo Linux. I like the box...and I've enjoyed playing with OSX too...it is a LONG was from the old Mac days.
I've considered getting one of the last model iMacs for my Mom....from my tests on OSX, I think she'd be able to use it easier than the windows box I tried to put together for her. And I the the previous design would appeal to her too.
Re:Just wondering (Score:5, Interesting)
It may just be possible that the apple guys intentionally built the thing for *low power consumption* which will translate to *low heat emission*, which means the thing might not run so darn hot that it burns itself out after all.
As I often failed to teach my high school hardware classes, more heat disspiation (fans) does not make a computer better (sort of like more Mhz didn't really mean more performance-- at least not linear increases). More fans just mean more noise.
Picture this if you will. I set up a computer lab in a round concrete room (echoes like crazy). I made the kids shut off all the Wintel boxen and hooked up an LTSP diskless workstation just to show them how much better it is NOT to have so much noise (the server was in the next room). Thing used like 30 watts, booted in no time, and made NO noise. The fucking kids couldn't comprehend that it was easier to get things done on this machine (KDE vs. Windows arguments ignored for this discussion-- they were using Netware-crippled windows so it's not like they could do anything but run Office/internet)
[Yes if you didn't notice, I'm comparing the guy who thinks the iMac will burn out to my high school students who thought computers have to be noisy.]
At least notice that the fans on the new iMac run at variable speeds, so after the thing's heated up for a while, they will kick in.
Re:Unlikely (Score:3, Interesting)
Wall mounting kit available (Score:4, Interesting)
iMac G5 VESA Mount Adapter Kit
$29.00
Available for order in October.
Allows your iMac G5 to be used with VESA compliant mounting solutions such as wall mounts and articulating arms.
Not really that exciting design-wise... (Score:3, Interesting)
I think part of the appeal of the older iMac was that it was so well-designed and had such a completely unique look. This new one's only real unique look is that it's white with a brushed metal stand. Oooooo.
It sucks that it isn't height-adjustable anymore, too. That was one thing I really liked about the old one.
Re:Ports location (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Unlikely (Score:3, Interesting)
3rd party accessory I'd like: mounting options! (Score:4, Interesting)
Imagine:
- the 17" as a (passenger-area) movie machine in a car / van / minivan. (And I've seen some installs of much smaller and worse displays that cost more than this one's base model, too, and which couldn't do a lot of things a computer-based system could, like play any formats for which codecs exists, also act as a GPS display, or overqualified MP3 player, etc.)
- a thin storage spot on the back or side of a desk; when you need the computer, swing it up from there (something like old typewriter table shelves, but not quite as dangerously spring-loaded
- ceiling-attached pole/arm mount that doesn't need a desk surface at all, except perhaps as a place to put a keyboard and mouse. With several mounting spots in a room, and somewhat of a gooseneck, you could move the machine around, adjust the height, etc. Movies in bed without a big cantilevered horizontal surface, a web-cam interface in the kitchen so you can keep an eye on driveway, apt. building entrance, etc.
- An easel-type floor-mounted stand, turning one into a TV-for-the-evening, an art-gallery display, a temporary 2nd machine next to another one or next to a rack of machines in a data center, a less elaborate movies-in-bed machine, a demo screen for small-group presentations, etc.
- An octopus cart; there are some smart laptop carts (mostly built for Apple laptops, though I guess there are others for Dells, etc), set up so laptops can be stored in, charged in, and locked up in one rolling cart -- they're basically marketed as portable computing labs. One for G5s might only hold 3 or 4, but in a way that lets people work side by side on their own machines, and later have the whole collection secured in in the deepest keep of the castle. And there could be some slots for iBooks or other laptops, too
Anyhow. That is a beautiful design -- congratulations, Apple.
Tim
Re:new imac (Score:3, Interesting)
1) I'm writing this on my brand-new PowerBook 15, using a wireless MS keyboard and mouse. Why? because I like the lack of cables across my desktop, the suite was cheap after a rebate, and I feel the need for a two-button mouse. I use the right mouse button and the scroll wheel on a regular basis. No, I do not need additional buttons beyond the two. But, that's me personally.
2) I run a help desk with 40,000 folks to support. Very few know what the right mouse button is for. They know it's there. They know Apple mice are missing a button, but they don't know why that button might be important! I suspect the vast majority of people would be fine with one button since that's all they really know how to use...
Re:In the UK (Score:5, Interesting)
The only valid point you made was "using your tv just to play vidio games", and how many people are going to buy an iMac for that when they can get a real TV a hell of a lot cheaper. As for DVDs, a basic iMac can already do that without a TV tuner, so that's irrelevant.
In my entire life I've only ever met one person who's brought a TV (actually a huge plasma screen) for watching DVD's and playing games. My mate Paul. He had a running battle with TV Licensing to prove he didn't need to pay it. In the end he had to physically walk them round the house and show them he didn't have an external aerial, a portable aerial, or a satellite dish capable of receiving transmissions before they would leave him alone.
I hardly think that Apple are going to bundle a TV tuner so that a one in a million consumer like Paul will be happy, at the expense of adding extra cost.
Re:Compare to the lowest end dell spec'ed out iden (Score:3, Interesting)
Factor in this difference and an AMD64 workstation may look rather better value. Of course, design junkies would just get the mac anyway. You can't really put a price on chic.
Re:Just wondering (Score:3, Interesting)
We have a cluster of 3 dual G5 Xserves. You could reheat food from the output ports of the blower. I'm looking into plenum cable for the network jacks because the vinyl jackets are already getting soft.
At least with a big flat screen you have plenty of places to shoot jets of hot air away from the user.
That said, by G4 ibook isn't all that bad in the heat department. Most of the time the unit manages to operate without the fan. But I think that had a lot to do with IBM seriously re-engineering the chip for low-power operation.
heat kills capacitors, and armchair engineering (Score:5, Interesting)
Electrolytic capacitors are very heat sensitive, if you "think about what it is"; it's a liquid-filled device. They're rated for a fixed lifetime, and that lifetime is a certain number of hours at a certain temperature. The "fixed lifetime" bit is why electrolytic capacitors are NEVER milspec-rated; they can't be. Tantalum capacitors are, but they're a)expensive b)take up more space c)expensive d)expensive.
The original poster you responded to was naive. For example- the capacitors could be high-temperature rated; the case will say so. I forget the ratings but 85 degrees C and 105 degrees C are coming to mind. The hour rating also varies drastically- you can buy some that will last 4-5 times longer than others. You can buy 'overvoltage' capacitors that are rated well above the voltage you'll be using(though they'll be larger). So on, etc. As previously mentioned, they could also be tantalum.
Furthermore, he/she/it seems to think heat will be a problem off the PSU. No doubt it uses convection, and notice the PSU is at the bottom of the machine, getting the coolest air? my G4 17" PB power supply brick runs fairly cool under normal use- and it has no venting, it's a solid plastic case. In fact, I just found it buried under my jacket on the rug- well insulated- and it's lukewarm. Charging the battery is another matter, but the G5 imac doesn't have one of those.
So, honestly, I think everyone is not giving Apple a chance on this one and engaging in a lot of slack-jawed armchair engineering. Given the potential for fire and whatnot, I'm sure Apple was very careful about thermal design. What I find more interesting is that none of the photos are real- they're very clearly CG mockups. 3-4 week delivery? Hahah. AHAHAHAHAHAH. AHAHAHAHAHAAH [collapses from heart attack from laughing fit].
Re:side-loading CD/DVD? (Score:2, Interesting)
From the Time magazine article in January 2002:
http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101020114/cover.
Re:1 Mac == 4 PC's (Score:1, Interesting)
Interesting. I just spec'ed a shitty dell with specs comparable to the iMac, and it turned 100$ higher.
Re:Unlikely (Score:5, Interesting)
Pre OS X Macs were primarily popular in art oriented industries. With OS X, Macs have increasingly starting to be used as UNIX workstation and servers. You would have never imagined Apple becoming a substantial player in the UNIX cluster computing market five years ago, but things have change (the views of people on this site are evidence enough).
WIth this new image Apples design ethos has had to change too (how many of you would want a flower power iMac to administer your OS X network). If you look at all their current computers, they are very professional and minimalist, but at the same time ultra-slick. With the new iMac, as with the Powermac and Powerbook, the beauty is in the details. There is nothing obviously exciting about a PM or PB either. It's when you actually use one of these machines that you realize that they are actually aesthetically more appealing that Apples earlier more obvious designs.
Anyway, I think this new iMac fits in really well with the current Apple lineup. Its got plenty of power for the prosumer, and would look at home in a corporate or home environment. Here's to a job well done.
Apple needs more configurability (Score:4, Interesting)
e.g. Our department specs maybe something like this
1.8 GHz G5 processor
40 GB harddrive
CD-RW drive
512 MB to 1 GB RAM
3 Year service
My department doesn't need the secretarial staff to have 80GB drive nor a DVD-R burning SuperDrive. Yet, I'm forced to buy those components if I want the 1.8GHz machine instead of the 1.6GHz. I don't expect Apple to be able to customize like Dell does (penny pinching moves like excluding a $2.41 mouse pad) , but I just feel that I lack the ability to squeeze the most out, by not being able to configure the machines to our needs hampers purchasing sometimes. For administrative and coporate jobs and people who need a basic terminal a 40GB HDD and a CD-RW burner are great. Our users typical need enough processor power, for 3-4 years down the road and enough RAM to run 5-8 concurrent applications as they typically do.
Just back from Paris, saw it in RL... (Score:3, Interesting)
What really caught my eyes though are the 30" screens. Two of them side by side makes for a truly impressing sight! Too bad nearly no one can afford them and the G5 to make them run...
Another Illustration of Apple Marketing Genius (Score:2, Interesting)
1. The old iMac had a lightweight screen that floated almost magically above the computer and was easily adjusted to any angle with the touch of one finger. The new iMac almost returns us to the old days of bulky and immovable CRTs. To adjust your screen you have to move your entire computer. Duh! Like we were asking for that.
2. The old iMac didn't let you add anything internally, but at least you could discretely add a Firewire drive with out-of-sight cabling. With the new iMac, all cabling will be dangling in the air for all to see and making adjusting the screen an even greater hassle. Now the monitor will go where the cabling wants and not where you or I want. Lean back while listening on headphones and your screen tilts at an odd angle. What a stroke of genius!
3. Apple's always tended to make computers that get too hot, with the notable exception of the outsized G5 'blimp hanger' desktop. Are those G5s crammed into such a small form factor with limited circulation going to run hot as a toaster? Probably. Look for baked, yellowing white plastic inside a year. Look for the silly folks who bought this Edsel to whine and ask for Apple to fix the problem.
The pitiful thing is that this product isn't even 'innovative.' Sony already has a computer with a similar form factor and it's not exactly selling like hot cakes, for much the same reasons listed above. If someone wants a screen/computer combo, a laptop makes far more sense. This beast has all the disadvantages of a laptop with none of the advantages.
At least we can be happy about one thing. They didn't use their flashing lights patent on this one--the Mac for five-year-old boys who never grew up. "It flashes and squawks. It must be good!"
Yes, I'm sure some of these beasts will sell. Some people are so ga-ga over Apple's designs--good or awful, they'd buy a Mac if it were brown and looked like a pile of cattle poop, flies and all. (Attention Apple design!)
It's easy to see why, in spite of the best OS on the planet Apple's market share is in the low single digits. Apple makes well-designed laptops and they sell well. But their desktops seemed to be designed by the weirdest characters in Dilbert cartoons. And they sell pitifully and almost in spite of their designs. People buy them because they have to, not because they want to.
What the public wants in desktops is shown by what they buy in the Windows world--a reasonably priced box (color irrelevant) with modest features but easily customized to suit. What Apple sells is far from that. Buyers are forced to choose between an always slightly weird iMac that can't be upgraded and an overpriced (and currently oversized) desktop with more trendy features (i.e. optical video out) than most of us want, but so poorly designed it can't hold more than two internal and one external drive.
I'd love to upgrade my aging beige G3. The Windows/Linux world is filled with hardware that would suit. Unfortunately, When it comes to desktops, Apple keeps coming out with dumb stuff like this new iMac. They design computers to win awards from weird magazines rather than give the public what it wants.
--Mike Perry, Inkling blog [inklingbooks.com], Seattle
My idea for a killer iMac feature (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Unlikely (Score:2, Interesting)
Chris
Re:Just wondering (Score:3, Interesting)
If so it's because "most people" have gotten too used to looking down to see their flat-on-the-desktop CRTs or bound-to-the-keyboard laptop screens. Putting the bottom of the screen just a few inches above the keyboard would indicate a poor understanding of human anatomy. This looks like the top half of the screen will be at about eye level, which is better for someone who's going to be spending a lot of time in front of it.
The Powermac G5's are way to gargantuan for my desktop
Have you considered putting it next to the desk? That's what they were designed for (e.g. the optical media drive at the top).
Re:Clarification (Score:2, Interesting)
I guess both. They weren't considering the possibility that computers were good for accomplishing "work".
The lack of LEDs and singing fans as indicators of how powerful and nifty a computer was, seemed to confuse them. Even surfing the Net to show them that yes this tiny machine was doing real computing work didn't help my case.
The client/server model was super-foreign to them as well, being exclusively Windows users all their lives (what I was trying to show them was that we could upgrade the SERVER anytime we wanted, and the thin CLIENTS would last years and years without upgrades), and they lost interest quickly enough that the lesson was gone and we moved on to other things.
Comment removed (Score:3, Interesting)
The margins on their monitors must be huge. (Score:4, Interesting)
My first thought was "wow, that means the cost of building the computer part must be less than $600". Then I came to my senses and realized that it really means the stand-alone monitors must have huge profit margins. I've always felt that their monitors were the most overpriced products in their portfolio. I think this proves it.
No flames, please. I'm a major Mac-head. I just thought the cost difference between the products was revealing.
G4 iMacs at the Apple Store POS (Score:5, Interesting)
Oh, and the "internet cafe" computers are also G4 iMacs. I also wonder if they're going to replace those. I think there are 16 of them. I think they should, in the interest of not getting people jazzed about a model you no longer sell.
So, where's my G5 Powerbook? (Score:3, Interesting)
Sure, the battery life probably won't be the greatest in the world, but folks like video editors and Photoshop junkies would probably appreciate having mobile that has the power of a G5.
So, what's the hold up, Apple? Where's my G5 Powerbook?!?
Re:new icon! (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Another Illustration of Apple Marketing Genius (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:new imac (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Failure mode? (Score:5, Interesting)
That said, I stand by my assertion that the capacitors aren't that thermally sensitive. By which I mean a reasonably chosen component isn't going to give out on you in one or two years just because it's near a PSU, unless the PSU and case are so badly designed that the capacitors are practically cooked. I'd guess the thing will be ready for the trash heap for other reasons before the capacitors become a serious issue.
WRT to the construction, I'll defer to your expertise. I have to confess that most of what I know about capacitors comes from the days of vacuum tubes -- seriously I remember building circuits on bakelite strips. But I do have a lot of experience with old and gimpy electronics. The orientation definitely makes a difference to capacitors. You can often resurrect old equipment by storing it upside down; the only components I can point to to explain this are the capacitors. What you say about capillary action makes sense though. I suspect what may happen in these cases is the capacitors have leaked and the quantity of liquid may be inadequate to ensure adequate coverage.
You can also somtimes get a little work out of a piece of equipment by giving it a carefully calibrated, sharp, rap. This I think jars the gimpy capacitors and bad connectors enough. I don't like to let other folks see me do this though because it gives them ideas and pretty soon you have smashed up equipment all over the place.
My experience is that connectors are a much worse problem than capacitors and a common source of flakiness, although you can often cure this temporarily by unplugging them and reseating them, without even cleaning.
Re:Unlikely (Score:2, Interesting)
The idea of a 'beige box' is seriously out. Cable clutter is out. I remember one of the big marketing lines Apple through around when the G4 Cube / Studio Displays first came out: One power cable to the computer. One cable to the monitor for power/video/USB. Wireless on board. And that was
Today, just look at the mod-jobs that people do on PC's. Cold cathode lighting, case windows, LED fans, LCD drive-bay displays...
Mini-PCs. I built a PC for a very nice girl I know, a black Shuttle Mini-PC. Black, wireless keyboard/mouse (Logitech MX Duo or something). Black CD-ROM drive. Black monitor. It would have looked foolish with beige in there. In the end, it just looks *good*, which is more than I can say for the old beige towers that litter my place.
You may not think that style is worth paying for, but believe me, plenty of people do.
Re:Unlikely (Score:3, Interesting)
More marketing BS. (Score:2, Interesting)
Can anyone say "marketing BS"? Well yeah, it'll run Doom 3... at 640by480 on low details, running at 15FPS! Note that the system requirements of Doom 3 specify 384MB of RAM as the absolute mimimum, and this system has 256MB of RAM.
I mean, lets take an Apple laptop without a battery, put the screen on the top of the lid, stick it on a stand and make it so the lid does not open, put a 5200U in it and charge £1350! (And then market it to gamers, claiming it'll run Doom 3)
Its not to say its a bad computer, but it is anything but a gaming or graphics-oriented computer.
Re:just too expensive (Score:2, Interesting)
i'm not saying they will go out of business or any of the usual doom&gloom nonsense, just that i would love to be able to recommend to more friends and clients an apple based solution in the dell price range, exclusive of performance and quality issues
i am sure they will sell every 4th gen iMac they can build - too bad their sales volume doesn't allow them the infrastructure to build every iMac they could sell
Re:G4 iMacs at the Apple Store POS (Score:3, Interesting)
External Display (Score:1, Interesting)
Why?
I think it would help shut up the "I already have a monitor"/headless iMac crowd. Because now they can plug-in their extra monitor to their iMac/eMac and have a dual-monitor system. And when they do this and see how nice Apple displays are (compared with the "free" monitor they got when buying their Dell), they'll understand the advantages even better.
Re:Unlikely (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Unlikely (Score:3, Interesting)
I assume it would be the same with this computer.
Kensington Slot? (Score:2, Interesting)
I have reviewed the specs but cannot find a 'Kensington Slot" mentioned. Does it have one?