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Not what I'd call the most awe inspiring internal design, but I have to hand it to Apple anyhow. They make such good products, I don't care what the insides look like. I just like the fact that I don't have to tear them apart every few months to diagnose problems.

It looks messy. Is it just me? We opened the back of an original iMac G5 at one of our Mac User Group meetings, just to take a look inside. And I seem to recall the inside looking a lot more tidy.

In the name of decency, reassemble! It's like watching "Faces of Death".

Bastards...

Greg Nacu:

I thought it looked a bit unkept too (even though I'd never seen the interior of a G5 iMac before), so I clicked over to the G5/iSight version this guy tore apart, and it shows the interior to be a lot less 'thrown together' looking. It looks like Intel had a forceful hand in development after all!

BTW - Get a gander at that CPU cooler. It's the same design, and just as big, as the one for the G5. I think that probably validates the reports coming out of MacWorld about the Mac Book Pro being even more toasty than the PowerBook. If 'power-per-watt' is legitimate, the capability of these computers should be something like Earth Simulator!

hey look the chip still has the old intel logo on it

Greg Nacu

I think the reason looks messy because the entire board is so small that they have to fill it up with other crap to hold it in place.

Messy, and only THREE fans. Liquid cooling? Or are those air ducts?

Does the phrase "Bill of Goods" have any meaning?

Boy, what a mess inside that Intel iMac. Makes me glad I have a G5 iMac despite what Jobs said about the speed increase.

The fact that the case cannot be opened easily by the customer anymore is not an excuse to chuck everything in randomly. My 1st gen. G5 iMac is perfectly laid out inside.

I think part of the problem is that Apple has specified a flexible radiation shield - that shiny foil wrapping the innards. In customer-servicable units, it's solid and attached to the covers.

Site is down. It got dugg or MDN'd!

Darn, did anyone grab the pictures?

Host them and I'll host them too.

HardMac has got them!

Not much to see, but the processor is not soldered to the board, it's in a socket!!

This means the possiblity of upgrading.

Oh poor Apple, what's next? Vista?

Oh another thing supposely one can choose a better video card with the new Mactels, this makes a choice for 3D gaming a option if one needs a beefier card.

Guess the link would help

http://www.hardmac.com/news/2006-01-14/#5007

Got em! Better link here!

http://www.kodawarisan.com/imac_intel/imac_intel01.html

Seems they are blocking MDN or something?

Try this link and then click a picture

http://www.kodawarisan.com/k2006/archives/2006/01/imac_core_duo_a.html

Mirror, main site is DOS

http://mactree.sannet.ne.jp/~kodawarisan/imac_intel/imac_intel01.html

If the case was made of transluscent plastic, then I'd be more concerned about how the innards looked. As it is, as long it does the job of a Mac, then the way it looks inside the case is pretty inconsequential.

I don't know if you guys are seeing something I'm not, but the G5 and intel versions seem identical to me except for the processor...

It looks like Apple let Intel design the boards for Rev A. I wouldn't be surprised that the later sets of Intel Macs get some of Apple's wisdom in design.

After all, I think this is one of the reasons why Intel wants to work with Apple. You may have to embarrass yourself by walking onto the stage in a bunny suit, but after that Apple will show you stuff and ideas that will blow your mind!

MW: leaders - how poignant!

M. T. MacPhee wrote:
"Liquid cooling? Or are those air ducts?"

I second the question! What kind of CPU cooling block IS that?

BuriedCaesar wrote: "If the case was made of transluscent plastic, then I'd be more concerned about how the innards looked. As it is, as long it does the job of a Mac, then the way it looks inside the case is pretty inconsequential."

I must respectfully disagree. The interior design is at least as important as the outside. It shows the care with which the designers approached the project.

I see no care here. Three fans. Three! Stuff lumped in anywhere/everywhere. Wires transversing the case at odd angles, over and under other components. Service will be a nightmare, and I predict high service requirements. Messes like that are prone to breakage.

Apple, it's junk. If I wanted junk, I would buy a PC. Clean it up, pronto!

Too Hot wrote: "I don't know if you guys are seeing something I'm not, but the G5 and intel versions seem identical to me except for the processor..."

I don't remember seeing any second generation iMac G5 pics (i.e. the ones with built-in iSight). Do you have a link to pics?

Certainly, the first generation was a thing of great beauty internally.

OK. Found some pics of iMac G5 iSight. Not very detailed, but they show a world of difference in design and build quality.

<http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/systems/imac_isight_internals/imac_g5_isight_inside.html>

It also shows a motherboard that is way bigger.

I think it's the "foil" they're using as a radiation shield that makes it looks so trashy inside. Anyone know why they did this for the Intel iMac and not the G5? Weight maybe?

The inspiring thing about these photos is that it shows how small Intel's components are, which means the next revision of the iMac is going to be even more sleek.

Here's a link to a gigantic-res picture of the inside of the first iMac G5. Wow!

http://mrjcd.com/junk/iMac_inside/

The first iMac G5 was meant to be easily opened and user-serviceable. The intel iMac doesn't looks like something I'd want to open to install extra RAM in, it looks like it could be broken easily. I guess if I ever get one I would have to pay Apple's obscene RAM prices to have them install it at the factory.

Come to think of it, I don't see any RAM or RAM slots inside the Intel iMac at all.

To M.T. McPhee --

You make good points, but I'll choose a Mac before a PC, no matter what it looks like inside, simply because of what it does.

It's apparent to me that both Apple & Intel were issued a challenge to have something ready by MWSF, and the care of design became less of an issue and the efforts went directly into producing something ready to sell - the most important issue at hand.

I think you'll see things cleaned up internally in future releases as design teams from both companies have additional time to look more carefully at how things are arranged.

As always, the early adopters will have various things to deal with that those who choose to wait for the kinks to be worked out will thank them for.

What a thing of beauty. Reminds me of my apartment.

As for the foil, check the shape of the rear of the iMac to understand why a solid metal shield would not be practical, as well as some perspective on why the foil doesn't sit perfectly flat.

With regards to the board design; think again about Intel having a hand in it. Look at boards that Intel have been responsible for (they outsource their design work, but to a small number of design houses). This does *not* look like an Intel design. Too many curves, too much stuff crammed together.

Before criticizing the internal layout too much, consider it in 3D. Look at an iMac side-on, and consider how thick the LCD and the HDD are. Look again at the pictures, and try to visualise just how much open space there actually is inside the unit.

And finally; the griping about fan count. Power up your iMac and listen to it. How loud? Not very. The reason behind this? More fans, and larger fans, spinning slowly. Fans are cheap; if you have to add one to get the noise level down, it's really a no-brainer.

There are no RAM slots inside, because the RAM is accessible from outside.

On the bottom center of the unit is a cover with two (captive) screws. Behind the cover is a plastic carrier that takes two DDR2 SODIMMs.

Oh for f%$k sake!!!!

The previous "neat pictures" of a G5 iMac were when the REAR cover was removed to show the "servicable" parts of the iMac (mainly Apple PR shots). THEY were NOT a dissection of the machine.

This autopsy if you ACTUALLY LOOK (rather than jump to rabid conclusions to support your consiracy theories that Intel sucks) was performed from the FRONT first.

They removed the LCD and speakers first then worked from the front rearwards.

So it isn't surprising for us that aren't fixated on hating everything with Intel in it that these are TWO very DIFFERENT situations.

Comparing them to draw conclusions about the relative build quality of either product makes you look like a FOOL hellbent on proving a MUTE point.

Move on folks - it's Intel in Apple!!!

my 2 cents

Luke

Hey Luke, come on keep it friendly.

And you are right, This is an iMac with the front removed first not the back-

But there have been no photos taken of the back panel removed like the original (easily servicable)iMac G5; which has lead me to believe that the back is no better laid out or easier to reach than what those photos show from Kodawarison.

The cooling system for the proc (thats 'processor', the little 'Intel' chip that you all seem to despise) is in no way, shape or form anywhere near the size as what is required for the G5 Powermacs. The PMacs have a massive chunk of liquid cooling system that resembles something you'd pull out from under the hood of your car. What you see here is a HEAT PIPE that wicks away the heat to be dissipated by heatsink off to the side. The heatsink has to be larger in length and width to compensate for the small height restrictions inside the case.

Other than that, I have little to comment on other than I can't wait to pick one of these up once they roll few a couple of revisions. I'm looking forward to re-entering the world of Mac, because...heh...compared to what I've read in the comments here, most Apple customers make my slightly-above-average computer knowledge seem like a gift from god.