“OK, let’s get the iMac aesthetics issue out of the way right from the start. Judging from comments on a variety of Mac-related Web sites, Apple fans around the world are sharply divided about Apple Computer Inc.’s new iMac G5 desktop machine. Announced on Aug. 31 and now shipping in dribbles and drabs, the third-generation all-in-one sports a host of improvements and a completely new look. Gone is the flat-panel screen supported by a chrome arm above a hemispherical base,” Ken Mingis reports for Computerworld.
“To me, the new iMac looks like a 1969 vision of a 21st century computer, the kind of thing Stanley Kubrick or George Lucas might have included in a sci-fi movie just about the time man was landing on the moon. It has a retro-futuristic appearance that seems bland at first, and then very, very sharp upon further examination and use,” Mingis reports.
Mingis advises, “Get more RAM. At the very least double what’s inside. If you want to go for broke, get two 1GB chips. Also note that while the RAM sticks don’t have to be paired, doing so speeds up the throughput of the iMac G5’s memory bus to 128 bit. If the RAM is unmatched, say you have a 256MB stick and a 512MB stick, the memory bus is 64 bit. I’m not sure I’d notice the difference, but Apple says RAM chips of ‘the same size and composition … provide the fastest and most efficient throughput.'”
Mingis concludes, “What’s most important is that you can now buy a speedy G5 desktop machine with a crisp LCD screen for as little as $1,299. Look at it this way: A stand-alone 20-in. Cinema Display sells for $1,299. That’s just for the LCD monitor. In the top-of-the-line iMac G5, you get virtually the same screen, with a G5 computer now elegantly attached to it, for just $600 more. In my book, that’s money well spent.”
Full article here.