“When Apple Computer launched its video iPod last month, the hype was so great that another important Apple product announcement was lost in the shuffle. The company also released that day a new, improved, and yet cheaper, version of the already excellent iMac G5, its flagship consumer desktop computer,” Walter S. Mossberg and Katherine Boehret report for The Wall Street Journal.
Mossberg and Boehret report, “We’ve been testing this new iMac, and our verdict is that it’s the gold standard of desktop PCs. To put it simply: No desktop offered by Dell or Hewlett-Packard or Sony or Gateway can match the new iMac G5’s combination of power, elegance, simplicity, ease of use, built-in software, stability and security. From setup to performing the most intense tasks, it’s a pleasure to use. And, contrary to common misconceptions, this Mac is competitively priced, when compared with comparably equipped midrange Windows PCs; and it handles all common Windows files, as well as the Internet and email, with aplomb.”
“The combination of the new, improved hardware, plus Front Row, makes the iMac G5 the best consumer desktop you can buy this holiday season, period. For mainstream consumers doing typical tasks — Web surfing, email, office productivity, photos, music, home videos, etc. — it’s the finest desktop PC on the market, at any price. Hard-core game players, stock-market day traders, serious video producers and some other niche users should look for other computers. But, for most people, the new iMac G5 is the best choice,” Mossberg and Boehret report.
“Like all Macs, the new iMac comes with Apple’s excellent Tiger operating system, which hasn’t yet attracted any successful viruses and has no reported spyware. Tiger already includes the key features Microsoft is promising for its next version of Windows, due in about a year. These include an integrated desktop search, parental controls and tougher security. And it comes with Apple’s iLife suite of first-rate multimedia programs for managing and creating music, photos, videos and DVDs — better than any similar software for Windows,” Mossberg and Boehret report. “All in all, we can heartily recommend the iMac G5.”
Full review here.
[Walt Mossberg is the author and creator of the weekly Personal Technology column in The Wall Street Journal, which has appeared every Thursday since 1991. Newsweek magazine calls Mr. Mossberg “the most powerful arbiter of consumer tastes in the computer world today.” Time magazine calls him “the most influential computer journalist.” And Rolling Stone calls him “the most powerful columnist in technology.” The Washington Post declared Mr. Mossberg “one of the most powerful men in the high-tech world” and “a one-man media empire whose prose can launch a new product.” And the New York Times calls him a “protean critic of the new economy’s tools and toys.”]
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Related articles:
Computerworld: Apple’s new iMac G5 ‘very quiet, minimalist, a wonderful machine’ – November 28, 2005
BusinessWeek: Apple iMac G5, the best gets better, best consumer desktop around – November 18, 2005
USA Today: Apple iMac G5 ‘exquisite, handsome, mighty attractive’ – November 17, 2005
Apple’s new iMac G5 a solid all-round performer that also has ‘wow factor’ – November 13, 2005
PC Magazine review gives Apple’s new iMac G5 with Front Row 4.5 out of 5 stars – November 04, 2005
Apple’s brilliant, deceptively simple Front Row software has a bright future and raises questions – October 28, 2005
NY Times’ Pogue: Apple’s iMac G5 with sleek, virus-free, spyware-free OS earns place in living room – October 20, 2005
Analyst: ‘media companies will call Apple to strike deals, Front Row is Media Center done right’ – October 12, 2005
Apple’s new iMac G5, iTunes 6, iPod video designed to bait Hollywood – October 13, 2005
Apple’s Front Row with Apple Remote and iMac G5: media center done right – October 12, 2005
Apple introduces new thinner iMac G5 with built-in iSight video camera, ‘Front Row’ media experience – October 12, 2005
Switching from Windows to Mac? Save money by asking to ‘crossgrade’ your software – April 12, 2005
Mac and OS X have arrived. This is the pivotal moment. Mark it on your calendars. It’s over, Bill.
blah blah blah. what good is having all that credentials when the people you’re trying to reach don’t read newspapers or any publication?
I was wondering when this article was going to make it onto this site. It was good to see this as a featured article on Marketwatch.
I’m totally convinced that at this time 2 years from now . . .
• AAPL will have split at LEAST once more, probably twice
• Apple will own the living room
• Apple will be at 10% market share for PC’s
• I will kick myself if I didn’t buy more AAPL at every opportunity I could
And according to me,
“Windows-based PCs are the worst consumer desktop you can buy this holiday season, semi-colon”
FACT!!
I just bought a large iMac G5 and I’ll tell you the truth.
The factory installed 250 GB hard slows Mac OS X down, beachballs are not something I like to see.
You cannot open the iMac to switch the hard drive for something faster, like a 16MB cache or a Raptor without removing something telling Apple you violated the warranty by opening the case.
Now I haven’t installed anymore RAM than the stock 512k, I need a 2GB stick, but I don’t expect a whole lot of improvement in performance because of the slow drive I/O speed.
Of course you can’t upgrade the video card either.
iLife, Appleworks, Nanosuarus and Marble type game are included which is very nice. The Photo thing is cute.
The built in video cam is nice.
Ok, for a mid range consumer desktop yes it’s awesome.
Of course it won’t last long, dual cores will be standard issue next year.
It won’t run 3D games like Doom3 or UT2004 super as these need a hefty video card.
Of course I’m comparing it against my DP 2 PowerMac with a RAID O pair of Raptor boot drives and a 6800 GT 3D video card.
iMac G5 has a nice combination of things to make a great consumer machine.
Good thing, as MDN keeps reminding us, that Mac users tend to be more intelligent yada yada yada. If this review gets into the hands of the typical Wal-Mart $300 computer buyer, they’d get stuck at the word “aplomb”, wondering if Apple was switching to a different type of fruit.
MW: Is a plomp a plant or an animal?
Furthermore:
Mossberg is a “protean critic of the new economy’s tools and toys.”
What’s a food critic doing reviewing computers? Oh, yeah, Apple and it’s new plombs. But don’t you get protean from meat? I’m still confused….
Machush said this: “Now I haven’t installed anymore RAM than the stock 512k, I need a 2GB stick, but I don’t expect a whole lot of improvement in performance because of the slow drive I/O speed.”
That makes you officially clueless.
MW: “simply,” as in “simply put more RAM in”; sheesh.
TRUTH!
are you sure you really bought a new iMac? …because i don’t think you did. All harddrives that come with new iMacs are 7200RPM, which is a very fast speed.
Also, maybe you forgot to look up the fact that the NEW graphics chips that ship with the iMac are 3D capable (cutting-edge PCI Express ATI Radeon X600 Pro or X600 XT graphics processor). UT2004?!?!? What a joke! Of course this can handle that.
finelinebob,
Save it for your stand-up routine, would you?
by the way, the chip needed to play UT2004 is 10 generations older than the one currently STANDARD in the iMac (http://www.apple.com http://www.ati.com). Look it up before you say you have an iMac!
If you do… then you’re just stupid and should give it to me.
finelinebob — bravo sir … after careful consideration of your comedic contributions to this forum today, i nominate you poster of the day!
Bill cannot get the real thing, he can only Mac-sterbate
I agree. MacHush, you’re stupid.
I’ll take that iMac off your hands, thank you very much.
Sweet, wonder when people will realize what the reporters have been telling them for the past year.
MacHush – silly rabbit, you take two of the fastest drives available and put them in a raid configuration and compare it to a single normal drive, how cute!
The sweet spot for RAM on a G5 is between 1.5 and 2 Gb, and if you want to get rid of the “spinning beachball” go to software update and get the update to 10.4.3 other than that the hardware on the iMac G5 is not designed to be upgraded, get a PowerMac if you want to add PCI cards or extra drives. Otherwise don’t compare Spartans to Granny Smith’s or Macintoshes for that matter.
Mossberg is Jobs’ asskisser on Stevie’s payroll.
“Mossberg is Jobs’ asskisser on Stevie’s payroll.”
I’m confused. Is that a bad thing?
Please list the good things Mossberg states about the iMac that aren’t true or fair. Can you come up with any?
Didn’t think so.
Does Mossberg keep an open mind to both sides? Does he for instance mention some things that the Mac does NOT do as well as a Media Center?
Yes he does.
And did Mossberg always love Macs, or did he used to hate them until they got too good to ignore?
He used to hate them but OS X changed his stance.
So much for asskissing. Really, if Windows trolls can’t come up with anything to troll about, why do they show up and humiliate themselves?
I love this place. I love my Mac.
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Yeah, but why buy one when possibly dual core, cooler running iMac(tel)s are only six months to one year away?
mw-This will be my FAMILY computer six months from now when the new ones come out.
I have a 20″ Rev B iMac and I love it. But being a material girl, I really really want a Rev C iMac. The only thing I worry about is dust. Yes, dust. I open my Rev B and blow it out with canned air every 2 months. I live in a very dusty place and this cheap carpet sheds like a collie.
Yumm, ass kissing…
that’s hot!
I’m buying an iMac