“Sitting on my bench I have, to the right, my trusty 20-inch G5 iMac with a PowerPC heart beating at 1.8 GHz, and to the left, the new 20-inch iMac with a Core Duo Intel engine rated at 2 GHz. The view is stunning,” Garry Barker writes for The Sydney Morning Herald. “So then, the big question. Is this new machine really twice as fast as the PowerPC model, as Apple boss Steve Jobs said at Macworld?”
“All the iLife ’06 and iWork ’06 applications, Safari and the other bundled applications have been rewritten for Intel and run as if regreased. Non-Intel-compliant software seems to run no faster but then again, no slower, on the new machine. This probably means that the faster Intel chip is making up for the fact that the old software is being converted on the fly to work on the new processor,” Barker reports. “The greater proof of the new platform’s power will come later when professional applications, such as Adobe’s Creative Suite, are rewritten for it. Microsoft will bring Office:mac into the new era, probably next year, but a speed boost for a word processor is unlikely to have anyone singing hallelujah. And PowerPoint, while still useful, is now not an option for most Mac users. They prefer Keynote, which is already rewritten for Intel.”
“So should you buy now or wait a bit? I intend to buy, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, your PowerPC iMac still has good resale value. It will continue to do so, but the second-hand price must inevitably decline as Intel-compliant applications emerge and more Intel machines are bought. Secondly, this is the new generation,” Barker writes. “It will cost you no more to get on the train now.”
Full article here.
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Related MacDailyNews articles:
Review: Apple’s new iMac Core Duo ‘an outstanding feat of engineering, a high-precision instrument’ – February 16, 2006
Apple iMac the finest, most reliable, stable, elegant and intuitive personal computer available – February 14, 2006
Dr. Mac Bob Levitus gives ‘highest recommendation’ for Apple iMac 2GHz Core Duo – February 07, 2006
Review: Apple 20-inch iMac Core Duo 2.0GHz – February 06, 2006
BusinessWeek: Apple’s new iMac Core Duo is an iMac on Steroids – February 02, 2006
AnandTech: Apple iMac G5 vs. iMac Intel Core Duo – February 01, 2006
Thurrott: ‘I highly recommend Apple’s new Intel-based iMac’ – January 31, 2006
Thurrott: ‘Nothing on Windows approaches the quality of Apple’s iLife ’06’ – January 31, 2006
Computerworld: Apple’s MacBook Pro ‘fast, really fast – looks like a real winner’ – January 28, 2006
MacSpeedZone: Apple’s iMac Core Duo nearly as fast as Power Mac G5 Quad – January 26, 2006
InfoWorld: Apple perfects the desktop personal computer with new iMac Core Duo – January 25, 2006
Flawed CNET review pans Apple’s iMac Core Duo with 7 out of 10 rating – January 23, 2006
Washington Post: Wait a month or so before buying Apple’s appealing new Intel-based iMac – January 22, 2006
Apple’s Intel-powered iMac provides a smooth transistion from PowerPC – January 21, 2006
PC Magazine review gives Apple iMac Intel Core Duo 4.5 out of 5 stars – January 20, 2006
Time names Apple iMac Core Duo ‘Gadget of the Week’ – January 20, 2006
Mossberg: New Intel-based iMac the best consumer desktop with the best OS and best software bundle – January 18, 2006
Dave H,
Apple Ram, when bought with your iMac isn’t bad – at least not in the UK
Apple (when bought with iMac)
512MB: 1x512MB + £0
1GB: 2x512MB = £70.01
1GB: 1x1GB = £70.01
2GB: 2x1GB = £210.01
Apple (starting from 512MB then bought seperately)
1GB: 1x512MB + 1x512MB (default) = £69.99 + postage
1.5GB: 1x1GB + 1x512MB (default) = £210.00
2GB: 2x1GB + 1x512MB (default) = £420.00 – whatever you can sell the spare apple stick for
Crucial combos
1GB: 2x512MB + £88.11
1.5GB: 1x1GB (from apple) + 1x512MB = £158.12
1.5GB: 1x1GB + 1x512MB (from apple) = £124.54
2GB: 1x1GB + 1x1GB (from apple) = £194.55
2(.5)GB: 2x1GB + 1x512MB (from apple) = £259.08 – whatever you can sell the spare apple stick for
The trick appears to be to get 1GB from apple with your iMac then buy another gig from crucial, or buy 2GB from crucial and find someone to pay full price for the 512MB that comes with your iMac. Definitely don’t buy Ram from apple on its own though!
“I got a 20” iMac for a gift for someone, it sucks, there is no software and it’s slow, the beach ball spins regardless of the “oh it’s 2x faster” processor.”
Go on…
“If you open it up to try to replace the slow ass hard drive, you violate the warranty and the seals in place. Plus the connector is not standard, it’s something OEM.”
Wrongo — as someone who workings on iMac everyday, and knows the insides — it’s a standard SATA drive that spins at same rate as your PowerMac G5
Yea it’s a dual core, but it shares a bus and memory controler, it can only access 2 GB of RAM.
It’s a CONSUMER machine… wait until the pro machines come out.
“My dual 2 Ghz proccesors G5 absolutely smokes it and it uses slower processors.”
The Bus speeds are slower…. again… you’re comparing a consumer machine to a pro machine… wait until the PowerMac’s intel counterpart comes out to judge.
Macs King:
“A MacMini for Internet use equals lower out-of-pocket cost than 3-years of “anti-virus anti-spyware anti-popup anti-problem” software for Windows, not to mention humping the box back and forth to CompUSA and paying their low-tech service fools installation/configuration fees.”
Exactly right. I got tired of fixing my Dad’s HP and took him down to the Apple Store to buy a real computer.
He picked out a Mac mini, iPod mini, and a Bluetooth Mouse/Keyboard combo. He could not be happier and has moved his entire business over to the Mac.
He thanks me all the time. He can’t believe the money he was wasting on anti-malware programs and “fixes” (not to mention the time he has saved by not having to run all of that crap).
The fact that OS X is beautiful, stable, and easy to use is just gravy to him.
Hey don’t get mad at me.:
I used to look down at Macs because of their small market share. I thought if most people use Windows, it must be better.
Just ask yourself (as I did), when was the last time the vast majority of people did the smart thing. Also, what is the major barrier to Mac ownership cited by most Windows users? Price.
Porsche has a tiny market share. What is the major barrier to Porsche ownership? Price.
Just because a product makes up a small segment of the market, doesn’t mean it’s bad (especially if it’s perceived as more expensive).
In the end it comes down to value. Apple Macs are great values for the money. The fact that most people don’t see that doesn’t change how great they are.
~M