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We should have seen this coming. Apple supremo Steve Jobs has always had a grand vision of the Mac as a simple piece of consumer electronics that is as easy and straightforward to use as a toaster, dishwasher or any other household gadget.
The original iMac wrapped the entire computer and monitor package into a cute all-in-one design that sold millions, and its successor swapped the bulky CRT monitor for a compact TFT display to come up with something that looked more like a lamp than a computer.
The new iMac G5 follows that trend to its logical conclusion. All the internal components - motherboard, G5 processor, hard disk, optical drive and so on - have been crammed inside the actual monitor enclosure. The result is something that just looks like a monitor, with no obvious sign that there's a computer in there at all.
Sony tried something similar with its Vaio W-Series, which looks delightfully compact at first sight. But when you look closer you realise that the Vaio has a big box full of electronics hanging off the back of the flat-panel monitor. Apple has gone much further, streamlining the new iMac so that the entire unit fits into an enclosure that is just two inches thick.
Our review unit was the most expensive of the three iMac G5 models available, and uses a 20in (diagonal) screen in the widescreen letterbox format. Its overall dimensions are an impressively compact 19.4in wide, 18.6in high and 7.4in deep (including the metal stand). However, you can remove the stand and attach the iMac to a standard Vesa wall-mount unit, so that it takes up hardly any space at all.
This 20in model has a 1.8GHz G5 processor, 160GB Serial ATA (Sata) hard disk and combination DVD-R/CD-RW drive, and costs £1,349. There are two less expensive models, both with 17in screens, 80GB disks and either 1.6GHz (£919) or 1.8GHz processors (£1,049).
Other features that are standard in all three models are 256MB of Ram, two Firewire ports, three USB2 ports, Ethernet, modem and digital audio output. The iMac also has VGA output and both composite and S-video outputs, so you can hook it up to an external monitor or TV for presentation work. However, you'll need to cough up an extra £20 for the necessary video adapters.
The G5 processor is a welcome improvement on the G4 chip that was used in previous iMac models, and Apple estimates that, overall, this model is around 70 per cent faster than its predecessor. It certainly feels a lot snappier and more responsive than previous iMac models. And, while it's hard to make a direct comparison with PC performance levels, we'd say that this 1.8GHz iMac G5 was comparable to a Pentium 4 PC running at around 2.5GHz.
One minor disappointment is the 256MB of Ram, which is a little on the stingy side. You will probably need to upgrade to 512MB if you plan on playing games or doing any video work. The graphics card is also a rather uninspiring 64MB Geforce FX 5200, but the horsepower of the G5 processor meant that the iMac was still able to produce respectable 3D performance in games such as Unreal Tournament, achieving a smooth 60fps at 1,280 x 800 resolution (almost 50 per cent faster than an old G4 iMac).
Where the iMac really scores is as a 'digital hub' for digital audio, video and photographic work. The G5 processor performs very well at these tasks, and the built-in Firewire ports and bundled software give you a complete and very powerful system for making music, editing video and burning CDs and DVDs.
Unusually for Apple, we're also quite impressed by the iMac's price. It's not the cheapest home PC available, but it's priced pretty well for a machine with a high-quality flat-panel display. You could pay £700-£900 just for a 20in TFT monitor from a brand name such as Hitachi or Sony, so getting this all-in-one iMac for £1,349 is good value. The £1,049 model is also very attractive and will probably be a big seller for Apple.
Sales of the lamp-stand iMac had been faltering, but this faster and more elegant design deserves to duplicate the success of the very first, cute-and-cuddly iMac.
Contact: Apple UK 0800 039 1010
www.apple.com/uk
Specifications:
- Mac OSX v10.3
- IBM G5 1.8GHz
- 256MB of Ram
- 160GB Sata hard disk
- DVD-R/CD-RW drive
- Nvidia Geforce FX5200
- 20in TFT display
- Built-in stereo speakers
- 2 Firewire ports
- 3 USB2 ports
- 2 USB1.1 (on keyboard)
- 1 year warranty
- Appleworks integrated suite
- iTunes, iMovie, iDVD, iPhoto
See also:
All Desktops
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