Posted on 08/13/2004 3:57:58 PM PDT by HAL9000
Exclusive specs: New 17 and 20-inch G5 iMacs to offer 1.6 and 1.8GHz speeds
The soon-to-be-announced, re-designed iMac will be available in two 17-inch models with a 1.6GHz G5 processor and two 20-inch models with a 1.8GHz G5 processor, reliable sources have told Think Secret. In addition, the new models will be housed in an all-in-one body with the motherboard and components attached to the back of the display.
Highly reliable sources have provided Think Secret with incontrovertible evidence of the new iMac specifications. Sources would not confirm specific pricing, but did acknowledge that MSRP will probably fall in the same range as current iMac models -- between US$1,300 and $2,200 -- but could venture slightly higher.
The new iMac line will begin with a bare bones "education" model using a 17-inch widescreen, active-matrix display. Running on a 1.6GHz PowerPC G5 processor, the educational model will not include an optical drive or internal 56K modem, sources said. Its main features will include a 40GB Ultra ATA hard drive, 256MB of DDR SDRAM, 512K L2 cache, NVIDIA GeForce4 MX graphics processor with 32MB of DDR video memory, VGA video output, S-video and composite video output, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, two FireWire 400 ports, three USB 2.0 ports, and two USB 1.1 ports on the keyboard.
The entry-level consumer iMac will have the same specs of the 17-inch educational model, but with a slot-loading Combo drive, 80GB Serial ATA hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce MX 5200 Ultra graphics processor with 64MB of DDR video memory, and a 56K internal modem.
The widescreen 20-inch iMac will include a 1.8GHz G5 processor, slot-loading SuperDrive, 80GB Serial ATA hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce MX 5200 Ultra graphics processor with 64MB of DDR video memory, and 256MB of DDR SDRAM. All other features will be the same as the 17-inch models.
The top-of-the-line 20-inch model will be identical to the mid-range, 20-inch iMac with the exception of a larger, 160GB Serial ATA hard drive.
All of the new iMac models will feature a microphone and stereo speakers built right into the enclosure. All models will also support up to 2GB of DDR memory, be AirPort Extreme-ready, and come with the standard software suite presently found on the existing iMac models. The new models will come with a wired mouse and keyboard standard.
One interesting addition to the entire lineup will be an optical digital audio output, just as is found on the Power Mac G5 towers. The optical output will support 5.1 digital surround sound, but will not include Dolby support, as Apple is not a licensee of the technology found on similar Windows-based PCs.
Sources told Think Secret that the new iMac design is "impressive" and "an eye catcher." The new unit will not have a display with adjustable neck as found on the current iMacs, but will feature an all-in-one design with the logic board, optical drive and other components housed on the back of the flat-panel display.
Sources said the new model will be similar in design and style to Sony's VAIO W700G, but with sleeker lines and contours. "It's not fair to compare the new iMac to the Sony model," said a source. "But it's the closest thing to it that currently exists."
Experts Think Secret has spoken to believe one of the reasons for the decision not to include an optical drive on the educational model is to not only keep prices down, but to fulfill a request by many schools not to include the drive. Some schools have told Apple that they have experienced increased security problems from having optical drives in their Macs. Many schools have deliberately locked down their optical drives to prevent sharing and copying of copyrighted material.
The new iMacs will undoubtedly be criticized for their small amount of memory; one industry expert commented that it is time for Apple to include 512MB of memory in all its systems not just because most Windows-equipped PCs ship with that much RAM, but because many Mac applications now need that much memory to run efficiently. Many experts believe that Apple has decided not to jump to 512MB of RAM in an effort to protect profit margins, which are constantly under pressure and are looked at very carefully by market analysts and investors.
Sources have also confirmed Apple is still planning on debuting the new iMacs at a keynote address scheduled for August 31 at the Apple Expo in Paris. It is still not known if Apple CEO Steve Jobs will deliver the presentation, but Apple is not expected to delay the debut of the new iMacs; Jobs has been recovering from recent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his pancreas. It is not known who would replace Jobs as keynote speaker and show organizers tell Think Secret no such decision has been announced yet by Apple.
nevertheless, some of this is almost unbelievable.
a thirteen hundred dollar computer without a cdrom (much less a cd writer?!?)
a $1300 computer with an nvidia geforce4 mx(200?) gpu with 32 mb?!?
i mean ... c'mon. you're talking about a two or three year old, and a two or three generation old graphics card. and while it should be said that the geforce4 mx remains a capable gpu in many respects, that this gpu (or even the geforce mx 5200 ultra mentioned for the top of the line imac) should be chosen by the manufacturer who has somehow, against all reason, acquired a lofty reputation as being superior in the graphics field, says something very unfortunate about the people who will buy these machines.
again, not wishing to appear to rely strictly on hardware specifications, nonetheless, it cannot be overemphasized that they match about what would have been built on the pc side, using, literally, absolute bottom shelf components at fryes a year ago, maybe even longer.
oowie ... fast ethernet? wow. but walk into any compusa any day for the past four or five years or more and you could buy a perfectly functional 10/100 card based on the realtek chip for, what?, ten bucks? fifteen? five?
my feelings about the people who do this mac thing are about the same as my feelings for those using aol or zimbabweeans: alternating between pity, bemusement, disbelief, and contempt.
okay. i admit that my hands on experience with macs is pretty limited; probably no more than a couple hundred hours. but how many miles do you have to drive a yugo before you realize that you've been had?
sounds like a piece of junk! i'll stay with PC's thank you....
That is a proper omission for some educational customers. It prevents a lot of inappropriate usage - e.g. loading unauthorized files onto the computer, or stealing files, etc. The slot-loading optical drives are standard equipment on the consumer/business iMac models.
a $1300 computer with an nvidia geforce4 mx(200?) gpu with 32 mb?!?
Once again, that's for the educational model. The consumer/business models have better graphics chip sets. Apple's Quartz Extreme technology is tightly integrated with the hardware, so it gets maximum performance from those chips. Microsoft will not have a comparable technology until Longhorn is released.
but how many miles do you have to drive a yugo before you realize that you've been had?
I've never driven a Yugo, but I imagine it's similar to the Windows experience. The Mac is more like the Cadillac of computers.
That is a proper omission for some educational customers. It prevents a lot of inappropriate usage - e.g. loading unauthorized files onto the computer, or stealing files, etc. The slot-loading optical drives are standard equipment on the consumer/business iMac models.
hal ... come to my house, and i will challenge you to load any software on a cd, floppy, or whatever, that you care to try using any of the optical drives on any of the computers on my network. it's called security settings. but the point i was trying to make wasn't just about removing a very useful, almost indispensible, feature, but that a company would have the temerity to charge an enormous (ENORMOUS) amount of money for a computer that lacks a basic piece of hardware found on any and every pc, no matter what the price. and that the mac acolytes would hail its absence as a sensible feature?!?
a $1300 computer with an nvidia geforce4 mx(200?) gpu with 32 mb?!?
Once again, that's for the educational model. The consumer/business models have better graphics chip sets. Apple's Quartz Extreme technology is tightly integrated with the hardware, so it gets maximum performance from those chips. Microsoft will not have a comparable technology until Longhorn is released.
what on earth are you talking about? the pc not only has a comparable technology now, it had a comparable technology the minute the nvidia geforce4 mx was introduced three (?) years ago. in fact, the pc had (not wishing to state the obvious) the exact same identical technology; to wit: the nvidia geforce4 mx.
in fact, it had, at that same time, much better technology: the geforce4 ti4400, the geforce4 2200 (? can't even remember the numbers anymore, it's been so long), and quite a few others.
all of those other gpu's were at the time, and remain today, far, FAR more capable gpu's.
and, AND, since that time, nvidia not only introduced a newer, and better generation of chips (their fx stuff, nv35, nv40, can't recall the numbers, frankly), but has even now obsoleted the fx line with their newest introductions (the 6x00's), which are themselves six months old or so.
but forget nvidia, because we've had lots of fun with ati's recent (18 - 24 months old, as of this writing) introductions which trounced nvidia's fx line in terms of performance. moreover, and, of what seems like it should be of special interest to all the "Graphics Professionals" who have this thing for the mac, ati's cards produce superior 2d and 3d graphics than nvidia's.
and, again, understand that i am not suggesting the use of some exotic, expensive video card; indeed, the price of a ... oh, say ... ati 5700 pro is ... what? ... a hundred and fifty bucks? a hundred? and that's what I would pay.
and none of this even touches on the subject of pci express.
etc.
etc.
the plain simple fact of the matter is that the computer that i built for my 3-year-old daughter out of dust gathering junk out in the shed has a better video card (and better specs in most if not all other respects) than what is any of the imacs mentioned in this article.
recently (august 3, 2004), anandtech published a review of doom 3; specifically, how it would perform on various video cards. of course they tested the latest greatest (big bucks) cards, but, as a novelty/courtesy, they even included in their tests bargain basement and previous generation cards. even so, they only went back as far as the nvidi geforce4 ti4400 (again, a gpu far, far superior to what apple is putting in these brand spankin' new 'think differents').
but still, despite the incontrovertible fact that the hardware being used for these imacs is second or third rate or worse, you still have the mac acolytes solemnly intone: "these are the cadillac of computers."
like i said, i don't know what to think/feel. i mean ... sheesh. adobe ported photoshop to the pc back in january of 1998, or maybe earlier. any possible justification or excuse for having a mac is, like, so dotcom.
I wish I could take you up on that offer. With physical access to your computer, I could install any files I wanted to, and I could copy your files to CD-R and walk out with them.
The only things that would prevent me from using your data would be strong encryption - if you use it - and my ethical standards.
There are compelling arguments for omitting removable media drives in some school and office environments for security and TCO purposes.
"what on earth are you talking about?"
I'm referring to graphics hardware/software technologies like Quartz Extreme in Mac OS X and Avalon in Longhorn. Apparently, you are unfamiliar with them. The windowing system in your current OS is slow, crude and primitive compared to Quartz or Avalon. Microsoft is investing huge amounts of time and money to copy Quartz Extreme technology into Avalon, and shipping it several years after Apple did.
The video chip in the iMac is fine for the vast majority of users. More powerful video cards are available for the PowerMac from ATI and Nvidia. The newest graphics card for Mac is the NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL with dual link DVI, capable of driving two 30-inch Cinema Displays at 2560x1600 resolution. According to the NVIDIA press release of July 26th, it is the best GPU for "Doom".
The only things that would prevent me from using your data would be strong encryption - if you use it - and my ethical standards.
i repeat myself ... with the security settings on my computer properly configured , it would be many years before you, or anyone else, could "install any files" [sic], or copy any of my files to floppy, cd, or anything else.
I'm referring to graphics hardware/software technologies like Quartz Extreme in Mac OS X and Avalon in Longhorn. Apparently, you are unfamiliar with them. The windowing system in your current OS is slow, crude and primitive compared to Quartz or Avalon. Microsoft is investing huge amounts of time and money to copy Quartz Extreme technology into Avalon, and shipping it several years after Apple did.
actually, what is apparent is that you don't know what you're talking about; viz., you are confusing some gee whiz, golly, what-will-they-think-of-next bells and whistles in the gui of the operating system(s) with the underlying hardware technology, which is what this conversation was all about.
the fact is: all of that crap is annoying, resource hogging eye candy intended to entertain the ignorant and feeble minded, and any knowledgeable computer user disables all of it as quickly and thoroughly as possible.
The video chip in the iMac is fine for the vast majority of users.
if you will recall, i said more or less exactly that in my first post. what i took exception to was (1) the temerity of apple charging a relatively huge amount of money for a computer with obsolete and second- or third-rate hardware (and boasting about how wonderful it's computers are), and (2) the unmitigated gall of the typical mac zombie proclaiming that his overpriced, second-rate, barbie doll looking computer is the "cadillac of computers."
get a clue, man. you're being fleeced.
"(2) the unmitigated gall of the typical mac zombie proclaiming that his overpriced, second-rate, barbie doll looking computer is the "cadillac of computers."
Here is my computer -
A PowerMac with dual IBM G5 processors with a 23" Cinema Display. This is a lot more power than the average user needs, but it works for me.
Here is the newest Windows computer, basically the same technology you are using now -
At last, hardware that matches the Windows operating system.
in one stroke of genius, you proved (conclusively, i might add) two of my main points; viz., 1. the mac fanboy is literally incapable of understanding that the shape and color of a computer's case does not affect a computer's capabilities; and, 2. the mac is an overpriced toy.
how so, you may wonder? well, simple, actually:
the Disney Dream Desk PC that you linked a picture of in an attempt to derogate pc's in general and me in particular actually has hardware specifications more or less equal or superior to the new iMacs mentioned at the beginning of this thread. and, the Disney Dream Desk PC comes with a printer. all for $950, from the disney web site. (that is to say, about three or four hundred dollars less than the cheapo iMac.)
please don't misunderstand me; i most certainly am not recommending that anyone purchase the Disney Dream Desk PC - like the iMac, it is a grossly overpriced toy. to it's credit, however, it does not pretend to be otherwise.
but, can you imagine someone with a Disney Dream Desk PC on their desk solemnly proclaiming: "yup. it's the cadillac of computers. costs a bit more, but sure is worth it"?
and, have you any idea of the delicious irony of a mac fanboy holding a computer up for ridicule simply because it has a childish blue plastic case? allow me to remind you:
as to your dual g5 power mac, well, wowie. ibm, er ... unix, ... er apple finally made a computer whereby it might truthfully be said that the very best that apple has to offer is almost as good as some of the best on the pc side. and it has been a very long time (six or eight years, anyway) since that could last be said.
forget about the fact that the mac costs substantially more. (well, yes, of course it costs more ... it's almost as good.)
forget about the fact that the mac does nothing the pc does not; in fact, the mac does less. (software? we don't need no stinkin' software.)
forget about trying to upgrade any of the components easily and inexpensively. (i know what i'm going to do if and when directx 10 [or whatever] is introduced, and it has nothing to do with throwing everything away and buying another whole new computer. or maybe i will ... who cares? it's cheap.)
you can forget about adding another 5 1/4" device. (sorry ... only one bay, and that's already filled). (my box, btw, has four such slots; a couple optical drives, a removable hard drive, a zip disk, whatever you want.)
want raid? for performance or security or both? tough sh*t. (don't worry about it being freely available and practically free on the pc side.)
want the truth? go read the december 2003 issue of MacWorld Magazine, in which even the mac fanboys there admit that my pc spanks the best apple has to offer, and i paid ... oh ... i dunno ... one third? ... one quarter? ... what your g5 cost.
and yours ... yours is the best apple has to offer. mine is assembled from middle shelf components.
We've got tons of software on the Mac - and it's almost always superior to the Wintel counterparts. Mac users typically do more things on their computers than Windows users because the software is better and easier to use. The only software Windows is clearly better for is worms, viruses and spyware - because they just don't exist for Mac OS X so far.
"forget about trying to upgrade any of the components easily and inexpensively."
Most of the peripheral components are identical - the disk drives, keyboard and mouse, etc. are interchangable with PCs. And everyone knows that it's much easier to install peripherals on the Mac.
"it has nothing to do with throwing everything away and buying another whole new computer. or maybe i will ... who cares? it's cheap.)"
Worse than cheap, it's flimsy junk. Wintel is a crap operating system running on crap hardware.
The Mac is about quality and value, and it beats Wintel soundly on that basis. My G5 will still be doing useful work years after your low-quality crap computer has been send to the junk yard. I have a 26-year-old Apple computer that still works good as new.
"you can forget about adding another 5 1/4" device. (sorry ... only one bay, and that's already filled). (my box, btw, has four such slots; a couple optical drives, a removable hard drive, a zip disk, whatever you want.)"
The PowerMac has space for a second hard drive, and it contains a SuperDrive can read and burn most optical formats. External devices like a second SuperDrive can be attached with USB or Firewire, no problem.
"want raid? for performance or security or both? tough sh*t."
Mac OS X uses a journaling file system, so RAID is not necessary on desktop computers - but it's available for anyone who wants it. Apple also sells a 3.5 terabyte Xserve RAID unit, which I will be purchasing soon.
The bottom line is that Mac is superior to Wintel - and most computer users would be better off switching to Macs. Your argument to the contrary is unsupported and untenable.
my mother would be ashamed of me if i responded; she taught me that it was very ill-bred to brawl with the lower classes, or to pick on retards.
but i would like to continue this discussion, so i would invite you to craft a response that does not contain such obvious errors in logic. (of course, i expect your errors about technology; after all, you are a mac fanboy, and 'everyone knows' that they know little if anything about computers.)
for instance, consider if you will the nvidia geforce4 mx gpu. installed in the mac, it is the cadillac of gpu's; installed in a pc, however, it is magically transformed into "flimsy junk [and] crap hardware."
of course, i suppose it's possible that nvidia saves all the super secret double silicon for the macs, huh? just like adobe saves all the really super special versions of photoshop for the mac? and, those mice? ... 'everyone knows' less is more (well ... maybe not those who have actually been permitted to use a scroll wheel, perhaps).
those western digital hard drives? 'everyone knows' the quickest way to ruin one is to put it in a pc.
if apple is still around in five or ten years, maybe it will include raid on its machines (and then boast about how it was the first, blah, blah). if and when it does, and you get a chance to actually use and understand raid, you will understand just how breathtaking ignorant your statement about file systems was.
just as it is impossible to play to a good game of chess against a bad chess player, it is impossible to discuss computers with macolytes. to be sure, there are some, anyway, who at least seem to have an understanding of macs, but i've yet to see one who knows anything about computers, even a concept as basic as raid.
too, your judgment seems to be distorted by some kinda thing you obviously have about microsoft. happens to lots of people.
as a matter of fact, i have a thing about microsoft, and wouldn't be surprised if i am not microsoft's harshest critic.
but unlike you, and most other critics i have read and heard, i earned that right, by hours of blood, sweat and tears, struggling to overcome problems caused by some of the damned stupidest decisions imaginable.
fundamentally, though, almost all of those bad decisions stem from one single error: microsoft assumed that the typical pc user would be smarter than a mac fanboy. (hey, hal: here am the file you are request. ugh.)
oh, one last thing: your statement about your 26-year-old mac running just like it did when it was new? i'm sure that's true, and i'm pretty sure that you'll probably be able to say the same thing about your g5, too.
but if you owned a pc, you would understand why that's nothing to boast about.
www.apple.com/imac
It's out. Reminds me of the Compaq luggables. A thick portable.
I want one :o)
'course, i hear they got rayed now, too. real 'spensive, so i guess it's real good; not like any of that stinky windows stuff, nosirree.
yoo hoo. where are you?
a thirteen hundred dollar computer without a cdrom (much less a cd writer?!?)
That is a proper omission for some educational customers. It prevents a lot of inappropriate usage - e.g. loading unauthorized files onto the computer, or stealing files, etc. The slot-loading optical drives are standard equipment on the consumer/business iMac models.
part of my mind has been ruminating on your statement since i first read it, and it suddenly came to me why.
over and above the whole security settings thing available on the pc is the fact that the security benefits you claim arise on account of deleting the optical drive are completely illusory in light of portable usb harddrive devices. (do i need to explain the significance of that to you?)
in fact, if anything, the optical drives pose marginally less of a security risk in that cds are larger than portable usb drives, and, too, the use of a cdrom drive is physically more obvious (sight and sound) than plugging in a tiny usb device.
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