The All-New iMac G5
posted on august 31, 2004, tag: tech
So, after months of speculation and waiting and timelines miscalculated and more speculation and rumors of speculation about speculating, it's finally here: The all-new iMac G5. Some notes about the new machine follow, as well as some thoughts on the "From the creators of iPod" advertising tie-in.
The good news about the new iMac? It's a Single-processor 1.6 or 1.8GHz G5 and 17- or 20-inch display all in once piece, only 2 inches thick. The machine is extremely simple in its design—hell, even the ports are all in a simple line on one side of the back of the display)—and it features a mount similar (if not identical) to the new Cinema Displays. It's also get serial ATA drives now, which should increase disk performance compared to the old iMac model.
The bad news? The front-side bus is just over half that of the Power Mac G5 and the memory is only expandable up to 2GB (the Power Mac G5 accepts either 4GB or 8GB depending on configuration). Only two FireWire ports, and they're both 400. It's made of white plastic that's shiny (like the old iBook), and it looks a lot like the eMac from the front.
Extremely good news, though, is that Apple has priced the entry-level, 17-inch model at $1299 USD. This means that the iMac is still very affordable as a consumer desktop machine, and means that more and more people can make the move to the significantly faster G5 processor. Bluetooth is still not built-in by default (Apple, read this: Want people to buy your wireless mouse and keyboard? Then build Bluetooth in! Do it on every machine, always, no exceptions!), which I think is a mistake. Apple should be capitalizing on all the little things that make a Mac so great to use on a daily basis, and being able to sync all your contacts and date book items from your phone to your computer and vice-versa with little-to-no setup is something Apple should definitely be promoting.
The iPod Tie-in
Saying "From the creators of iPod" bothers me for three reasons:
- "The creators of iPod" are Apple and designer Jonathan Ive. Ive is also responsible for the original iMac design, the previous iMac design, the iBook, the PowerBook and the Power Mac. To say this new design is from "the creators of iPod" is like saying "From the people who made every other Apple product." I would assume the connection is supposed to make people think, "Hey, I like the iPod. If this new iMac was made by the same team, it is probably as good as my iPod. I'll buy two!" I dunno, I think it's a stretch.
- Removing the article from that statement bothers the hell out of me. "From the creators of iPod" sounds absolutely incorrect to me, and I had to read it a few times before I realized the "the" was missing. Then I started to look around Apple's site and I noticed they aren't using articles at all. "Though ease of use has always been the hallmark of iPod..." No, you bastards. It's been the hallmark of the iPod. You bastards, you're driving me nuts! "And you can shuffle your way through a lot of songs now that iPod lets you..." apparently iPod is a person who lets you do things. Next time you pick up iPod, ask iPod if it will play you some music. Ridiculous!
- It really has nothing to do with the iPod save the fact that it's a white square with a screen.
A Few Miscellaneous Thoughts
This new iMac looks almost exactly how a tablet-pc would look. In fact, if you could remove the mount, you'd have a tablet (albeit a corded and probably hot and heavy one). It feels like this is the beginning of the path to an Apple tablet PC. I'm excited about the idea, but only because I'm a gadget freak—I don't think an Apple tablet PC would really be a good idea. How many people have tablet PCs right now? I've never seen a single one outside of movies and shipping companies.
Two inches thick screams "getting close to a G5 PowerBook." I hope so. I don't need a new laptop (I have a 15-inch PowerBook), but there are plenty of people waiting, money in hand, to buy a new PowerBook the moment it includes a G5 processor. Frankly, the sooner Apple has a G5 in all of its machines, the better.
It's sad to admit it, but it's true—I want to see an Apple Sidekick-like PDA/phone. I really love mobile phones, and I have still yet to find the right one for me. I'm extremely interested in the new Sidekick II, but I can't get the device on ATT wireless (and I'm under contract). Still, I feel like Apple could make a fantastic device, even though it will probably never happen (although I have received confirmation that it is happening—I just don't believe it).
Comments
There are 13 comments, comments are closed
Corey on 08/31/2004:
I agree with you on the "From the creators of iPod..." statement. It seems to that they are belting out, "We are a very insecure company with low self esteem," and "Really, we mean it, it was us who made iPod, now please buy the iMac G5, because it's just like it." It really annoys me.
someone on 08/31/2004:
Removed.
[I don't allow anonymous comments, and even if I did, I would have deleted what you wrote. I'm not maintaining this site to solicit hate-mail responses. —Ed]
[More: If you're not willing to use your real name and email address, then you're posting spam. If it happens again, I'll ban the IP address. —Ed]
Mathew Hoy on 08/31/2004:
hehe. i posted much the same kind of comments at my weblog. have a look if you will. i think the cable config is a bit dicey and they should have gone with wireless, all the way.
Jonathan on 08/31/2004:
I took a look at this today on the Apple site and was amazed. This looks like a killer deal for an entry level Mac. Aside from the front side bus and lack of Bluetooth... I'd buy one. Just looking at the price difference between the 20" Apple display and the entry level iMac makes me think... "Hmmmm... do I want to buy this display or should I get a whole new Mac for the same price... and it comes with an LCD!" Very ponderous.
Tim Uruski on 08/31/2004:
I don't have a problem with the iPod tag-line. It makes sense to me. The iPod (happy?) is the only Apple product that has penetrated into pop-cultural consciousness. A lot of people know what the iPod is but they don't really think to look beyond that, especially into computers.
By tagging it as a product made by the same people as iPod it makes people associate the same level of quality. When they think of a thing as complex as a computer being designed to the same level of detail as an iPod they're a lot more likely to buy.
? on 09/01/2004:
"From the creators of iPod" to me sounds very much like "From the creators of Pirates of the Carribbean." I don't think the statement disowns the other creations that Ive and Apple have produced over the years, but rather it targets a specific existing product that's related to the one being introduced. I also feel that there are many design decisions beyond the "white square with a screen" that are congruent between iPod and iMac. The relationship is really not that big of a stretch.
If you want to my only real beef, it's the Tiffany's blue motif that they seem to be sticking with for new consumer-level product announcements. I, for one, am not a fan.
My humble $.02
Shawn on 09/01/2004:
I think the splash on apple.com is brilliant. It is a joke. Like all of their advertising, it comes with a wink. It's witty and sly and clever and that's what they've always done. You can almost see Jobs' wry smile. The picture is fantastic, seeing the iPod, thin, tiny, elegant, seamless, next to the new iMac ("Where did the computer go?"). It's funny and gets the message across. This is a computer made with the same principles as iPod. And yes, no "the." It's extremely intentional and yes, it does give the iPod a personal feel. That's the point. Originally the whole point of iPods were to sell Macs. That's all they're trying to do. One last thing: for 100 bucks you can get bluetooth AND wireless keyboard and mouse. That's a pretty good deal.
Jason on 09/01/2004:
the "from the creators of ipod" statement is pretty smart. When I used to work in LA, I was taking the subway into work. Every single person who was "cool" had an ipod or an ipod mini. Associating the new g5 imac with it gets the attention of all of those trendy people, who have to have the perfect life. Now having the newest ikea line of furniture and an ipod just isn't enough, you HAVE to have an imac too; or your just not good enough.
The problem I have with the statement is that Apple did NOT in fact create the ipod. Apple designed the ipods interface and outer shell. But the hardware and OS were put together by IBM; IBM then sold the ipod to apple because they are idiots.
On another note, currently I am working as a programmer for mobileplanet.com and we are seeing substantial growth in tablet pc's. soon tablets will most likely take over the laptop market.
Garrett on 09/01/2004:
IBM did not sell the iPod to Apple. I swear, I don't know where you get your news.
PortalPlayer (Ben Knauss and Tony Fadell specifically—Fadell ended up being hired by Apple to create the iPod and was given a team of 30 people), the company who initially designed the iPod concept and eventually sold it to Apple.
At the time, IBM was planning on working with PortalPlayer to create an iPod-like device. PortalPlayer ended up going exclusively with Apple instead.
IBM never owned anything, and never had anything to sell. The hardware and software (initially) were designed by PortalPlayer. The IBM device, which never ended up being made, was being based on the PortalPlayer reference design. Then, Fadell, his team and Apple tweaked the reference until the iPod was born. Fadell is still the senior manager of the iPod at Apple.
See Inside Look at Birth of the iPod at Wired for more details.
Jason on 09/01/2004:
IBM, never shy about blowing an opportunity to take over the market, was working on an iPod type product with the company that later went on to supply the hardware to Apple long before Apple showed up.
Among the interesting nuggets is the fact that PortalPlayer was working with a number of companies, including IBM, before concentrating its efforts on Apple. According to Knauss, IBM's plan was to create a small player built around its Microdrive (IBM later sold its drive business, including the Microdrive to Hitachi, which now sells it to Apple for use in the iPod Mini.) IBM also planned to use Bluetooth headphones—something that a few folks here have been wanting for some time.
pwned.
heh, you are right, but still the fact remains that the same people who developed the ipod did not develop the imac.
Richard on 09/03/2004:
Apple has been leaving out "the" since 1984; it was never The Macintosh, it was always Macintosh.
This is not new, I think you just noticed it but it's been around for, well, since 1984 in much of their advertising.
As far as "leveraging" the iPod connection, can you blame them? iPod (see I did it too) is the most mainstream penetration an Apple product has ever had and like many long time Macintosh users it frustrates the hell out of me that more people don't use Macs and don't appreciate what Apple has done with UI, hardware/software integration, and more.
As I've said elsewhere, when you think of what Apple's 5 year strategy might be (take over home entertainment) this form factor is perfect. I can easily see the new iMac morphing into a replacement for a TV set and as soon as it does, my big tube set is a goner. It already has a CD/DVD player and with AirPort Express, wireless connection to a nice stereo system.
I'm pretty sure the hole in the middle of the stand takes good care of cables.
I think the design is brilliant and if they want to use iPods to sell more, fine by me. I just want to see a load of these out in the world.
Lashlar on 09/05/2004:
I must say, the specs are tempting, and with that form factor (and given that I never take notes in class on a computer, as I like being able to create mind maps quickly), I'm considering it for a replacement for Zatar, my three year old Dell laptop.
The design is quite nice, although I'll admit to feeling very uneasy about such a narrow base. It just looks like it's about to fall over. All it would take is one overly playful cat and it might be "bye, bye iMac."
swimp on 09/11/2004:
I think the "from the creators of iPod" statement is a very smart move, albeit a very transparent one.