Apple iMac Desktop with 17" M8935LL/A (1.0-GHz PowerPC G4, 256 MB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, DVD-RW/CD-RW Drive)

by Apple

Product Details

Product Manual [7.63mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 22.5 x 18.3 x 17.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 36 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00008GT9Y
• Item model number: M8935LL/A
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,210 in Computers & Accessories (See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 4, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The new iMac dazzles with its brilliant 17-inch widescreen flat-panel display that adjusts its height or angle with just a touch. But what’s more amazing is its compact base now packs powerful new features like a speedy 1 GHz G4 processor, more extreme nVidia graphics, a faster DVD-burning SuperDrive--and new advanced wireless options.

Inside the new 17-inch iMac, you get the 1 GHz PowerPC G4 with Velocity Engine, 256 MB of PC2100 266 MHz DDR main memory (expandable to 1 GB), GeForce4 MX graphics with 64 MB of DDR graphics memory, and an Ultra ATA/100 80 GB hard disk spinning at 7,200 rpm. You also get AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth wireless capability, and the best-of-breed digital lifestyle applications that have convinced so many PC users to switch to the Mac platform.

The iMac with SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW) lets you burn your own movies and photos on a DVD disc that plays in almost any standard DVD player. Even better, the SuperDrive now burns DVDs at 4x speed, twice as fast as before. And of course you can pop in your DVD movies and watch them in widescreen letterbox format on the brilliant LCD display of your 17-inch iMac.

Pop the new AirPort Extreme Card into your 17-inch iMac and you’re ready for wireless networking from anywhere in your home or dorm--up to 150 feet from an AirPort Extreme Base Station.

The iMac comes with Apple Pro speakers that handle 18 watts of undistorted digital sound. It also features an internal speaker, internal tripath digital amplifier, Apple Pro speaker jack, headphone jack, and an audio line-in jack that lets you use it as a sound-editing studio. The bottom line is that you get to enjoy an incredible aural experience.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

84 of 86 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Made the switch, March 10, 2003

By 

"lessismorer" (NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Apple iMac Desktop with 17" M8935LL/A (1.0-GHz PowerPC G4, 256 MB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, DVD-RW/CD-RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

This review is a bit long but if you're even slightly interested in switching to the iMac please take the time to read it (you don't want to spend $2K on just any old computer do you?)
1st of all the individuals who wrote the 1* reviews obviously don't own an iMac and probably own a lot of MS stock so they are Apple bashing. I am in the military and have used PC's since there were PC's. I spent one tour as the IT manager for my command. My only experience w/ Macs had been at my kid's school and with my minister. I was extremely skeptical of Apple and researched for several months before deciding on the iMac. I was tired of having the BBB (big beige box) next to my desk. I had seen the new iMac in the news during its intro and was immediately smitten. I ask you why in the yr 2K3 do computers still look like they did 20 years ago? Apple broke the mold with the original iMac and then vaporized it with the new iMac. I've had mine for about one week now and my wife is about ready to divorce me. The engineering and design that went into the iMac make it the most usable computer on the market. Try moving a regular LCD monitor with one finger to position it precisely where you want it. I can bring the iMac?s monitor right over the keyboard for typing and surfing or put it up high to watch DVD?s with my kids, truly awesome. The 16X9 aspect ratio is great for everything, especially browsing w/ two windows open, one on each side of the screen. I get so tired of hearing how you can't upgrade it. How many average PC users actually crack a case and upgrade their PC's? Not many I'll wager. If you're worried about the iMac's 1GHz processor vs a 2.x GHz PC clone, don't. I run a 2.4 GHz at work and I see no difference in everyday apps. I suppose if you're a game freak you'll want a PC but my kids and I play games on consoles now and use the computer for important things like the wonderfully educational and preloaded World Book encyclopedia. If you're really interested read up on how the G4 chip processes in comparison w/ the PC chips. Set up was a breeze, about 15 mins including unpacking. The speakers look & sound incredible, and there's no power cord! Do you really need a subwoofer w/ a computer (more wires)? I was unsure of the Apple one button mouse but now I'm sure, no carpel tunnel as I move my hand around more the only thing it lacks is a wheel as you can hold the control key and pop up a menu window anywhere (you can add a multi-button mouse if you want). I love the "Dock" that holds all frequently used program icons, it makes opening an app a delight as each icon blows up when moused over. I have yet to use the super drive for burning DVD's or CD's but it plays/loads them fast and fine. The iMac is very quiet and just wait until you see it sleeping for the first time, way cool. Lastly if you know your way around MS Windows then don't fear Mac OS. I estimate it took an hour to familiarize myself w/ the important parts of the system. Go look at the iMac, talk to Mac users, read the switch testimonies and make you choice. Anyone who doesn't give the iMac a test drive and buys a clone will miss a great opportunity to own a truly useful home computer.

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I'd give it 4.5 if I could - it's almost perfect!, May 21, 2003

By 

Michael Trotman (Daniel Island, SC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Apple iMac Desktop with 17" M8935LL/A (1.0-GHz PowerPC G4, 256 MB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, DVD-RW/CD-RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

I'm writing this review on my brand new iMac 17" and I'm grinning ear to ear. I do wish I'd made the switch long ago. I have to admit that I sat on the fence for almost a year before making the move over to Apple. The iPod is what finally pushed me over (more about that in another review).

I won't rehash what other folks have already written. What also makes the iMac worth the money is the software that's packaged (free) with the deal. Off the shelf it's sold as iLife and it includes iTunes, iMovie, iDVD, iPhoto. Trust me - you won't have to buy additional software for the iMac unless you're computing for a living. The included Appleworks suite is all you need for most publishing applications. And with the included browser, calendar, address book you're set for email and web browsing.

Set up was a cinch - I timed it - 10 minutes flat and I was surfing the web and had my email set up. Of course I already had an ISP service and I'm a bit of geek, but it was remarkably easy.

The only reason I can't give the iMac a perfect 5 is because of the pitiful mouse and keyboard. I've been spoiled with my ergonomic keyboard from Microsoft and their intellipoint trackball mouse. Once you've used these you can't go back to anything less. I really hoped I could avoid sending more money to Bill, but ...

One other note of caution - please note that only one of the memory slots is accessable to the consumer. Therefore if you need 1 GB of RAM you will have to have the 256 MB RAM chip replaced by an authorized service center. Otherwise the most RAM you can install yourself is 512 MB in the user accessible slot bringing the total to 768 MB. Not an issue for most users, but something to consider. The only way around this is to buy direct from the Apple store. The other bonus from buying direct from Apple is that the units from the store have Bluetooth built in! The downside here is delivery time - it took almost 2 weeks to receive my iMac from California to North Carolina. A wait made even more agonizing by the fact that my iPod was delivered in two days from Amazon!

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Is iMac for you?, May 11, 2003

By 

Ot C "Ot C" (Kenosha, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Apple iMac Desktop with 17" M8935LL/A (1.0-GHz PowerPC G4, 256 MB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, DVD-RW/CD-RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

First off, I should say I am an avid user of both popular operating systems: MAC OS and Windows OS. I hope my review adds some use to those of you who are on the fence. Before I try to explain the advantages of one system over the other, I thought a short description of my feelings of the iMac was in order.

The iMac 17inch wide screen computer is simply amazing. The OSX operating system is unequaled. It is so far ahead of anything like it one wonders if an alien is working at Apple. Not only is the interface the most visually appealing, it is also the most flexible. Further updates can only make it more appealing to the user who invests their money. Integration with multimedia standards like MP3, AAC, MPEG 4, PDF are outstanding.

My only disappointment, out of the box, were the speakers. The Mac powered speakers that come with the iMac should have been standard on the base eMac version. The speakers that come with the iMac do not equal the 2-speakers - 1 sub woofer 3rd party speakers you can buy for 60$ on the PC. You can upgrade to a better USB based set of speakers for about 100$.

I don't have much space for a full review, so let's get to the nitty gritty.

YOU SHOULD BUY AN IMAC IF: You are looking for an easy way to surf the net, send e-mail, do design work, looking for out-of-box ease. The graphics are unsurpassed, the 17 inch - thin - monitor is beautiful to behold. If you are worried about compatibility with Microsoft Office I suggest you pick up Office for OSX. With this package you have it all. The multimedia applications that come with the iMAC are so beyond the clunky 3rd party versions for the PC, it will make you laugh. Add to this that you get a Super Drive, a combo CD/DVD RW device (something that you can't get with the base Dell or Gateway system without paying even more) and you are set.

YOU SHOULD NOT BUY AN IMAC IF: You (or your kids) are game enthusiasts. There is no getting around it, games are made for Windows first. It takes months, sometimes a year, for game companies to port (translate) the same game for the MAC. If you expect to share files with every other PC user on your block, or want to have your kids acclimated to what their local school is using (providing they are using Windows -check it out first), then get a Windows based machine. As much as it pains me to say it, this is the truth, don't let any MAC fanatic tell you otherwise.

SUMMATION: If you are regular user and you don't care about games, if you are not worried about every file or application that you share being Windows compatible, get this iMAC. The important thing to remember is that Office files (Word, Excel, Power point ) can be shared eith a Mac or PC. If this is your concern, buy the Mac OSX version of Office and be done with it. The value of the iMac, in these terms, outweigh any PC.

The unseen value of your purchase of an iMac will be to strike a blow against the concept of a one-choice (only choice) Windows world and help create a competitive enviroment that all will benefit from.

Otto