Customer Reviews

Apple iMac G5 Desktop with 20" M9250LL/A (1.80 GHz PowerPC G5, 256 MB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Isn't it amazing that people will take the time to bash a product they know nothing about and they haven't even tried? Makes you wonder where the motivation comes from. It's interesting to note that "Bob" has posted only 3 reviews, each one identical and posted for each model of the new iMac G5. I guess I'll do the same. Normally, I'd rather not take the time to write this, but as a totally satisfied iMac user, I feel I better get my two cents in so any potential users don't get the wrong idea. I must admit that I haven't tried the new iMac yet (they haven't even started shipping yet!), but it looks like a worthy successor to the previous model. Frankly, I'm tempted to switch to the new iMac G5 but I'm going to stick with my 2-year-old iMac G4 for a year or two more. That machine has performed flawlessly and it shows no sign of slowing down. One huge plus for the new machine is how user accessible the innards are. It looks like most users will be able to replace many malfunctioning components themselves. One thing I would miss is the articulated arm of of the older machine. That really does come in handy sometimes.

Several points made in Bob's "review" need rebuttal, however. First of all, his argument about the all-in-one computer makes no sense at all. Face it, the WHOLE computer is worthless if something breaks. Does he find some comfort in having a blank monitor if he has to ship the computer? He also says the virus-free claim is silly. Well, it just happens to be true. I still haven't heard of any OS X virus being found. Sorry Bob, but if you want a safe and secure computing environment, without spyware and viruses, switch to Apple. I keep hearing the virus woes PC users seem to be plagued with and I wonder why someone would put up with that. I don't get it, but if they don't mind, so be it. As for Mac software being scarce...well, just go to an Apple store or the Apple website and check. Frankly, I've had to buy very little software because Macs come with most of the software an average home user will use built in, and the software just plain works GREAT. Making movies, managing your photo and music collection, recording your hit composition, it's all there and plenty more. No, the new iMac G5 isn't for the hardcore gamer, and it's not meant for that market, but the casual gamer will be very happy. I don't play computer games so it's a mute point with me. As for expandability, the Apple website says that the user can replace the following on this computer: AirPort Extreme Card, Memory, Hard drive, Optical drive, Power supply, LCD display, Modem card, Mid-plane assembly (contains the main logic board, the G5 processor, fans, NVIDIA graphics processor, and so forth). Who knows what third-party manufacturers are going to come up with? Bob is correct about one thing: Macs do crash, even in OS X. My iMac goes down about once ever two months, and it's pretty much on all the time.

As for price, I've read many people who have taken the time to compare the iMac with a comparatively equipped Dell and, believe it or not, the Apple actually comes out ahead. Those 20" flat panels don't come cheap! And Macs are well known for their quality. Comparing one to a Wal-Mart special is silly.

Please, think first before you listen to an Apple basher like Bob. There's a hidden agenda there and only he knows what it is. And Bob, Panther IS the current version of OS X. The next one is Tiger and it looks great. Interested buyers? Go to the Apple website and check out the switcher section. They can explain all this much better than me. I'm just a happy user.

And, I must confess, only have one iPod! :-(

This is the best machine Apple has put out in a long time. In terms of shear build quality, thats always there with a Mac. Apple builds the best computers in the world. They are stylish yes, but more importantly they just work. And keeps on working and working. If you are coming from a pc here's why I think this may be the machine for you to switch to. Apple has made computing easy from an operating system. No viruses, no spyware, no worms, no trouble. Just easy computing doing teh things you want to do without alot of garbage on your screen from advertisers. I have never had a pop up on my screen in two years since I switched to Macs! Amazing right? Well its just teh way it is with Macs. so now with the iMac G5 not only do you get an easy operating system you get an easy to operate computer too. ONE Cord into the wall and with the optional ( $79) airport extreme card that you can install you dont even have to plug into a router, Turn it on and about 90 seconds later you are online. This will be the easiest switch you ever make. The OS makes it easy, the computer makes you look good doing it.
The G5 processor is faster than any Windows based machine out there. Now more programs that wont respond. I have never ever ever had a program stop responding. The G5 handles four or five tasks with ease. No bottlenecks or slow downs. yet another reason why your switch will be easy. If you have a Mac already you knnow why you should buy this machine. Its amazing. Its fast, compact, runs cool amd whisper quiet, is attractive in any room and light enough to unplug and move to the bedroom for a movie while in bed. ( 20" model reccomended for this) I love mine and cant belive how cheap it is with all the things it comes with. 160gb drive, DVD-R drive, G5 processor smokes any Pentium out there now, the only thing I would add is more memory. I added 2 gb for a total of 2gb. I woudl say that the minimum for this machine would be 512 and at current ram prices that can be had for 50 bucks. I sa y go for it! They has never been a better time. this is a perfect computer at a reasonable price. This one will stay relevant for years to come.

My original review follows this paragraph I still love this machine, its ease of use, backup and beauty. However, Apple just announced that it is moving from the Power PC chip produced by IBM that powers this machine to Intel chips that power the rest of the PC world. They maintain that all future programs will work on both the Power PC chip and the Intel chip. That is easy to say, but since the architecture of the two chips are entirely different, making the claim reality may prove to be difficult. Certainly if one system is sacrificed it will be the one Apple will no longer be making in either 2006 or 2007 at the latest. I am concerned that Apples claim may be similar to 'the check is in the mail and I will still respect you in the morning.' You can this machine with the knowledge that it is a wonderful desktop system...but. I would hesitate to buy now even at the reduced price.

I purchased my 20" iMac with the Bluetooth mouse and keyboard. After a small glitch at startup that Apple Tech support was able to correct over the phone, I was up and running. I was able to easily import the files from my PC since I had backed them up to CD's. My HP printer and Dymo LabelWriter connected easily. The cables hook up to the back of the computer, snaking through a hole cleverly placed in the stand. Result - no wires showing and no wires on my desk. Much improved appearance - this makes the wife happy, and a totally free desktop for projects that are not computer based. That makes me happy.

Others have covered well the beauty and ease of use of this machine. I can only add that the display is not to be believed until you see it. Do upgrade your ram. I put in a gigabyte. It can make a serious difference in performance. Do not believe you are immune to viruses because you have a mac. Go to .mac and buy your virex protection and get auto upgrade. Viruses may be rare for the mac, but they are not unknown. Do not, like one of my friends who bought a mac mini, try to load your PC programs on the mac. They will not work. Do play with your mac and its software. Iphtoto is an amazingly versatile program. If you have a digital camera, learn and use it. It will be rewarding. Do join your local mac users group. There you will find a group of people that will help you through any problems you may encounter. Plus, mac users as a group are used to thinking outside the box and you may well meet some interesting and fun people.

The long-awaited iMac G5 delivers all the power that a typical computer user needs. Although not aimed at the power user, it will allow photo and video editing for the home user, and even some pros. For those who really need more power, Apple offers other (PowerMac) models. And Apple delivers, as always, with style. It is perfect for the iLife applications Apple supplies, and works well with Photoshop, Final Cut, etc.

The style of the new iMac G5 is simplicity -- it is a large, clear LCD conservatively colored white and aluminum. It matches the iPod and goes with any decor. Although not quite as daring as the previous iMac G4, it has a smaller footprint on the desk and is elegant, yet relatively unobtrusive in any room. Ideal for a dorm (with little space) or a room in which you wouldn't want a larger, ugly computer. Or for anyone who appreciates the simplicity.

Apple could have supplied more RAM, but that would have raised the price, and you can buy RAM less expensively from third-party vendors.

Having read some othe other reviews of this machine I can only say that I agree with the ones that heartily reccomend it as a great computer and piece of industrial design from Apple. It really is a sight to behold as it floats over your desk.
I bought the 20" version as in our house we needed the machine to work on a variety of uses: video editing/dvd production of our kids home videos, so that includes lots of iPhoto (for our digital camera), iTunes, iDVD and iMovie. All that eats hard drive space and consumes power, so far the iMac has worked wonderfully in all the tasks. Storing ALL our cd's in AAC format (to link to the iPod) and use in DVD production. As a home computer, it meets the requirements. Now if you start asking for a professional: video editing machine; games machine etc... then are there are specialist tools for that (PlayStation etc...) or high end PC and Macs for that. But as a VERY good Do-It-All 'Jack of all trades" machine that looks amazing, it can't be beat!
People really do ask "Where's the computer then?" as corny as that may sound!
We bought our iMac direct and upgraded the HD to 250GB, Ram to 1GIG, Bluetooth and Airport Extreme card, with wirelss keyboard and mouse. Fabulous! Watching DVD's is great too! Listening to music with Visualizer on full screen is neat (geeky but fun!).
It also handles MS Office for Mac Pro nicely too, so I'm not in the office wilderness! It really is the machine to convince any PC owner to switch.

I've used Macs for 14 years and this is probably the most capable consumer Mac yet - and the best value for money. Apart from the stellar hardware and the terrific applications, Apple has found another way to make things easier for its customers; thanks to clear instructions and a very nifty setup assistant, I was able to transfer all the programs, documents, icons and settings from my old (G4) iMac to my new one, with a simple Firewire cable. Previously, buying a new Mac entailed a sometimes days-long transfer of data from the old to the new machine. No longer. The setup assistant took care of it after I answered five or six questions. A couple of hours later, without any additional work on my part, my new iMac was organized just like my old one -- everything in the same place, with the designated programs loading at startup, my bookmarks loaded in my browser, the familiar wallpaper on the desktop, etc... The new machine even knew to assume the old one's IP address, so I had an Internet connection as soon as I plugged in the Ethernet cable from my DSL modem. It was all perfectly painless. Virtually no downtime at all.

The surprisingly heavy iMac G5 looks like a megasized iPod. The Mac's 20-inch screen is gorgeous, but it also posed the only real problem I've had with my new purchase: the flatpanel monitor is much too bright in low ambient light, even with the brightness turned all the way down. In a partly darkened room, the iMac will burn right through your optic nerve. OK, maybe not, but its brightness is excessive and annoying. Fiddling with the gamma settings in the monitor control panel didn't improve things much. I finally found and downloaded Steven Hutson's handy freeware program DarkAdaptedX, which lets you dial in the desired brightness level (and save those settings as presets). Problem solved.

There's not that much to add. Everything just works, with no fuss. Burning DVDs is a cinch. iPhoto (the new version of which comes free with this machine, as do the other iLife programs such as iMovie and Garageband) has gone from a straggler to a thing of beauty. It's brimming with lovely new features, including support for different printed books you can order straight from within iPhoto. Also, the program now lets you customize the appearance of your slideshow -- for example, you can control how long individual photos in a slideshow stay up on the screen. The new iLife apps are faster, too, though that has as much to do with the hardware. For example, on my G4 iMac, I was often waiting a long time for Photoshop to even LAUNCH, let alone for it to finish processor-intensive tasks. The G5 is roughly three to four times as zippy. Even web pages seem to load faster.

I'm giving four stars (OK, 4.5) because of the overly bright screen, and because the machine, with four small internal fans to keep its insides cool, is a bit noisier than I'd like. Also, Apple has made a mistake in shipping a fast machine with not nearly enough RAM (internal memory). 256 Mb just won't be sufficient for 90% of the iMac G5's users. Luckily, it's easy to add a RAM module, and I would recommend stepping up to at least 512 MB total, more if you can afford it. (TIP: There are two RAM slots, and contrary to what some people think, these slots do not need to be filled with same-capacity memory modules. In other words, you can add a 256 Mb, a 512 MB, or a 1 Gigabyte module to the second slot. It doesn't have to match what is in slot number one).

Bottom line: Apple gives another class performance.

The best computer I've ever had is my G5 Tower, but this G5 iMac is a very close second. With a gorgeous 1680 x 1050 pixel screen which tilts and swivels with great ease, a fast processor, and a small footprint. The included iMovie, iDVD, iPhoto and Garageband would make any Windows user drool with envy. I've bumped mine up to 1GB of RAM (quality RAM) and haven't had a single glitch. That brings up the important issue of RAM. These G5 iMacs along with the G5 towers are finicky as far as RAM goes. If you buy discount RAM, you may luck out and have no problems, but chances are you will experience what those below (who gave unwarranted 1 star reviews) experienced. Even if the included G5 iMac Test Disc passes the RAM test, doesn't mean you have fully compatible RAM. If you are experiencing freezes or Kernel Panics chances are very high it is a RAM issue. Spend the extra 10-15% on some quality RAM, it is worth the price. Also purchase your RAM from a highly rated store with a good exchange policy, just in case you do get bad RAM. As soon as you get your RAM installed, run the Apple Test Disc so you know right away if you have received defective RAM. If you experience problems and have the original RAM that came with your iMac (if a dealer upgrades you, make sure they give you the original RAM) remove the upgrade RAM and put in the original RAM. If the issues go away, you'll know the RAM is the issue. Also, if you have issues, go to Mac-centric message boards such as macfixit, you'll find tons of help there from folks who love to help!

Last month I received a G5 iMac as my primary machine at work. The only option that I added was additional RAM (1 GB total), though I would opt for bluetooth for keyboard and mouse + airport for ethernet if I had purchased the machine for home use. As it is, though, the machine is a pleasure to use. Below are a few of my highlights:

The machine is speedy - even with multiple applications open, large apps such as Eclipse start quickly

The screen is large and crisp. Plenty of gorgeous real estate.

The keyboard and mouse (I'm using the factory 1 button optical, despite the fact that I have used 3 button units for years) are comfortable and feel solid.

The machine is just beautiful. At first I wasn't sure if I liked the styling, but I have really grown to appreciate its lines + the simplicity of the all-in-one design. Fit and finish are superb - this is a machine that looks and feels great.

This is really one of the finest iMacs, if not one of the finest Macs, yet. If you aren't yet a Mac user, the experience of using one of these machines will win you over.

Apple delivers excellent value this this computer. A lot of people say Macs are more expensive than PCs, but this computer proves them wrong. If you price out a comparably equipped leading brand PC with the same software and hardware that comes with this computer, you'll find the Mac is a little cheaper. Additionally, you need not worry about spyware and viruses with Mac OS X. If you want to use your computer for anything beyond surfing the web and checking e-mail, I highly recommend this computer.

I love macintosh! I am a graphic artist, and purchased my first mac 6 years ago. (A cute blue one!) But it is pretty much a requirement in my field. But for those looking for everyday use, this machine has worked seamlessly with my digital camcorder, and burns CD's and DVD's quickly and easily. The iDVD and iMovie software can make anyone a great director! I think this software is unparalled for the novice! Rare viruses, great support, and who doesn't want an ipod? Ipods work so seamlessly with this machine, along with iTunes.

I work from home, and spend approx. 8 hrs a day on this machine. It is a workhorse, and aside from a few crashes here and there, (usually in industry software) it runs perfectly. I also uploaded and edited all of my wedding videos, and created a wonderful DVD.

There are a lot of things to consider when purchasing a mac...
If there are "gamers" in your family, this is NOT the machine for you. Gaming software is very limited compared to buying a Windows machine.
Macs are "virtually" virus free. I have NEVER had a virus on my machine (knock on wood!)
Compatability... (although mac compatibility has come leaps and bounds, it still leaves a little to be desired) my sister just started college, wanting a mac, she purchased an ibook. She took her laptop to school, and had endless problems with the school server, and the internet connection. The school offered specific email software which was not mac compatibile. When I purchased my first mac, I had similar problems with my ISP (internet service provider) Although this was years ago, I was told at that time they had NO support for macintosh computers. It was definately an ordeal to get my cable modem connected and running. (I guess they get computers internet ready by inserting a disc, which does all the necessary changes on the computer. Obviously wouldn't be compatible with mac.) You might want to call your ISP and see what they have to say about macs.
I also have had a few problems with certain things online. The mac comes equipped with Safari as an internet browser. (you can get Internet Explorer, but it runs very slow on mac) Online bill paying can be a little tricky too, and I have run into problems with that. The phone company gives me the error that they don't support online payment for mac. But download Firefox, a free web browser, and it will solve all of your problems.
For those of you napster users, according to their website, "do not support macintosh users at this time..."
The price is much higher than purchasing something from Dell, but I think you can get much more longevity from your mac.

My suggestions..
UPGRADE your machine before you purchase. When you start burning DVD's and surfing the internet, the extra memory and HD space will come in handy. A sixty minute video you try to burn can take up to 20GB of space! And make sure you get the Superdrive, or you can't burn DVD's.
Purchase the Applecare protection plan! I purchased the plan with this machine, having never had to use it. But with all appliances there are always a few lemons, and this can save you hours of headaches. (or if you have a really stupid question, you can get great support anyways!)
To all those previous reviews who said the machine "constantly crashed." From my years of experience and college courses, there is one thing my professors said, and I have discovered. When the "system crashes, most often it is user related."

Depending on what your needs are, macs may not be right for you. But if you do decide to purchase this machine, you will be delighted with it!