Customer Reviews
fast setup
I was very scared when ordering this item because I knew that I was going to have to some how get all the information from the old computer to this one. Programs, passwords, documents and files. I was purchasing it for a business and there was a lot of important files that could not get lost. Plus we are on a network. Another thing to have to set up. Well I received the computer and had everything on the new computer in less than thirty minuets. You can transfer all your perferences, programs, files, passwords... It is one of the options when the computer first starts. I think this option is only for a mac transfer. Anyway. Great purchase, very happy and I have purchased three moer new macs since this one and have had the same experience with them all!
Been very happy with the upgrade.
My iMacing started with the all in one G3 (Graphite). I was very happy with it, but eventually upgraded to the G4 with the flat screen and that cool chrome swivel. Held out until I decided I just had to upgrade. The G5 has been a great machine so far. Noticably faster than the G4, it runs all of the programs that I need without straining at all. Primarily, I've been working with Final Cut Express, LiveType, iDVD, Mail and the various browsers (FireFox, Safari). They all work very well.
The new SuperDrive is more versatile, and faster, than previous. Able to write both CDs and DVDs in multiple formats, including dual-layer.
I did upgrade to 1gB of RAM just to make things work a bit smoother. And the new flat-screen monitor is much brighter and sharper than that on the G4.
Overall, a great upgrade. Of course, that was two months before they decided to change out to the Intel chip which doubles the speed of even this great machine. Ah well.
Don't be scared, make the switch to MAC.
Pros:
Stable operating system, no viruses, everything just works.
Cons:
Front row is a bit slow and clunky.
I am graphic designer and have used Macs at work, and this is the latest iMac they have purchased for me to use at the office. I have had the original CRT iMac, and then the swivel arm LCD iMac that followed. The current G5 iMac is the best of the bunch. The widescreen LCD is sharp and bright, and affords a large viewing area. It is quiet and fast, however Apple is a bit skimpy with the standard RAM, 512mb is the absolute least you should have in this machine. Thankfully, adding additional ram is simple.
MAC OS X 10.4 Tiger is an awesome operating system; everything looks great, and runs smoothly. No crashes, no viruses, and no worries that something you've been working on for the last 2 hours will be lost if you forget to save. Almost all of the necessary programs are available for MAC as well; Microsoft Office, most Adobe products, and quicken. Also, the iLife suite of software than came with system is great.
My only caveats are with front row and the wireless keyboard and mouse. Front Row is sometimes slow to operate and frequently loses connection with the Movie Trailer server, and the apple wireless keyboard and mouse I have with my iMac sometimes loose their connection, and the mouse is still only one button, while Apple's Mighty Mouse is a four button.
Overall, I love the Macintosh operating system, and the iMac G5. After using them at work for so many years and loving them, I finally replaced my home computer, a DELL with an Apple PowerMac G5.
About the Intel switch.
Recently a friend of mine said he had the ability to try a prototype Mac with the new Intel chips. He said the chip was a dual core 4.0 Ghz in a PowerMac. He felt that the system performance seemed no faster that the current G5 PowerPC chip. One more reason not to wait for Intel.
