[tooki]

Apple announced the first Intel Mac, a new iMac, "a little ahead of schedule".

At the same prices as current iMacs, the new models are supposedly two to three times as fast. They sport dual-core CPUs with 2MB of cache, each core supposedly faster than the one in the outgoing model. New ATI X1600 GPUs. They ship with native versions of Mac OS X 10.4 and iLife '06.

http://www.apple.com/imac/

Note that the iMac G5 remains available.

tooki

[SirCastor]

Firewire is still there, thank goodness. I'm excited that these machines are here so quickly. I'll be going with a ... 'power line(??)' machine, but this should be a serious contender against other consumer level computers out there, ones that run that other OS.

[tooki]

From apple.com/pr/

Apple Unveils New iMac with Intel Core Duo Processor
New iMac is Twice as Fast as Predecessor

MACWORLD EXPO, SAN FRANCISCO—January 10, 2006—Apple® today unveiled the new iMac® featuring Mac OS® X running on the new Intel® Core™ Duo processor, delivering performance that is up to twice that of its predecessor.* The widely praised iMac design now features dual-core processors, a built-in iSight™ video camera for video conferencing out-of-the-box, and the breakthrough media experience of Front Row™ with the Apple Remote for a simple, intuitive and powerful way for consumers to enjoy their content from across the room. Starting at just $1,299, every new iMac comes with iLife® ’06, the next generation of Apple’s award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications featuring major new versions of iPhoto®, iMovie® HD, iDVD®, GarageBand™ and introducing iWeb™, a new iLife application that makes it super-easy to create amazing websites with photos, blogs and Podcasts and publish them on .Mac for viewing by anyone on the Internet with just a single click. The new iMac is shipping today, and is the first of a new generation of Macs featuring Intel processors that Apple will roll out during 2006.

“The iMac has already been praised as ‘the gold standard of desktop PCs’, so we hope customers really love the new iMac, which is up to twice as fast,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “With Mac OS X plus Intel’s latest dual-core processor under the hood, the new iMac delivers performance that will knock our customers’ socks off.”

The new iMac features Apple’s breakthrough Front Row media experience and the Apple Remote, a simple way for customers to enjoy the content they have on their iMac—including songs from their iTunes® music library, photo slideshows from iPhoto, videos including TV shows, Podcasts, iMovies and DVDs, and popular movie trailers streamed from apple.com—all from across the room.

Every new iMac comes with a built-in iSight video camera for out-of-the-box video conferencing using Apple’s award-winning iChat AV software, or recording a video Podcast or iMovie using iLife '06. The built-in iSight video camera takes advantage of the Intel Core Duo processor to deliver up to four times the resolution over the previous model. Each iMac also includes Photo Booth, Apple’s fun-to-use application that lets users take quick snapshots with the built-in iSight video camera, add entertaining visual effects and share their pictures with the touch of a button.

The new iMac comes standard with a SuperDrive™ for burning professional-quality DVDs, 512MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory expandable to 2GB, hard drive storage capacity up to 500GB, and ATI Radeon X1600 PCI Express-based graphics with 128MB of GDDR3 memory for outstanding graphics performance and realistic game play. With the latest high-performance connectivity options, the new iMac includes built-in 10/100/1000 BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet for high-speed networking, built-in AirPort® Extreme for fast 54 Mbps wireless networking,** built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate), a total of five USB ports (three USB 2.0) and two FireWire® 400 ports. The new iMac now includes mini-DVI video output to connect up to a 23-inch Apple Cinema HD Display. With mini-DVI and the new iMac’s extended desktop mode feature, users can more than double their available screen real estate.

The new iMac was designed to be the perfect computer for iLife '06, the next generation of Apple’s award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications featuring major new versions of iPhoto, iMovie HD, iDVD, GarageBand and introducing iWeb, a new iLife application that makes it super-easy to create amazing websites with photos, blogs and Podcasts and publish them on .Mac for viewing by anyone on the Internet with just a single click. All the iLife '06 applications are Universal applications that run natively on the new Intel-based iMacs for maximum performance.

Every new iMac comes with the latest release of the world’s most advanced operating system, Mac OS X version 10.4.4 “Tiger” including Safari™, Mail, iCal®, iChat AV, Front Row and Photo Booth, running natively on Apple’s first Intel-based desktop. Mac OS X Tiger includes an innovative software translation technology called Rosetta that lets customers run most Mac OS X PowerPC applications seamlessly.***

Pricing & Availability
The new iMac is shipping today and will be available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

The new 17-inch 1.83 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,299 (US), includes:

* 17-inch widescreen LCD display;
* 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo processor;
* 512MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM expandable to 2GB;
* 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
* PCI Express-based ATI Radeon X1600 with 128MB GDDR3 memory;
* built-in iSight video camera;
* built-in AirPort® Extreme wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
* 160GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
* mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately);
* built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
* the infrared Apple Remote, Mighty Mouse and Apple Keyboard.

The new 20-inch 2.0 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,699 (US), includes:

* 20-inch widescreen LCD display;
* 2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo processor;
* 512MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM expandable to 2GB;
* 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
* PCI Express-based ATI Radeon X1600 with 128MB GDDR3 memory;
* built-in iSight video camera;
* built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
* 250GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
* mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately);
* built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
* the infrared Apple Remote, Mighty Mouse and Apple Keyboard.

Build-to-order options and accessories include up to 2GB DDR2 SDRAM, 250GB and 500GB Serial ATA hard drives, up to 256MB of GDDR3 video memory on the 20-inch iMac, iWork™ ’06 (pre-installed), AirPort Express™ and AirPort Extreme Base Station, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Apple Wireless Mouse, Apple USB Modem and the AppleCare Protection Plan.

The new iMac line is also available to education customers in the US and Canada through the Apple Store for Education at www.apple.com/education/store or by calling an Apple education sales representative at 800-800-APPL.

*Based on estimated results of industry-standard SPECint and SPECfp rate tests. SPEC® is a registered trademark of Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC); see http://www.apple.com/imac for more information.
**Actual speed will vary based on range from the base station, environmental conditions and other factors.
*** See http://www.apple.com/rosetta/ for information on Rosetta supported Apple software. Contact the manufacturer directly for 3rd party software.

[harrisjamieh]

How is that fair?! I bought an imac 9 days ago! Thats it, its going back to John Lewis....

[baw]

How is that fair?! I bought an imac 9 days ago! Thats it, its going back to John Lewis....

Return it.

[Goldfinger]

X1600. Pretty impressive, Apple.

Must. Resist. Ordering.
I'll try and wait for a native Photoshop + a "Power"Mac. (XStation ? )

[volcano]

If you bought it from the Apple store, you can return it within the first 14 days.

"Fair?"

You're funny. The computer market is always changing, always evolving, constantly moving. Just calm down. Your iMac will still be fully functional and relevant for years to come.

[::maroma::]

I'm going to wait on the review of this new iMac, but damn does it look tasty! If I wasn't so paranoid about buying 1st generation of new hardware I'd be all over it. If the reviews are positive I'm getting one.

The native apps are of concern though. I hope we see native apps from the big guys (Adobe, Blizzard) very soon.

[kmkkid]

Originally Posted by Goldfinger

X1600. Pretty impressive, Apple.

Must. Resist. Ordering.
I'll try and wait for a native Photoshop + a "Power"Mac. (XStation ? )

I wonder if Apple will keep with the current naming scheme and call the new powermac the "MacMac"

[volcano]

Originally Posted by kmkkid

I wonder if Apple will keep with the current naming scheme and call the new powermac the "MacMac"

I'm guessing it'll be called the "Mac Pro" or something like that.

[harrisjamieh]

Originally Posted by volcano

If you bought it from the Apple store, you can return it within the first 14 days.

"Fair?"

You're funny. The computer market is always changing, always evolving, constantly moving. Just calm down. Your iMac will still be fully functional and relevant for years to come.

I didnt buy it from the Apple store, but from John Lewis who give a 28 day return policy, however it has been opened and used. OK the computer market is always changing, but cmon, I think I have the right to be a little peeved if my 9 day old mac now ships twice as fast for the same money!

[ryan]

Will the new iMac still work with current mac apps like Photoshop or Adiumx?

[volcano]

Yes - they will run under Rosetta. Performance-wise the Apps will run about the same or little below average speeds on a G5.

[Chuckit]

If you read Apple's page on the new iMac, OS X for Intel includes a technology called Rosetta that allows you to run almost all current Mac apps just fine.

[::maroma::]

Originally Posted by ryan

Will the new iMac still work with current mac apps like Photoshop or Adiumx?

Yes they run all apps, just not in native full speed form. It will take a few months for everything to be updated.

[ryan]

Originally Posted by volcano

Yes - they will run under Rosetta. Performance-wise the Apps will run about the same or little below average speeds on a G5.

Ah okey thanks! Sounds like a pain to me having to run Rosetta all the time just to use current PPC apps. Kinda makes me glad I bought my iMac G5 last month not with the Intel core.

[Michael Jolly]

well as always now i have a new choice, do i get a G5 or do i get the shiny intel one?

[P]

Yes, works with anything except Classic.

And I was completely wrong on the Intel iMac introduction - I thought it wouldn't be here until Fall. I've also said that to I don't know how many people who have asked about Intel iMacs over the last few months. Should teach them not to trust some random guy in a forum :-)

[Chuckit]

You don't have to "run Rosetta all the time" any more than you have to run the Dock or the Screensaver Engine all the time. As Apple puts it, "You’ll never see [Rosetta], you’ll never configure it, you’ll never have to think about it. It’s built into Mac OS X to ensure that most of your existing applications live a long and fruitful life."

[::maroma::]

Originally Posted by ryan

Ah okey thanks! Sounds like a pain to me having to run Rosetta all the time just to use current PPC apps. Kinda makes me glad I bought my iMac G5 last month not with the Intel core.

It will be seamless, you wont even know you're running it. It wont be a pain, other than the fact that those apps that run under Rosetta won't be running at 100% of its potential for the new processor.

[StewartsGingerBeer]

i like it. i kinda wish they would have just crammed a 3.8ghz pentium in there (yup yup) but i guess that would have effected the form factor tooo much. cool this might be *my next mac.

[TheTraveller]

Anyone out there actually at MacWorld? Do they have the new iMacs out on the floor for people to play with? Anyone kicked the tires? How's it feel? Snappy?

[dale]

Well, I am glad that I held out buying a 20" iMac until now.

I suspected before the event that an apple desktop of some kind would be released with an intel processor, but I was expecting a beefed up Mac mini. The iMac will replace my aging Dell PC, but I will need to run Microsoft office. I hadn't thought until now, but the intel version will not be out until March (I think this was said in todays keynote speech. I don't want to but a powerpc version of the software just to cover the 2 months until the universal binary version is out (even if the software is half price). This is a dilema I didn't expect to face.

I am sure I WILL buy the intel Mac, but I would also like to see a review first.

One other thing - US pricing. I am so glad that our US cousins have not seen a price increase....... In the UK, the iMac has increased in price by £30 or $48 US. The price drop in the US last year of $100 was never passed to UK buyers also. The iMac in the UK is now £1229 (or $2169 US). We do of course pay 17.5% tax so the equivilant price is really £1046 or $1846 US (using Yahoo currency converter). So, UK customers are currently charged $150 more than the US for the priveledge of owning a 20" iMac !!! Why, Apple?? Surely it can't be down to shipping?

Given the new Graphics card, I wonder if we will see a 23" iMac appearing towards the end of the year?

[harrisjamieh]

Just the darn rip off country we live in dude

[k2director]

Originally Posted by ::maroma::

It will be seamless, you wont even know you're running it. It wont be a pain, other than the fact that those apps that run under Rosetta won't be running at 100% of its potential for the new processor.

If the new iMac is supposed to be twice as fast as the G5 iMac in many scenarios, I'm wondering if it will *still* run non-Universal apps like PhotoShop and Office faster under Rosetta than the G5 could do so natively. I'll look forward to Barefeats' inevitable lab tests...

[::maroma::]

Originally Posted by k2director

If the new iMac is supposed to be twice as fast as the G5 iMac in many scenarios, I'm wondering if it will *still* run non-Universal apps like PhotoShop and Office faster under Rosetta than the G5 could do so natively. I'll look forward to Barefeats' inevitable lab tests...

Well based on what Steve said in the demo, the Rosetta apps won't be running as fast as they would on PPC chips. He said (while using Photoshop under Rosetta) something like "...its not running fast enough for Pro users, but for those of us who use it here and there it runs just fine."

That tells me that it runs pretty slow, compared to PPC chips. I expect that Adobe will be one of the first to release patches. (or at least I'm hoping so)

But I did just get official word from Blizzard that the next World of Warcraft patch will be fully Intel native. That's great great news for me!

[quiklee]

You gotta love iMacs - another addition to the Nation!

[jamil5454]

Sigh, why this and not the iBook?

[tigas]

Originally Posted by volcano

I'm guessing it'll be called the "Mac Pro" or something like that.

I'm partial to "TowerMac Pro" myself.

[baw]

At least they could have dropped the price. The Apple Tax has begun.

[Crusoe]

Great Update!
Can monitor span or mirror now (without hack).
DVI out
Moved back to 2 memory slots.
BTO option for VRAM on 20".
Dual Core AIN!

???s
Curious if they can Dual Boot but it's not a deal breaker.
Curious if match pairs of RAM will matter now.

Have to see how quick we get WoW and EQMac patches to run natively.
I have Office X not the new version, hope MS patches that but running under Rosetta will be ok for my use.
Mid-Term I'll need Maya native too but that should happen by the time I need it.

I'll be ordering 20" 256 Vramer tomorrow. I'm giddy.

[pliny]

Oh boy, this seems like a good machine. Big speed bump and way better graphics, I wonder why no mention of dual booting? Why wouldn't it be able to, though?

I'd like to see some more benches, too, I expect they'll be up as soon as people get theirs.

[techtrucker]

Having purchased an iMac on Dec 3 (1.9 17" model) I have to admit to feeling a little jilted. I didn't think the iMac was going to be revved so soon, I really expected the iBook and/or mini to be the first intel machines .. but I'm not too worried. I still believe in passing on Rev 1 of anything, and I make extensive use of third party apps that may not be updated to intel for a while.

[Big Mac]

Originally Posted by k2director

If the new iMac is supposed to be twice as fast as the G5 iMac in many scenarios, I'm wondering if it will *still* run non-Universal apps like PhotoShop and Office faster under Rosetta than the G5 could do so natively. I'll look forward to Barefeats' inevitable lab tests...

That's called a pipe dream. . . as in you better lay off the crack pipe a bit.

[brokenjago]

So, UK customers are currently charged $150 more than the US for the priveledge of owning a 20" iMac !!! Why, Apple?? Surely it can't be down to shipping?

My guess is that it comes down to currency fluctuations, to compensate for the under-valued dollar. Something like that.

[brokenjago]

double post

[Crusoe]

Just hit a dilemma with my previous hasty purchase statement.
I don't mind buying Rev As. cause the warranty can remedy most defects. My dilemma is to BTO the VRAM upgrade. Apple's policy is to repair BTOs but "never" replace with rare exception.

So if you buy the stock configs and there's a problem after they release Rev B. you may get a Rev B replacement.
If you have a BTO they'll continue to give you refurb Rev A parts till your warranty is gone, be 1 or 3 years.

Gaahh!

[jwoods]

Ok, I admit it. I was WRONG.

Never thought they would update the iMac since they just updated it a bit. Laptops, yes, but...... I was actually thinking I'd pick up a G5 iMac and an iBook this month.

Any way, I've been watching and waiting to switch from Windows to OS X for months. Glad I waited. I want the 20" iMac and my wife wants one of the new PowerMacs. I think we'll wait until the lap tops are shipping before ordering one, but I don't mind being the lab rat for the first edition Intel Macs.

Anyone think I should wait and see what pans out with the InMacs, or just go for it? I know most first revisions have problems of various natures, but IF Intel designed the board, I think it would be minimal.

Bah! The wait, the release, the excitement, the......what am I talking about

[hldan]

Originally Posted by TheTraveller

Anyone out there actually at MacWorld? Do they have the new iMacs out on the floor for people to play with? Anyone kicked the tires? How's it feel? Snappy?

I just came back from Macworld SF today. they had the new Core Duo iMacs and MacBook Pro's all there for display and for everyone to play with. Since this is the iMac forum I will just mention about the iMac. Rosetta is a great piece of software that does not require launching like VPC. It just knows if the app you are using is PPC based or not. I did try launching MS Office 2004 and Photoshop CS2 and the launch times were about 20% slower. I relaunched many times and both were noticably slower launching. Rosetta does what it needs to do but it's better to have the Universal Binary apps for the Intel Machines.
With that said it's still exciting to see cache sizes of 2MB instead of 512k and very high tech graphics cards for gaming.

[ug.mac]

Originally Posted by hldan

I just came back from Macworld SF today. they had the new Core Duo iMacs and MacBook Pro's all there for display and for everyone to play with. Since this is the iMac forum I will just mention about the iMac. Rosetta is a great piece of software that does not require launching like VPC. It just knows if the app you are using is PPC based or not. I did try launching MS Office 2004 and Photoshop CS2 and the launch times were about 20% slower. I relaunched many times and both were noticably slower launching. Rosetta does what it needs to do but it's better to have the Universal Binary apps for the Intel Machines.
With that said it's still exciting to see cache sizes of 2MB instead of 512k and very high tech graphics cards for gaming.

hldan,

That's awesome. Did you got chance to run Xbench or something?

[:dragonflypro:]

Originally Posted by baw

At least they could have dropped the price. The Apple Tax has begun.

The Apple Tax? What?

If it performs better AND has all the same features, would that not mandate an increase?

T

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by :dragonflypro:

The Apple Tax? What?

I think he's saying that because the CPU is now supplied by a different company, the computer should be significantly cheaper. Even though the price of the machine has really never had much to do with the price of its parts. Apple has price points and puts computers in them, not the other way around.

[JLFanboy]

Well, I gotta say, watching that keynote on my new iMac G5 was just a little painful. Just a little. I bought it back in November, so there's really no hope of trading up. Whether I like it or not, this is my computer.

But I do like it. As I type this, I've got my PowerBook sitting next to my new(ish) iMac. I got this little guy almost five years ago. Original PowerBook G4, 400 MHz. And when the new PowerBooks came out, I was miffed. "If only I had waited!" But to be perfectly honest, I've loved this PowerBook, and I know I'm going to love this iMac. Heck, I already love it. Sure, now it's slower than the real "New iMac," but in 4 year's time (hell, 1 year's time) there's gonna be very little difference between my iMac and these new iNtel iMacs. All I'm thinking about now is the computer that will eventually replace my iMac, which I'm sure will last me for another 5 years.

So I guess I'm just restating what everyone's said: don't be upset because your system's obsolete. It was ALWAYS going to happen. But it sure as hell makes ME feel a lot better to say it.

So...

Anyone want to buy an iMac G5?

[hldan]

Originally Posted by ug.mac

hldan,

That's awesome. Did you got chance to run Xbench or something?

No I didn't run Xbench. To see the difference of Rosetta speed vs. native Intel Xbench was not needed. It was quite obvious just by launching the native PPC apps. The apps don't run significantly slow so don't think VPC when comparing Rosetta apps to Universal Binary apps. It's that MS word and Photoshop launch much slower. Photoshop as usual beachballed even after caching the first launch. The splash screen on Word remained on the screen for at least 2-3 seconds before completely launching and this is after the first launch which was even slower. After launching Photoshop there really wasn't any sluggish performance which is a good thing.

On the other hand the iMac and the MacBook Pro were blazingly fast on Safari and the iLife 06 apps. Resizing windows was just incredibly smooth and very fast. These machines both ran the Universal Binary apps as fast as my Dualie 2.3 PowerMac. Quite impressive. The screen on the MacBook was as bright as the Cinema displays.

[hldan]

Originally Posted by ug.mac

hldan,

That's awesome. Did you got chance to run Xbench or something?

No I didn't run Xbench. To see the difference of Rosetta speed vs. native Intel Xbench was not needed. It was quite obvious just by launching the native PPC apps. The apps don't run significantly slow so don't think VPC when comparing Rosetta apps to Universal Binary apps. It's just that MS word and Photoshop launch much slower. Photoshop as usual beachballed even after caching the first launch. My Dualie PowerMac G5 does not beachball Photoshop after first launch. It will be interesting to seePhotoshop with Univeral Binary. The splash screen on Word remained on the screen for at least 2-3 seconds before completely launching and this is after the first launch which was even slower. After launching Photoshop there really wasn't any sluggish performance which is a good thing.

On the other hand the iMac and the MacBook Pro were blazingly fast on Safari and the iLife 06 apps. Resizing windows was just incredibly smooth and very fast. These machines both ran the Universal Binary apps as fast as my Dualie 2.3 PowerMac. Quite impressive. The screen on the MacBook was as bright as the Cinema displays.

[hauntedone]

After all the excitement of the new apple products today, has anyone out there notice the products they are comparing. What if they would have put a dual core g5 into the imac. Would the outcome of the results been any closer. I only mention this because they are claiming a 2-3x performance gain but are comparing a new chip to a old model.

Don't get me wrong I will get the new imac, and think it kicks ass, but this seems like the gigahertz story apple kept feeding me all these years.

[Chuckit]

If Apple had put a dual-core G5 into the PowerBook, it would be rather hard to measure the performance, because you couldn't touch the damn thing without risking severe bodily injury.

[ug.mac]

Originally Posted by hauntedone

What if they would have put a dual core g5 into the imac. Would the outcome of the results been any closer. I only mention this because they are claiming a 2-3x performance gain but are comparing a new chip to a old model.

Maybe, but to match the performance with G5 processors will cost much more than Intel based iMac, IMHO.

[ug.mac]

oops, please delete this replay..

[Lateralus]

Apple could have gone with a dual-core 970MP G5 at around 2.3GHz in the iMac. And if they'd have done it before introducing these models, there wouldn't have been any appreciable speed difference.