[WizOSX]

According to MACNN today, Apple is already shipping iMac G5's to the retail stores. As soon as anyone sees one in a store, please post, including location of store.

I don't live near a store but will be in one on Friday afternoon (at Somerset collection, Troy, Michigan) and would like to see one firsthand.

[storer]

i think it will be a while before I see one here...

[WizOSX]

Second hand report of U.S. Apple stores having G5 iMacs:

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...hreadid=228470

Anyone seen one "first hand?"

[cube-dude]

Originally posted by WizOSX:
Anyone seen one "first hand?"

[raises hand]

SoHo has the 17-inch 1.8 GHz. Just one. No 20 yet.

First thought: that thick, clear outer casing totally reminds me of the original iPod, a good thing. The second thing that struck me was the unbelievably good screen viewing from almost any angle and, next to a window, this was in direct afternoon sunlight! The third notable item was the decent sound quality from its speakers (iTunes volume and iMac volume both maximized).

Very nice.

[Lancer409]

any in San Francisco? i bet they got 'em in .. will check soon

[power142]

Spotted the following at West Farms, CT: 2 of each 17" and 20", at least 3 of which were 1.8GHz (didn't check the 4th one). Customer was witnessed having a boxed unit taken to their car.

[kokkao]

None so far in London UK - I looked this morning in Micro Anvika.
I did see however that they are taking pre-orders for 5 versions - the 2 higher spec ones are being optioned with the Bluetooth + BT keyboard and mouse and in the case of the 20", 512 RAM. I think for all 5 they are possibly charging a little premium over the UK Apple store prices, but then if they are going to be stock items.....why wait!

[DMage]

They have a 17" and 20" on display in the Buffalo, NY Apple Store!

[AlfaMunky]

The Apple Store in Miami has the 17" on display as of yesterday. I didn't have a chance to play with it as there was only one and people were all over it. Looks way better in person. I'm waiting for a 20" display model though.

[MacinChad]

Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful.

I must qualify by admiting I'm a big fan of minimalism (of the warm variety). No Pottery Barn catalogs allowed in our home. So for our aesthetic, the new iMac is a little piece of Heaven.

And yes, it does look better in person.

Now for the mini review of a display unit at the Corte Madera Apple Store (Marin County, CA):

20" proportions are better looking then the 17". The smaller iMac appears more "stocky". Both are still lookers.

The store was very busy (read loud) for a Friday at 2pm but the speakers still pumped out the iTunes nicely. Because of the ambient volume I couldn't hear any fan noise but I'm sure it will be apparent back at home in my office.

Display was as advertised in previous posts -Gorgeous with excellent viewing angles.

Stability of the support arm was impressive and as others have mentioned, the whole system feels very solid. The display tilt was smooth and the base rotated easily. Excellent design.

I checked out the i/o ports to see if there was going to be a stability issue with multiple cables plugged in, as some have suggested there could be. Not a chance. The display model had 2 usb, 1 firewire and an ethernet cable plugged in and routed through the base. The iMac didn't sag or look like it even knew the cables were there. This is a very sturdy machine. Again, impressive...

I forgot to check the ram config on the 20" I played around with but I'm sure it was stock. Still, applications were responsive and iPhoto was very quick. I wish I could get a feel for more processor taxing applications like my Phase One RAW editing software but that test will have to wait until my unit arrives.

For my requirements, this machine looks perfect. I am happy to report that, barring any quality issues, it looks like the PodMac is a winner. Congrats Apple.

[WizOSX]

Saw both 17" and 20" models today in Somerset Collection store in Troy, Mich. I pretty much agree with your assessment, MacinChad.

[yikes600]

Saw both 17" and 20" in the San Diego store at UTC.

The shady thing is both demo models were using 512MB of RAM, though the sign next to them showed the price configurations with only 256MB. Even APPLE doesn't want to run these with 256MB. Why not make 512MB standard?

[klinux]

Available in Pasadena, CA. All sold out though.

[Mallrat]

Originally posted by yikes600:
Saw both 17" and 20" in the San Diego store at UTC.

The shady thing is both demo models were using 512MB of RAM, though the sign next to them showed the price configurations with only 256MB. Even APPLE doesn't want to run these with 256MB. Why not make 512MB standard?

I love Apple, but that is shady. But then again, I've seen other stores do that too.

What I get mad about is that it takes so long for the DISPLAY models to come out. I get all excited and it takes 2 weeks just to see the thing in person in their own APPLE STORES. Who cares about compUSA, but come on, get them in your stores that day.

I can't for the life of me understand why Apple does this time and time again.

But then again, apple people like me or you, I guess will always wait and take it because we love them so much.

But is any other company this frusterating?

I guess when a new video game system comes out it's hard to get, but there are usually display models at the stores. You know?

That's my biggest pet peeve. I want to see it in person to decide if I want it. I never buy a computer w/o seeing it in person first.

Oh vey!

[Simon]

Originally posted by Mallrat:
I love Apple, but that is shady. But then again, I've seen other stores do that too.

What I get mad about is that it takes so long for the DISPLAY models to come out. I get all excited and it takes 2 weeks just to see the thing in person in their own APPLE STORES. Who cares about compUSA, but come on, get them in your stores that day.

I can't for the life of me understand why Apple does this time and time again.

Secrecy.

As you have probably noticed, since Steve is back rumor sites have been having more and more trouble getting some good early specs and pictures. I think Apple deliberately starts production very late with respect to the announcements in order to make sure they can surprise everybody. As soon as they have some Taiwan company building the boxes, boat loads of packaged items coming back from Asia and warehouses full of boxes waiting to be shipped, somebody is bound to get a spec list or some early images. Steve hates it. So, they announce early in order to make sure they are the first to spill the beans...

[Mallrat]

Originally posted by Simon:
Secrecy.

As you have probably noticed, since Steve is back rumor sites have been having more and more trouble getting some good early specs and pictures. I think Apple deliberately starts production very late with respect to the announcements in order to make sure they can surprise everybody. As soon as they have some Taiwan company building the boxes, boat loads of packaged items coming back from Asia and warehouses full of boxes waiting to be shipped, somebody is bound to get a spec list or some early images. Steve hates it. So, they announce early in order to make sure they are the first to spill the beans...

I guess that's part of it, but it's funny because while everyone on here cares I'm going ot say way too much (including me) most people in the world don't even know what a mac is. I work at a recording studio and we use macs all day and I've been telling people non-stop about the iMac G5, but I think only one or two people even grasp what I'm taking about.

I'm saying the people Jobs may be trying to hid secrets from are the ones that love his products and support Apple 100%.

I just think apple would be served better to announce products that will be available as of that day and like I siad at the very least get demo models out to the dorks like me that stayed up from 4am to 6am to watch the new IMacG5 come out.

Still they are my favorite company hands down.

[MaxPower2k3]

yep. Short Hills Apple Store in Jersey. Two each of the 17s and 20s. They look great

[cmoney]

Originally posted by MaxPower2k3:
yep. Short Hills Apple Store in Jersey. Two each of the 17s and 20s. They look great

is that their stock or their display models? i was heading over there today.

[Mallrat]

Originally posted by cmoney:
is that their stock or their display models? i was heading over there today.

Apple SoHo has both the 17 inch and 20inch on display according to the woman on the phone.

Now I'm less annoyed.

[indigoimac]

Apple Shadyside (Pittsburgh, PA) has them on display
WeeHee, Now where's that credit card?

[ManOfSteal]

Woodfield Mall location in Schaumburg, IL has both stock and display of both the 17" and 20" model...

Gorgeous by the way.

[cmoney]

Originally posted by cmoney:
is that their stock or their display models? i was heading over there today.

well headed over to the short hills store today. man it was packed. more packed than normal in fact! i saw 3 people in line with imacs waiting for them. in fact, one guy had 2 imacs along with an ibook. it was so busy though i didn't even get to ask a sales person if they had any left in stock. (i figure i was at short hills to buy an engagement ring anyway, so why tack on another $1500 in the same day. )

i did notice that the 2 17" models had their fans on full blast. you can really feel the airflow out the top vent when the fans are on. overall they're pretty nice. also went to the menlo park mall store and they had 2 on display. i did notice that none of them had the stock 256mb ram! all had at least 512 or even 768.

[iREZ]

Santa Monica, Los Angeles has both the 17" and 20" all over the store. I thought I'd need time to get used to the white block underneath the screen, but it wasn't even noticeable while using the machine. It's gorgeous and super slim, the screen angles were amazing, and to think you could get a 17" iMac for the same cost as a 20" cinema display. Apple has hit a homerun here, and I have no doubt in my mind that this machine will be a big seller.

[ranga]

I was at the Stoneridge Mall Apple Store grand opening this morning and they had a 17" G5 iMac and two 20" G5 iMacs on display. In the first half hour the store was open at least three people bought G5 iMacs.

--ranga

[PBG4 User]

Originally posted by power142:
Spotted the following at West Farms, CT: 2 of each 17" and 20", at least 3 of which were 1.8GHz (didn't check the 4th one). Customer was witnessed having a boxed unit taken to their car.

Hey, I checked those out at Westfarms as well! When I was there, they had 1 17" model and 3 20" models in stock. Also I noticed the demo units all ran with 512MB RAM. This doesn't speak well for the amount of RAM that comes in the new iMacs.

[turtle777]

All models on display in Apple Store Clarendon, Arlington, VA.

NICE

If you want one, you need to sign up for it and wait. It will be a while till you can just go and buy one without having to wait or make a reservation...

-t

[Randman]

Plenty on display and available in Singapore. And even better, I am getting one next week for a week or so for review purposes.

[Lancer409]

they've been in

[kokkao]

For those in London UK as of this morning they are in Micro Anvika and on display. Only the basic 17" as yet but I expect that withing the next day or so the 20" will be up and running. I saw one (lady) customer buying one over the counter - delivery today!

I am even more impressed seeing them for real - positively droolable!

[JSD303]

Spent 10-15 minutes with both the 17" and the 20" iMac at the Aspen Grove Apple Store in Littleton, CO yesterday. The machine was very snappy�, and the design was better looking in person. Both machines had every app under the sun installed and each was running with 512mb of RAM. Still, even with that little ram the machine ran fine. It still doesn't look as cool as the sunflower iMac imho, but it's still a very nice machine. I like the feel of the monitor when moving on the hinge. Works great - feels very light. The 20" iMac is pretty impressive. The machine didn't feel as fast as my Dual 2GHz G5 with 2GB RAM, but not much does. It feels like a perfect machine for anyone that isn't a power user. I might have to get one for my girlfriend just to have one to play with, hehe... I mean, so she can be more productive and enjoy her computing experience that much more than her current Dual G4 500 which can't handle iDVD. Hmmm I better start working on all the reasons she NEEDS to upgrade from that ANCIENT Dual G4. ::smile::

They are currently out of stock, but stated that they would get some more in this week. Nice to see that Apple didn't make people wait for 3 months to ship them! That routine was/is getting old.

[Paco Loco]

I also saw them in London today for the first time... not so sure I share everyones enthusism on this one...

OK, so the whole computer is in one box which is unique and obviously has an impact on it's size, but next to a whole shop of wafer thin flat panel displays and sleek laptops the thing just looks so bloated and unrefined - a big fat slab of cheap looking plastic.

Don't get me wrong, I'm no mac-hater (quite the contrary in fact), but haven't some of the recent designs slipped a bit?
The latest powerbooks look like they have been sprayed silver with an aerosol - a world away from the original titanium powerbooks with their gorgeous finish and professional looking black keys.
Ditto the iBooks - the first generation Dual USB model felt/looked far more expensive and better quality than the current ones.
Even things like the new design keyboards, how can anyone put them in the same league as the black-keyed grey/clear pro keyboards of a few years ago??

The only area in which things are progressing is the desktops, I don't think anyone can deny that the Power Mac G5 with the new cinema display is the best looking computer ever made. Period.

So where does that leave the iMac? Well, in my humble option the best iMac design (in fact the only good one) so far was the original - a true design classic.

OK, I've said my piece. Commence abuse...!

[TiMac]

I am looking to buy an iMac for my Mother from the new Apple store in Kansas City this weekend. How likely will the new store have 17inch models in stock given that the store opens up this Saturday? Additionally, if the store opens at 10, how long would you estimate the line will be and more importantly my wait to get in?

Thanks (I have now transformed my entire family to the mac platform)

[cmoney]

I agree with pretty much all of your observations and can only say that it seems like profit margins are probably getting tight, thus the lowering of materials quality. The current keyboards are pretty cheapy, the white iBook I bought 3 years ago looks a lot nicer than the current ones, and I hold on to my Titanium PowerBook because even after a few nicks and some paint chipping, it still looks better than the AlBooks.

That said, I think the new iMac isn't that bad designwise, it does look a little blocky, just like how the original iPods looked. (Aside: I wonder why they made it look like the original iPod and not the current ones with softer edges?)

As for the original iMac, yeah it is classic, and I like what it evolved into. I've got a Graphite model sitting on my desk right now. It's a shame that they can't offer something similar but with modern hardware. Something with a little flare I guess, instead of the sterile unit we have now.

Originally posted by Paco Loco:
I also saw them in London today for the first time... not so sure I share everyones enthusism on this one...

[ManOfSteal]

Originally posted by TiMac:
I am looking to buy an iMac for my Mother from the new Apple store in Kansas City this weekend. How likely will the new store have 17inch models in stock given that the store opens up this Saturday? Additionally, if the store opens at 10, how long would you estimate the line will be and more importantly my wait to get in?

Thanks (I have now transformed my entire family to the mac platform)

The new CC Plaza store in KC will indeed have both models for display and available for sale; however, you can definitely expect a long line. Especially during the "Plaza Art Fair" going on as well...

[nJm]

The local Apple Reseller near me has one so I checked it out today (and I was the only person in the shop!). It is a 17" Superdrive. I had a good play with it, calibrated the screen, turned power management to high performance, etc. They have decked it out with 768mb of ram and this thing flies. I can't believe how much faster it is at loading Word 2004 than my iBook G4 (1ghz, 512mb). It didn't have any worthwhile games on it to try out the 3D, but iTunes visualiser looked good. Speaking of iTunes, the inbuilt speakers are amazing considering where they are and how small they must be. How long will it be until they can fit speakers like this to the iBook? I was incredibly impressed by this computer, and will be thinking about ordering a 17" Superdrive when I can afford one

Oh, and this thing was almost completely silent, despite it having about 5 apps open AND copying about 2gb via Firewire from an eMac sitting next to it.

[kokkao]

Paco Loco -

OK, I've said my piece. Commence abuse...!

Abuse! Abuse!

[kokkao]

Now to be a little more serious about Paco Loco's "bloated" comments.
It isn't a laptop and it has a lot more behind it than a simple flat panel display so a comparison with these is somewhat dubious IMO.

I don't agree about manufacturing or material standards being lower - it seemed to me to be quite up to Apple's usual standard. I do however take the point about it being closer to the original iPod style than the latest ones which does seem a little strange but really doesn't detract from its looks.

It certainly looks one h*ll of alot sleeker than Sony's AIO thing.

[SouthPaW1227]

They got 'em in the Southpoint Mall in NC. Ugliest products Apple has ever made, though.

[8minute]

Here in Sydney Aust, the Burwood store had a 17" on display for a couple of weeks now. I was in the Chatswood store on the weekend and they had one on display as well (I think it was the 17" model).

[DoraExplorer]

I finally got over to the Apple store (Sacramento). I can't really say that they look any better in person. They look just like their picture: a big bloated slab of white plastic stuck on an oddly-incongruous stand. The 20" does look better than the 17", or less squatty anyway.

It does perform beautifully, though (the store models had 512 ram), and I would be more than happy to have one!

[kcmac]

Originally posted by TiMac:
I am looking to buy an iMac for my Mother from the new Apple store in Kansas City this weekend. How likely will the new store have 17inch models in stock given that the store opens up this Saturday? Additionally, if the store opens at 10, how long would you estimate the line will be and more importantly my wait to get in?

Thanks (I have now transformed my entire family to the mac platform)

I am really looking forward to the opening of this store. The Plaza is an awesome place and I couldn't believe it took Apple so long to come here. Maybe I will be standing in line the same time you are.

I peaked in the doorway today and they are loading it up with macs. Looked like iBooks up front as you come in the door. Couldn't see if they had any new iMacs in there yet...

[kcmac]

Originally posted by DoraExplorer:
I finally got over to the Apple store (Sacramento). I can't really say that they look any better in person. They look just like their picture: a big bloated slab of white plastic stuck on an oddly-incongruous stand. The 20" does look better than the 17", or less squatty anyway.

It does perform beautifully, though (the store models had 512 ram), and I would be more than happy to have one!

Glad you like it Dora...

I have had mine for one week now. It was quite a shock for us going from the original sized iMac screen to this 20 inch. Now it just blends in with the area. The longer you have it, the more comfortable it looks and feels.

This form factor is really what Apple should have done a long time ago. It is clearly the best Mac I have ever owned.

[ManOfSteal]

Originally posted by kcmac:
Couldn't see if they had any new iMacs in there yet...

There will be.

[kokkao]

Originally posted by DoraExplorer:
I finally got over to the Apple store (Sacramento). I can't really say that they look any better in person. They look just like their picture: a big bloated slab of white plastic stuck on an oddly-incongruous stand. The 20" does look better than the 17", or less squatty anyway.

Couldn't disagree more! Took a non-computerised friend to have a look yesterday -comment - "great looking machine and I like the clear plastic protective edging!"

[Parky]

Both MicroAnvika stores in Manchester, UK have 17" 1.6Ghz models on display.

Nothing at all in stock to sell though, same with iPods they have non in stock and have a 2 week wait let for any model.

Ian

[MrForgetable]

Have to go to the local Apple Store to check it out soon! Maybe bring my PB in for some free WiFi

[lngtones]

Originally posted by Mallrat:
I guess that's part of it, but it's funny because while everyone on here cares I'm going ot say way too much (including me) most people in the world don't even know what a mac is. I work at a recording studio and we use macs all day and I've been telling people non-stop about the iMac G5, but I think only one or two people even grasp what I'm taking about.

I'm saying the people Jobs may be trying to hid secrets from are the ones that love his products and support Apple 100%.

I just think apple would be served better to announce products that will be available as of that day and like I siad at the very least get demo models out to the dorks like me that stayed up from 4am to 6am to watch the new IMacG5 come out.

Still they are my favorite company hands down.

You're forgetting that they also have to protect their competitive advantage. If they let out all their design ideas at the rate Microsoft spews unfillable promises, then they would all be copied by every other company under the sun. By delaying their announcements until the last possible moment and keeping everything secret then they can be sure they will have a headstart on everyone else. Just look at the music store...

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Saw the 17" in the store yesterday. I didn't have a problem with the plastic on the bottom in picts but in person it makes the screen look smaller. The iMac is also much thicker then I would have thought.

I was totally blown away by the lamp iMac the first time I saw it, this was ho-hum.

[DeathMan]

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
I was totally blown away by the lamp iMac the first time I saw it, this was ho-hum.

Its still weird to me that so many people are one way or the other on this issue. I personally am the opposite. I think the sunflower mac looked contrived, and unproportioned. I liked the idea of being able to swivel the screen around, but the base was just weird to me. This new iMac looks much better to me, though I do agree that it's a little think. To make it thinner would mean a higher price tag, though, so I believe that the trade off was worth it. Also being able to mount it to a vesa arm gives the g5 version essentially the same original innovation that was so great about the g4 imac.

The sunflower iMac base always looked huge to me, especially in the 15" model. I always thought the sunflower iMac looked better in the photos, and its interesting to me to hear so many people say that the new iMac looks better in person. Maybe this will affect sellability, who knows.

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

It is just a matter of taste, my friends that didn't like the Sunflower when it came out LOVE the hell out of the new iMac.

I just think it is bulky and boring.