[slpdLoad]

Yep, I get many many months on a set of AAs with my current bluetooth keyboard. I probably change batteries once a year or so.

[rubaiyat]

Originally Posted by CadetStimpy 

... if the price comes down on current stock, you might be able to pick up some killer savings on the current models, which for the most part (at least in my opinion) are pretty much identical except for the new bells and whistles.

Just chiming in. Personally, I'm a great deal more excited about iLife and iWork '08, but that's a topic for another thread.

I already asked about the discounting on the older models at our local Apple Centre and they have reduced the 24" iMac to only US$170 less than the equivalent current model.

For that you get the older keyboard, a smaller hard drive, slower cpu, inferior speakers, inferior iSight camera, need to remove one or both SIMMs to upgrade your memory, need to pay to upgrade to iLife 08 and to upgrade to Leopard.

Doesn't make sense, but Apple has always done it this way. Seems there are enough Mac users out there who can't do their sums.

[Tigerlittle]

I like the design of new iMac overall, except:

1. Glossy screen: bad idea for photo-editing becaus of reflection and glare.
2. Non-standard, smaller wirelss keyboard: I will stick with wired one.

[hldan]

Originally Posted by rubaiyat 

I already asked about the discounting on the older models at our local Apple Centre and they have reduced the 24" iMac to only US$170 less than the equivalent current model.

For that you get the older keyboard, a smaller hard drive, slower cpu, inferior speakers, inferior iSight camera, need to remove one or both SIMMs to upgrade your memory, need to pay to upgrade to iLife 08 and to upgrade to Leopard.

Doesn't make sense, but Apple has always done it this way. Seems there are enough Mac users out there who can't do their sums.

I don't know about the iSight camera. Apple doesn't show anything in the specs that it's better than what's on the previous version. I thought it was the same 640x480 res.

[PhrogDriver]

Is it possible to place an anti-glare coating over the new iMac screen (like a screen protector for a cellphone or PSP) without hampering the performance of the LCD? I think that there would be a market for such a product for the Macbook too.

[rubaiyat]

Originally Posted by hldan 

I don't know about the iSight camera. Apple doesn't show anything in the specs that it's better than what's on the previous version. I thought it was the same 640x480 res.

Sorry, thought I saw something about the specs being raised. Only a minor point anyway. If you put a $ value to all the rest, the piddling discount is still clearly unrealistic

[redcapzero]

Greetings, first timer here. As far as the overall "vision" of the i-MAC, BEAUTIFUL. Compositionally sound, my eye never wanders untill I want them to. The black bezzel encased in brushed aluminum, for me...priceless. Now as far as the machine being a "gamer", no concerns here. Just in geniune need for a solid, practical station so as to write my poetry, research via the www, educate myself in basic photo & video treats for which improvement will certainly make way for a Pro machine...
As far as glossy, well now, one could use back lighting if appropriate.
Anyway, soon to see this wonder live...purchase. I'll bring along some salt, just in case (eating crow)...
ENJOY!

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by rubaiyat 

I already asked about the discounting on the older models at our local Apple Centre and they have reduced the 24" iMac to only US$170 less than the equivalent current model.

For that you get the older keyboard, a smaller hard drive, slower cpu, inferior speakers, inferior iSight camera, need to remove one or both SIMMs to upgrade your memory, need to pay to upgrade to iLife 08 and to upgrade to Leopard.

Doesn't make sense, but Apple has always done it this way. Seems there are enough Mac users out there who can't do their sums.

If you don't need iWork '08 and the slightly slower CPU is fast enough for you (this is the majority of computer users) or maybe you want to play games, what you get for the extra $200 won't do you any good.

[rubaiyat]

Leopard alone is worth US$129, iLife '08 is US$79, the larger HD say US$30, extra 512Mb RAM that you don't have to throw away say $US75.

These extras (what you actually get in the box) add up to US$313. The extra speed, new keyboard etc are just cream.

Apple slashed the Student discount to half here, despite the fact that it really was just a GST exemption which is actually worth 10%. Looks like they are pocketing half for themselves.

btw I notice Amazon hasn't got the new models, nor dropped their prices yet. We'll see what happens there. I'm sure even in Australia, Apple will get more realistic despite the "Free Trade Agreement" (says he rolling around the floor laughing, tears streaming from eyes, wetting pants).

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by rubaiyat 

Leopard alone is worth US$129

You don't get that with any current iMac, do you?

Originally Posted by rubaiyat 

iLife '08 is US$79, the larger HD say US$30, extra 512Mb RAM that you don't have to throw away say $US75.

These extras (what you actually get in the box) add up to US$313.

So let's look at the difference if you didn't actually need any of that stuff. You spend $170 extra, save $143 over what you would have spent to buy the parts on their own and get $0 of actual value out of it? That's a bad deal.

[rubaiyat]

I could also buy a cheaper model new Mac with even less features and save more, but the reality is that there is a difference right out of the box and it does have a $ value.

Both iLife '08 and iWork '08 are much needed upgrades in IMHO.

As to Leopard, who is going to be so thick as to buy their iMac now, just before it is released?

[pyrite]

I agree. If nothing's changed, and it's still slated for september, who in their right mind would buy now? (unless they plan to upgrade to Leopard by 'legally questionable', more affordable means )

[tintin220]

Well, you know, at retailers such as MacMall, the discounts will probably be more noticeable than at Apple for the old one. Wait and see, its possible that those price cuts may be reasonable.

[funkboy]

Originally Posted by pyrite 

I agree. If nothing's changed, and it's still slated for september, who in their right mind would buy now? (unless they plan to upgrade to Leopard by 'legally questionable', more affordable means )

Isn't Leopard slated for October?
That is at least two months of having a wonderful new computer. Leopard will only be, what, $150? I have been waiting for a new iMac long enough that I want this one, and the $150 is not a bad price for a brand new OS. $75 per month surcharge for having the latest and greatest... and there is no guarantee when Leopard will actually ship on the iMacs, either. Nor is the $150 price guaranteed...

Nothing is guaranteed :o

[rubaiyat]

True.

Anybody willing to put money on Leopard slipping another year or two?

Jasper Carrot on fast food: "What on earth are you doing back there? Cooking it or something!"

[pyrite]

october? fair enough then. I'd buy, too, if in need of a new machine.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by rubaiyat 

True.

Anybody willing to put money on Leopard slipping another year or two?

Somebody please do. I'll give you 100:1 odds. Doesn't that sound like a good deal?

[rubaiyat]

Guess at those odds I can wait a couple of months

I'll use the intervening time to soften up the retailers into giving a better deal.

After all the Mac isn't everything is it?

[Veltliner]

10.4 is so nicely rounded and well matured I am not really keen to replace it with 10.5 right away.

I'll rather await the first two upgrades and security fixes, and then go from there.

[hldan]

Originally Posted by funkboy 

Isn't Leopard slated for October?
That is at least two months of having a wonderful new computer. Leopard will only be, what, $150? I have been waiting for a new iMac long enough that I want this one, and the $150 is not a bad price for a brand new OS. $75 per month surcharge for having the latest and greatest... and there is no guarantee when Leopard will actually ship on the iMacs, either. Nor is the $150 price guaranteed...

Nothing is guaranteed :o

The month is right but you got the price wrong. Leopard will be $129.00 U.S. Also keep in mind Apple is famous for releasing their OS's at the end of the month so count on Leopard being released around the 25th of October which is essentially November.
Another poster mentioned, "Who in their right mind would buy the new iMac now with Leopard on it's way"? Answer to that is if you need it now....you know the rest.

[WOPR]

Is it true there's no pulsing sleep light? How can you tell if the Mac is in sleep mode?

[JonoMarshall]

It snores.

[tavin64]

The biggest advantage the new Radeon HD's have over the old 7600 are that they UVD. UVD allows for the graphics card to offload cpu power when decoding/encoding HD streams (h.264, VC-1, etc). While the gaming performance might not be a whole lot greater than the last gen, the video enconding and decoding will improve greatly as now the gpu will handle more of the workload.

[Rickag]

Originally Posted by angelmb 

This picture is completely totally disingenuous. Think for a moment. How many more cables does a tower need over an iMac. One.

I may own APPL stock, an iMac and a Powerbook, but I can at least see through the marketing BS.

[CheesePuff]

Originally Posted by Rickag 

This picture is completely totally disingenuous. Think for a moment. How many more cables does a tower need over an iMac. One.

I may own APPL stock, an iMac and a Powerbook, but I can at least see through the marketing BS.

OK, since no one can seem to understand this -- it's showing the Dell with the same features that the new iMac has, not just a tower and a monitor.

[JonoMarshall]

Nope, at least two... Power lead to screen and screen input lead from tower.

Also, it's likely that there will be a USB lead from the tower to the Dell's monitor hub as well as a lead from the WebCam to the tower and in the shown exampe there is some sort of dock on the tower (what feature of the iMac is that meant to represent?)

So to conclude: The Dell uses 3/4 extra leads, some people see that as a selling point I guess, but meh... seems to be Apple coming across as arrogant again in some ways.

[studgrade]

Guys, what about the speed difference between the 2.4 & 2.8 Ghz? Is it really worth it to go to 2.8 ? I'm getting one this week-end,but can't make up my mind on this. What do you think?

[iREZ]

i dont know if this has been brought up or not (only read through one page) but what i dont understand is the color combo.

original imac core duo - white computer with white mouse and white keyboard made sense.

now we have a alu computer with a black border, an alu keyboard with white keys, and an all white mouse, not to mention the power supply cord in the back thats still white?.

this new color combination is really gross in my eyes, don't get me wrong...i still think its better than most pc offerings but i think somebody (ives?) dropped the ball on this. its a petty complaint, but a complaint none the less

[hldan]

Originally Posted by JonoMarshall 

So to conclude: The Dell uses 3/4 extra leads, some people see that as a selling point I guess, but meh... seems to be Apple coming across as arrogant again in some ways.

Dude, come on, if you were a big company selling your product in a competitive world what would you do? It has nothing to do with Apple being arrogant, that's the typical response from people that only see it "their" way. That pic is not overstated.

The iMac: computer, keyboard and mouse. 3 cables, computer to power cord, mouse to computer, keyboard to computer.

Dell: All of the above including the web cam to computer (since desktops don't come with web cams. IR sensor for the remote, the LCD power cable plus the speakers not even shown.

When it comes time to dust your home or clean your desk most people realize there a so many cables and plugs to their set up they hardly know what belongs to what. An easy clean setup like the iMac is great selling point.

Do you wanna talk about arrogance. This same company (Dell) said Apple's Macintosh line would fail miserably and said to Apple to back out while you are still ahead. Now Dell wants OS X on their computers. How arrogant is that?

[lpkmckenna]

Originally Posted by iREZ 

now we have a alu computer with a black border, an alu keyboard with white keys, and an all white mouse, not to mention the power supply cord in the back thats still white?.

I agree: Apple should have included black keys, and the Mighty Mouse should come in "faux aluminum" plastic. Maybe they won't update the MM's color because they're planning to replacing it with a multi-touch mouse soon?

I'd like to see a variant of this new iMac design: color the aluminum black, just like the iPod nano. That would rock.

[fisherKing]

the way my office is set up, my desk faces north, and behind where i sit...southern-exposure windows (big ones).
light comes in, my screen is at a slight tilt (LG monitor, matte), and there's a slight glare. slight.

am worried the new imac (which i want) will be a nightmare in this situation. will look at one at the store.
but (as i've said more-than-enough times in the last 2 days here!), a matte screen should really be an option...

[analogika]

Originally Posted by lpkmckenna 

the Mighty Mouse should come in "faux aluminum" plastic.

Ick.

Cheapcheapcheap.

I *hate* those "I'd love to be metal but can't afford to" silver plastic accessories.

Really.

[alex_kac]

Originally Posted by theNewiMacsSuck 

Utter ****.

1. No video input, on a computer that's basically a living room computer

I disagree. The mini is the living room computer. The AppleTV is. The iMac is not.

2. Ugly black border between the edge of the iMac's aluminum frame and the display itself.

I think it looks great

3. SLOWER videocard (7600GT is MUCH faster than the new Radeon HD Pro)

Agreed.

4. Crap keyboard without numberpad and laptop style keys.

????? Its got a number pad. And its actually pretty nice, though I personally prefer my MBP keyboard or my Logitech.

5. GLOSSY GOD DAMN SCREENS. WHY!? WHY!??!!? Who the hell thought this was a good idea? Are their actually customers that like this, or just ones that THINK they are supposed to like it, since it's new and different? Why the hell is this better? TVs strive to avoid glare! Now Apple ADDS glare and claims it's an improvement! WTF.

The Glossy screens are awesome. At first I hated Glossy, but the latest Glossy screens are very very very good.

[vertigociel]

Originally Posted by studgrade 

Guys, what about the speed difference between the 2.4 & 2.8 Ghz? Is it really worth it to go to 2.8 ? I'm getting one this week-end,but can't make up my mind on this. What do you think?

Well, I haven't seen any benchmarks on this, but keep in mind what other differences there are (180 more GB's of storage, double the RAM), and how much you'd use them. Are you a big gamer, or do you have lots of photos, movies, and music that you're struggling to store? If so, you might consider going for the 2.8 Ghz model. Otherwise, you probably won't need the extra 400 MHz, and it only costs about $40+shipping to get another Gig of RAM from NewEgg, so I wouldn't recommend it.

Personally, as someone who works mainly with graphics apps (Adobe CS3 Suite (PS, Flash, and Illustrator, mainly), Painter X, Processing, Oxidizer), I'd go for the 2.4 GHz model. RAM is cheap, I won't miss the 400 MHz difference, and I'd rather have an external HD for backup than another 180 GB in my Internal HD.

[Eriamjh]

Socketed Micro?


The video card appears to be on the left.

Disassembled iMac (2007 Mid) by KODAWARISAN_Page2

[kikkoman]

Originally Posted by JonoMarshall 

Nope, at least two... Power lead to screen and screen input lead from tower.

Also, it's likely that there will be a USB lead from the tower to the Dell's monitor hub as well as a lead from the WebCam to the tower and in the shown exampe there is some sort of dock on the tower (what feature of the iMac is that meant to represent?)

So to conclude: The Dell uses 3/4 extra leads, some people see that as a selling point I guess, but meh... seems to be Apple coming across as arrogant again in some ways.

One more for the webcam and up to three more for the speakers. At work I have to setup dozens of these machines at time. It get's really old.

[analogika]

Originally Posted by JonoMarshall 

Nope, at least two... Power lead to screen and screen input lead from tower.

Also, it's likely that there will be a USB lead from the tower to the Dell's monitor hub as well as a lead from the WebCam to the tower and in the shown exampe there is some sort of dock on the tower (what feature of the iMac is that meant to represent?)

remote sensor for Media PC functions?

So:
extra box
extra webcam cable
extra monitor power cable
extra monitor signal cable
extra remote sensor cable
extra speaker cable(s) - (there's only one speaker mounted to the bottom of that screen there?)

Plus each of those devices is a separate cluttery gadget, and the cables are longer than they need to be in most cases (gotta have the flexibility, I realize).

That photograph is completely accurate.

[kenna]

Firstly, how good are the speakers on an old iMac? Is there really a need for more speakers if say you did want to have loud speakers that filled a living room?

And Secondly, how are the new speakers on the new iMac compared to the old???

Thanks to anyone who can help!! Im really excited about my new iMac roll on October (i'll hopefully have the money then!!!)

[wolfen]

Originally Posted by kenna 

Firstly, how good are the speakers on an old iMac? Is there really a need for more speakers if say you did want to have loud speakers that filled a living room?

And Secondly, how are the new speakers on the new iMac compared to the old???

They're louder than I thought they'd be. They seem a little bass heavy and hollow sounding. I'm messing around with the equalizer to figure it out. I think I'll eventually tune it right. (They should have done a better job on sound mgt)

Definitely loud enough to fill my living room/dining room with vaulted ceilings.

[Veltliner]

Originally Posted by theNewiMacsSuck 

Utter ****.

1. No video input, on a computer that's basically a living room computer
2. Ugly black border between the edge of the iMac's aluminum frame and the display itself.
3. SLOWER videocard (7600GT is MUCH faster than the new Radeon HD Pro)
4. Crap keyboard without numberpad and laptop style keys.
5. GLOSSY GOD DAMN SCREENS. WHY!? WHY!??!!? Who the hell thought this was a good idea? Are their actually customers that like this, or just ones that THINK they are supposed to like it, since it's new and different? Why the hell is this better? TVs strive to avoid glare! Now Apple ADDS glare and claims it's an improvement! WTF.

Why did they put in a slower videocard?

Looks like the iMac is now more a lifestyle machine, an entertainment center rather than a serious computer.

I also find that curve of the black frame around the screen does not look good, and it is a definite step away from those great-and-simple Apple designs.

[hldan]

Originally Posted by Veltliner 

Why did they put in a slower videocard?

Looks like the iMac is now more a lifestyle machine, an entertainment center rather than a serious computer.

I also find that curve of the black frame around the screen does not look good, and it is a definite step away from those great-and-simple Apple designs.

That's exactly what Apple is trying to do. They want the Mac experience in the Living Room but it's STILL a serious computer.

That art of change is to not hold on to tradition otherwise people tend to say, "It looks like the old one, nothing's changed".
It's not a black frame around the screen, it's part of the whole glass, it's tinted so movies will have more a cinematic look. It's definitely strategic, it's not just for styling.

[Meritocracy]

Originally Posted by tavin64 

The biggest advantage the new Radeon HD's have over the old 7600 are that they UVD. UVD allows for the graphics card to offload cpu power when decoding/encoding HD streams (h.264, VC-1, etc). While the gaming performance might not be a whole lot greater than the last gen, the video enconding and decoding will improve greatly as now the gpu will handle more of the workload.

Sorry, but that supposed advantage is rendered utterly meaningless, as the OSX drivers don't leverage the capabilities of UVD by offloading to the GPU. All things considered, the ATi cards included here leave much to be desired, particularly when taking into account Jobs recent pronouncement at WDCC about how games are coming back to the Mac platform. Most were expecting we'd at the very least see the same nVidia GeForce 8600m GTs included in the MBP update and we didn't even get them. Some BTO options here would be nice.

[JonoMarshall]

Dude, come on, if you were a big company selling your product in a competitive world what would you do? It has nothing to do with Apple being arrogant, that's the typical response from people that only see it "their" way. That pic is not overstated.

Sorry, I meant that in my mind Apple's marketing of late has seemed fairly arrogant. I prefered the cheeky underdog era (circa Sunflower iMac poking its tongue out on TV) rather than the current: Hey look, there I am, I'm Apple, check this out.

I never said the picture was overstated, on the contrary. I was originally contradicting Rickag.

[KarmaSuture]

OK first post, be gentle.
I'm really not sure about the design of the new iMac. I find it odd that Steve critisized the visual styling of the Dell system, and then moved the iMac a step closer to it with the two-tone black and alumium look. Pretty much any PC built by a major vendor in the last 5 years has been black and aluminum, (ok, silver plastic) and while the iMac still looks better than the lot of them, It's not exactly innovative.

I like aluminum, and I think it's worked very well on the Pro lines, but I don't think it was the right to move the iMac range to black/aluminium. Here's my reasoning: Like other posters here I liked the clear divide between the iMac and Mac Pro lines. While the iMac has always had enough power for my graphic design and 3D work, It's seen by most people as a "lifestyle" machine, built for poking around the internet, making movies and playing around with digital photos. The Pro's are the "serious" computers. made for simulations and HD editing. The aesthetics of each machine matched it's purpose. The iMac was light and friendly, and the Pro's demanded you take them seriously, or they will leap on your chest and cheese-grater you to death.

Maybe it's the Core 2 Duos, and standard 1Gb of RAM thats making Apple want to make the mac look more like a "serious" computer. But I don't think it's a good move. Firstly it kind of steals the allure away from the Pro line. Personally I look at the Pro's and think "Damn, that's slick.. I wish I could afford one of those" Now that the difference between a high-spec iMac, and a low-spec Mac Pro isn't that great any more. With similar aesthetics, the two product lines bleed together, which could hurt Pro sales.

Secondly, Is THE lifestyle computer a reputation you want to ditch? My sister liked the iMac because it was "cute". She didn't want a menacing looking piece of technology lurking in the corner of her bedroom. I think because it was white, round, clean and soft looking, she trusted it more.. It didn't look like the type of thing that would delete her homework.

The new look is certainly more aggressive. I wonder if "lifestyle" users are going to trust it as much.

OK, now onto the design. I don't like the black surround on the screen. I understand that the black will make the colours on screen appear more vivid. However the iMac is supposed to look like an integrated system. the heavy contrast between the aluminum and the black really divides the design, and makes the case look top heavy. I also don't like the black apple logo. It's distracting, and makes the Apple brand look dark and menacing.. Shouldn't the Apple logo be the lightest part of the machine.. the bit that all life flows from. Again, the contrast is too strong. Most of Apples on-product branding has been more subtle.. You should be able to tell it's a Apple product the second you look at it, there should be no need to hammer the point home.

The design of the bottom of the unit-speaker area looks great.

Keyboard. OK It's super thin and sexy, but why white keys? Adding another shade to the Black/Aluminum two-tone confuses the design. The older all-white scheme made everything feel a part of everything else. The new Black/Aluminum unit, white/Aluminium keyboard, and glossy white mouse makes everything look mismatched. Why make an all-in-one system, then visually break everything apart?

OK Enough of my whinging. The point is, I was all set to buy a new iMac to replace desktop PC when leopard is released, but I dislike the new design so much, I'm not sure I'll bother.. Maybe I'll keep the PC, and buy a mac mini to get my OS X fix at home.

[Simon]

Originally Posted by studgrade 

Guys, what about the speed difference between the 2.4 & 2.8 Ghz? Is it really worth it to go to 2.8 ? I'm getting one this week-end,but can't make up my mind on this. What do you think?

It depends very much on what you do. Are you a gamer? Are you planning on running CPU-limited apps? Is it for home use or professional use?

By itself it appears to be a good deal. The upgrade costs $250. The rumored 1k price of the X7900 is $851. The 1k price of the T7700 is $530. Now Apple's certainly getting a discount (also Intel hasn't officially released the X7900 yet), but obviously Apple isn't charging too much for the upgrade.

If you need the performance, the upgrade makes sense.

[analogika]

KarmaSuture:

The thing is, an awful lot of pros have already been buying the iMacs, because they're more than fast enough for most purposes except hard-core number crunching or rendering.

Likewise, there is no real "pro"/"consumer" delineation between the MacBook and MacBook Pros anymore, either, in terms of performance, at least.

Sure, the MacBook Pros are faster, but how much faster than "fast enough" does anybody need?

Interestingly, Apple has thrown the *graphics* pros a loop with the new iMac, because while the machines *look* more "pro" and now come with Firewire 800 across the line, the glossy displays are no good for graphics work, because the colors are oversaturated.

[mavherzog]

Originally Posted by quiklee 

i just wished they put a backup battery into the new ones so if the power ever goes out, it won't die and lose everything . . . .

UPS!!!

[mavherzog]

Originally Posted by mousehouse 

Apple offers matte and glossy options on all notebooks, one would think it is only a matter of time before both options show up for the iMac as well...

Since when can you get a MacBook wit ha matte display?

[kenna]

Originally Posted by wolfen 

They're louder than I thought they'd be. They seem a little bass heavy and hollow sounding. I'm messing around with the equalizer to figure it out. I think I'll eventually tune it right. (They should have done a better job on sound mgt)

Definitely loud enough to fill my living room/dining room with vaulted ceilings.

Thanks a lot :tu Would you recommend speakers then if you wanted the clear clarity sound for movies and games etc??? Thanks

[P]

That's a general enough question... 5.1 or 2.1? Which price range? For 2.1, I'd recommend the Harman/Kardon Soundsticks or the equivalent JBL model (can't seem to find it at the moment). Good quality across the spectrum and not too expensive.

Unless Apple completely redid the audio system on the new iMacs, 5.1 will not work for surround sound from games - only from movies (because there is no DDL chip). If you still want it, Logitech's 5x00 series has received good reviews.