Great computer, but don't buy Intel yet...
Pros:
Beautiful, virus-free, takes little desk real-estate, and easy to use...even for a Windows user.
Cons:
Not as fast as the iMac G5 yet, because Rosetta has to convert PowerPC apps.
The Bottom Line:
If you are looking for a new home computer, and all your software you *need* to use has a Mac version, GO APPLE.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
This review was written on 2/25/06.
Right before the Macworld show this year, I bought the iMac G5 20" computer, and I love it. I've been a long time Windows users, and still do use Windows daily, but was tired of re-installing my home Windows desktop computer because of viruses, worms, spyware, etc. The Mac operating system has yet to have a virus attack it. This was a big selling point for me.
About a week after I bought my new iMac G5, they announced a new iMac Intel Core Duo computer at Macworld. Boy, was I upset. The new iMac was announced to be twice (2x) the speed of the iMac G5. I returned the iMac G5 to the Apple store, and paid a 15% restocking fee ($200). Then I bought the new iMac Intel Core Duo on apple.com.
When I got the computer, I noticed that certain applications were actually *slower* than the iMac G5. It didn't appear to be twice (2x) the speed as advertised. Also, the Safari (browser) was good, but anything using Flash was very slow. It seemed that Rosetta really slowed down things.
Since I had/have both the iMac G5 and iMac Intel Core Duo computers, I can tell you that while the iMac Intel will probably be better in the long run (5 years), the iMac G5 is faster and more compatible with the Apple software out today. You will also notice fewer application crashes with the G5, as Rosetta isn't completely bug proof. Rosetta does a good job, but I don't think Apple put it out as a long-term solution (just my opinion).
Both the iMac G5 and the iMac Intel Core Duo look identical on the outside.
If you are buying a new iMac, I would seriously consider buying the iMac G5, as the G5 version is $200 less, and you can still get *another* $100 off with the school discount. Apple should continue to support the PowerPC architecture for at least five (5) more years, at which time, you'd be considering a replacement computer. In five years, all Apple software should be compiled for Intel.
I love my new Apple iMac, and would recommend it to anyone for their home. If you have a specific Windows application that doesn't run on Apple, don't switch. There's a product called VirtualPC which allows you to run Windows software on the Apple, but you would open up every vulnerability from Windows by enabling this. So don't use VirtualPC.
On a side note, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my iMac came with a free operating system, free Quicken, and free iLife (really good software for multimedia). And Microsoft Office for Mac was only $99 after rebate for the education version.
Thumbs up from me.
