apple news/media reports

10/12/2005, 3:50pm, EDT

Wednesday, October 12th

Updated iMac offers built-in iSight, up to 2.1GHz

Apple today unveiled the new iMac G5, which features a built-in iSight video camera for out-of-the-box video conferencing and the debut of Apple’s new Front Row technology. Front Row gives users a simple, intuitive and powerful way to play their music, enjoy their photo slideshows, and watch their DVDs and iMovies, as well as popular movie trailers from Apple's website, and music videos and television shows purchased from the iTunes Music Store, on their iMac from up to 30 feet away using the new bundled Apple Remote. The new iMac G5 comes in a sleek, new design that is even thinner than its predecessor, and starts at just $1,299.

“The new iMac G5 debuts our amazing Front Row media experience, and we think users are going to love it,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Plus, the built-in iSight video camera delivers out-of-the-box video conferencing with friends and family, as well as hours of fun with our new Photo Booth application.”

The refined design of the new iMac G5 is now up to 1/2-inch thinner and 15 percent lighter than the previous generation. Delivering even greater value, the new iMac G5 line includes a 17-inch model with a 1.9GHz PowerPC G5 processor for just $1,299 and a 20-inch model with a 2.1 GHz PowerPC G5 processor for just $1,699. Both models now come standard with a SuperDrive™ with double-layer support for burning professional-quality DVDs, 533 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory expandable to 2.5GB, hard drive storage capacity up to 500GB, and ATI Radeon X600 PCI Express-based graphics with 128MB of dedicated video memory for outstanding graphics performance and realistic game play. System memory is easily upgraded via a convenient access door along the bottom edge.

The new iMac G5 includes Apple’s Mighty Mouse, featuring up to four programmable buttons and an ingenious Scroll Ball that lets users scroll in any direction—vertically, horizontally and even diagonally. Every new iMac G5 also includes iLife ‘05 -- Apple’s suite of digital lifestyle applications -- and a collection of productivity and entertainment titles including AppleWorks, Quicken 2006 for Mac, 2006 World Book, Photo Booth, Nanosaur 2 and Marble Blast Gold.

The new 17-inch 1.9 GHz iMac G5, for a suggested retail price of $1,299, includes:

  • 17-inch widescreen LCD display;
  • 1.9 GHz PowerPC G5 processor;
  • 512MB of 533 MHz DDR2 SDRAM expandable to 2.5GB;
  • 8x SuperDrive™ with double-layer support (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
  • ATI Radeon X600 Pro with 128MB DDR 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;
  • built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
  • ships with infrared Apple Remote, Mighty Mouse and Apple Keyboard.


The new 20-inch 2.1 GHz iMac G5, for a suggested retail price of $1,699, includes:

  • 20-inch widescreen LCD display;
  • 2.1 GHz PowerPC G5 processor;
  • 512MB of 533 MHz DDR2 SDRAM expandable to 2.5GB;
  • 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
  • ATI Radeon X600 XT with 128MB DDR 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;
  • built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
  • ships with infrared Apple Remote, Mighty Mouse and Apple Keyboard.


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No Modem?!
0
10/12, 5:44pm, EDT
The iMac G5 ships without a modem! WTF?
Junior Member
Joined May 2000
User is offline
Let the
0
10/12, 6:20pm, EDT
Griping begin...
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined Jan 2004
User is offline
question
0
10/12, 6:50pm, EDT
my sister just bought an imac that was delivered last week. any chance she can exchange it for a new one?
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined Mar 2005
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innit
0
10/12, 7:14pm, EDT
Makes sense to move the modem to an external device. Most people don't need one these days.

So, I'm wondering whether to upgrade to the new iMac g5 or wait til who-knows-when the first iMacTel comes out. I'm currently running the original 15"PB Ti 500mhz, and after 4.5 years I think an upgrade is more than necessary...
Junior Member
Joined Sep 2002
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Nice improvment
0
10/13, 5:21am, EDT
I bought an Imac in January and now I am drooling about the new one. Much better graphics, than my machine, everything built in that I needed to purchase extra ( Airport, Bluetooth and Isight ) and at a much better price. A very good deal I say. What makes me wonder is that the Imac gets so many updates ( one revsion and one the new model ) in one year, while the pro machines and the Powerbooks everybody is waiting for, simply don't show up. The speed bump in the imac was a very minor one, but the speed is more than sufficient for the home user and with the better graphics card gaming should be possible with decent speed and effects. So the Imacs value has risen a lot against the pro machines ( I guess no one bought the discontinued single CPU machine since the last Imac came out ). But I see no price drops or upgrades on the pro line. It seems kind of stuck. Even if they can't increas the speed, because they don't get better CPUs from IBM at least they could improve the graphics, storage or lower the price, but nothing happens.Strange. What is your opinion ?

Thomas
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FrontRow
0
10/13, 7:36am, EDT
My real question is whether I will be able to download FrontRow. Maybe they'll bundle it with the remotes and sell it.
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TV Tuner
0
10/13, 10:00am, EDT
Front Row could be the start of a complete home PVR All they really need to add is a TV tuner and the ability to record. they could easily tap into that market quite quickly as I was hours away from purchasing the graphics card and hard disk space to make my own when front row was announced.

I think ill wait now....

I hope a third party vendor releases some plugins to front row or something that enables TV coax in and some mpg or mov recording of shows.
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Joined Oct 2005
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