Rating: 
Summary: Irresistible but with a few catches.
Review: (Since writing the following, I notice that Apple has just reduced the number of catches: they've knocked 10% off the price and increased the speed of the processor by 20%. Still I'd gladly trade the extra little speakers for either a Sound-In Jack or the option of an external USB sound-processor such as the iMic. The speakers are throwaways if you're running your computer through a good stereo system. Moreover, it's not clear to me that they're compatible with iSub.)If you must have the chic, compact, dream machine with the beautiful screen, this no doubt is it. But don't be surprised if Apple makes a few changes come July. For one, unlike the eMacs and old iMacs the new iMacs don't have a Sound-In jack (should you plan to digitalize your tapes and LP's), and external USB audio processors can be less dependable. For another, the Apple discussion boards show some owners complaining about "burned out" pixels and proclaiming the superiority of good old-fashioned CRT's (the eMac). And finally, G4 processor or no, to expect this lightweight to perform up to the speed and efficiency of a Power Mac with its floor-standing CPU is testimony to the effectiveness of Apple's promotions department.
Rating:
Summary: Irresistible but with a few catches.
Review: (Since writing the following, I notice that Apple has just reduced the number of catches: they've knocked 10% off the price and increased the speed of the processor by 20%. Still I'd gladly trade the extra little speakers for either a Sound-In Jack or the option of an external USB sound-processor such as the iMic. The speakers are throwaways if you're running your computer through a good stereo system. Moreover, it's not clear to me that they're compatible with iSub.) If you must have the chic, compact, dream machine with the beautiful screen, this no doubt is it. But don't be surprised if Apple makes a few changes come July. For one, unlike the eMacs and old iMacs the new iMacs don't have a Sound-In jack (should you plan to digitalize your tapes and LP's), and external USB audio processors can be less dependable. For another, the Apple discussion boards show some owners complaining about "burned out" pixels and proclaiming the superiority of good old-fashioned CRT's (the eMac). And finally, G4 processor or no, to expect this lightweight to perform up to the speed and efficiency of a Power Mac with its floor-standing CPU is testimony to the effectiveness of Apple's promotions department.
Rating: 
Summary: Finally - I'm enjoying a computer
Review: After years of using PCs (I had an IBM PC XT back in '85) I finally made the switch to Apple. I have been unhappy with PCs in general for quite some time but never felt there were any other options out there. That is until Apple unveiled the iMac. I was captivated by the 15" flat panel version that had CD/DVD burning capabilities but they closed me when the 17" version came out. This sleek looking machine plus the stability and ease of use of OS X made me a convert. APPEARANCE:
A better looking computer does not exist. The entire system is contained in a unit that is 11 inches in diameter (no more tower)with the monitor attached by an adjustable chrome neck. DISPLAY:
Absolutely gorgeous. Maximum resolution on the 17" is 1440 X 900 pixel resolution in millions of colors. It is a pleasure to sit down and look at the screen for hours at a time. OPERATING SYSTEM:
Mac OS X is a wonderful change from Windows. In the two weeks that I have been using my new iMac I have not experienced one crash nor one freeze nor one error message. I have had as many as four separate programs running simultaneously and have not witnessed a drop off in performance. One of the big upgrades over previous Mac OS's and in my experience with Windows is that Mac OS X manages the memory for you - no need to set virtual memory; no need to worry if you will crash the program or the system ever again. INCLUDED APPLICATIONS:
If the display, appearance/size, and operating system weren't enough to sway your opinion then try on the included applications for size. iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iChat, iCal, Sherlock, AppleWorks, Mail, Address Book, and Quicken 2002 Deluxe are all standard. There are a lot more programs - I've just touched on the big ones. Depending on your needs this may be more than you'll ever need or at least a starting point to determine if you need to buy a more powerful application. Don't be fooled into thinking that because these programs are included they must not be very good. iTunes is by far the best music manager / jukebox program I have ever used and it has many features / extras that are not apparent on the surface. Also - the SF Chronicle recently reviewed DVD Authoring programs; top on their list was iDVD. Overall this has been an excellent purchase for me. I find I am able to multitask and multithread without the system crashing. In some cases I am able to leave the office early and bring work home because I know how reliable my iMac is. Two recommendations: 1) Load up on the memory - I had 512mb of RAM installed at the time of purchase; Mac OS X is a memory hog. 2) If you plan to burn data to CD-R/CD-RWs I recommend purchasing Roxio's Toast Titanium program. The included software for Apple specializes in Audio,Photographs,and Movies. I would recommend this system to anyone looking to upgrade to a reliable and enjoyable computer experience.
Rating:
Summary: No more gray box of death
Review: Apple gets a bad rap for having "pricey" computers, but I've never found them to be such. Just look at what this baby comes with: 256 MB RAM.
The wonderful G4 processor, at 800 MHz, which is deceptively fast.
80 GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive
The SuperDrive which lets me burn CDs and DVDs.
A crystal clear 17" flat panel display. Flat panel monitors run into the HUNDREDS of dollars by themselves (...).
10/100 Base-T ethernet port.
TWO FireWire Ports
FIVE USB ports (three on the console, two on the keyboard)
NVIDIA GForce 4 MX Graphics card
Apple Pro Optical Mouse
Apple Pro speakers, and they are outstanding.
Built-in Microphone
Built in Airport antenna, for wireless networking.
Mac OS 9 and the luscious, UNIX-based Jaguar (OS X 10.2)
AppleWorks, a convenient suite of Office-type apps. Their database app is one of the easiest and friendliest around. I store lists of books, CDs and other such things with it.
Explorer
Quicken
The amazing iApps: iChat, iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD and iTunes, all of which make computing so easy and fun in the digital age.
And still more apps--too many to list here. To buy a quality PC with all of these things would cost about the same, if not more. The ports alone make this a good investment. Best of all, I know all the things in this computer will work together. That's what having a Mac is all about. As always, Apple doesn't do anything on the cheap, not even with their "everyman" computers, like the iMac. Everything here is top of the line, and it all works beautifully. The most taxing thing about setting up the computer was getting it out of the box (the design makes it more fragile than most computers). Once I had that done, I had it up and running in about 15 minutes--and some of that time was spent upgrading to Jaguar. Connecting to my husband's Powerbook through our DSL router was as easy as clicking on Connect to Server, then clicking on his computer in the listbox. Jaguar even recognized my son's PC, and I was yanking mp3s off there, very fast. The computer itself is very quiet, although the SuperDrive can get rather noisy at times. But the hard drive? Barely a peep out of it. The display is crisp and clean. The screen really does move with the touch of one finger--smoothly, effortlessly. The G4 processor screams through apps. Burning mp3s and CDs has never been easier, thanks to iTunes. Downloading mp3s and audio books to my iPod is a dream--and speedy indeed over the FireWire connection. I made a DVD the other day of just some clips that I'd collected over the years, and it was disgustingly easy with iDVD. I connected my new Olympus digital camera through the USB port; iPhoto popped right up and filled up the screen with thumbnails of my digital images--with only one click asking if I wanted iPhoto to always do that. Everything just WORKS with this computer, seamlessly, flawlessly, which has been the most refreshing thing about switching to Apple. But let's face it: Besides the fact that it's a Macintosh, which means a user-friendly computer with quality hardware, the real reason anyone buys this new iMac is because its design is flat-out cool. It is so beautiful that, even weeks after receiving it, I'll just sit there staring at it, still amazed that THIS is a computer. Having my computer's circuitry nestled under a dome rather than entombed in yet another rectangular box is a delight. A round computer case! Who but Apple would have thought of it? Everybody will copy this idea (Gateway[snort!] has already tried), but, as usual, no one will come close to matching the sheer ingenuity of what Apple has done. Don't be fooled by wannabes. This is the real thing, and it's worth every penny you'll spend on it--and then some.
Rating:
Summary: Best computer I've ever owned
Review: Awesome product! I own a desktop and laptop(Win xp) in a wireless network. I recently purchased an iMac with 17"FP/1.25 GHz/1 GB RAM/160 GB HDD/DVD-RW/CD-RW drive/Bluetooth/Extreme wireless card. It took less than 10 minutes to set it up and have it connected to my wireless network. iMac detected the wireless connection in a second! What an awesome computer! What a great product! Thanks, Apple!
Rating:
Summary: Avid PC User Switches to iMac
Review: Awesome product! I own a desktop and laptop(Win xp) in a wireless network. I recently purchased an iMac with 17"FP/1.25 GHz/1 GB RAM/160 GB HDD/DVD-RW/CD-RW drive/Bluetooth/Extreme wireless card. It took less than 10 minutes to set it up and have it connected to my wireless network. iMac detected the wireless connection in a second! What an awesome computer! What a great product! Thanks, Apple!
Rating:
Summary: Best computer I've ever owned
Review: Before purchasing my iMac, I was a PC user, but I always thought that it would be great to own a Mac. Since I got my iMac, I have never looked back. I can honestly say that this is the best computer I've ever owned. The operating system, Mac OS X, is extremely stable and almost flawless. And the applications that come built into OS X (iTunes, iPhoto and iMovie to name a few) are wonderful. I have over 1100 songs on iTunes which automatically syncs with my iPod when I plug it in. Of course, I also love how beautiful the iMac is. The screen looks as if it just floats in mid-air. I am so glad that I "switched" to a Mac. I absolutley love this computer, and I know the next time I buy a computer, it will be a Mac.
Rating:
Summary: Wide Screen is worth of the money!
Review: Even I hated those "Switch to Mac" commercials..I do love this 17" imac. The wide screen is great! However I found couple dead pixels on the screen. Apple said it's inevitable. I am a UNIX user. The Darwin environment is great. Buy 17".don't buy the 15"....you will love this machine.
Rating:
Summary: #1 Computer
Review: I got my 17" flat panel iMac for christmas. It works great! I have had no compatability problems what-so-ever and it has never crashed! Even under the intense rendering I put it through for digital filmaking it still holds up great with memory and hard-drive to spare! The guys at Apple Care have been great and have helped me with every question I have had!!! Apple has defenetaly lived up to its name!
Rating: 
Summary: Ups and downs
Review: I have a love hate thing going with Apple. I love their desktops and hate their notebooks (flimsy, slow, overpriced, grrr). My only complaint is that the support could be better. I've have been adding components (scanner, digital camera, plotter) onto my iMac and have had a lot of trouble getting the right drivers, compatible software etc... Apple Tech support has *not* been very supportive. Once I've dug up the right driver (be sure what you buy will work with a Mac!) things have gone okay, but Apple could be more help here. They keep refering me to the manufacturer of the part, and taking no blame. Considering their adds claim "ease of use" I would like to see some of that ease. But once it's up and running it's really sweet!
| 
