IMac G5 - WikiHQ

The iMac G5 is a series of all-in-one personal computers that was designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer from 2004 to 2006. The iMac G5 returned to a more traditional design after the "sunflower" iMac G4, with the computer components fitted behind a liquid-crystal display and mounted on an aluminum foot. The computer was designed around the need to cool its PowerPC 970 processor, and features an interior divided into zones for cooler, quieter operation.

The iMac G5 was announced at the Apple Expo in Paris in August 2004, and was revised twice during its lifespan before being replaced by the first iMacs based on Intel processors. The iMac G5 was well received by critics, who noted its performance, quiet operation, and ease of use. Criticisms included its port placement, lack of ergonomic adjustments, and lack of base memory. The design established by the G5 iMacs would influence the design of subsequent models.

Overview

The iMac G5 is an all-in-one personal computer. The exterior is white, double-shot plastic. The iMac features speakers powered by a 12-watt amplifier, positioned at the bottom of the machine so that sound is reflected off the resting surface towards the user.

The G5 central processing unit is located under a large heat sink. To address the processor's heat output, the interior of the iMac is divided into multiple cooling zones, with the system monitoring heat and ramping fan speeds only when needed for quieter operation. The fans draw air from the speaker grilles at the bottom of the case up through vents in the back. The new PowerPC G5 processors that Apple first shipped with the Power Mac G5 also ran much hotter and required more cooling than the G4s they replaced; fitting them into Apple's smaller desktop machines or laptops was a special difficulty. Apple marketing executive Greg Joswiak described the heart of the iMac as its all-in-one form factor, ease of use, focus on digital lifestyle applications, and innovative design, and that revamping it always meant keeping those factors in mind. To address the heat of the G5 processor, Apple divided the iMac's interior into three cooling zones: the processor, the hard drive, and the power supply and logic board. "By doing the three different cooling areas, we take a big heating challenge and break it into smaller ones, which is really the essence of good thermal design," Joswiak said. This allowed the machine to have quieter fans that only ran as fast—and as loudly—as needed. The new design allowed the design team to integrate the stereo speakers into the case, which had been a design concession of the previous model. Advertising for the new iMac visually linked it to the iPod, by then fast becoming Apple's most important product; advertisements for the computer placed it alongside the music player and contained the tagline "From the creators of iPod."

The machine initially came in three configurations. A low-end 17-inch model featured a 1.6 GHz processor, 256 MB of memory, an 80 GB hard drive, and a DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive. A midrange model added a faster processor and the ability to burn DVDs, while the high-end model added a larger hard drive to pair with a 20-inch display. The high-end prices were hundreds of dollars less than the G4 models they replaced. Exclusively for the education market, Apple offered a cheaper model with a worse graphics chipset and smaller hard drive.

The iMac G5 was updated in March 2005. The new models featured faster processors, more memory, larger hard drives, improved graphics, and double-layer optical drives (capable of burning 8.5 GB DVDs). The computer's networking was also improved with Gigabit Ethernet, and AirPort and Bluetooth now standard features.

In October 2005, the iMac was revised again, with a slimmer, internally new design. The new models featured an integrated iSight webcam mounted above the LCD. The iMac shipped with a remote for use with Apple's Front Row media interface. Other improvements included faster processors, more RAM, larger hard drives, and improved graphics. SuperDrives became standard across the line. The computers also included the Apple Mighty Mouse. It became the first Apple computer to use the PCI Express expansion bus and DDR2 SDRAM. The stand could no longer be replaced with a VESA mount, and the computer no longer included modems. The internals were more difficult to access.

In January 2006, the iMac G5 was succeeded by a new line featuring Intel processors, beginning the transition of Apple's entire line of computers to the Intel architecture six months ahead of schedule. These machines were outwardly similar to the G5 models they replaced.

Reception

The iMac G5 was generally positively-received. The Wall Street Journals Walt Mossberg and The Detroit Free Presss Mike Wendland called the iMac the best computer they had ever used. Multiple publications recommended the machine as an option for Windows PC users to switch to Macs. The design was often called conservative or predictable compared to its predecessors, Mossberg noted that while Apple was not the first all-in-one computer to sit behind an LCD, it was thinner and more attractive than the competition.

Its performance was often favorably compared to the more expensive Power Macs, with some critics suggesting the only reason to get the more expensive models was if consumers needed to add expansion or graphics cards. The iSight models' lack of repairability was also criticized as a step back. Designer Jordan Merrick summed up the iMac G5 as the "mature" evolution of the iMac line, with its "deliberate lack of any ostentatious characteristics" presaging the more minimalist style Apple would take with their future computers.

Specifications

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible" style="font-size:small; text-align:center"

! Model

! colspan=4 | iMac G5

! colspan=3 | iMac G5 Ambient Light Sensor

! colspan=2 | iMac G5 iSight

! Release date

| colspan=4 | August 31, 2004

| colspan=3 | May 3, 2005

| colspan=2 | October 12, 2005

! Order number

| M9248

| M9249 M9823

| M9250 M9824

| M9843

| M9844

| M9845

| MA063

| MA064

! Display

| colspan=3 | 17" LCD, 1440 × 900

| 20" LCD, 1680 × 1050

| colspan=2 | 17" LCD, 1440 × 900

| 20" LCD, 1680 × 1050

| 17" LCD, 1440 × 900

| 20" LCD, 1680 × 1050

! Processor

| colspan=2 | 1.6 GHz

| colspan=3 | 1.8 GHz

| colspan=2 | 2.0 GHz

| 1.9 GHz

| 2.1 GHz

! Front side bus

| colspan=2 | 533 MHz

| colspan=3 | 600 MHz

| colspan=2 | 667 MHz

| 633 MHz

| 700 MHz

! Memory

| colspan=4 | 256 MB of 400 MHz PC-3200 DDR SDRAM

| colspan=3 | 512 MB of 400 MHz PC-3200 DDR SDRAM

| colspan=2 | 512 MB of 533 MHz PC2-4200 DDR2 SDRAM

! rowspan=2 | Graphics processor

| colspan=8 | Serial ATA 7200-rpm

! Optical drive

| colspan=1 | 8x Combo drive

| colspan=2 | 4x SuperDrive

| colspan=1 | 8x Combo drive

| colspan=4 | 8x DL SuperDrive

! Network

| colspan=1 |

| colspan=3 | Optional AirPort Extreme 802.11b/g Optional Bluetooth 1.1 10/100BASE-T Ethernet 56k V.92 Modem

| colspan=3 | AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR Gigabit Ethernet 56k V.92 Modem

| colspan=2 | AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR Gigabit Ethernet Built-in infrared (IR) receiver for Apple Remote

! Peripherals

| colspan=9 | 3× USB 2.0 2× FireWire 400 Audio input/audio output

! Camera

| colspan=7 | None

| colspan=2 | Integrated iSight Camera

! Video out

| colspan=9 | Mini-VGA

! Original operating system

| colspan=4 |Mac OS X Panther 10.3

| colspan=5 | Mac OS X Tiger 10.4

!Maximum operating system

| colspan="7" |Mac OS X Leopard 10.5 if 512 MB RAM installed, otherwise Mac OS X Tiger 10.4

| colspan="2" |Mac OS X Leopard 10.5

! Weight

| colspan=7 | 17": , 20":

| colspan=2 | 17": , 20":

Footnotes

References

Sources

External links

iMac specs at Everymac.com