Home :: Computers :: Desktops :: Apple  

Apple

Compaq
eMachines
Gateway
Hewlett-Packard
IBM
Linare
Other Brands
Sony
Apple iMac Desktop, Indigo, M8582LL/A (500-MHz PowerPC G3, 128 MB RAM, 20 GB hard drive)

Apple iMac Desktop, Indigo, M8582LL/A (500-MHz PowerPC G3, 128 MB RAM, 20 GB hard drive)

List Price:
Your Price:
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: All in one digital workhorse.
Review: I've been a fan of the iMac since it's original release. Harking back to the original Macintosh as an all-in-one box, the iMac has a style all it's own. Obviously, it's influenced many products to imitate it's design... from phones to PC manufacturers. However, the first remains the best.
The USB and Firewire ports make it easy to expand the capabilities. While it retains the G3 processor, the bus speed is more than adequate for most users. Overall, the iMac is a great, multi-purpose digital work station.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: nearly-perfect computer
Review: im an avid fan of mac. i see how mac has evolved from simple, single-unit computers to a techy, all-in-one, super loaded one. i actually owned the classic one, which was later replaced by performa 580 and then upgraded to a new imac, in a dalmatian blue flavor. everything is great in this computer; speed speaks for it. true, when they said that mac is the fastest way to get you to the internet. right out of the box, all i need are simple configurations of my isp, hook up the tel line, and tada, im now online. i tunes is really a cool stuff; im able to rip all my cds. im also able to burn cds as well, though my cd broke just after weeks of using it. i haven't used the imovies yet, coz i dont own a digi video cam. the downsides of this machine are as follows - 1 excessive heat buildup, which seems to be quite normal for every apple masterpiece. i wonder if apple's gonna be introducing a frying pan on their next-generation computers. 2 frequent freezing of the os; the mac always hangs by itself, but within the next half minute or so, it goes running again. 3 incompatibility issues with pc standards. i tried using virtual pc, but i encountered some problems with the software, and i account connectix for that. also, techy people should also be aware of the compatibility of their gadgets with the mac/pc. like for instance, my digi cam (hp c215) is not compatible with mac. so i guess it will be stucked up with my pc for the rest of my life. 4 absence of floppy disk drive outdates my mac. though cd writer and internet connection is a good alternative for data transfer, floppy disks are still reliable and more convenient way for such purpose. extra cost for buying external one is hefty.
well i guess apple did a good wit this imac. i just hope that the next generation of their machines would be completely perfect. by the way, where the g4 cube has gone?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Computer
Review: iMacs are great computers for the average person. They're an entire system in themselves coming with a built-in moniter, microphone, and speakers. All Macs, including, of course, the new iMacs, now come with full sized keybaords and optical mice.

For all those who have never owned a computer before, this is an excellent kind to start with. It'll just about everything moderately well (ie. play games, surf the web, digital imaging).

With iMovie 2, an average person can turn out in a few minutes a proffessional quality video that can then be durned on a DVD or recorded back onto a VHS tape.

The Mac OS is extremely stable. Because OS X uses the Unix kernel, when an appilcation bombs, the computer doesn't. Running OS 10.1 is extremely difficult to bomb the computer. Try the same kinds of things on a PC!

OS 10.1 also allows you to plug in any camera and just download the images or video. All of the software and drivers that recognize what camera is being used are built into the OS. You just plug it in a go.

If you're into serious gaming or video work, I would reconmend one of the G4 towers (my friend has one and it is FREAKN' AUWSOME!). But if you are just an average user, an iMac is perfect.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE WOULD I EVER RECONMEND A PC.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: BAD Computer
Review: My friend showed me this computer, and I never really saw why heliked it so much. It crashed if you ran 2 or more programs and it has hardly any software. It may have virtual PC, but that crashes every time you do something useful. You may think I shouldn't be reviewing this, but I spent enough time on it to know it's a terrible computer. It has some upsides (like you don't need to type .com and the starting time is somewhat reasonable), but not enough to distract you from how terrible it is. If the monitor breaks, your whole computer is dead. Trust me, if you want a good operating system, you should get Windows 2000 Professional. It's the best operating system I've used, and Mac OS 9 is the worst.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great starter system
Review: One of the best all-in-one computers made. Fast, easy to set up -elegant. Minor quibbles with speed of CD-RW drive and the 15" monitor is a bit cramped, but the whole package is hard to beat at the price point.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Macintosh Counterface
Review: The Apple Macintosh G3 has revolutionized the way people interact with computers. The design that saved Apple, this machine features so much packed into a tiny microsystem. It is completely plug and play - Any device plugged in will automatically be detected without the use of drivers. Connecting to the internet and to networks is a snap, and professional applications are simulated only on the macintosh. Apple is rock solid UNIX, which delivers a powerful performance for any UNIX guru. Great software is included which is easy to operate. 'The new iLife is like Microsoft Office for the rest of your life'. Whether your just beginning with computers or are a professional, the Macintosh line of products is right for you.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: iMac blows away the competition
Review: The iMac blows away most of the best pc's, for the price of the top of the line PC, I got an iMac, scanner,printer, even a set of sound sticks!! I've never had any problems with the Mac(like system crashes-which are standard to most pc computers!), games & music reproduction are the best on these machines! I also found that most Play Station games can be played on the iMac. (however the sound is not as great). I would have to say that the iMac is also the best choice for multi-media as well!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Better to wait.
Review: This is my 2nd iMac, and I would probably give up computers before switching to an IBM platform or Windows OS. It's a friendly, charming, companionable machine, but sadly it's no match for the tasks even its manufacturer encourages us to perform with it. Whenever I try multitasking, I have the impression the unit's power is generated by a little wheel driven by hamsters, and when I try doing research on a multi-layered site like Charles Schwab, the iMac's pokiness makes such endeavors all but hopeless. In fact, it cannot even access the features of the more complex sites--admittedly due in part to the Mac-unfriendly nature of much of the internet. I made the mistake of installing OSX 1st edition in my machine and wound up waiting minutes simply for a page of Word to open. And I wasted 2 days trying to use the machine to install a music OS into a synthesizer.

In sum, this is a great little machine for word processing and "dedicated" use of certain features. Use it to burn CDs, make a movie, surf the net--but forget about virtuosity or speed. And even though serious musicians and composers using MIDI devices should not waste their time with the machine, iTunes is a great piece of free software programming for MP3 collectors.

No doubt Apple will manage at these prices to clear out all these G3's, but the smart money has to be on the new machines with the G4 processors. I'm not sure the appearance of the new machines is an improvement, but improved functionality would certainly be worth the premium price. Stay away from the new e-Book, however, which uses the old G3 processor.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Better to wait.
Review: This is my 2nd iMac, and I would probably give up computers before switching to an IBM platform or Windows OS. It's a friendly, charming, companionable machine, but sadly it's no match for the tasks even its manufacturer encourages us to perform with it. Whenever I try multitasking, I have the impression the unit's power is generated by a little wheel driven by hamsters, and when I try doing research on a multi-layered site like Charles Schwab, the iMac's pokiness makes such endeavors all but hopeless. In fact, it cannot even access the features of the more complex sites--admittedly due in part to the Mac-unfriendly nature of much of the internet. I made the mistake of installing OSX 1st edition in my machine and wound up waiting minutes simply for a page of Word to open. And I wasted 2 days trying to use the machine to install a music OS into a synthesizer.

In sum, this is a great little machine for word processing and "dedicated" use of certain features. Use it to burn CDs, make a movie, surf the net--but forget about virtuosity or speed. And even though serious musicians and composers using MIDI devices should not waste their time with the machine, iTunes is a great piece of free software programming for MP3 collectors.

No doubt Apple will manage at these prices to clear out all these G3's, but the smart money has to be on the new machines with the G4 processors. I'm not sure the appearance of the new machines is an improvement, but improved functionality would certainly be worth the premium price. Stay away from the new e-Book, however, which uses the old G3 processor.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Little Computer!
Review: This is my third iMac (moved up from a G3 400mhz) and it is simply wonderful.

It does everything I ask it to and didn't even brake the bank. Mine cam equiped with a 500MHz G3, 40GB HDD, 256mb pc100 sdram, 16mb ATI Rage 128 Ultra AGP 2x, and a Combo Drive (normally this model comes with a CDRW).

I burn all my cd's, watch tons of DVDs, run Mac OS 9.2.2 and Mac OS 10.3.x perfectly fine and play some older games (I'm not a fan of most new games, but love the older ones like Quake 1,2,3, Unreal and AvP!).

Mac OS X runs great, which I was very surprised about. I also run Adobe Photoshop 7 and Office X on this machine and it does it all very well.

Perfectly happy with this machine and I'm sure that when I go to upgrade again I will keep this one around for odd jobs.


<< 1 2 3 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates