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: An absolute delight to use
Review: I've used Windows PCs for 10 years, I'm a "switcher". The main thing that kept me from switching before was the perceived hassle of being a Mac user, which is no longer the case...I can how share Microsoft Office documents with PC users. Additionally, there is no longer an Apple premium, as there was in the past. Try pricing out a Pentium 4 2.x Ghz with 512 MB SDRAM, 80 GB hard drive, 5 USB ports, 2 firewire ports, 17" flat-panel LCD, DVD-R/CD-RW drive, with real software (not "lite" versions or shovelware) and you'll see what I mean. You get iPhoto for managing your pictures, iMovie for DV editing, iDVD for burning DVDs, and iTunes for managing MP3s. Everything works right the first time and it doesn't crash several times a day. Unlike Windows, OS X is a true multi-tasking operating system. You can copy files, burn CDs, surf the web, etc. at the same time without the computer locking up. I highly recommend this product. You'll have a hard time finding a PC that can perform like the iMac...
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: 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: 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: So out of date I could cry
Review: There is nothing on this computer that isn't 2 years old. 800 MHZ G4. Not exactly a state of the art cpu. 256 MB of 133 MHZ SDRAM, man when is Apple going to finally move over to at least 266MHZ DDR SDRAM? Most PCs are using memory 2-5 times faster than this! Geforce 4 MX as someone already mentioned this is just an ancient Geforce2 with a shiny new name. In fact I just checked and the cheapest (new) PCs on Amazon, the ones that cost less than five hundred, have newer, faster components than this! I've been waiting to upgrade my Mac for two years now so I could switch to OS X. I am begining to think my next computer isn't going to be an Apple.
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: A few comments
Review: I'm mainly a PC guy but I've owned Apples too over the years, and despite the fact that Apple took a lot of flack with this machine about producing a computer that was more revolutionary as a piece of furniture design than as a computer, this is still a good computer. I played with one recently at CompUSA for about an hour and I was impressed with how much faster it was than previous Apples, since the last time I worked with one was a several years ago, and there has also been a major release and update to the OS since then, which seems to have improved reliablity and performance also. My main problem with this system is that for almost half the price, you can get a PC with 50% more hard disk space and four times as much RAM, so the Apple still can't compete with the PC in terms of price-to-performance ratio, but don't get me wrong, I still liked this system. For most people, this would still be a good computer. One other thing, and I'm not sure what recent service is like, but hopefully things have improved in this area. In the past, parts and service for Apples was expensive compared to the PC and more than a little high-brow. In other words, if you had to ask, you probably couldn't afford it, was their attitude, sort of like Volvo car service. My last question about this system would be flexibility in terms of upgrades. Since everything has to fit into the designer base you probably can't just upgrade this yourself, if you wanted to get a more powerful video card, for example. This has always been one of the main advantages of PCs--you could easily open up the case and there were lots of options in terms of upgrades--the only problem was in getting the new hardware to work. :-) Also, according to another review I just read here, the onboard video card is not an nVidia GeForce4 MX4 but a GeForce2 that has been "rebranded." So you're not even getting a GF3. I can't vouch for this personally as I haven't checked into it, but if you play a lot of high-end games you might want to make sure this video card will work for you. Overall, however, this is a fine system and will probably fill the needs of the vast majority of computer users. I don't think there's going to be a mass exodus from the PC world to Apple because of this, but as a PC guy I still wanted to say I liked the computer, and it might even merit 4.5 stars if I could give it that.
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!
Rating:
Summary: Don't be fooled
Review: The tech specs list this computer as having an NvidiaGF4MX. If you think you are getting a true GF4 think again. You aren't even getting a GF3. The GF4MX is just a GF2(!) that has been rebranded as a GF4"MX". A true GF4 card is compatible with the latest standards, a GF4MX is not. If you plan on playing the latest games, look for a system with more up to date graphics. If you just play old games (or none at all) then the graphics will probably be fine for you.
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