I've had a second-generation iMac G5 2 GHz 20-inch since late May of this year. It's the first Mac I've ever bought new, though I've used a Mac since 1997 and have extensive experience with hundreds and hundreds of all kinds of Macs from the Plus on up. It replaced a home- built 2 GHz Windows XP Pro machine because I tired of the fan noise, the virus/spyware/adware problems (and the associated maintenance, cost and upkeep required), the clunkiness of the operating system, and of looking at the slightly-soft, slightly-dim display of a 21- inch Radius CRT.
I've upgraded RAM to 1 GB, and still use the extra-cost bluetooth keyboard but stopped using the 1-button bluetooth mouse in favor of a wireless Logitech mouse with a click and scroll wheel, which lets me access all the neat right-click Tiger options in whichever program I'm using.
Overall, I'm very happy with the iMac G5. I really like the sharp, clear screen display, and the speedy performance of the G5. There is some fan noise, but the G5 iMac is much, much quieter than any of the other machines, both PC and iMacs, in my office/work bench area. The hard drive noise of any one of the 4 iMac G3 convection-slotloaders far surpasses the fan noise from the G5, even when I'm using it hard and the fans rev up.
The only problems I've had with the iMac G5 have had to do with the display. Mine developed the thin-white-line-in-the-bottom-left-corner- of the screen about three months ago. Apple replaced the screen under warranty. I lost use of the machine for two days while it was in the shop; this included diagnosis time, less than a day for Apple to ship a new screen to my local authorized dealer, and replacement. That quick, no-hassles experience really endeared Apple to me.
The thin white line problem hasn't reappeared. But I recently noticed an "image persistence" problem around the Dock icons. I solved that one myself by following Apple's "Avoiding image persistence on Apple LCD displays" advice (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html? artnum88343), as well as dialing down screen brightness a bit and removing a third-party application (ClearDock 1.3) that removes the grey screen box around the Dock icons. Image persistence is the LCD version of CRT burn-in. The good thing is that, unlike burn-in, image persistence can be reversed or eliminated.
Though I'm very, very happy with my iMac G5, it is a new design. That's why I bought AppleCare for it, and why I recommend AppleCare to other buyers.
Hope this helps. -- Jim Scott -- The iMac List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | - Epson Stylus Color 580 Printers - new at $69 | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> iMac List info: <http://lowendmac.com/imac/list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[email protected]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/imac-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> --------------------------------------------------------------- iPod Accessories for Less at 1-800-iPOD.COM Fast Delivery, Low Price, Good Deal www.1800ipod.com ---------------------------------------------------------------
