Best iMac yet

The iMac G5 is my third Mac computer. I suppose one of the frustrations of owning a Macintosh is that the things rarely play up (I have never had a service call on any Macintosh computer yet), and the only reason that I have ever had to update is because they get so old that they cannot take advantage of the newest and brightest software!

Before I speak of my new iMac, I must mention the one that it replaced. The old iMac was a 333mhz, bright purple affair that had something like 50meg of ram. I bought it second hand and I think that when I gave it away (it is still working perfectly), it was about 10-12 years old. It ran photoshop, office and all of those common applications without effort. The only reason that I had to part with it was because it couldn't burn CD's and certainly couldn't handle DVD's.

I opted for the G5 desktop after a lot of soul searching as I really wanted an iBook. I am very glad that I went for the desktop machine as the 17" wide-screen display is fantastic! It is bright and sharp and the design of the computer means that I have regained some desk space (added bonus).

My iMac is fitted with the Superdrive and has 512meg memory which is more than enough for what I use the computer for. My 25 year old immediately plugged in his digital video and edited a 40 minute holiday trip with iDVD - an excellent and easy to use application.

I just love the software that came with the machine but I did run out and buy a copy of Microsoft Office. It is interesting to note that Office works faster and looks much nicer on the Mac than it does on the PC that I use at work. I suppose that the Mac is faster so Microsoft have built in some nice little functions.

Speaking of fast - I am no computer guru, but it seems to me that PC's and Mac's talk a different language when it comes to stating processor speed. My old 333ghz machine appeared to work just as fast as my current work Windows based laptop which is the latest type. My G5 is much faster than any PC that I have come across yet!

The G5 comes with an excellent keyboard which is positive to use and looks great. The mouse takes a little getting used to but is also well made and looks good. There is little doubt that the current iMac is the best looking computer on the market (in my hunble opinion), and I love the way it looks. Macintosh once again leads the market with good design which just works.

Initial setup is fast and easy and it is quite true when they say that you are surfing within a few minutes. Even my cat could set up a new iMac - and it is a pretty stupid cat! (just kiddi'n).

If anybody is considering a Mac for the first time but have been told all sorts of stories about not being compatible or you can't get software - forget it. It all works, just better than a PC can do things. The only software that may be difficult to find is some games, but that is OK because the macintosh is not a toy.

System X is just so far ahead of any Windows platform (I use XP Professional at work so I know what I'm talking about), that I cannot believe that people would not at least consider it. System X does not crash, hang, suspend or bomb. It just works every time, no matter how you load it up. Another advantage is that Macintosh users are not quite so vulnerable to viruses (but not immune) so surf safely.

My next computer will certainly be another Mac. I expect this one to last me at least 10 years (I have had it for 6 months now), and I fully expect no breakdowns or problems. I know of many other people who run Mac's and the story is just about always the same - reliability is good.

If you are in the market for a new computer, you should at least consider a G5 iMac. It could be a wise choice.