In appearance, the 20-inch Apple iMac G5 is basically a large flat panel display that rests on your desk. At only 2.2 inches thick, your friends will wonder why you don't have it hooked up to a computer. Even the power supply and the speakers are built into the flat-panel display frame.

The iMac G5 is sleek, streamlined, and quite powerful for such a compact system. When you look under its tiny hood, the specs of this all-in-one machine definitely impress.

Powered by a 2GHz PowerPC G5 processor and armed with 512MB of 400MHz DDR memory to start, the iMac G5 will handle everything from office applications to graphics design programs. The new G5 processor features a high-speed 667MHz front-side bus, eliminating performance bottlenecks between the processor and the rest of the system. If you need more memory, you can bump it up to a gig for $125, 1.5GB for $300, or max it out at 2GB for $475.

There's also a monster 250GB 7200rpm Serial ATA hard drive inside the tiny frame letting you store a huge amount of multimedia files. For even greater storage capacity, you can move up to a 400GB drive for $200 over baseline.

The iMac G5 comes with Apple's 8X Super Drive, a Dual-Layer DVD+/-RW drive that will burn at decent speeds to both DVD+ and DVD- media as well as the high capacity dual-layer media that can hold up to 8.5GB of data on a single disk. The slot-load optical drive is just a slit on the side of the system, letting you slip in your DVD movie that will then automatically start playing.

That monster 20-inch screen is a joy to behold when watching movies or manipulating images. It offers 170 degrees of viewing angle both horizontally and vertically, so you'll be able to see what's onscreen from almost anywhere in the room. It's bright and crisp, and the widescreen format is perfect for watching letterbox DVDs. The built-in stereo speakers are pointed down, so they bounce sound off your desktop and right to your ears.

In addition, Apple has put an ATI Radeon 9600 graphics card with 128MB of dedicated video memory inside the iMac G5. So whether you're playing games or doing some computer illustration, you'll get a nice performance boost on the graphics side of things.

In addition to a built-in modem, there's also a gigabit Ethernet adapter, letting you connect to a high-speed network or a broadband modem without any fear of slowdown. There's also built-in Airport Extreme wireless access and Bluetooth connectivity, so you can hook up your iMac G5 to a home wireless network or connect Bluetooth peripherals such as printers and scanners without cords. You can also synch up with your Bluetooth-enabled cell phone, updating your contact info from 30 feet away.

On the rear of the system, you'll find a variety of useful ports including two USB 2.0 ports and two Firewire 400 ports for connecting high-speed peripherals such as digital camcorders. There is also a range of multimedia ports, including optical audio output for 5.1 channel sound, a line-in jack for plugging in musical instruments like a synthesizer or an electric guitar, and S-video and mini-VGA ports for outputting to a TV or a digital projector.

The iMac G5 runs Apple's OS X v10.4 Tiger operating system, a stable and powerful operating system based on the Unix kernel. And it comes with the latest version of iLife '05, a suite of Apple's multimedia tools that let you organize and listen to music, create slide shows from your photos, and even edit your home movies and then burn them to DVD. You also get Quicken 2005 software to keep track of your home finances.

The standard mouse and keyboard combo that comes with the iMac G5 aren't anything too special other than offering two additional USB 1.1 ports on the keyboard. Since the iMac G5 has Bluetooth connectivity, you can opt for the wireless keyboard and mouse combo for an additional $60, letting you compute from your couch.

Here's an item for the "cool" checklist: when you put the iMac G5 to sleep, the sleep light on the system pulsates soothingly. But wait, there's more. Its ambient light detector can tell when you dim the lights in the room and reduces the sleep light accordingly so it won't keep you awake at night.

There's a one-year warranty on the iMac G5 and 90 days of free telephone technical support. For $169, you can purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan that will increase both of those to three years, giving you lengthier peace of mind.

At just over 25 pounds, the iMac G5 isn't that light, but since it's all one piece, it's easy enough to take from room to room if you need to move it around. There aren't a ton of upgrade options on the iMac G5, but since it's configured with some top-of-the-line components, there aren't many upgrades you would want to perform.

Apple's iMac G5 is a bit more expensive than a lot of full-blown desktop PCs, but it has all the power and performance in a much more svelte package.


Pro: Sleek design, awesome display
Con: Few possible upgrades

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Apple
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014
408-996-1010
http://www.apple.com

Warranty
1-year limited