SillyDog701

[Purple Lizard]

Hi all,

I was having a quick browse of the 'net this morning and found this on the site where I got my laptop

http://www.morgancomputers.co.uk/shop/d ... uctID=3801

iMac G5 17 inch, 1.9 GHz, 160 GB HDD, 512 MB RAM, ATI 128 MB Graphics etc... 469.99 GBP

I'm just wondering would it be a wise purchase as Apple have stopped making G5's now how long would it be before they end support and stop releasing PPC software Mac OS X, Photoshop, Office etc. If it's going to be supported by Apple for more than 2 years then it seems like a worthwhile purchase but if I was to buy it and Apple ended G5 support next week then I might just as well stick with my G3 iMac.

So is it a worthwhile purchase?

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-GB; rv:1.8.1.1) Gecko/20061204 Firefox/2.0.0.1

[Don_HH2K]

Apple is going to stop supporting the G3 platform sooner than they support the G5, since the upcoming OS X 10.5 (Leopard) is rumored to not run on a G3. The Universal Binary system will at least give you a few more years out of a PowerPC-based Mac.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.0 x64; en-US; rv:1.8.1) Gecko/20061030 BonEcho/2.0 (mmoy CE K8N-X02)

[Antony]

Hi all,

I was having a quick browse of the 'net this morning and found this on the site where I got my laptop

http://www.morgancomputers.co.uk/shop/d ... uctID=3801

iMac G5 17 inch, 1.9 GHz, 160 GB HDD, 512 MB RAM, ATI 128 MB Graphics etc... 469.99 GBP

from the page, it says
[£399.99 ex VAT]
[£469.99 inc VAT]

I assume VAT means sales tax in the UK. It that was the case, the tax is bloody high - 28% in my calculation.

Since it's brand new, you are still able to get AppleCare Protection Plan.

I'm just wondering would it be a wise purchase as Apple have stopped making G5's now how long would it be before they end support and stop releasing PPC software Mac OS X, Photoshop, Office etc. If it's going to be supported by Apple for more than 2 years then it seems like a worthwhile purchase but if I was to buy it and Apple ended G5 support next week then I might just as well stick with my G3 iMac.

Apple won't end the support of G5 immediately. There are plenty of Macs in the world still using PowerPC based Macs, it does not make sense for software developers to not release application in Universal Binary.

So is it a worthwhile purchase?

If you are going to get it right now for yourself, then no. It's never been a good idea to buy any new Mac hardware right before scheduled important Apple event. Macworld San Francisco is coming right after New Year, SillyDog701 might have a countdown.

For that price, you probably can get a higher end iMac G5 (second hand), as there are a number of people who must use/own the latest models. Of course, getting an Intel-based Mac would be better for the longer run. But that depends on your budget.

As for G5's support... Most Mac user believe Apple will continue to provide G5 support for at least next two years.

The previous transitions (68k to PPC, OS 9 to OS X) both provided rather long grace periods to owners of previous models.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X; en-US; rv:1.8.1.1) Gecko/20061204 Firefox/2.0.0.1

[Purple Lizard]

VAT is Value Added Tax which I suppose is similar to a sales tax. All VAT in the UK as far as I know is 17.5%.

The Apple Care Plan is a bonus to me which is one of the things that caught my eye about this deal.

Anyway I didn't think that Apple would end support for G5 so soon anyway but I just wanted to check to see if anyone knew any firm dates. Why wouldn't it be a good idea for me to buy a new Mac just before MacWorld? Will they be announcing a new low-cost model or cheaper Mac Mini?

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-GB; rv:1.8.1.1) Gecko/20061204 Firefox/2.0.0.1

[Antony]

Wrong calculation, my bad.

The GST (Goods and Services Tax) in New Zealand is 12.5%, and 10% in Australia.

Anyway I didn't think that Apple would end support for G5 so soon anyway but I just wanted to check to see if anyone knew any firm dates.

No firm dates. In fact, I bought my Power Mac G4 (dual 1.42 GHz, the last model of Power Mac G4) after they released Power Mac G5.

Why wouldn't it be a good idea for me to buy a new Mac just before MacWorld? Will they be announcing a new low-cost model or cheaper Mac Mini?

Likely.
You can, of course, check Mac rumour sites such as Think Secret, Mac Rumors, and AppleInsider. However, please remember that they are rumour based sites, do not take their rumour reports and predictions as bible(*). (If you do want to check them out, historically, Think Secret is far the most accurate one. However, Apple has spent more effect on protect their top secret nowadays.)

Historically, Apple announces and/or releases new or upgrade Apple hardware during major Apple events (Macworld, WWDC). Apple may, may not announce any new low-cost model, but it's likely the item you were looking for will decrease the price a bit after Macworld.

Just my two cents.

(*) in non-religious sense.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X; en-US; rv:1.8.1.1) Gecko/20061204 Firefox/2.0.0.1

[Josh]

Personally, I think this is good for a PPC Mac that's new. Looking at the specs, you get a PPC Mac that's half off the price of a new intel based Mac. As others have said, the G4/G5 seems to still be supported for a while, so there will still be updates. All in all, a good deal around.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X Mach-O; en-US; rv:1.8.1.1) Gecko/20061204 Firefox/2.0.0.1