Apple's new iMac running the new Intel Core Duo microprocessor is the finest, most reliable, stable, elegant and intuitive personal computer available anywhere.
There. I don't think I could say it any clearer.
The new MacBook Pro laptops, which are expected to start shipping Wednesday, will be four times as fast as Apple's previous PowerBook laptops, run cooler and have longer battery life.
This new iMac, which marks the first time Apple has used Intel chips to power its machines, is simply astounding. As multimedia and digital entertainment becomes more mainstream, you will find no other machines as well suited to create, edit and display audio and video materials.
I have been testing a new 20-inch iMac with the Intel chip right next to a G5 iMac that came out last fall with the older PowerPC chip.
I hit the start buttons on the two machines at the same time and ran a stopwatch three times. The Intel machine was up and running in an average of 24 seconds. The G5 version took 72 seconds.
Web pages loaded faster, pictures and video images appeared quicker, scrolling through documents and spreadsheets was smoother and the whole feel of the machine felt more nimble than the already impressive G5.
In appearance, it's impossible to see a difference between the two. Both come with the built-in high-resolution iSight Web camera. The thin white plastic case that contains the entire computer is supported on a brushed aluminum stand that makes it appear to be suspended in air. Both have standard Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections and all the ports and the CD/DVD slot are in the same places.
Even the cost is the same. Apple very wisely did not boost the price for these new Intel models. A 17-inch iMac with all the standard software and the iLife suite costs $1,299. The 20-inch version is $1,700.
Those thinking about replacing an older PC should look at these iMacs and consider dumping Windows, unless you are heavily invested because of work or special situations in PC games or proprietary programs for which there is no corresponding Apple version.
The Intel chips offer immediately noticeable improvements in speed on some applications, up to twice as fast.
But making a great machine even better is a suite of upgraded applications called iLife '06 that take advantage of these new Intel chips and deliver such vast improvements in digital imaging and multimedia programs that no programs on any other platform can even be called rivals.
Apple's switch to Intel microprocessors (think of the microprocessor as your computer's brain and the Core Duo works like two brains) opens up the very distinct possibility that you will also be able to run Windows programs on these Macs, as soon as Apple upgrades its Windows XP operating system to the new Vista system late next fall.
But the Intel chips on a Mac offer more tangible and immediate benefits. Speed is one. The desktop iMacs run twice as fast.
The speed increase offered by the Intel chips applies to software that has been rewritten to take advantage of the new Core Duo chips. Older software written for the PowerPC chips that power other Macs runs at about the same speeds as before or even a tad faster thanks to a behind-the-scenes translation program called Rosetta.
Most Mac software is now being rewritten for the chips, so the speed advantage is only going to become more apparent. You'll recognize the new software because it will be stamped with a "Universal" sticker, indicating it has been optimized for Macs powered by either PowerPC or Intel.
I've put together a short video that shows the new Intel-powered iMac and the iLife applications. You can find a link on www.freepress.com.
Read MIKE WENDLAND'S blog at pcmike.com. You can contact him at 313-222-8861 or mwendland@freepress.com
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