Some people call product - line of credit updates that have processor - fastness increase “ focal ratio bumps . ” Nowadays , though , it might make more signified to apply the term “ feature article bumps . ”

The late iMac G5s are a event in stop . Yes , their G5 processors are faster , but not to a level you ’re likely to acknowledge without a stopwatch ( or by confer our benchmarks ) . The real value of this update consist in a serial of welcome improvements to other system component , starting with more memory and the addition of AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth cards ( these cards are no longer mere options ) .

In show , the young iMacs are identical from their straightaway herald . The choice among configuration has n’t change dramatically , either . The incoming - level variation has a 1.8GHz G5 processor ( up from 1.6GHz ) , a 17 - column inch display , and a Combo drive ( CD - RW / DVD - ROM ) , and still costs $ 1,299 . The midrange modeling — with the same 17 - inch showing but a quicker , 2GHz central processor ( up from 1.8GHz ) and a videodisc - burning SuperDrive — rest at $ 1,499 . Only the high - end configuration — with a 20 - inch display , a 2GHz central processor , and a SuperDrive — examine a cost change : it now costs $ 1,799 , down from $ 1,899 .

More of Almost Everything

Within this framework of persistence , however , you ’ll find plenty of changes that will amend your experience and maybe even save you money .

twice the MemoryAll three configuration now come with 512 MB of RAM , up from 256 MB ; in other words , you no longer need to spend spare money just to give OS X the memory it really require . And Apple was kind enough to put all 512 megabit on one DIMM , so if you need to add even more , there ’s still a barren expansion slot .

magnanimous Hard DrivesThe hard cause in the introduction - level and midrange configurations have also doubled in capacity , from 80 GB to 160 GB , while the high - death mannequin now has 250 GB of memory , up from 160 GB . As in the erstwhile modelling , these simulation ’ Serial ATA repulse whirl at 7,200 revolutions per minute .

Wireless Built InAirPort Extreme and Bluetooth are now received in all three configurations ; previously , they were $ 79 and $ 50 alternative , respectively . The Bluetooth faculty implements the late standard , Bluetooth 2.0+Enhanced Data Rate ( EDR ) , which few , if any , other manufacturers have adopted . But once the fresh Bluetooth begins to look in new phones and other gizmos , it should intend degraded data transferee , farsighted barrage fire life for portable devices , and bland operation when multiple machine are connected simultaneously ( for more on Bluetooth 2.0+EDR , see “ Inside Bluetooth 2.0 , ” ) .

two-fold - Layer SuperDrivesLike the new Power Mac G5 models , Modern iMacs with SuperDrives can burn as much as 8.5 GB of video or other data point onto a double - layer DVD+R disk , compare with a upper limit of 4.7 GB onto ceremonious ( single - stratum ) recordable videodisc . Put another way , one double - layer platter can hold about 3.5 hours ’ Charles Frederick Worth of MPEG-2 video , compared with a single - layer disc ’s 2 hours .

Improved nontextual matter CardsIn all three iMac form , the ATI Radeon 9600 graphics central processor with 128 MB of picture memory — the same plug-in that ’s now standard in the $ 1,999 and $ 2,499 Power Macs — has replaced the card used in last year ’s iMacs , the Nvidia GeForce FX 5200 Ultra . We did n’t point out the difference of opinion in routine use , but gamers will certainly treasure it : in our Unreal Tournament human body - per - second base trial , the new iMacs handled importantly more frames per second than the old models .

quicker NetworkingAll three iMacs now support Gigabit Ethernet , as well as the 10- and 100 - megabit - per - second wired protocols supported by the older fashion model . Most routers and switches for home users — including Apple ’s AirPort Express and AirPort Extreme Base Station — still do n’t defend gigabit operations , but if you ’ve get one that does , you ’ll be capable to move file around your local net much faster than before .

Not Perfect Yet

Unfortunately , Apple has n’t fixed the few plan drawbacks we discover when we first front at the iMac G5 last yr . It ’s still not as easy to adjust the video display as it was with the bonce - base iMac G4 — in particular , there ’s no way to align the video display ’s height . And even though Apple has given the Power Mac line commodious front - panel connectors for earphone and USB and FireWire peripherals , it still has n’t brought this innovation to the iMac . Digital television camera users would also appreciate a built - in reader for photoflash - memory cards — a feature of speech now plebeian among Windows PC plan for the consumer market .

It may be deserving note that , according to anecdotal grounds , the iMac G5 in its original incarnation appears to have support more than its expect share of ironware problems — online forums , include Apple ’s discussion region , let in quite a few reports of failures ; many of them describe bulging or even leak out capacitors on the system of logic boards . Apple say it is n’t see “ anything out of the ordinary . ” If this is true , have ’s hope the newfangled model turn out to be more true than past models .

Macworld’s Buying Advice

No single modification in the latest iMac G5s is world-shattering , but together they tote up significant value to a serial publication that was already quite appealing . Choosing the configuration that ’s right for you is comparatively dim-witted , because the only major deviation in the lineup now are screen size of it and optical drive . If you ’re on a pie-eyed budget , and if you have no interest in burning DVDs ( for distribution of picture or for support up data point ) , the $ 1,299 model remains a real bargain . But for people who can afford a little more , the high - end configuration , with its vast screen , roomy hard drive , double - bed SuperDrive , and reduced price , is again the pick of the litter .

[ Henry Norr is a former editor in chief ofMacWeekand a former technology columnist for theSan Francisco Chronicle . ]