For the G5, Apple incorporates the same sleekly curved, brushed-aluminum base it uses in its current line of displays. But while the base looks great and offers a full range of tilting options, you can't adjust its height. And though I'm a little bit below average height, I found myself looking downward at the display--which means that most people will have to stack phone books to raise the screen.
My review unit had a 1.8-GHz G5 processor, 512MB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and a combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive. It offered plenty of computing muscle: I was able to open and quickly switch among 11 applications.
The unit's stereo speakers sounded surprisingly good, despite being mounted in the bottom of the case and pointing downward. One minor annoyance: OS X wasn't adept at detecting when I switched from listening to the speakers to using the headphones.
Despite its lack of height adjustability, I liked using the G5. A built-in TV tuner is the only missing feature needed to make a college kid's (or media maven's) life complete.
Rebecca Freed
Another high-style revamp from Apple; the new design looks great, but lacks adjustability.
Price when reviewed: $2053
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