Not one hour ago, Apple unveiled the new iMac G5. What's my take, not having actually seen it?

Pricing
$1300 is dirt cheap for a G5 system, particularly one with a 17" widescreen display. And when you consider that for just slightly over two grand, you can be playing with the big boys at 1.8GHz, 1GB RAM, 250GB HD, Bluetooth, AirPort Extreme and a SuperDrive, we're talking about a rather appealing system that pushes the boundaries of what we call consumer-level.

Aesthetics
To me, it kind of looks like somebody tossed an eMac into a big stamping machine. The tiny footprint is fabulous, as is the VESA-compliant mounting. The idea that this is just a computer tossed on to a Cinema Display is a nice one. It would have been nicer had they stuck with that idea and made it aluminum. Technologically this is blurring the lines between consumer and professional, why shouldn't it aesthetically as well? The iPod mini has shown that, yes, it's okay to wrap consumer electronics aluminum and not just white plastic, people will buy them. The only thing that strikes me as in particularly poor form is the collossal white space below the screen. After these several years of the "lamp" iMac, and the recent introduction of the current line of Cinema Displays, having something other than a screen hanging mid-air just seems odd. The only problem, though one that would be hard to get around with this design concept, is the location of the A/V and peripheral ports. Having them all in a row is nice, but it would be sad to have to look at cords hanging off of the floating-iMac-head-of-doom, or whatever you'd like to call it (heads of doom are much cooler than normal floating heads, in my opinion). While this can be partially avoided with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, I'd still be reluctant to plug my iPod into it.
On a side, note, I find it interesting that Steve Jobs categorically rejected the computer-behind-the-flatscreen idea when designing the second generation, swivel-post iMacs. He said that flatscreen displays are supposed to be thin, and mounting a system behind one turned kept it from being "free," as was its nature. Apparently being able to cram the entire thing into a package two inches thick was enough to change his mind after a couple years.

Technology
Having two 1.8GHz configurations is a good move. It pulls the iMac ahead of the seemingly bottom-of-the-barrel 1.6GHz (they don't use them at all in the current PowerMacs), without having to venture into the costly 2.0GHz+ territory.
The space for two gigs of RAM is also a good move. Just enough to provide some punch without trying to wander too far into the domain of the pros. However, I'd think that the base configuration would have at least 512MB rather than 256MB. It'd be a shame if somebody neutered their G5 by only giving it 256MB RAM.
Ample hard drive space, and with 60GB, 120GB and 250GB HD options, people have all their bases covered.
Three USB 2.0 ports and two FireWire 400 ports = GOOD CALL. I had this creeping fear when I first heard "two FireWire ports" that one of them would be FireWire 800, like on my PowerBook. I'm sorry, but most people just aren't ever going to have a use for FireWire 800. Yes, it's lightning fast, and if you have collossal external storage drives, it's handy. However, your average Joe iLife is going to want to plug his iPod and MiniDV camcorder in at the same time without having to buy an external hub.
The presence of a mini optical audio out jack is a great touch.
The miniVGA-out is better than nothing, but it would have been cool to see an S-Video as well, or maybe a DVI instead.
The NVIDIA GeForce FX5200 Ultra is sufficient at 64MB, but little more.
The two screen size options (17" and 20") aren't bad. They keep things consistent with the old models. When I saw "Three widescreen configurations" on one of the adds, though, part of me was hoping past hope that it was 17", 20" and 23", all at the same speed. Oh well. Who am I to complain.
Wireless: Can somebody please explain to me why an AirPort card is at all optional any more? I'd think by now, even among typical low-end Apple consumers, those that have, or would find, a use for wireless greatly outnumbers those who don't, particularly with the advent of AirPort Express. Perhaps I'm wrong. The optional Bluetooth is good for the lack-of-cords reason mentioned earlier.
The slot-loading optical drive almost went without saying. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Apple decided to ditch the tray entirely like they did with the floppy drive a few years ago.

Overall opinion
The new iMac, though not quite as pretty as its older sister, is a fairly decent means to getting a G5 into the hands of your average college freshman or middle-aged, middle-class parent. It will probably do a nice job at paving the way for nearly everyone to take full advantage of OS X 10.4 Tiger when it's released next year. It pulls the iMac back into territory of having something other than screen size on the PowerBook, reminding us that desktops do have inherently more options than their portable counterparts, but also gives us hope that maybe a G5 notebook isn't as far away as Phil and Steve would have us believe. Will an iMac be my next system? Probably not. The low end dual G5 PowerMacs are still more appealing, in my opinion. That second processor would be worth shelling out the extra grand, I think, but if you're looking for a bargain on a G5, I'd say to look no further.

Until next time, I remain.