Forbesi online arm has published an article in praise of Appleis new US$2999 CD-RW 733 MHz PowerMac G4. Apple officially announced the new configuration last week, though it had been available at the Apple Store since March 2nd. The new models are being offered without the SuperDrive, and include a CD-RW drive instead. The price of the new units is US$500 less than the models with the SuperDrive, which are priced at US$3499.
The Forbes article takes on a very pleasant tone, presenting the new models as a step forward for Apple:
After a troubling run of bad earnings news from Apple Computer, things may be looking up again.
When the company said last week it would offer a less expensive version of its Power Mac G4 computer with a processor speed of 733 megahertz, Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL - news) said it was able to do so because of ``higher-than-expected volumes of the chip.ii
Apple fans have had to endure watching Windows users enjoy boxes with processors running at 1,000 MHz and higher during the past year, while the Motorola-made G4 processor stayed at no higher than 500 MHz until early this year. The company finally pumped up its machines to speeds of 533 MHz, 667 MHz and 733 MHz. Top-of-the-line models with the fastest chip cost $3,500 and have come equipped with a so-called SuperDrive, which enables the ability to write data onto CDs and DVDs.
The article also describes the hardware features of Appleis PowerMac, and makes an effort to distinguish those offerings:
In terms of hardware, the G4 comes with a 60-gigabyte ATA/100 hard drive, two FireWire ports for connecting to digital video cameras, two universal serial bus ports for connecting to other computer peripherals like printers, a 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet port for connecting to a local area network or broadband Internet connection like a cable modem or digital subscriber line, and a built-in 56-kilobit-per-second V.90 modem for dial-up Internet access.
There is additional information in the full Forbes article, and we recommend it.