20-inch iMac G5 Drops $200, 17-inch Gone -- Now we know why Apple continues to sell the iMac G5 after debuting the iMac Intel Core Duo model at Macworld Expo last month: to clear out inventory. Apple has stopped selling the 17-inch iMac G5 and dropped the price of its remaining stock of 20-inch iMac G5 models by $200 to $1,500. The Intel-based iMacs sell for $1,300 and $1,700, depending on whether you want the 17-inch or 20-inch model.

<http://news.yahoo.com/s/cmp/20060202/tc_cmp/ 178600318>

Early testing by Macworld shows that for most purposes, the Intel iMac is slightly but noticeably faster for native applications; system boot time and application launches happen much more quickly. The G5 won't become obsolete: universal binaries will be developed for years to come, so if you were on the fence on an iMac or just need a mid-range desktop that runs non-universal software (such as Adobe Photoshop, for example), this might be the time to buy. [GF]

<http://www.macworld.com/2006/02/firstlooks/ imacbench2/>