I'm saving up for a new 20" iMac Core Duo. I currently have a G4 Cube, which I got last month; my wife and I liked it so much we've decide to offload most of our PC stuff and get a nice new Mac. I will probably purchase this system in late March or early April; is there anything coming down the line that would compete with the iMac that I'd be better off getting? I don't imagine that there will be any iMac upgrades for awhile. My wife really likes the "all-in-one" design of the new iMacs, which is probably half the reason she decided to let me, ah, I mean us, get one 
I will be using the iMac for web design and print work, and my wife will be using it mainly for iLife. Here is my current "wishlist":
1. 20" iMac Core Duo with a 2ghz Intel dual-core processor, 2gb ram, 500gb hard drive, ATI Radeon X1600 with 256mb vram, Apple USB modem (for faxing), iSight, OS X 10.4.4, and iLife 2006 (thank goodness for the student discount)
2. Matias Tactile Pro keyboard (I'm not super-fond of the laptop-style "soft" keys that the new Apple keyboards have)
3. Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac (Student and Teacher Edition)
4. Intuos3 6x11" widescreen tablet
5. Painter 9
6. Adobe Design Bundle (for Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash 8)
7. Lightwave 8
8. BodyPaint 3D Release 2.5
I also have a red Logitech MX510 mouse and a Contour Designs ShuttleXpress I will be using on this system. I'd also like to get VirtualPC when it comes out for the Intel Macs for running Rhino 3D and a few other essential apps. Are there any other good tools, apps, or utilities I should add to the list?
I was considering getting a new Raptor 150, but decided against it since the 500 gig hard drive that Apple sells costs exactly the same, offers much better storage, is designed (heat-wise, at least) to work with the system, and probably offers fairly comparable speeds.
Regarding iMovie, are there any other filters and transitions and whatnot available? My wife really likes Movie Maker for Windows but the output isn't so great (you usually get either skippy audio or bad video) and so she's looking forward to iMovie. She doesn't want to get Final Cut Express because of the perceived complexity of the application.
I will be using the iMac for web design and print work, and my wife will be using it mainly for iLife. Here is my current "wishlist":
1. 20" iMac Core Duo with a 2ghz Intel dual-core processor, 2gb ram, 500gb hard drive, ATI Radeon X1600 with 256mb vram, Apple USB modem (for faxing), iSight, OS X 10.4.4, and iLife 2006 (thank goodness for the student discount)
2. Matias Tactile Pro keyboard (I'm not super-fond of the laptop-style "soft" keys that the new Apple keyboards have)
3. Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac (Student and Teacher Edition)
4. Intuos3 6x11" widescreen tablet
5. Painter 9
6. Adobe Design Bundle (for Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash 8)
7. Lightwave 8
8. BodyPaint 3D Release 2.5
I also have a red Logitech MX510 mouse and a Contour Designs ShuttleXpress I will be using on this system. I'd also like to get VirtualPC when it comes out for the Intel Macs for running Rhino 3D and a few other essential apps. Are there any other good tools, apps, or utilities I should add to the list?
I was considering getting a new Raptor 150, but decided against it since the 500 gig hard drive that Apple sells costs exactly the same, offers much better storage, is designed (heat-wise, at least) to work with the system, and probably offers fairly comparable speeds.
Regarding iMovie, are there any other filters and transitions and whatnot available? My wife really likes Movie Maker for Windows but the output isn't so great (you usually get either skippy audio or bad video) and so she's looking forward to iMovie. She doesn't want to get Final Cut Express because of the perceived complexity of the application.
