Tests running the popular application Photoshop – admittedly by Apple – put the power

Tests running the popular application Photoshop – admittedly by Apple – put the power of the top of the range G5 reviewed here at twice that of a single processor Dell computer running a 3.4Ghz Pentium 4 chip and comfortably ahead of a dual processor Dell workstation.Apple argues that the combination of a different processor and fine tuning of the system deliver the power that designers, video editors, musicians and scientists need.Apple has also added plenty of other features to please the professional user. The fastest Pentium PCs have processors running at over 3Ghz. Apple’s PowerPC machine comes in at a pedestrian 2.5Ghz.The figures do not tell the whole story, though. When Apple first launched its G5 computers, some disputed its claim to be the fastest personal computer in world.
Faster computers may well be on the market now, but few wield their power as unobtrusively as the latest – and fastest – G5 Mac.

Alternatively, a “social corner” could be set up, where colleagues could chat over a coffee. But he is keen to stay clear of cubicles, “because they can create a feeling of isolation” . “During the summer, we had one day when an employee had her back to everyone all day. That’s not on.”To make matters worse, one member of the team of four people has to sit on his own because there isn’t room for four desks to fit together.Mr Peel’s preference is for what he calls “the classic model agency layout”.

“Whenever I see model agencies on TV, the desks seem to be in one big oval facing each other, and I can see how that might lead to very focused work chat. I’d be happy to try this, but my only concern is that you might get someone on the phone all afternoon sitting next to someone else who is trying to write an article.”He is also willing to try hot-desking, with staff using any available workstation rather than having one assigned to them. “But it still didn’t change the fact that one employee might ring a journalist, and another employee might ring them a few minutes later,” he says.The current arrangement is a combination of desk clusters, one for each team. Crucially, Mr Peel says, although three teams of three people do similar jobs, the other teams – one of four people, another of two and another person on their own – can all exist independently.Although the inter-staff communication level is now higher than it was, the layout still isn’t anywhere near perfect “There is a physical problem as well,” says Mr Peel. We’ve tried various arrangements, none of which we’ve been particularly happy with.”When the company first moved into the office in 1999, the desks were set up facing each other in pairs all round the room. I could have helped you with it if I’d known.’”As a direct result, MCC set up Monday morning meetings for all employees to share ideas and views. “We’d go down the pub on a Friday and you’d get people saying, ‘Oh, you’re working on a project very similar to me.