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I don't think I've been this excited about a computer since I
got my own Mac Plus to replace an 8 MHz XT clone.
With iMac, Apple has recaptured something of the original
Macintosh, the one that didn't even need a model number. Back then,
an 8 MHz 24-bit CPU, a 400KB 3.5" floppy, a GUI, and a mouse were
enough to completely separate the Macintosh from the crowd.
Today a swoopy design and radical color scheme set the iMac
apart from the crowd.
Details
233 MHz PowerPC 750 with 512 KB backside cache
(faster than a 400 MHz Pentium II!)
32 MB RAM, expandable to 128 MB
2 MB VRAM, expandable to 4 MB
15" multiscan monitor for up to 1024 x 768 resolution
USB (universal serial bus) keyboard and mouse
24x CD-ROM
100Base-T ethernet
4kbps infrared networking
33.6kbps internal modem
All that in a white-and-teal case that many say would look at
home with the Jetsons.
Advice: If you're ready to spend $1,200 to $1,500 for a computer
this year, wait until the iMac ships in August.
Missing
It's cool. It's fast. It has the same kind of mystique as the
new Beetle. It's a worthy successor to the SE/30 (finally!).
But it's not perfect.
For instance, it doesn't have a floppy drive - not even as an
option. So how do you install Suitcase, QuicKeys, Speed Doubler,
RAM Doubler, or any of a host of other utilities and applications
that don't ship on CD-ROM?
That's big oops #1.
Big oops #2 is that Apple forgot the SCSI port. This is the
first Mac since the Plus came off the assembly line in 1986 to
eliminate the SCSI port.
That would be fine if the iMac had FireWire, the up and coming 100-400Mbps
standard for connecting computers and peripherals. But the iMac
only has USB, a 12Mbps protocol. Slower than SCSI, which is usually
implemented in 5MBps or 10 MBps on the Mac. (MBps =
megabytes per second. Mbps = megabits per second.
12Mbps = 1.5MBps.)
So you can't connect your Zip drive, Jaz drive, CD-ROM burner,
or external hard drive to the iMac.
How will you get files from an older Mac without ethernet to the
iMac?
Definitely big oops #2.
Of course, in the long run we may see USB versions of the Zip
drive. But since it's slower than SCSI, it would be a bottleneck
for Jaz, SyJet, and external hard drives.
One more thing. Apple is positioning the iMac as internet
ready.
Haven't they heard of the new v.90 protocol for 56kbps modems?
Although most users are still at 28.8 and 33.6, everyone seems to
be buying 56k modems today. The 33.6kbps modem planned for the iMac
is downright pedestrian compared with v.90.
C'mon, Apple, eliminate big oops #3 by going to a v.90
modem before you roll out the iMac. (Let's hope the modem is in a
comm slot for easy upgrade.)
Big oops #4 (thanks, Ben!). How you gonna print? No
LocalTalk ports. Most home users don't have ethernet networks with
LaserWriters attached. Do USB printers exist yet? Even if a few do,
do they have Mac drivers?
And then the geek in me comes out. Hey, I use a 20" monitor at
work and a 17" at home. What do I want with a gorgeous but small
15" screen? Either give us an external video port, a PCI slot for
adding a video card, or an iMac without a screen.
Let's call that small oops #1, since I'm probably not the
kind of buyer Apple is after with this machine.
One more thing, though. Cool as the color scheme may be in a
dorm room, classroom, or some family rooms, it could be decidedly
out of place in the kitchen, living room, or workplace (I guarantee
they will wind up in the workplace).
Small oops #2 applies only a problem if Apple doesn't
offer alternate color schemes. Personally, I think black-on-black
would be awesome. Or how about a nice maroon accent instead of
teal? Give us two or three options.
Sheer Coolness
Despite these little complaints, the iMac is a winner in terms
of bang for the buck. Don't let these things deter you unless you
need a larger screen, more than 128 MB RAM, or a fast external
drive (USB is okay, just not fast enough for hard drives).
Beyond value, the iMac is so amazingly cool it puts all previous
Macs to shame.
Semitransparent colored side panels let you see the
insides.
A round mouse with two buttons.
Not a straight edge anywhere on the computer.
It's not really any bigger than a 15" AV monitor!
Now, if they could only bundle it with Virtual PC, the Wintel
world wouldn't know what hit it.
Apple gave Psystar enough rope to hang itself, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 07.18.
By not filing suit against Psystar immediately, Apple allowed the company to do enough to give Apple an air-tight case.
Best Power Mac G5 deals, 07.18.
Used 1.8 GHz single SuperDrive, $600; dual, $799, 2.0, $979; 2.3, $899; 2.5, $1,100; 2.7, $1,249; 2.5 Quad, $1,500.
Best 17" MacBook Pro deals, 07.18.
Used 2.16 GHz Core Duo, $1,275; 2.33 Core2, $1,888; refurb, 2.4, $1,899; new, $1,949 a/r; 2.5, $2,558 a/r; 2.6 Santa Rosa, $2,449 a/r; more.
Best Mac OS X 10.5 'Leopard' deals, 07.18.
Mac OS X 10.5.1 single user, $99; 5 users, $158; 10.5 Server, 10 users, $450; unlimited, $900.
Mac of the Day: Power Mac G4 Cube, July 2000 - compact, powerful, and attractive with limited expansion and a high initial price doomed the Cube.
List of the Day: MichiMac is our list for Mac users in Michigan.
July 19 in LEM history: 00: To partition or not to partition? - 01: What price rankings? - Owning the market - 02: Free mac.com email becomes fee mail - G4/500 WallStreet and Lombard upgrades - 04: Sometimes you feel like a dolt - 06: Mac OS X 10.5: Which Macs should make the cut? - Why run Linux on a low-end Mac? - Upgrade your Pismo with a dual-layer DVD burner - 07: Apple's first phone never made it to market
Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work
for all. Computers are like that. Please report errors to
Dan Knight
.
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With iMac, Apple has recaptured something of the original
Macintosh, the one that didn't even need a model number. Back then,
an 8 MHz 24-bit CPU, a 400KB 3.5" floppy, a GUI, and a mouse were
enough to completely separate the Macintosh from the crowd.
