The Tiny iMac

The iMac is an impressive computing value: performance, expansion, and the world's greatest OS. But it's not designed for everyone.

Don Crabb and others have speculated that this iMac is the first of a family, just as the original Macintosh was. I was reading just the other day about a possible iMac Pro with a 17" screen, drive bays, PCI slots, FireWire, and SCSI. About all it would share philosophically with the original iMac is case design.

The iMac is a consumer computer. The iMac Pro would be more of a business or design machine. But how about something less expensive?

Some of Apple's most popular models ever were the LC series. With a small footprint and reasonable price tag, they ended up in homes, schools, and even businesses.

Let's reintroduce the concept, updated for the iMac era.

The Tiny iMac would repackage the iMac motherboard in as small a case as reasonable, probably something with a footprint similar to the LC. The only modification necessary would be a video port so the user could attach an existing Mac or multiscan monitor. We know it can be done, since several iMac prototypes were modified in this way.

The Tiny iMac could use the same drives and peripherals as the plain old iMac. It would look like a cross between an iMac and an LC, with a flat enough top to support up to a 17" monitor.

Apple would be able to offer the Tiny iMac for hundreds of dollars less than the original by eliminating the display, reducing the capacity of the power supply, and not having to ship a huge box with a 39 pound computer in it.

The natural market for the Tiny iMac is people who want an iMac but don't want to surrender their large monitor -- or simply can't afford $1,299. Mac users would clamor to it, attaching their old Apple Trinitron screens or whatever else they might own.

The Tiny iMac also makes it more affordable for PC owners to upgrade by lowering costs and letting them reuse their old monitors. A special deal on Virtual PC would even let them use their old software.

I'd like a Tiny iMac myself, but for an even different reason.

Today I tote files between work and home on Zip disks. If I had a Tiny iMac, I could transport the whole computer between locations. I could either attach it to a spare monitor at work or attach it to ethernet and control it with Timbuktu.

I know Apple's making iMacs as fast as they can right now, but once the iMac settles down, I hope they'll consider a Tiny iMac, not just a Pro.

For many users, it could be an even better value than the iMac.  

Further reading

• I want iMacTV
• A compact iMac?
• iMacs a plenty?, Don Crabb, MacCentral (5 August 1998)
• iMac: first of a family?, Dan Knight, the iMac channel
• The iMac line, Don Crabb, MacCentral (9 June 1998)

Recent Content on Low End Mac

• TruePower Battery Can Run WallStreet PowerBook Past the 5 Hour Mark, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 10.10. If you have a rugged old PowerBook but its battery is losing capacity, TruePower can give you plenty of time in the field.
• nVidia Inside Next MacBook?, Time for a Mac Netbook, Asus Launched MacBook Air Killer, and More, The 'Book Review, 10.10. Also photo reveals more about MacBook Pro, comparing 16:9 and 16:10 displays, Apple settles suit over faulty iBook and PowerBook adapters, bargain 'Books from $150 to $2,699, and more.
• 30% of iPhone 3G Buyers Switched Carriers, EU Battery Rule May Force iPhone Redesign, and More, iNews Review, 10.10. Also iPhone 3G greatest consumer electronics device ever, track presidential polls on your iPhone, Talking English Dictionary, waterproof armbands, several new iPhone apps, and more.
• Economic Crunch May Slow Mac Sales, a Recycled Cube, ToCA Race Driver 3 for Mac, and More, Mac News Review, 10.10. Also don't buy RAM from Apple, customize your Mac's appearance, MacTribe expanding into print, My Apple Space social networking, and more.
• Modding Your Old Mac to Make It More Useful, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 10.09. If your old Mac is too slow, too noisy, too plain looking, or has too little room for expansion, you might want to mod it.
• What Would an $800 MacBook Mean for the Mac mini?, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.09. If Apple does release an $800 entry-level MacBook next week, the $600 Mac mini is going to look very overpriced.

Latest Deals on Low End Mac

• Best Mac Pro Deals, 10.10. Used 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,799; new, $1,949 after rebate; 2.8 4-core, $2,099 shipped; 8-core, $2,599 shipped; 3.0 $3,399 shipped; 3.2, $4,099 shipped.
• Best PowerBook G3 Deals, 10.10. Used 14" WallStreet G3/266 MHz, $90; Lombard G3/400 MHz, $150; Pismo G3/400 MHz, $300; 500 MHz, $350.
• Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, 10.10. Refurb 500 GB Time Capsule, $249; new, $294; refurb 1 TB, $419; new, $462; AirPort Extreme Card, $39; Base Station, $159; Express, $60.
• Best iMac G4 Deals, 10.09. Used 15" 700 MHz CD-RW, $269; 800 Combo, $300; 1 GHz, $390; 17" 1.25 GHz SuperDrive, $400; 20", $529.
• Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, 10.09. Used 1.83 GHz Core Duo, $995; 2.16, $1,125; new, 2.2, $1,400 after rebate; refurb 2.4, $1,699; 2.5, $1,999; 2.6, $2,299; rebates on new.
• Best Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger' Deals, 10.09. DVD upgrade from 10.3, $75; upgrade bundle with 10.3, $118; full version, $129; family pack, $200; 10-user Server, $350; unlimited, $400.
• More links in our archive.

Go to the iMac channel home page.

Low End Mac was started on 1997.04.07. The iMac Channel est'd 1998.06.06. This page and the entire Low End Mac site copyright ©1997-2004 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. Copyright for individual articles resides with the author. All rights reserved.

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 .

Letters sent to Low End Mac may or may not be published at the editor's discretion. Email addresses will not be published unless the sender specifically requests it. If you prefer that your message not be published on Low End Mac, clearly mark your message "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.

LINK POLICY: This site allows and encourages links to any public page, so long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking the linked page.

PRIVACY POLICY: In brief, we don't collect any personal information unless you subscribe to one of our email lists, in which case you have to give us your email address.

Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Computer, Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iMac, and iBook are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of the individual companies and are hereby acknowledged.