Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com

OWC: Mercury On-The-Go FW800+USB2 up to 1.0TB. Bus Powered, no external power supply needed. Macworld Editors Choice, CNET Very Good Starting from $99.97, 500GB $159.99. Click here

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full Tilt Poker Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.

The Practical Mac

eMac Test Drive

- 2002.07.09 - Tip Jar

If your wallet has prevented you from trading in that old G3 or Power Mac for a new top-o-the-line G4, your wait is over. The new eMac adds G4 power to Apple's consumer line of Macs.

The eMac was introduced in April, amid much fanfare, as an "education only" model. Featuring a 700 MHz G4 processor, a 17" CRT display, and starting at $999, the eMac represented the most bang for the buck in the entire Apple lineup. Several weeks ago, responding to consumer demand, Apple made the eMac available for purchase by anyone.

All models include a 40 GB Ultra ATA hard drive, nVidia GeForce 2 MX with 32 MB of DDR SDRAM video supporting resolutions of up to The eMac 1280 x 960, two FireWire and three USB ports, 128 MB of RAM (expandable to 1 GB), a 100 MHz system bus, a 256k on-chip level 2 cache that runs at processor speed, built-in 10/100 Base-T ethernet, an Apple Pro keyboard and mouse, and are AirPort-ready.

The $999 education-only base model does not have a modem and has a 32x CD-ROM drive; the $1,199 education model has a DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive and a 56k modem. The consumer-only $1,099 model ships with a 24x10x32x CD-RW and a 56k modem.

Apple has not scrimped on the extras, as all models also feature an internal 16-watt digital amplifier, a built-in microphone for speech recognition and audio recording, a mini headphone jack, an analog audio input minijack, a video mini-VGA output port, and support for video mirroring (an external display's image is identical to that shown on the built-in display).

I tested a consumer model that had been upgraded to 256 MB of RAM; I later spent some time with another eMac that had only the standard 128 MB of memory.

The first thing you notice when you sit down in front of the eMac is how much extra screen real estate the 17" display provides over the iMac's 15" monitor. Even set at the maximum resolution of 1280 x 960, the display is clear and crisp and does not strain the eyes.

The next thing you realize is that the G4 is noticeably faster than the G3 at the same MHz (but then, that is why it is called the Megahertz Myth). All programs launch faster than on a comparable G3. Some applications, such as Connectix' VirtualPC, run several times faster on a G4. I have never seen Windows95 run as fast as it does on a G4/700. On the other hand, on a G3/600 iMac it can seem like Win95 is actually running on a virtual 486.

Perhaps the most remarkable feature of the eMac is the fact that it does not take up anymore desktop space than a 15" iMac and is, in fact, slightly less deep than the original iMac. Advances in CRT technology, coupled with Apple engineering savvy, have managed to pack more features into less space. The eMac does, however, weigh a whopping 50 pounds, which is undoubtedly why, unlike the CRT iMac, it does not have a "handle" built into the top of the case.

The eMac's CD mechanism is operated via an eject button on the keyboard. It does not have a manual eject button or even a paper clip hole. Apple provides a laundry list of measures to try in case the optical drive eject mechanism fails to operate. The only obvious method of manual operation, however, is to flip down the door and yank on the drive tray, a method we certainly do not recommend.

An upgrade of the standard 128 MB of RAM to at least 256 MB is highly recommended. Although performance between the 128 MB and 256 MB models was comparable while running a single program, there was significant degradation of speed on the 128 MB model when multiple programs were opened.

The eMac includes all the software you need to become productive immediately. Mac OS X 10.1.x and OS 9.2 are pre-installed. AppleWorks, QuickTime, iMovie 2, iPhoto, iTunes 2, Mac OS X Mail, Microsoft Internet Explorer, AOL, Quicken 2002 Deluxe, and World Book are all included as well.

Some commentators have criticized Apple for what they see as "muddying" the product line with too many choices. I disagree. The eMac fills at least two voids in Apple's product line. It provides high-end G4 power to the education market for less than $1,000 per unit, and it gives consumers an entry-level G4 for only $100 more than the high-end G3 iMac. Maxed out with 1 GB of RAM, the eMac would be acceptable even as a graphics workstation for the budget-minded.

More choices (within reason) = better.

Steve Watkins is the Vice President for Information Technology for a mid-sized bank and also an attorney. He has been a Mac user for about ten years. He has owned some PCs along the way - but always came back to the Mac. If you find Steve's's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.

Recent Practical Mac Articles

5 things Apple is doing right in 2008 - and 5 it could do better, 03.24. Apple has made great strides in the past five years, but there are still a few areas that need to be addressed.
MacBook Air a compelling option for the true road warrior, 02.22. Although it's not intended as a desktop replacement and has a few shortcomings, the lightweight MacBook Air with its 13" display could be the perfect field computer.
Mailsmith a simple, powerful, spam fighting alternative to Apple Mail, 04.23. Mailsmith is bundled with SpamSieve, integrates with Address Book, and has very flexible scripting tools combined with elegant simplicity.
Can your spam with SpamSieve, 02.02. "Right out of the box, SpamSieve exceeded the accuracy of the Apple Mail filter I've been training for over a year."
More in the Practical Mac index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: 15" MacBook Pro Core Duo, Jan. 2006 - The first Intel-based MacBook launched at 1.83-2.0 GHz, had several teething problems.
Group of the Day: System 6 is the email list for those who choose System 6.
November 21 in LEM history: 00: OS upgrades, downgrades - AltiVec vs. Pentium III - 01: Saved by the clones - Computer of the future - 02: Apple Education: Let's get to it - 03: Panther lets Macs and PCs work together, - Lombard SCSI bug - 05: 3 survivors from the 1970s - Real world battery life inadequate - Windows to Mac file transfer with Zip disks - $99 alternative to Microsoft Office - 06: Parallels 1.0 far more polished than beta
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

Best eMac Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz Combo, $100; SuperDrive, $269; 1.25 GHz Combo, $119; SD, $319; 1.42 GHz Combo, $289; SD, $498.
Best Mac OS X 10.6 and Mac Box Set Deals, 11.18. "Snow Leopard", single user, $25; 5 users, $45; Mac Box Set, single user, $139; 5 users, $180; Server, $414. Shipping included.
Best Xserve Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz dual G4, $649; 2.3 dual G5, $795; 3.0 4-core Xeon, $1,899; refurb 2.26 4-core, $2,499; new, $2,888; refurb 8-core, $2,999; new, $3,449; more.
Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, 11.17. Used 1.83 GHz, $750; 2.16, $800; 2.33, $900; refurb 2.4, $1,299; 2.53, $1,449; 2.66, $1,699; 2.8, $1,899; new 2.53, $1,579; 2.66, $1,799; more.
Best Power Mac G4 and AGP Video Card Deals, 11.17. Used 400 MHz, $50; 933 MHz, $80; 500 dual, $60; 867 dual, $90; 1 GHz dual, $150; 1.25 GHz dual, $225; 1.42 GHz, $499.
Best Mac OS X 10.5 Deals, 11.17. "Leopard" upgrade, $80; single user license, $135; 5 users, $173; Mac Box Set, 5 users, $230; Server, 10 users, $340; unlimited, $850. Shipping included.
Best Mac mini Deals, 11.16. Used 1.42 GHz G4 mini, $379; 1.66 GHz Core Solo, $419; 2.0 Core 2, $450; new 2.26 GHz nVidia, $580; 2.53 GHz, $769; Server, $990.
Best iBook G4 Deals, 11.16. Used 12" 1.07 GHz Combo, $210; 1.33 GHz, $298; 14" 1.33 GHz, $398; 1.42 GHz, $479; SuperDrive, $498.
Best iPod shuffle Deals, 11.16. Used 1 GB, $35; 4 GB, $65; refurb 1 GB, $39; 2 GB, $59; new 2 GB, $55, 4 GB, $75. New and refurb prices include shipping.
More deals in our archive.

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Practical Mac articles copyright ©2001-08 by Steve Watkins. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2009 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, iPhone, PowerBook, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.