The Talk Of The Town!
Apple’s compact iMac has gone through a transformation. No longer like a teen with attitude, the iMac has transformed into a social butterfly. Who isn’t talking about Steve Jobs’ insanely great, value-priced computers?
When introduced in August 1998, the iMac was decked out in Bondi blue semi-transparent plastic powered up by a 233MHz PowerPC G3 processor with USB ports and no floppy drive. Today, the iMac is available in five fruity colors: blueberry (similar to the Bondi blue), grape, strawberry, lime and tangerine and is equipped with a robust 333MHz PowerPC G3 processor, USB ports and still, no floppy drive.
Most Popular Flavor?
A local ComputerTown representative told me that although all of the colors are selling well, the most popular color is blueberry and the least popular is tangerine. If you’re a Denver Broncos fan living in the mile-high city, tangerine (a translucent orange) is probably very hot!
More Power!
Aside from the color choices, today’s iMac is exciting because of its powerful 333MHz PowerPC G3 processor with 512K backside cache. In addition, it has an integrated ATI RAGE Pro Turbo 3D graphics accelerator with 6MB of dedicated video memory to tackle the biggest multimedia monsters on the market.
Who Buys iMacs?
What does all of this mean to you? The iMac 333MHz is a great gaming computer, if you add more memory to it. It also rocks as a family computer–kids love the iMacs. It’s also a popular dorm choice for college students (just ask my stepdaughter) and for first-time computer users.
More Memory?
The standard 32 MB of RAM really isn’t adequate for playing today’s software. My recommendation is to add a 64 MB chip to boost your RAM to 96MB. You can expand the memory to 256MB, if you really want to. It also has a hefty 6GB IDE hard drive, which is perfect to partition and maximize the potential of the computer.
7-year-old Installs iMac!
The iMac is plug-n-play all the way and a true Internet-ready computer. Six easy steps and my 7-year-old son had all four cables connected and the iMac set up and running in minutes! Most of the documentation for the iMac is online include an online user’s manual (About Your Mac), the Mac OS Tutorial, and Mac OS Help. You’ll also find a 46-page Troubleshooting Handbook, which you’ll probably never need! The beauty of Apple’s shiny iMacs lies in its easy-to-use operating system. Intuitive and sassy, this Apple goes to the head of the class for its looks, charm and powerful brain!
Mac’s OS
The Mac OS is simply the best, most user friendly operating system on the market. My evaluation unit was preinstalled with Mac OS 8.5, which we easily updated to 8.6 (via the downloadable updater).
The Little Black Keyboard Is Baaaack!
Unfortunately,the iMac’s keyboard hasn’t changed. For me, the black keys are hard to see and use in low-light situations. I’m still waiting for a USB peripheral (other than Microsoft’s) which introduces easy-to-use white (or light colored) keys, instead of ergonomic keyboards with black keys.
Contour Design’s Perflex Gel Is An Ergonomic Wonder!
Since I like ergonomic keyboards, instead of replacing it with a USB peripheral (with black keys), I tried a less expensive approach. By using Contour Design’s Perflex Gel keyboard palm support in front of the keyboard, I was able to use the keyboard comfortably and more productively. The gel support, which keeps your wrists in a “low-risk neutral” position, has a non-skid rubber base which prevents slipping and a removable cover for easy cleaning. This product is different than other wrist wrests because it is 100 percent gel from top to bottom (most wrist rests use a 20 percent gel outside layer with an 80 percent foam core).
I used Contour Design’s 19″ Perflex with the iMac keyboard, which seemed to add both comfort and support while keyboarding and Web surfing. The Perflex Keyboard Palm Support also comes in a longer size (27″). With ergonomics in mind, I also added Contour Design’s Perflex Chair Arms, which perfectly padded the set of 2 arm rests on my computer chair. The pads stretch to fit around your adjustable chair arms from 7″ to 11″. Although the pads on my chair were padded, you can help reduce Carpal Tunnel pressure by using these chair arm supports. For more information on these products, visit the Contour Design web site.
Yo-Yo Mouse!
The mouse is still round and yo-yo like. I installed a Contour UniMouse to replace it (see my review on the Contour UniMouse). Some folks don’t mind the round mouse while others can get used to immediately. You may prefer a more ergonomic mouse. It’s a cheap fix to replace the mouse with another USB mouse or clip-on trap.
No-Flicker Monitor!
The 15″ monitor (13.8″ viewable) has a .28mm dot pitch and is very clear and sharp. The monitor, with virtually no flicker, has three resolution/scan rates:
640 x 480 at 117 Hz
800 x 600 at 95 Hz
1024 x 768 at 75 Hz
Software Bundle
The software bundle which comes with the iMac is better than the original package introduced, but not great. I’d still like to see an educational bundle available for families and schools. The strawberry 333MHz iMac I tested came with the following CD-ROM bundle:
iMac Software Restore
iMac Software Install
Williams-Sonoma Guide to Good Cooking (Broderbund, 1996)
Quicken Deluxe 98
Adobe PageMill 3.0
Kai’s Photo Soap SE
World Book Mac Edition, version 1, (2 CD set)
Net Ready!
If you’re ready to surf the Web, the iMac is your machine. The integrated 56K modem (compatible with V.90 and K56flex) is excellent and works fast, depending on your ISP. A nice feature is the 10/100-Mbps Ethernet for in-home networking and cable and DSL modems. If you don’t already have an ISP (Internet Service Provider), the easiest set-up would be to take advantage of the Earthlink offer that comes with the iMac. Currently, they offer 30 days of free Internet access and 6MB of personal web space.
Built-in CD-ROM Drive
The 24x-speed CD-ROM drive performed great, although it was a little sensitive when inserting CD-ROMs. Often, I had to close the CD-ROM drive twice as the first time I inserted a CD, it would pop out. Not a problem, but it has to do with the amount of pressure you apply when closing the door to the drive. Very reminiscent of the CD-ROM mechanism in my PowerBook 1400, which is still alive and doing well.
Stereo Speakers
Although the iMac has SRS 3D surround sound and integrated stereo speakers, another peripheral you’ll want to buy is a set of auxilary speakers, which really boost the sound, especially when playing audio CDs in your CD-ROM drive.
Imation’s SuperDisk USB Drive for PC/Mac
Since the iMac has no floppy drive, this may or may not present a problem for you regarding storage or back-ups. As a writer, I like to back my work up on disks. I prefer Imation’s SuperDisk USB Drive (for PC and Macintosh), which has an initial suggested price of $169.99. Introduced in August 1999, this compact external drive features hot-swappable USB compatiblity for PCs and Macs.
The SuperDisk Drive uses 120 MB SuperDisk Diskettes (which are great!) and standard floppy disks. In fact, you can consolidate your floppy collection—one SuperDisk Diskette holds up to 83 regular floppies! Easy to use and much faster than the first model I reviewed (Imation claims this drive reads up to 22 times faster than a floppy drive when used with Macintosh computer, up to 19 times faster than a floppy when used with PCs), Imation’s SuperDisk USB Drive for PC and Mac is drag and drop simple! Whether you work with large or small files, just click, drag, and drop and it’ll get the job done.
Although the PC/Mac SuperDisk USB drive comes in a neutral color, Imation also makes a SuperDisk USB Drive for Macintosh in an “all ice” design to complement all five colors.It also sells for $169.99. For more information, visit Imation’s web site or call (800) 854-0033.
Wrapping it up!
Whether you’re a school administrator looking for a budget-minded computer to update your school’s computer lab or you’re the owner of a “putty gray” PC looking for a change, Apple’s iMac 333MHz won’t let you down. Two-thumbs up for an all-around great system which won’t cost you an arm and a leg.