Continuing My Apple Tradition
Written: Mar 10 '00
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: easy set up, easy to use, inexpensive single-unit design
Cons: small mouse and keyboard, only 2 USB ports, hard to upgrade
|
|
|
| wingdman's Full Review: Apple iMac Indigo 15 in. (M7669LL/A) Mac Desktop |
I've been around desktop computers for a very lonnnnnnnnng time. I learned to program in BASIC on an Apple IIe. That seems like a million years ago, but it was back in 1982. Wait, that is a million years ago, isn't it. Computers have, as they tend to do, become a major part of my life. They are the tools with which I do nearly everything I can.
I have owned and worked on more computers than some people will in a whole lifetime and have seen the best and worst there is. Though some people will ask me "Why do you insist on having a Mac?" I have to admit that Macs are my personal favorites. They are close to home for me. I have never been able to do something on a PC that I couldn't do on a Mac (unless it has to do with software that is NOT Mac compatible), but there have been plenty of times that I could do something on a Mac that I couldn't on a PC (like translate diskettes from one platform to another).
So when my Power Mac 7200/90 was becomming sluggish and too slow for my needs, I purchased an iMac 350. The iMac 350 has a Power PC G3 processor that operates at 350 MHz. This is plenty fast for the surfing I do on the web and the applications I use in web design. Photoshop races on the computer, especially in comparison to my previous 90 MHz Power Mac.
SPECS:
My iMac has 64 MB of RAM, and I use virtual memory to expand that as needed. It should be noted that Mac OS 9, with all the extensions on, uses almost 30 MB of RAM alone. Since the iMac only has one expansion slot, I'd recommend people get at least 64 MB added, if not a 128 card. Buy anything smaller and you're likely to leave it sitting when you do go for additional memory in the future. My iMac also has around 6 GB storage.
THE GOOD:
I absolutely love my iMac. I'd convinced my parents to buy one when they were needing to upgrade (they'd previously had a Quadra, which had been the step up from and LCIII). They loved it, as I knew they would. They liked the speed, the quality performance, the single-unit design, and the quick and easy set-up. I appreciated the iMac for those same reasons. I also like the fact that I can change the screen resolution to obtain more desktop space (my eyes are still good so I don't need giant icons yet). The sound and video quality are top-notch. And even though I was rather taken aback when I first saw an iMac up close and personal like at work, the design and color has grown on me (I have a blueberry). The iMac came ethernet ready and has an internal modem. I have a cable modem at home, so the internal modem was redundant, but having an ethernet-ready computer was truly a plus.
THE NOT-SO-GOOD:
iMacs do not have a floppy drive. I bought one that can plug into the iMac's USB port. iMacs only have 2 USB ports, one of which is taken up by the keyboard. I bought a USB hub so I could plug in additional peripherals. iMacs do not have a SCSI port. My old Zip Drive wouldn't work on my new iMac. I bought a SCSI/USB adapter rather than a new Zip Drive. I understand the cost was nearly the same one way or the other. The iMac's mouse is small and round, and while this is lovely and goes well with the design, it wouldn't stand up to the miles I put on a mouse. I bought a Kensington Mouseworks mouse. The iMac's keyboard is small. I've grown accustomed, after many years in front of a computer, to extended keyboards. I've had to get used to typing on one that isn't really much bigger than those of a laptop. The iMac screen can't be easily adjusted for tilt. To compensate for that, I've adjusted my chair. :) The keyboard can't be adjusted easily for tilt either, so I've stuck a gel wrist support in front of it to return my hands to a proper ergonomic typing position (I also have a mouse pad with a gel wrist support). Finally in the not-so-good category, I'm not sure the paperclip emergency CD eject hole works.
OVERALL:
I rely on my iMac. In the 6 months that I've had it my only problem with it as been the power button. In the same period of time, we have gone through 4 PC's in our house. In my book, nothing is more reliable than a Mac. Nothing is as user friendly (I can't even begin to tell you the stuff we had to go through to get one of the PC's hooked up to run on our cable modem). Though there continues to be a shortage of software written for Macs (particularly in the Games category), I have everything I need on my iMac to continue with my work in web design. It's a workhorse that has the looks and speed of a racehorse, if you will.
I would recommend to any student, teacher, small business owner, average surfer, etc. that they purchase an iMac for their use. Since most software these days comes on CD or is downloaded via the web, there really isn't such a big need for the floppy drive, and there are Zip Drives available that are USB/iMac ready. People who are used to the graphic interface of Windows (which is still a cheap rip-off of the Mac system software of the 80s) will find OS 9 (the operating system on the iMac) just as simple to use. And a Mac can translate PC files much more easily than a PC can translate Mac files.
Yes, I'm a Mac addict, I admit it. And now that I have my iMac, I am even happier. This is the best computer I have ever owned.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
wingdman
|
|
Location: Chicago
Reviews written: 131
Trusted by: 114 members
About Me:
I'm a Chef.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.