Article 21: A Former Macintosh Fanatic Looks at the iMac
One of my articles for ASCII DOS/V
This month I’m going to talk about the new Apple iMac computer. Why write about a Macintosh in ASCII DOS/V? Because it’s an interesting alternative to a PC, and because it shows us something about the future of desktop PCs.
The iMac is a stylish new all-in-one computer from Apple Computer. It was created by Steve Jobs, who was also the driving force behind the original Macintosh. Like the original Mac, the iMac is designed for ordinary people. It’s marketed for "parents, kids, students, teachers, and Internet explorers of all ages".
I’ve always been attracted to Macintosh computers. I bought my first Macintosh, the original Mac 128, the first month it was on sale. My hand shook as I wrote the check – it was the most money I’d ever spent on a single purchase. In many ways the iMac is a reincarnation of the original Macintosh. That’s not too surprising, because the same man, Steve Jobs, was responsible for both machines. Let’s compare the features of the original Mac with the current iMac. As you can see, there’s been a tremendous improvement over the past 14 years!
The most important feature of the iMac is that it looks cool. By now you’ve probably heard about its translucent blue-and-white plastic case, and its perfectly round mouse. The mouse ball is divided into two hemispheres, one colored white, and the other one blue, so that it flashes as it rotates inside the see-through mouse casing. And I especially liked the transparent power and keyboard cables. (One flaw is that the plastic door that shields the I/O ports is flimsy – it had already broken on the demonstration model I examined.)
Stylish product design is a rarity in the desktop computer world. After all, style doesn’t make the computer run any faster. However, Jobs understands that home computers are bought by individuals, rather than corporations. And many individuals are willing to pay a lot for something that looks cool.
Why is style important? Let me tell you a story: A few years ago, I was thinking about buying a new car. I couldn’t decide whether to get the model with the ordinary engine, or pay more for the high-powered engine. I asked one of my friends what I should do. "Buy the cheaper engine, and use the money you save to buy expensive wheel covers", he said. "Why?" I asked. "Because nobody who looks at the car is going to know how powerful the engine is – but everyone’s going to see the wheels." The point of this advice is that style is an important part of a consumer product. In addition to its primary function (transportation), a car also serves to enhance its owner’s social status. In the same way, owning an iMac will make you cooler than your neighbor, even if your neighbor’s PC is faster and cheaper. (Coolness costs money – the marketing budget accounted for about $300 of the list price of the original Mac. Apple plans to spend $100 million dollars this year advertising the iMac, so if they sell 1 million iMacs, then advertising will account for $100 of the list price of the each iMac.)
Two stereo headphone jacks
Probably the most debated feature of the iMac is the floppy disk. It doesn’t have one. This isn’t that unusual for notebooks, but it’s a novelty for a desktop computer. It certainly is possible to live without floppies. They’re no longer useful for software installation or hard disk backups, because both software and hard disks have grown too large. And you can use the Internet to transfer data between computers. I myself have not used a floppy disk (except to make "Emergency Repair Disks" when installing Windows) in at least six months. However, I am a computer professional, with a Jaz drive, an ISDN router, and a cable modem. I think that floppies are still very useful, especially for the home and education users.
By the way, it turns out that Apple Computer has actually put most of the components necessary to support a floppy drive on the iMac motherboard. The only part they left out was the connector. The German computer magazine c’t has published an article on their web site (http://www.heise.de/ct/english/98/18/134/) that explains how to add a floppy disk to the iMac. According to the article, once you’ve soldered a 20-pin connector to the motherboard, the iMac has no trouble using a regular Macintosh floppy disk drive. (There’s no good place to mount the floppy disk, though, so this isn’t a very practical solution.) I think many iMac users will end up buying an expensive external Universal Serial Bus floppy drive.
No discussion of buying a Macintosh would be complete without considering the future of Apple Computer. Apple is certainly in better shape now than it was a year ago. Steve Jobs has done an excellent job of providing vision and leadership. The company has stopped losing money, and has some very nice new products. However, there are many long term problems that no amount of personal charisma can overcome:
Apple’s market share is quite small, around 4% of the total PC market, and is probably still declining.
Little new hardware or software is being developed for the Mac. (However, to be fair, the Mac already has a wide selection of peripherals and programs.)
Apple’s advertising claims aside, PCs are still generally cheaper, faster, and come in more varieties.
However, the Internet has done a lot to boost Apple’s viability:
The Internet is inherently cross-platform. Based upon my own experience, I’d say that the Mac is 80% as good as the PC at surfing the net. Mac browsers generally display web pages more slowly than their PC counterparts. It is also frustrating that so many downloadable programs and plug-ins are only available for the PC. On the other hand, some Mac internet programs, such as the Nuntius freeware newsgroup reader, are superior to their PC counterparts.
The Internet provides a support community for Mac owners. That’s important when you’re the lone Mac user in a sea of PC users.
The Internet makes it cheaper and easier for the Macintosh vendors to sell their products.
Should you consider buying an iMac? Well, it comes down to a matter of personal style and taste. If you’re already a PC user, it probably isn’t worth switching to the iMac. But if you’re new to computers, or if you just like being a little bit cooler than other people, the iMac may be right for you. One survey found that 13% of iMac purchasers were current or former Windows users. So some people are switching. As for me, while I enjoyed playing with the iMac, I think I’ll stick with my ugly no-name PC clone. But maybe I’ll buy some new wheel covers for my car!
[Pictures by Darrell Wu]