Posted on 02/06/2002 7:02:35 AM PST by toupsie
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Why I just love the new iMac (and why you might, too) | |
| David Coursey, Executive Editor, AnchorDesk Monday, February 4, 2002 |
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It's been a week since I started using a new iMac as my full-time desktop and a PowerBook G4 as my portable PC, all as part of my month-long challenge to see if I, long a loyal Windows user, could make Apple the center of my computing universe. There are still a few problems--specifically related to getting PDA data in and out of Microsoft Office.
But besides that, I've made a very smooth transition. I have even started using the Apple key instead of the Control key when cutting and pasting.
None of the photos I've seen do the new iMac justice. It's hard to take a picture of a white computer with a clear frame around the screen and make it look good. It is especially difficult to do this against a white background, as Apple is prone to do. They had the same problem with the iPod, which people thought was much larger than it is because they had seen it only on a billboard. Now, they didn't think it was that big, but...
If you are trying to show off the iMac base--about the size of a big salad bowl turned upside down--it's hard to have the monitor in a normal position. This is probably why the best pictures of the new iMac, such as they are, have been taken from the side. That shows off the arm that connects the screen to the base rather nicely.
IN USE, the base of the iMac, which contains the computer itself, essentially disappears from view, hidden by the screen. The screen--a 15-inch flat panel--has all the predictable benefits of LCD displays, but the mounting mechanism is really special. This is the first time I've been able to position a screen precisely where I want it.
Mac OS X also does an excellent job of driving the screen, with great graphics performance. I am not quite so wild about the characters that show up while I am typing using Word or the other Microsoft Office apps. Microsoft has yet to fully implement the features of OS X that put great-looking fonts onto the screen.
This was likely lost in the rush to get a version of OS X to market and will be resolved in a future release. The "poor" quality of the Microsoft fonts is noticeable because the rest of the computer looks so great, not because it's putting my eyes out or anything.
The iMac has no fan--actually it has a fan, but I've never heard it--meaning my office is quieter than it used to be. The fan is thermally controlled, so it turns on only if the machine heats up. The iMac also has a very small footprint, leaving me with a lot of unused desk space.
If I were making any changes to the iMac, I'd increase the screen resolution (1024x768 is standard) or go to a 17-inch screen. The higher resolution is a personal preference (I need more open windows sometimes), and boosting the screen size would make the machines too expensive. To think of it, so would the increased resolution.
I'VE DISPENSED with the Apple one-button mouse that came with the machine. I replaced it with a Microsoft optical mouse with all the buttons and a thumbwheel. I just plugged it in, and it worked immediately. While the stock Apple mouse--with its single button--doesn't support right clicking, all the iMac apps seem to. This gives me access to a wide range of shortcuts I've grown used to under Windows. "Real" Apple users know you can control-click the one-button mouse to access the right-button features, but I still like my extra buttons and the thumbwheel.
The transition to the Mac way of doing things has been pretty easy, once I got the hang of the docking bar that is the OS X equivalent of the Windows start menu. Now that I have all my frequently used apps in the dock, I am a pretty happy camper.
Based on my experience, I have no reservations whatsoever recommending an iMac as a family's new or next home computer. Only really hard-core gamers would have trouble with a Mac, and those people should be looking at the new gaming consoles anyway.
I'M TEMPTED to say that Apple should have waited to make OS X the standard operating system for its consumer Macs, at least until there was better support for things such as Palm PDAs, media players for Windows Media, and Real Networks file formats. But as Steve Jobs told me on Day 1 of my Mac odyssey, there are some things that simply won't happen until the OS becomes the Apple standard.
I can't really disagree with that logic, so this is more a warning that you may find yourself working in classic mode from time to time. I am doing my very best to remain totally in OS X, so I have to admit that my concerns about this issue may be inflated.
As for working from the iMac, I can only hit the corporate Exchange mail server using a POP client or a Web browser. This isn't a problem for me, but it may be for a few of you. I also have not tried to find a VPN client, so I need to call our IS department and inquire.
The lack of OS X support for both Palm and Pocket PC devices is, however, troublesome. I think this will be worked out, at least for Pocket PC (and only with the help of a third-party developer) in a few weeks. Palm OS support will doubtless come, though I cannot today tell you when with any level of confidence. Six months seems likely.
I'VE HAD NO trouble exchanging files with colleagues, sending and receiving e-mail, or browsing the Web. And the free mail client Apple provides, though lacking a calendar function, works very well. Actually it's a better pure mail client than Microsoft's Entourage, its office productivity suite for the Macintosh platform.
It's for this reason that so many Mac users have separate calendar, contact management, and e-mail programs. The single-solution approach, àla Outlook and Entourage, is very attractive, but I am looking at other options as well.
The iPod is a fantastic MP3 player, and iTunes does a good job of managing my music. I want to find a "disco" software package, which I believe exists, to do some mixing, but the basic dubbing of music from CD (or Internet) to computer to iPod works very well.
THE MORE I USE IPHOTO, the more useful I find it. The program is not a photo editor, although it will allow you to crop a photo, correct red eye, and convert color images to black and white.
But iPhoto really shines in managing a large photo collection, thanks to its ability to vary thumbnails of the photos from very tiny to full-screen. This means you can zoom back and easily scroll through hundreds or, more likely, thousands of photos and then zoom in to pick the one you want.
iPhoto is also great for sharing your images. While the program does not have an easy way to resize and e-mail an image, it does a very nice job of collecting photos into books, which you can print at home or have commercially printed by Apple ($30 for 10 pages, and the books are really quite nice). iPhoto can also be used to create slide shows, HTML photo pages, and, of course, order prints.
OVERALL, I'D RATE the Macintosh photo "experience" significantly superior to Windows XP, although XP has the basics covered.
I have not played with iMovie, but finally have an idea for a home movie project (lacking kids, I have no ready players), so I am planning to compare the Mac and XP cinematic experiences this weekend.
Another area in which OS X has a little maturing to do is support for streaming media. Microsoft Media Player doesn't support all its formats on the new OS, meaning I can't listen to a number of online radio stations. Real doesn't seem to have announced an OS X version of RealPlayer, though I suspect one will appear.
So that's where things stand after the first week of "Mac Month" here in my office. About the only thing I am still using the XP box for is some instant messaging (especially during the radio program) and to keep the Outlook telephone directory open when I need to make a quick phone call.
It is me, or have things really changed? Is Apple gaining more credibility with longtime Windows users like me? What about with you? TalkBack to me, and take my QuickPoll below!
As someone who uses a ton of i386/x86 hardware for work (UNIX systems), I can tell you those "hand-built" systems come no where close to the quality of components used in a Mac. Apple builds tanks. In 15 years of using Macs, I have never had one hardware failure so I have ended up with a closet full of Macs. About 2-3 years of use of a x86, they are pretty ragged out. They just run so damn hot compared to a Mac.
Yes, you can build a PC cheaper. I just don't know if I want to rely on it working day in and day out.
I would never compare Windows 95 to Mac OS X. Windows XP is easy enough to beat. Why would you want to use an OS that limits you to 80% of your bandwidth and you have to report to Bill Gates and Microsoft if you want to change your system up not to mention that Bill Gates refuses to let you see one line of the operating system source code? Talk about proprietary!
Just curious, with this system, would you be able to burn a DVD the first time you turn it on? Or would you have to buy DVD burning software? Also it sounds like this system would cost more than the top of the line iMac -- granted it has two Athlons that run at the temp of Sun in it.
Well Apple has decided to go LCD only so I am sure they will be interested in this. Knowing Apple, this sounds like a product they will be first in the marketplace with.
Do you really believe, in the absense of federal intervention, that Windows wouldn't have a lot of built-in apps?
Why not? It's Wednesday - time for the obligatory "Two Minute Hate", the target of which depends upon what you're typing your posts on...
I know ... it just so predictable ... and I'm sitting here on my piddly little network that has 2 PCs (Win 2K Server, Win 98), a Mac G4, and a P2-450 w/ Linux 7.2 ... so that makes it pretty hard for me to pick a side and have anything to contribute other than, "can't we all just get along?"
I apologize for my inattention.
Please direct me to the spot on this thread where the three prices are discussed prior to my post.
Not being from San Francisco, I am not qualified to visit the apple Mac site.
My assesment of Mac weenies prevents me from even being curious.
Should I start looking for my Ouija board?
Please get real. How many hand built machines have you built? Except for motherboards and cases, the same components are available to everyone. the same memory chips, the same video cards, the same SCSI cards, the same disk drives, the same DVD burners.
You want tank cases? Try Supermicro or LianLi, or even the server cases made for Dell or IBM.
As for motherboards and CPUs, I have seen exactly one Pentium, a 200, fail. I have never seen a motherboard fail except after a power surge. Nice thing about PC motherboards is you can hike down the street, pick up a replacement for $100 and be back in business the same day.
I wonder what iMac users will do for a backup monitor while their LCD is in the shop?
Hmmm, you've got me beat - this box in front of me is only running win2k for the moment, now that I've wiped the BeOS and 98SE partitions. Feels empty - gotta dig out those Mandrake disks ;)
Its important for novice users to have a system that works straight out of the box. I used to be a UNIX "guru" and have switched because of Mac OS X -- because it is UNIX. Apple and its Mac OS X is a beautiful marriage of power and ease. Since I have given my parents a Mac, they never call for tech support. If anything, that is greatest gift in the world for me. Nothing worst than having your mother screaming the seven words you can't say on TV so well that George Carlin would blush.
Do you really believe, in the absense of federal intervention, that Windows wouldn't have a lot of built-in apps?
I wish the Feds would not have gone after M$ for bundling but for its activities in forcing x86 manufacturers to buy licenses for Windows. It never hurt Apple but it did hurt Caledra and Be.
iMacs by default are dual monitor systems. You can take a standard VGA monitor and plug it into an iMac. So screw off the LCD and plug in the VGA monitor in the closet and go back to work.
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