Re: The sad Truth about iMac:

[Chad Choi Lin <chadlin@nyetcom.com>]

John Paul Murdie wrote:

> This is an article written by Brad Dosland in the March issue of Maximum PC., he
> is the editor in Chief.
>
> ONE BORN EVERY MINUTE.
> These lies would be laughable if there weren't any victims. But there are.

[massive snip]

> I was going to buy an iMac, but after reading this article I don't know? I would
> like to see some feedback, hopefully my opinion will be swayed as it is a
> compact little machine that you can easily pack with you anywhere you go with
> little fuss. If I had to pack up my IBM clone it would take me an hour to stow
> it.
> John Murdie, Pender Harbour.

As much as I despise the iMac (which I refer to as the "idiot Mac" when I am feeling
particularly antisocial) and what it represents, the fact is that a lot of people
disagree and many iMac users are extremely pleased with their machines. Perhaps the
best way to make your decision is to look at the list of "pros" and "cons" regarding
the iMac.


THE PROS

1.)  Simplicity
    Let's face it -- the average PC requires a morass of cables and hookup cords in
order to operate, which the in-store iMac demo points out effectively. By contrast,
the iMac uses essentially three hookups: iMac to power outlet, iMac to phone wall
jack, and iMac to keyboard (which in turn connects to the mouse). From a user's
standpoint, this is startlingly convenient.

2.)  Portability
    As you mentioned, the iMac is a lot easier to tote around than almost every PC
in existence. (Especially if your system includes a 17" or larger screen -- my back
hurts from just thinking about having to move my monitor.) If you need a machine
that you can pick up and lug around at a moment's notice, the iMac is hard to beat.

3.)  Extensibility
    The Universal Serial Bus is a godsend for those of us who are sick and tired of
running out of peripheral ports or messing around with switchboxes. How does a
maximum of *127* devices running off of one port sound? Or what about "hotswap"
disconnection and hookup of USB devices -- without needing to reboot your computer?
Enough said.

4.)  Networkability
    The built-in 56Kbps modem is good enough for most users, but the iMac's Ethernet
adapter makes it stand out from the PC crowd (where network adapters are like SCSI
host adapters -- useful, but not considered standard equipment). If you buy two
iMacs, they are *automatically* ready to network with each other; all you need to
add is a crossover cable. This is a very important point when you realize that more
and more users want to have more than one computer per household (in many cases
because they want to keep an older system). The iMac gives you one less network
adapter to worry about.


And now....

THE CONS

1.)  No floppy drive
    One of the basic tenets of computing is "Always make backups!" The iMac
automatically violates that rule by providing no inherent means to backup your
valuable data. Of course, you can add a USB LS-120 drive (the "SuperDrive") or a Zip
drive, but that comes at an additional cost of $149. And what if you want to backup
your entire hard drive? Any smart user who can afford it will invest in a
large-scale backup medium, but so far there is no USB version of the Jaz drive or
any tape drive, and the iMac is no less vulnerable to system crashes or virus
infections than any other system.

2.)  No SCSI port
    The Macintosh established a tradition of including a SCSI host adapter as
standard equipment ....until now. The iMac was the first Mac model to leave out the
SCSI port as a peripheral hookup option. While this may seem like a non-issue for
first-time users (who do not have SCSI devices from older Macs), there is a question
they should ask themselves: what if they want to get a certain type of device later,
only it isn't available for USB? Two such devices are CD-R and DVD drives -- they
exist in Mac-compatible versions, but not in USB versions. Either iMac users will
have to wait around for those USB versions to be released (if they ever are), or
they'll have to invest in expensive interface adapters. Again, that drives the cost
of owning an iMac upwards.

3.)  No serial ports
    (See above.) Actually, there now exists an internal upgrade option from Griffin
Technologies which adds a Mac-style serial interface and a video-out connector for
standard Mac monitors. However, it only provides one serial port, and it will put
you back about $50. Ka-ching!

4.)  Limitted expandability
    Sure, the iMac's G3 233MHz processor is nothing to sneeze at, but what about
next year? And while there are memory upgrades available now for increasing the RAM,
what if you decide you need more disk space as well? (Has anyone heard of a USB hard
drive?) In that sense, the iMac is something of a closed system: what comes in the
box is more or less all you will ever get out of it.


I've made my feelings toward the iMac known in this newsgroup (having described it
as looking like what a Swatch would be if it mutated into a computer), but to be
fair I will admit there is a direct parallel between it and my favorite Apple II
model -- the //c. It also broke tradition by including a lot of useful functions as
standard features (80-column text, two serial ports, a mouse controller port, and an
internal 5.25" floppy drive) while leaving out other options (such as expansion
slots for add-in boards), plus it was designed to be a highly portable system (even
the //c monitor had a carry recess so the user could easily tote it around).
However, Apple Computer made several revisions of the //c, each one adding
expandability to the original design (such as support for memory upgrades and 3.5"
disk drives) until they finished with the IIc+, which boasted a faster CPU clock
speed and an internal 3.5" 800K floppy drive. No word yet on whether Apple will
revise the iMac to include even a standard HD floppy drive, let alone a Zip drive.

Then again, maybe the only issue that really counts is whether or not you will be
happy with an iMac. After all these years, I am *still* happy with my Apple II (a
IIc+, which I got after having an original //c). If that is any indication, you
should have no uncertainty in your mind about what to do.


Peace, Love, and To Each Traveller His (or Her) Own Path,
Chad Choi Lin
chadlin@nyetcom.com

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