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T A B L E__T A L K Microsoft vs. Uncle Sam: Pick a side in this "Clash of the Titans" in Table Talk's Digital Culture area - - - - - - - - - - R E C E N T L Y Why kids don't need computers The Xy files Revolt of the couch potatoes The 21st Challenge No. 12 Results Suicide watch on the Net - - - - - - - - - - BROWSE THE - - - - - - - - - -
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iMAC: iLOVE IT OR iHATE IT | PAGE 1, 2, 3
JANELLE BROWN: In fact, that "flimsy" plastic you deride is polycarbonate -- the same stuff used to make bulletproof glass -- and I bet it's at least as tough as your beloved old Quadra box. So is the iMac, as you say, "a victory for colorful packaging"? Well, yes -- and what's wrong with that? Let's keep in mind what the average consumer of this machine is going to want. I think that part of the bias against the iMac comes from the perception that the computer is a Serious Machine intended to perform Difficult Tasks. The iMac, don't forget, is designed as a computer for newbies. Do you expect the latest technological advances from a $1,299 computer designed for someone who's buying it primarily so they can surf the Net? The fact is that, despite the price tag, most consumers will use their computer partly as basic utilitarian tool, partly as toy. They'll use it to type letters and college papers, to keep track of recipes and finances and Great Aunt Melba's address; they'll use it to send e-mail; they'll use it to play video games. It doesn't need to be a daunting machine. This, I think, is what the iMac successfully achieves: It is a simple, stripped-down machine that is perfectly capable of performing necessary tasks without any of the fancy bells and whistles that bog down more expensive, complex machines. It's approachable, not scary. The genius of the Macintosh has always been its simplicity -- an intuitive user interface, logical organization, friendly naming systems -- and this is all still here, along with a speedy processor, a nice monitor and elementary connectivity. Exactly what's needed, nothing more. So yes, if you're used to a hot rod computer with endless peripherals and capabilities, this isn't going to be the technological advance -- the "substance" -- that you're looking for. This is, instead, the consumer product that lives between a PC and a WebTV. Note, for example, the simplified Universal Serial Bus system for connecting peripheral devices. Apple is, of course, gambling that USB is the future (and yes, a low-end consumer machine may not be the place to gamble on technological futures, especially since the iMac currently offers few options for the printer ports and floppy drive). But USB is overall a streamlined system that is going to be more user-friendly than the maze of ports and cords you find behind your PC or even the Mac's own older SCSI system. And if USB truly is the future standard, then iMac is doing consumers a favor by giving them a machine with longevity. When was the last time you really used a floppy, anyway? SCOTT ROSENBERG: Actually, just this morning. I use floppies to move files from one computer to another, and between home and work. Sure, they're not good for much else. But if the iMac is truly intended to be a consumer machine for newbies typing letters and storing recipes, then it's hard to understand why Apple chose to leave out the floppy yet put in a fast Ethernet connection. How many newbie users have an Ethernet network in their homes? First-time computer buyers rely on floppies, just as they like to print stuff out, because they haven't migrated entirely into a networked existence like the more enthusiastic early adopters of the Internet. Novices trust physical objects. So it's unfathomable that Apple built a machine for them and then left out the floppy disk drive and the serial port, making it awfully tough to hook up a printer to it. (That will presumably change over time as more USB printers become available.) Apple's ads are making a big fuss about how easy to set up the iMac is compared to a PC -- how wonderful it is that there are so few cables. That's certainly a plus. But no one should mistake the iMac for an "information appliance." This is still a personal computer, a Macintosh, and that means it has more than enough problems and bugs and glitches to go around. Most important, that means it's built around the Mac operating system -- which still sports the most easy-to-use interface in the business but that has become badly dated in many other ways (like memory management and sluggish disk access). If Apple had kept its operating system more up-to-date and less crash-prone over the past five years, it wouldn't have had to depend so heavily on see-through color cases to win new customers. The easiness of the iMac is a relative thing -- saying that "it's easier to use than a Windows PC" isn't much more than saying, "It's a Mac." The "i" supposedly stands for Internet, yet it seems that if you want to use the iMac to connect to any Internet service provider other than Apple's partner, Earthlink, you may find yourself in a jam. And if you buy the one printer that's ready to work with the iMac's USB ports, from Epson, you may need to follow these instructions in order to make it work: "Have the printer connected to the USB ports located on the monitor. Power off the printer and the iMac. Disconnect the USB adapter from the iMac. Power the iMac back on. After fully booted, turn the printer back on. Then plug the cable back into the USB port, then reselect in the Chooser. This should resolve it." That doesn't sound much better than a PC to me. In so many ways, the iMac sacrifices functionality for aesthetics. The keyboard is snazzy looking but its typing feel is atrocious compared to the good old solid Apple keyboards (like the "Extended Keyboard II"). The round mouse is cute -- but it's actually both less ergonomic than a traditional oblong mouse and a lot less intuitive to use. (The shape doesn't signal to you which direction is "forward.") And that nifty handle on the top of the iMac box? Try lifting the computer's 40 pounds by it -- since the monitor's in front, the whole shebang tilts awkwardly forward. Apple used to know how to integrate good looks and great technology into a unified product. What happened? N E X T_ P A G E .|. "The iMac is a computer that gets noticed" |