Low End Mac / iBook & PowerBook Page / iMac Channel / MacUSB / MacInSchool / Online Tech Journal / Power Mac Page / Road Apples / 56k Page Columns: Apple Archive / Low End Mac Gaming / Mac Daniel / Mac Happens / Mac Metamorphosis / Mac Musings / Mac Scope / Mac to the Future / Miscellaneous Ramblings / My Turn / SETIonMac / Tangerine Fusion / Things Macintosh / View From the Classroom / Virtuality
Amazon.com,
your source for books, CDs, videos, and more.
Amazon.com, your source for books, CDs, videos, and more.
iMac Flaws
10 February 1999
Evan
Every computer has its flaws. The iMac is a computer, but, unlike other computers, you can very easily fix the iMac's minor flaws. Oh, the iMac is also different than other computers because it's really cool looking. Today I'll give you some easy tips to fix the problems you might have with your iMac.
1 One of the biggest (and one of the easiest fixable) problem that the iMac has is its lack of floppy drive. For a mere Us$150 (or less) you can get an Imation SuperDisk drive. This drive is not only Bondi blue and ice colored, it is three drives in one. This drive will let you use 120 MB SuperDisk floppies (one comes with the drive) and 1.4 MB floppy disks in both Mac and that other format. What was that format called? Trash? Junk? Oh no, it was DOS. Also, if you think that $150 is too much to spend, Newer Tech will be releasing a 1.4 MB floppy drive with serial ports on the back for about $70 US. (Currently estimated for March release.)
2 Another problem with the iMac is its keyboard and mouse. When you first look at them, you can see that both of these input devices are rather small. But we can fix that. First, we'll start with the keyboard. The iMac's keyboard is about the size of a laptop's keyboard. So if you're used to the keyboard one a PowerBook, Duo, eMate 300, or older Mac, you'll feel right at home. If you've been using a extended keyboard (the one with the power key on the right side) you won't feel as comfortable with the new keyboard. But, after about a week, you'll get used to it. If not, you can buy a full size keyboard from Microsoft.
3 The mouse, on the other hand, is not as easy to get used to. After about a week of using it, you might want to buy one. Microsoft sells their mice in USB format. Also, MacSense sells an add-on for the iMac mouse, the $10 iCatch. It is a piece of plastic that is the size of a regular mouse bottom. It attaches under your mouse button, and changes your weird mouse into a full-sized one.
4 Another problem is that the iMac has only USB ports. If you don't own any peripherals that use serial or SCSI, than you're lucky. If you have thousands of dollars of equipment, then the solution isn't as cheap. Keyspan sells a product that you attach to one of your USB ports and it will give you two serial ports. There is no SCSI (Small Computers System Interface) adapter yet, but should be soon.
Every computer comes with flaws (for example, all PC's come with a
bad virus called Windows), but, unlike other computers, you can
easily fix the iMac's problems. 
<this article available in a printer-friendly version>
Recent Mac Happens Editorials
- The Mac Library, 4/19/2000. Evan shares the books he finds invaluable when working with Macs.
- AOL@school, 4/11/2000. "AOL will be soon releasing a new version of their software specifically for schools...."
- Amazing IE 5.0, 4/3/2000. "My faith in Microsoft has been restored."
- Macs and AOL 5.0, 3/15/2000. "Even though AOL 5.0 adds many nice new features, I believe it still has many shortcomings."
- Index of Evan's articles
- Evansite, Evan's own site.
Recent Editorials
- SETI@home weekly update, SETIonMac, 5/19. Team Mac Observer is one of two teams that have climbed to spots in the club team rankings.
- Writer debuts on Low End Mac, My Turn. Read the first posted articles by Dan Knight, Evan, Paulo Rodrigues, Eric DeStefano, Brian Rumsey, Kel Taylor, and Adam Robert Guha.
- Archive: PowerBook 101 Rumors, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, Low End Mac, 3/2/99. This was written two months before the Lombard was introduced.
- What can you squeeze into a compact Mac?, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive, 5/18. There's still life in those little Macs.
- Tangerine Fusion: Slash-Not, Paulo Rodrigues, 5/17. Slashdot appears to have a strong anti-Mac bias, especially in recent coverage of OS X.
- The Rumor Mill: PowerBook Cinema coming soon, Anne Onymus, 5/17. "Dan Knight" edition includes huge screen, three batteries, full keyboard.
- My First Mac: Raised in a Six-Color World, Jeff Brown, 5/16. "And so that summer (1993) we bought a Performa 450. It was my true first Mac, and I loved every bit of it."
- Welcome to My Turn, 5/15. "Have you got what it takes to write for the Mac web? If so, My Turn is your place to share your opinion...."
- New @ Low End Mac: Receive email information on new links.
Low End
Mac begun April 7, 1997; The
iMac Channel begun June 6, 1998. This
page, the entire Low End Mac site, the iMac channel, and all subsites
of <lowendmac.net> copyright ©1997-2000 by
Dan
Knight unless otherwise noted. All rights
reserved.
LINK
POLICY: This site allows and encourages
links to any public page, so long as the linked page does not appear
within a frame that prevents bookmarking the linked page.
Low End
Mac is an independent publication and has
not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple
Computer, Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iMac, and iBook are
registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Additional company and
product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of the
individual companies and are hereby acknowledged.
