The Tiny iMac- 5 August 1998
Dan
Knight
The iMac is an impressive computing
value: performance, expansion, and the world's greatest OS.
But it's not designed for everyone. Don Crabb and others have speculated that
this iMac is the first of a family, just as the original
Macintosh was. I was reading just the other day about a
possible iMac Pro with a 17" screen, drive bays, PCI slots,
FireWire, and SCSI. About all it would share philosophically
with the original iMac is case design. The iMac is a consumer computer. The iMac
Pro would be more of a business or design machine. But how
about something less expensive? Some of Apple's most popular models ever
were the LC series. With a small footprint and reasonable
price tag, they ended up in homes, schools, and even
businesses. Let's reintroduce the concept, updated
for the iMac era. The Tiny iMac would repackage the iMac
motherboard in as small a case as reasonable, probably
something with a footprint similar to the LC. The only
modification necessary would be a video port so the user
could attach an existing Mac or multiscan monitor. We know
it can be done, since several iMac prototypes were modified
in this way. The Tiny iMac could use the same drives
and peripherals as the plain old iMac. It would look like a
cross between an iMac and an LC, with a flat enough top to
support up to a 17" monitor. Apple would be able to offer the Tiny
iMac for hundreds of dollars less than the original by
eliminating the display, reducing the capacity of the power
supply, and not having to ship a huge box with a 39 pound
computer in it. The natural market for the Tiny iMac is
people who want an iMac but don't want to surrender their
large monitor -- or simply can't afford $1,299. Mac users
would clamor to it, attaching their old Apple Trinitron
screens or whatever else they might own. The Tiny iMac also makes it more
affordable for PC owners to upgrade by lowering costs and
letting them reuse their old monitors. A special deal on
Virtual PC would even let them use their old
software. I'd like a Tiny iMac myself, but for an
even different reason. Today I tote files between work and home
on Zip disks. If I had a Tiny iMac, I could transport the
whole computer between locations. I could either attach it
to a spare monitor at work or attach it to ethernet and
control it with Timbuktu. I know Apple's making iMacs as fast as
they can right now, but once the iMac settles down, I hope
they'll consider a Tiny iMac, not just a Pro. For many users, it could be an even
better value than the iMac. - Dan
Knight, webmaster
the iMac channel
Further readingRecent Editorials- Teacher Tools:
Gradebooks, Steve Wood, View From the Classroom, 11/22.
- Screen Size and
Resolution, Dan Knight, Online Tech Journal, 11/19. Why is the
iMac fuzzy at 1024x768? Why does a 17" monitor look unsharp at
1280x960?
- Reassessment, Eric
DeStafano, Mac Metamorphosis, 11/18. "The Windows platform is
dead, and Windows 2000 is going to be the final nail in the
coffin."
- Macs for design, Lynn, My
First Mac, 11/18. "The tables have turned, and I think it is time
that everyone (including software manufacturers), see the enormous
capabilities and adaptability that Macintoshes have!"
- Apple will rule the computer
world, Rodney O. Lain, Things Macintosh, 11/17
- Online with a PowerBook
Duo, Julie Fugett, Mac Daniel, 11/17
- Free web access, even for
older Macs, Rob Myers, Mac Musings, 11/17
- MyBook: A more portable
Mac, Dan Knight, iBook & PowerBook Page, 11/16
- Teacher Tools:
AppleWorks, Steve Wood, View From the Classroom, 11/15
- New @ Low End Mac:
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