BY: GEORGE GREEN
A few weeks ago I sauntered into my local CompUSA for the much-ballyhooed iMac
launch. It was the first time I got to see the iMac in person, and really opened
my eyes to the potential this machine has for Apple. I was especially surprised by
the amount of consumers interested in the unit. I suspect that this really could
be a huge step for Apple.
When I first arrived at CompUSA, a nifty sign greeted me, sporting a picture of the
iMac, with a couple balloons. It didn't say much, but anyone with eyes could see
a whole slew of balloons in the back of the store, and upon closer inspection I also
noticed quite a crowd. Walking over to the Apple salon I got my first glimpse at
what everyone has been talking about. My first thoughts were, "hey, that's a
lot smaller than the pictures make it seem."
Size is in fact one of the iMac's advantages. It is marginally smaller than my Apple
multiscan monitor is, and its shape is much more appealing. While one would not think
the appearance is really that important, it really is. The size lets it fit easily
on the desk of a college dorm. Being in college myself I know that it is a pain in
the neck to try to share a computer with desk space. The iMac though fits into limited
space quite easily. Also the look of the machine attracted a lot of people to the
demo, which in turn made them think a little more about what it was and if they needed
one.
After looking around a bit I noticed something odd. Most of the people looking at
the iMac were not Macintosh users. They were folks who didn't yet own a computer,
looking to see what this cute little box did. One gentleman pointed out his lack
of experience and asked if the iMac was the right unit for him. I kicked on the included
demo, and launched the simplicity shootout, which consistently drew in crowds everytime
I ran it that day. After watching and laughing he concluded, I guess that answers
my question, and bought an iMac. I am really hoping to see the simplicity shootout
as a television commercial.
This actually brings to mind something else different about the iMac. Usually when
you go into a computer store that is selling Macintosh computers, they are laying
about in various degrees of abuse. The iMac comes with a superb multimedia demo that
touts the advantages of the machine, which is certainly a welcome change. It includes
several different categories like "Internet", and "Ease of Use"
which is where the simplicity shootout is kept. The salesmen/volunteer also was always
ready to point out how smooth the video was. It really was just like watching television.
Another great point of the iMac was speed. All the way around it was a fast little
machine, and made me long for the cash to buy me a new Macintosh. They had installed
the latest Mac OS 8.5 beta release on the iMac, and it really flew. Windows opened
faster than they do on my Windows box, which is something I can rarely say. The combination
of Mac OS 8.5 and the iMac will be amazing; the speed and new interface options will
be stunning. The ability to search the Internet from the desktop is sure to make
it appealing to those interested in a fast 'net box. The themes are just wonderful.
I especially enjoyed the Gizmo theme's making noises for everything you do. This
is quite appealing to consumers, especially kids who will no doubt love the sound
effects.
Another surprise was games. I'd heard that they were going to bundle games with the
iMac, but assumed it would be fairly cheap stuff. I had assumed Nanosaur would be
another mediocre pet game. Boy was I wrong. While I was hoping to see the bundled
MDK it turned out that the demo unit's CDs were MIA. However I did get to see Nanosaur
in action, and it is cool. While it's always nice to see otherwise non-vicious animals
with guns strapped to their back for pure killing enjoyment, other things impressed
me as well. The game flowed very nicely. In my opinion it rivaled even Nintendo 64
games for visual quality, and Nanosaur is rendered on the fly using QuickDraw 3D.
While I didn't get to see any of the other games it is nice to see the Mac back in
action for games. A couple times a few teenagers came over to duke it out with Nanosaur
while I was there. I doubt that they will take the "the Mac is a toy" references
as a bad thing if they hear them. Yeah, it is a toy, the one at the top of their
Christmas list!
While the advantages were wonderful, there were some disadvantages too. USB for instance
is still very new. It's hard to tell people "the SuperDisk drive will be out
in a couple weeks." Luckily there was a printer option for the iMac, and even
a smart bundle including said printer that was a very popular sell. Unfortunately
a lot of people were looking for a unit to interface with their current printer.
They headed over to the Power Macintosh section fairly quick. Oh well, at least that
will clean out inventory until the USB peripherals are up to snuff.
Another thing I didn't like was the software. The games were great, but the software
bundle was a little underpowered. I'd have liked to see Microsoft Office 98 bundled
with the iMac. I was also annoyed that AppleWorks is still ClarisWorks 5 on the hard
drive. Just imagine the number of new users that will be searching for AppleWorks
for hours, ignoring the perfectly working ClarisWorks. If Apple is going to rename
something they should finish renaming it. I was also hoping to see a whole new version
of AppleWorks, with new features. Unfortunately Apple must have been busy churning
out iMacs instead.
Oddly the lack of slots wasn't a big deal. In addition to pointing out that the processor
is "unofficially" upgradable, and that the memory is fully upgradable,
there were hush-hush comments on the possibilities of an expansion bus of some sort.
Most people honestly didn't even ask, or care about them. They kind of assumed they'd
have to buy a new computer in two years anyway, and were happy to know that you could
add things via USB. I would have liked to see two things along these lines though.
One was a television tuner option. Apple has just missed big on a chance to guarantee
these things in dorm rooms. When I got my first Mac I made sure it had the TV/Video
option for just that reason, I didn't want to lug another TV to school. Hopefully
an enterprising company will jump to the fore with a USB version of this. The other
was a DVD option. A lot of folks had just passed through the PC section and had the
idea of watching movies on a fifteen-inch screen beat into them. It would have been
very nice to say, oh sure, it has that too. My last gripe is the mouse. While it's
cute, it's small. Real small. When they say it takes getting used to, they mean it.
Not quite as bad as when I learned to use a trackball, but close. My main problem
was it feels brittle in my hand. Similarly many complain about the non-standard keyboard.
All in all, though, the iMac is quite a deal, and an amazing machine. They were selling
like hotcakes the whole three hours I attended. Marketing for the iMac is the first
major product launch the company has handled well in years. The support is better
than ever. It's as if Apple has finally got its old touch back. Sure there are some
problems, but the original Macintosh was hardly free of error, and many of the iMac's
omissions mirror those of the original Mac. Peripherals are on the way, and there
are all types of people working to make current devices available via USB. Apple
deserves a hand: they have finally got a product that is mostly available, been marketed
well, and is perfectly suited to its market. Their return to the consumer space has
been executed perfectly. Kudos to Steve, and all the folks at Apple that made this
possible. The iMac is the greatest thing since, well, since the first Mac. Just remember
to get them while supplies last!
-- George Green / September 2, 1998
