On the leading edge, with élan
Slim. Sleek. Streamlined. Stylish. Chic. Those aren't adjectives normally associated with a desktop computer -- unless it's an Apple iMac.
The company that pushed the design envelope with its ''Lamp Mac" -- which looked more like a prop from a remake of ''War of the Worlds" than a computer -- is again showing its leading-edge lan with the iMac G5. Apple has traded its predecessor's funky Bauhaus design for airy modernism. The unit appears to float in space -- an illusion shattered once you connect a keyboard and mouse. (A wireless keyboard and mouse are aesthetic necessities with this computer.)
As with past iMacs, the G5 is an ''all-in-one" desktop. Unlike the typical personal computer, which consists of a monitor and a cabinet for the machine's motherboard and other internal organs, the iMac G5 combines all components into a single unit.
Many a keyboard jock has fantasized about a desktop computer that looks like a flat panel display standing alone. Apple has finally given it to them. All the iMac G5's workings are housed in a cabinet less than two inches thick. Major components like the optical drive and stereo speakers are stealthily built into the unit. Discs feed into the optical drive automatically, so there aren't any protruding buttons to mar the cabinet's minimalist lines.
Ports are neatly and conveniently arranged in a column at the back of the unit: three high-speed USB ports and two slower USB ports on the keyboard; two FireWire 400 ports; VGA, composite, and S-video out capability; a headphone jack, audio in port, and SPDIF out; and built-in 56 Kbps fax/modem.
The unit also has a 10/100 Ethernet port. Additional hardware is necessary, though, to take advantage of the unit's wireless networking and Bluetooth features.
Set-up was a snap. In fact, Apple added a wrinkle that more PC makers should adopt. As you boot up for the first time, you're asked if you already own a Mac. If you do, you're given instructions for connecting the computers via their FireWire ports and automatically moving information from your old unit to your new one. That's the kind of thoughtfulness sadly absent in much of the PC world.
In the past, one of the knocks against all-in-one computers was they lacked expandability. Today, that's largely a bum rap, because USB and FireWire ports allow you to expand a computer's repertoire without resorting to traditional expansion methods -- all revolving around opening the box.
That's not to say there aren't reasons for opening an iMac -- adding memory, for instance, or popping in a wireless networking AirPort Extreme Card. For that, simply remove two Phillips screws at the base of the unit, lift its stand upward, and the back of the machine can be removed for convenient access.
When buying a PC, software is almost always an afterthought. Programs on new PCs are largely ''lite" versions of robust applications, or worse. That isn't the case here.
Sure, in the productivity department, AppleWorks isn't any substitute for a full-featured suite like Microsoft Office, but the iLife package of entertainment applications packaged with the iMac G5 is outstanding.
There's iTunes, for managing a music collection; iMovie, which coupled with iDVD allows you to create polished videos from your home movies and turn them into Hollywood-style DVDs; iPhoto, for organizing digital photos; and GarageBand, a musical studio.
John P. Mello Jr. is a freelance writer. He can be reached at jpmello@cox.net.
