Apple iMac DV Indigo 15 in. (M7639LL/A) Mac Desktop
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- Form Factor: All-in-one
- Operating System: Apple MacOS 9
- HDD Size: 10 GB
- Installed Memory: 64 MB (SDRAM)
- Display: 15 in.
- Processor: PowerPC G3 400 MHz
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iMac is myMac And I'll Never Go Back!
Pros
Intuitive OS, love the style
Cons
Modem was buggy, insufficient RAM
Recommended it?
Yes
In December of 1999, I decided to replace my sluggish old Packard Bell pentium with a faster, loaded machine. I headed over to Fry's Electronics to look at the options, and was pleased to see tht prices had fallen dramatically since I purchased my first computer.
My best friend came along for the ride. She's a Mac user, and had been trying to convince me to buy an iMac for weeks. Macs seemed more expensive at every turn-- the computers cost more, the peripherals cost more, and the software, when you can even find it, costs more. I never seriously considered an iMac for this reason.
But then I saw it. It wasn't the translucent, candy-colored case or the little round mouse that got me. No, it was the feel of it. As I played with the iMac's control panels, I fell in love with the simplicity and elegance of the operating system. Sensing weakness, my friend moved in for the kill. "It comes in purple you know!" We looked at the iMac and the iMac DV. The DV model had a faster processor, a bigger hard drive, firewire connections, and a built-in DVD player. It came with the movie A Bug's Life on DVD. I didn't think we'd necessarily want to watch many movies on our computer but it seemed like a nice option. It's OK honey, you can watch Terminator again tonight; I'll just go watch Sleepless in Seattle on the iMac!
Buyer's Remorse
I bought it. $1300 on the spot. No research, no price comparisons. The moment we loaded the massive box into the car, I got a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.
None of your software will work on this thing
You won't be able to find any new software
You could have gotten much more computer for this price
Your husband will kill you
Save the receipt
When we got the computer back to my house, my friend eagerly unpacked it and set it up on my desk. She was like a missionary who'd found a convert. My kids looked at our new purple computer as though it were Christmas morning; my husband looked at it as though he'd be sleeping on the sofa. I looked around for the receipt.
Set-Up and First Impressions
True to Apple's promise, the iMac is simple to set up. The steps are a little more complicated than the commercials imply, but not by much.
1. Remove from box
2. Plug keyboard into iMac
3. Plug mouse into keyboard
4. Plug in the power switch
5. Plug in the phone cord
My purple iMac DV started up for the first time with a beautiful chime. We followed the on-screen instructions for setting up the computer. Once AOL was ready to go, I signed on for the first time. Everything was fine until I tried to open a web page. Nothing. Nada. Within seconds, I lost my connection and couldn't get back on. We restarted the computer to no avail. We knew the problem wasn't with our phone line bacuse we could easily sign on with our old PC. The iMac DV did not make a good first impression.
The Fix
My friend (the Missionary) was not very happy that our iMac wasn't working. Since she convinced me to buy it, she wanted me to love it, and spent hours at my house reinstalling the software and trying to figure out what was wrong. We soon discovered that many iMac owners were having trouble with their modems. After a year, I still have trouble connecting to AOL from home. I bought a second iMac for my business though. We have DSL there, and we never have any connection problems at all.
Memory
My iMac DV came with 64MB, but this was woefully inadequate. If you don't immediately upgrade (I went to 128MB) expect instability.
The Mouse
I've heard many complaints about the iMac's little round mouse, but everyone in my family loved it, and adapted easily to its design.
The Keyboard
Apple recently changed the keyboard design, but our iMac DV has the older, compact keyboard. The arrow keys are small and awkward, so I'd say the new design is a big improvement.
Software
It is hard to find software for my Mac sometimes. I do most of my shopping in Sam's Club and Costco, and neither carries much (if any) Mac-specific software. I find tons of software at discount stores like Ross and Marshalls. The upside is that if you're buying this for your kids, most educational software seems to come on CD-ROMs that work on either the Windows or Mac platform.
Speakers
The iMac DV has incredible speakers. My standard iMac at work has tinny, dull sound. The DV model, with its fantastic Harman Kardon speakers, sounds better than my car's stereo.
The Operating System
This is where the iMac truly shines. After using Windows 95 and 98 for years, Mac OS 9 feels like a Rolls Royce. Everything is intuitive; I haven't "misplaced" a file once. My five year old son has his own folder on the desktop, and can install and use his own software with little or no guidance.
The DVD Player
Nope, we never use it. The iMac's 15 inch monitor provides a large, clear picture, but none of us has the patience to sit in a computer chair for 2 hours while we watch a movie.
Peripherals
Since the iMac uses USB ports instead of serial ports now, many peripherals are compatible with both PC's and Macs. I found a fantastic selection of reasonably priced printers and scanners. Having a Mac didn't seem to effect the price at all. I did have some trouble finding compatible digital cameras, and ended up having to buy a special adapter for another $100.
The iMac DV is not without its bugs, but on the whole, it's an easy-to-use, reasonably priced family computer. As I mentioned above, when it came time to buy a new computer at work, I went straight for a blueberry iMac. I didn't buy a second DV, though. I just don't find the DVD player to be a very useful addition to the computer. With Christmas coming up so soon, a basic iMac is one of the best gifts you can give your kids.
My best friend came along for the ride. She's a Mac user, and had been trying to convince me to buy an iMac for weeks. Macs seemed more expensive at every turn-- the computers cost more, the peripherals cost more, and the software, when you can even find it, costs more. I never seriously considered an iMac for this reason.
But then I saw it. It wasn't the translucent, candy-colored case or the little round mouse that got me. No, it was the feel of it. As I played with the iMac's control panels, I fell in love with the simplicity and elegance of the operating system. Sensing weakness, my friend moved in for the kill. "It comes in purple you know!" We looked at the iMac and the iMac DV. The DV model had a faster processor, a bigger hard drive, firewire connections, and a built-in DVD player. It came with the movie A Bug's Life on DVD. I didn't think we'd necessarily want to watch many movies on our computer but it seemed like a nice option. It's OK honey, you can watch Terminator again tonight; I'll just go watch Sleepless in Seattle on the iMac!
Buyer's Remorse
I bought it. $1300 on the spot. No research, no price comparisons. The moment we loaded the massive box into the car, I got a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.
None of your software will work on this thing
You won't be able to find any new software
You could have gotten much more computer for this price
Your husband will kill you
Save the receipt
When we got the computer back to my house, my friend eagerly unpacked it and set it up on my desk. She was like a missionary who'd found a convert. My kids looked at our new purple computer as though it were Christmas morning; my husband looked at it as though he'd be sleeping on the sofa. I looked around for the receipt.
Set-Up and First Impressions
True to Apple's promise, the iMac is simple to set up. The steps are a little more complicated than the commercials imply, but not by much.
1. Remove from box
2. Plug keyboard into iMac
3. Plug mouse into keyboard
4. Plug in the power switch
5. Plug in the phone cord
My purple iMac DV started up for the first time with a beautiful chime. We followed the on-screen instructions for setting up the computer. Once AOL was ready to go, I signed on for the first time. Everything was fine until I tried to open a web page. Nothing. Nada. Within seconds, I lost my connection and couldn't get back on. We restarted the computer to no avail. We knew the problem wasn't with our phone line bacuse we could easily sign on with our old PC. The iMac DV did not make a good first impression.
The Fix
My friend (the Missionary) was not very happy that our iMac wasn't working. Since she convinced me to buy it, she wanted me to love it, and spent hours at my house reinstalling the software and trying to figure out what was wrong. We soon discovered that many iMac owners were having trouble with their modems. After a year, I still have trouble connecting to AOL from home. I bought a second iMac for my business though. We have DSL there, and we never have any connection problems at all.
Memory
My iMac DV came with 64MB, but this was woefully inadequate. If you don't immediately upgrade (I went to 128MB) expect instability.
The Mouse
I've heard many complaints about the iMac's little round mouse, but everyone in my family loved it, and adapted easily to its design.
The Keyboard
Apple recently changed the keyboard design, but our iMac DV has the older, compact keyboard. The arrow keys are small and awkward, so I'd say the new design is a big improvement.
Software
It is hard to find software for my Mac sometimes. I do most of my shopping in Sam's Club and Costco, and neither carries much (if any) Mac-specific software. I find tons of software at discount stores like Ross and Marshalls. The upside is that if you're buying this for your kids, most educational software seems to come on CD-ROMs that work on either the Windows or Mac platform.
Speakers
The iMac DV has incredible speakers. My standard iMac at work has tinny, dull sound. The DV model, with its fantastic Harman Kardon speakers, sounds better than my car's stereo.
The Operating System
This is where the iMac truly shines. After using Windows 95 and 98 for years, Mac OS 9 feels like a Rolls Royce. Everything is intuitive; I haven't "misplaced" a file once. My five year old son has his own folder on the desktop, and can install and use his own software with little or no guidance.
The DVD Player
Nope, we never use it. The iMac's 15 inch monitor provides a large, clear picture, but none of us has the patience to sit in a computer chair for 2 hours while we watch a movie.
Peripherals
Since the iMac uses USB ports instead of serial ports now, many peripherals are compatible with both PC's and Macs. I found a fantastic selection of reasonably priced printers and scanners. Having a Mac didn't seem to effect the price at all. I did have some trouble finding compatible digital cameras, and ended up having to buy a special adapter for another $100.
The iMac DV is not without its bugs, but on the whole, it's an easy-to-use, reasonably priced family computer. As I mentioned above, when it came time to buy a new computer at work, I went straight for a blueberry iMac. I didn't buy a second DV, though. I just don't find the DVD player to be a very useful addition to the computer. With Christmas coming up so soon, a basic iMac is one of the best gifts you can give your kids.
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