Apple iMac Indigo 15 in. (M7669LL/A) Mac Desktop

Okay, I've been a "PC guy" since my parents bought me an IBM-PC in 1983. That's right, it was one of the first ones. It ran DOS 1.1, had one 360-K "double density" drive, a CGA monitor and color card, 128-K of RAM and an Epson nine-pin dot matrix printer. The thing cost about $4,000 (!), but I thought it was one heck of a computer.

I hated Macs at first, but started to warm up to them gradually. I hated those little black and white screens. I hated the interface as I was lost without my "C:" prompt. I hated those stupid little mice. I was one sad kid, indeed, when the PC world got away from DOS and crammed Windows down our throats, but I adjusted. We got a bunch of iMacs at my office last year, and I became very familiar with them. Unfortunately, the ones we have at our office are those horrible strawberry-colored things, but that's another story.

I have a Windows-based Pentium at home, but I've learned to appreciate the heck out of that little iMac at work for a number of reasons. First of all, the display is just plain sharper. Macs have been known for their wonderful displays for years, but I am very impressed with the one on that iMac. My Pentium, alas, just pales in comparison.

Also, those iMacs are pretty darn quick and handle tasks well. They also tend to be much more reliable than any Windows-based system I've ever used, but that's probably a function of Apple's superior operating system more than anything else. Also, I love the fact that Macs are proprietary and, if you purchase something made for a Mac, you know it will work with your hardware. PC-clones have always had a problem in that field, and one of Apple's strengths is that aggravating problem has been largely eliminated as far as Macs go.

Additionally, the iMac looks pretty darn cool. Now, I know there are some Windows-based systems that try to mimic the iMac, but they just don't cut it, in my opinion. Those PC's look clunky and sloppy compared to the graceful lines of the iMac, I think.

The iMac, of course, is easy to set up and use. I spend much less time "under the hood" trying to "fix" things than I do on my Pentium. Them boys over at Apple is smart!

The iMac, though, does have some things about it I don't much like. That mouse is horrible, and I'm not sure why Apple strayed from their successful design that has proven so popular. I also don't like the fact that iMacs come without floppies. I need a floppy drive, after all, and feel lost without them. The keyboard on the iMac is also a ticky little thing. Sure, there are plenty of full-size, third party keyboards out there that replace those dinky things, but that's an unnecessary expense. Also, the iMacs built-in sound is a bit tinny.

My complaints about the iMac, though, are very small in comparison to this wonderful and functional little machine. When Apple asked us all to change our thinking about personal computers in 1984 with the introduction of the original Macintosh, they wound up starting a revolution. We shouldn't have been surprised as Apple is the company that put together the Apple ][ in the 1970's and turned the computer industry on its ear. Some of that innovation is still present in the new iMac, and it's a welcome addition to Apple's proud history of making computers that truly stand out from the pack. I would, however, avoid the strawberry iMacs. But, then again, the reason to have computers that come in five different flavors is so that we can choose one to suit our individual tastes. You've got to love that.

Update!

I showed up at work one day this week and found a brand new iMac sitting on my desk. This machine is considerably different from the "old" one around the office in a number of ways.

First of all, it's faster. The old one clocked in at 300MHz, while the new one is up to 400 MHz. The older iMac was fast, but programs open quicker and Internet graphics show up quicker on this new one. Yeah! I connect to the Internet at work, by the way, on a T1 line, so the faster the CPU is, the better -- the new system just powers through Java and graphics with ease.

I'm also proud to report that that horrible, pinkish strawberry color isn't on my new iMac -- the new system is ruby red. Now, around the office, we call it Razorback red because this, after all, is Arkansas and we love our Hogs. The deep, cardinal red iMac reminds me of either the Razorbacks or a piece of that Red Hot candy, depending on whether I'm hungry.

The tiny keyboard, bad sound and hockey puck mouse that I hate on the older iMac are now gone. The new one has a full-size keyboard, decent sound and an optical mouse. That mouse doesn't have a clunky little roller ball on the inside that needs constant cleaning -- mice movement is sensed by a beam of light. Also, the mouse has no button -- just press down on the case to click. It's handy and ergonomic.

There's still no floppy drive on the iMac, but that's fine with me. I don't use a floppy at work, anyway, and can e-mail things or drop files on the Internet when I need to transfer things. A floppy can be added to the iMac, of course, by those who want one.

While I loved the performance of the old iMac, I'm glad to see the improvements made in the new ones. I'm sure there are some features on mine at work, such as the DVD drive, that I will never use, but it's nice to have them there.