Apple iMac Special Edition Blue Dalmatian 15 in. (M7675LL/B) Mac Desktop

After years of suffering through Windows operating systems, I was interested in trying Apple's MacIntosh OS X. After a brief trial at a local dealer, it became apparent to me that this was a SUPERIOR system of unsurpassed stability and with a great interface. To use it required that I replace my Windows machine, and given the price of Apple computers, an iMac was my only alternative.

The concept of an all-in-one computer never really appealed to me because the display could not be upgraded or replaced if it failed (at least not quickly or cheaply) and the upgradability of components like video cards was limited. I decided to risk it when I found a good price at smalldog.com. The service from this online retailer was exemplary.

The iMac arrived in a big box and assembled quickly and easily. Upon booting into OS X, I was online in minutes, the whole process taking less than 1/2 hour. The computer came with CD's to upgrade both the OS X operating system as well as the "legacy" OS 9 that is included to run older applications. It will also automatically update when online with a built in utility.

The merits os OS X really belong in a separate review; suffice it to say that it is the most uncrashable, user friendly operating system that I've used (including four versions of Windows and IBM's ill-fated OS 2 Warp).

While this iMac has a smaller display than I was used to by a couple of inches, I do not miss the larger one as the clarity of this screen is superior. In operation, there are no fans and the hard drive is virtually inaudible; contrast this to Wintel towers and minitowers that are always whirring, clicking and making noise. This alone is a great feature. My Wintel machines have been IBM and Hewlett-Packard, not budget models.

The convenience of the USB connections is great and the OS has no trouble with plugging peripherals in and out; no rebooting, nothing! I was able to find drivers for my Lexmark printer and Agfa scanner online and a card reader for my digital camera that all work well with OS X.

The CD Rewrite drive is quick; however, since there is only one CD drive, one has to write the desired information onto the hard drive to copy CD's. This is a little less convenient but is reliable and allows some editing with the marvellous "iTunes" software that is included. Another piece of desirable software that is available free is "iPhoto," which makes saving, editing and organizing digital pics from a camera quick and easy. A good suite of applications (word processor that will convert Windows Word documents) is included.

The computer with it's G3 Motorola processor and 256MB of Ram (upgradable to 1 Gig!) is quick and snappy to use. The Internet Explorer 5.1 for Mac is the best version of the browser that I've used.

The included keyboard is high quality and has larger than average keys. The mouse is an optical device that doesn't really require a pad and is very smooth and precise in operation. The iMac's built in Harman Kardon Odessey speakers are very small and lack bass response, but when coupled with an "iSub," provide a very pleasant sounding audio.

The only regret that I have is purchasing this a couple of months before the release of the new iMac's with thier LCD display and G4 processors. But the older models are now available at substantial discount and make a good value.