Apple iMac2

The appearance of the first iMac in 1998 was a revelation to the computer industry. It revitalised Apple and proved to other manufacturers that computers needn't be dull beige boxes. This new angle-poise lamp version picks up where the last iMac left off.

The set up is pretty straightforward, taking a mere 10 minutes from box to productivity, but the plain frosted-white dome gives little away about what beats inside.

Powered by a 800MHz Power PC G4 processor, its supplied 256Mb of SDRam is expandable to 1Gb, while a 60Gb hard disk provides ample storage. It is also available with a 700MHz processor, 128Mb of memory and a 40Gb hard disk. Graphics are supplied by an Nvidia Geforce2 MX processor married to 32Mb of DDR memory.

The 15in TFT screen has a bright, crisp image at its native resolution of 1,024 x 768 and the flat panel's angle and position can be manoeuvred by pivoting it on the armature. However, its size could be problematic.

Macs are the weapon of choice for designers, film editors and other media types, all of whom may prefer a larger screen.

Besides the chrome Apple logo, the only discernible feature on the front is the optical drive. But, although it is the only means of removable storage, the fact that it's a Superdrive DVD-R/CD-RW combo makes up for this.

At the rear of the dome lie all the essential sockets, as well as two FireWire, one Ethernet and three USB ports. Awkwardly, this is also where you'll find the power button.

The satellite speakers, while in keeping with the iMac's clean design, look quite insubstantial, but manage to produce a sound quality seldom seen in speakers twice their size, deteriorating only at higher volumes.

When it comes to usability the Mac OS X has a logic and simplicity that soon becomes second nature. If it wasn't for the significantly fewer menu options you'd be forgiven for thinking this was Windows dressed in the cool lozenge-centric trappings of an iMac.

The focus is very much on accessibility, which is not surprising considering that for many Mac users the mouse is more important than the keyboard.

The desktop and menu layout is intuitive, with active and essential applications appearing on a task bar that can be placed at the edge of the screen, putting you a click away from launching the available software.

But where Mac OS X is beaten by Windows XP is in the number of options, tweaks and software. The devil is in the detail, and beyond the preloaded applications there are few elements in OS X for you to play with. While XP is as easily navigable as OS X, it seems to have greater depth.

For an example of usability look no further than OS X's Disc Burner feature. This allows you to drag files onto the CD-RW icon before pressing eject. It dispenses with complex routines and burns the disc before ejecting it.

Listening to and ripping music couldn't be easier using iTunes, sharing many of the same features as Windows Media Player. A couple of mouse clicks allow you to convert tracks to MP3s.

The same could be said of iMovie and Windows Movie Maker, both opting for the drag and drop approach to video editing. Both sport similar interfaces with a main viewing window, palette for clips and timeline.

Besides the multimedia packages, all other productivity is dealt with by Appleworks 6, which is an office product comparable to Microsoft Works.

It's perfectly serviceable, enabling all the standard functions you'd expect, albeit with limited options. However, if you need to use this often you'll wish you had Microsoft Office.

The focus on design results in some compromises, not least the number of available drives and lack of an effective upgrade path. The cost of software can also prove prohibitive compared to its PC equivalents.

Contact: Apple 0800 039 1010
www.apple.com