What is so good about the new Apple iMac computers

Asks Justine

A. The new Apple iMac's have been in the press since the beginning of 2002 as they look completely different from their previous models - they are all-in-one computers with flat panel LCD screens that pivot in a similar way to an angle-poise lamp (so you can have it at any height and distance from your face) and sit on top of an oval pod. The oval pod contains a circular logic board that fills the entire diameter of the base, a 3.5 inch hard disk drive and a pop-out drive for burning and playing CDs and DVDs (depending on the model you buy). Each machine incorporates a G4 processor with NVIDIA graphics, with Mac OS X as standard.

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Apart from looking completely different to other computers, these machines have been promoted by Apple as "the ultimate hub for your digital lifestyle" which actually means that Mac OS X incorporates lots of digital programmes as standard, alongside more traditional Apple Works word processing and spread sheet programmes.

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These digital programmes include iTunes - which allows you to manage your music library, burn your own CDs and download tracks to an MP3 player - designed to work with Apple's iPod especially; iPhoto which allows you to connect and download photos from a digital camera and set up a photo library on your hard drive; iMovie which allows connections to a DV camcorder so that you can make home movies; and iDVD (not available on all models) makes burning your own DVD movies and photos onto a DVD disk a reality.

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Each new iMac also comes with the following software as standard: QuickTime, Mail, Microsoft Internet Explorer, EarthLink, AOL, Quicken 2002 Deluxe, World Book Mac OS X Edition, Otto Matic, Mac OS X Chess, PCalc, Acrobat Reader, and FAXstf 10.0 Preview.

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Q. How many versions does the new iMac come in

A. It is available in three versions: the 800MHz iMac with SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW); the 700MHz iMac with Combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) and the 700MHz iMac with a CD-RW drive.

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Q. What is the difference between the three versions available

A. All three machines come equipped with the 15" flat panel screen, a G4 processor with velocity engine (the SuperDrive model is powered by 800MHz and the other two by 700MHz), Mac OS X, 100MHz system bus; 128MB (or 256MB on the SuperDrive) of SDRAM expandable to 1GB; 40GB (or 60GB on the SuperDrive Ultra ATA hard disk drive; three flicker-free screen resolutions: 640 by 480 pixels, 800 by 600 pixels, and 1024 by 768 pixels (optimum resolution); built-in 56K V.90 fax modem (RJ-11 connector); built-in 10/100BASE-T Ethernet (RJ-45 connector); built-in antennas and card slot for optional 11-Mbps AirPort Card; two 400-Mbps FireWire (IEEE 1394) ports; three USB 1.1 ports (shared on two 12-Mbps controllers); two USB 1.1 ports on the keyboard All machines are IEEE 802.11b compliant.

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All models also include Apple Pro Keyboard; Apple Pro Mouse; modem cable; Apple Hardware Test CD; complete set-up, learning, and reference documentation. A back-up copy of all the software listed above is also provided on CD-ROM.

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In addition to choosing from Apple's preconfigured systems, you can order your new iMac with factory-installed options such as more RAM, AirPort wireless networking, and Apple Pro Speakers (for the CD-RW-equipped iMac). More information on these add-on facilities is available online from www.apple.com/store.

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Other than the differences highlighted in brackets above on the SuperDrive model, the main difference in all three machines is its type of optical drive it houses.

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The 800MHz iMac with SuperDrive comes with a combination DVD-R/CD-RW optical drive which means that it writes DVD-R discs at 2x speed; it reads DVDs at 6x speed; writes CD-R discs at 8x speed; writes CD-RW discs at 4x speed; and reads CDs at 24x speed. It also comes with support for FireWire and USB storage as standard.

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The 700MHz iMac with DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo drive reads DVDs at 8x speed; writes CD-R discs at 12x speed; writes CD-RW discs at 8x speed; and reads CDs at 32x speed.

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The 700MHz iMac with a CD-RW drive writes CD-R discs at 24x speed; writes CD-RW discs at 10x speed and reads CDs at 32x speed.

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Q. What is a superdrive

A. The SuperDrive is only available on the 800MHz model and is worth the extra money it costs if you want to burn your own DVDs (films, photos etc.) - which play in most DVD players and watch DVD movies (a function also available on the 700MHz Combo drive iMac).

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Q. What is the difference between CD-R and CD-RW media

A. CD-Recordable (CD-R) means its format is write-once, read-multiple. CD-Rewritable (CD-RW) discs can be erased and reused over and over again.

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By Karen Anderson