| Apple iMac DV+ Reviewed by: Michael Flaminio Review Date 8.21.00 Manufacturer: Apple MSRP: $1299 (US) |
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Upon the iMac's two-year anniversary, Apple's latest iMacs refine upon the original. What once was thought a one hit wonder has turned into an enduring line of computers that continuously evolve to offer new features and increased value.
iMac DV+
The iMac DV+ is a minor upgrade over the iMac DV. The two biggest changes to the machine are most notable on the outside. The iMac DV+ is available in three new colors, a deep red Ruby, a deep blue Indigo and a tinted light green Sage. The other notable change is Apple's new Pro Mouse and Pro Keyboard. Much appreciated by customers, Apple's new input devices offer both style and functionality.
Internally, the iMac DV boosts CPU power to 450 MHz and adds an ample 20 GB hard drive. It also appears that the iMac's internal speakers share the new globe Harmon/Kardon speakers found with the new Power Mac G4 Cube. The iMac DV+ ships with 64 MB of RAM, DVD, FireWire, USB, VGA video mirroring, and AirPort support. The new iMacs also ship with iMovie 2, an upgrade to Apple's popular video editing package.
Days of Bondi Past
Looking back on the past two years, the new iMacs have come a long way. The new Mac DV systems are smaller, lighter and have new features and improvements. One welcome improvement is the iMac's ease of upgrading. The original iMacs required a tedious process of pulling the guts of the computer out to upgrade RAM. Since then, the iMac has been redesigned to offer easy access to RAM and AirPort components. Now, customers need only to remove a small plastic cover on the bottom of the machine. The RAM and AirPort slots are so easily accessible that the most difficult part of upgrading the iMac is turning the machine upside down.
Another interesting feature of the newer iMacs is that it has no system fan. Reminiscent of the original Mac, the iMac now not only boast visual aesthetics, but also audible. The new iMac systems are quieter, and, to the surprise to many in the industry, consumers truly appreciate its reduced operating noise.
Two other recent features of the iMac include a slot-loading DVD-ROM drive and wireless AirPort support. The slot-loading CD bay adds to the iMacs aesthetics and functionality, as the drive eliminates the need to load CDs into a tray, plus frees up some space in front of the computer. Since its introduction, Apple systematically introduced AirPort into all of its computers. With the $100 upgrade, Airport allows computers to connect to the Internet and each other wirelessly. For iMacs, AirPort allows users to place their computer wherever they wish, regardless of availability of Ethernet or telephone connections. AirPort also easily allows Macs to connect together, for example and iBook and iMac can easily connect to share information.
The FireWire Connection
One of the coolest additions to the iMac line is FireWire with iMovie 2. All digital
camcorders are now shipping with FireWire interfaces. Between the higher end MiniDV
and lower end Digital 8 cameras, more and more consumers and going digital. Apple
is miles ahead of any other computer makers in terms of desktop video. Not only has
Apple created a stable, universal hardware and software implementation for FireWire,
but it now bundles its own quality DV editing package.
The new version of iMovie adds a more "Aqua" interface to the program in addition to some new features. Most notable is the ability to add more media clips to the content bin. The bin can expand as you add more media elements. Also there is a new effects panel that utilized QuickTime's built-in special effects and also better audio support. I've found iMovie 2 to be pretty adequate for most simple editing. If your needs require more features, Apple's Final Cut Pro in addition to Digital Origin's EditDV and Adobe's Premiere offer a wider range of features and abilities.
Ever since Apple first announced FireWire, I've been excited about the technology.
Desktop Video has come a long ways in a very short time for the Mac OS, and the new
iMac DV+ systems continue this legacy. The iMac DV+ ships with two FireWire ports,
ample hard disk space, iMovie 2 and a six-pin to four-pin FireWire cable. In short,
you can be importing DV into your iMac within minutes of plugging it in to the wall.
With the shipping hard drive, customers can store about hour of DV on their iMac.
If more space is needed, an external USB or FireWire hard drive can be added.
Keyboard and Mouse
I can't say I had run across anyone who actually liked Apple's old keyboard/mouse
designs. A few people decided they could live with the input devices, but nearly
all ended up buying new mice and keyboards. The good news is that all of these purchases
created a supply of great USB devices for the Mac. The bad news is that Apple customers
were spending additional cash just to comfortably use their computers.
Apple has finally responded to the now two years of criticism. Apple has shipped
a keyboard that looks and functions wonderfully and a mouse that's adequate and interestingly
designed. The keyboard is a full-sized keyboard with added features such as an CD
eject button and volume control. Noticeably absent is a power button, which has been
a standard on Macs for about a decade. Not only the iMac, but also the G4 Cube and
new Power Mac G4 no longer can powers up, reboot or shuts down via a keyboard button.
Users must push the power button on the machine itself or use the Mac OS menu.
The new Pro Mouse looks nice and is comfortable to use. Unlike the iMac's round mouse,
the Pro Mouse is more conventionally shaped. The Pro Mouse is also an optical mouse
and is far superior to traditional ball mice. Being optical means that the mouse
is more accurate and doesn't require cleaning or maintenance. Finally, the mouse
does not have a button, but rather a spring-like ring around the bottom. When pressure
is applied to the mouse, the ring clicks, replacing the usual button click. On the
bottom, the user can adjust the sensitivity of the click using a ring setting. Also,
Apple placed finger grips on the sides that will hold the click if the mouse is lifted.
This counteracts the fact that when you lift the mouse off of a surface, the spring
ring would reset, causing you drop whatever you were dragging. While the mouse is
an enormous improvement over the old round mouse, it still lacks a second button
and scroll wheel.
Bottom Line
Over all, the iMac DV+ is a great computer. It's cool, feature rich and packs a punch.
It's more than capable of working on the Internet, desktop publishing, graphic design
or video editing. My only real complaint is its 64 MB of RAM, which is just barely
adequate. If it shipped with 96 MB, for example, it would make the out-of-box experience
a bit better.
The iMac has been consistently criticized for its prices, and the DV+ stands strong
at the iMac's original price of $1299. Instead of stressing price, Apple has focused
on value, and the strategy has so far worked as the computer has been evaluated on
more price alone. Still, the iMac is priced well against the competition. On the
PC side, I built a very similar 566 MHz Celeron Dell Dimension L system for $1340.
The Dimension L price starts at $899, but quickly climbs as options such as FireWire,
DVD, larger hard drive and speakers are added to match the iMac DV+.
In the end, the iMac DV+ is a good value for anyone looking to buy their first computer
or upgrade an older iMac model.
Pros: Feature packed, cool new colors. Includes new Apple mouse/keyboard and bundled
FireWire cable with iMovie 2
Cons: Skimpy on the RAM
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