Happy 10th birthday iMac
You cannot write the history of personal computers without dedicating a sizable chunk of it to Apple Inc. and its computers. From the innovative Macintosh in 1984 which introduced today's standard Windows-style graphical user interface (GUI) and the...
You cannot write the history of personal computers without dedicating a sizable chunk of it to Apple Inc. and its computers.
From the innovative Macintosh in 1984 which introduced today's standard Windows-style graphical user interface (GUI) and the "mouse" to home users, to the iMac 10 years ago and today's iPhone, Apple have left an indelible mark on the development of personal computers and communication.
In August 1998 Apple shipped the first iMac, the 'i' standing for 'internet', a few years after internet was introduced to homes in the developed world. It marked the return of Steve Jobs, one of the founders of Apple, in a bid to bring the struggling company back on track in terms of innovation and style.
"I was with my brother on Kensington High Street in London soon after the launch. I had never seen the iMac before and we went in to the Mac reseller (can't recall the name) and fell prostrate in front of the podium that the iMac was displayed on, bowing, chanting "we're not worthy, we're not worthy" (like Garth and Wayne in front of Steve Tyler of Aerosmith in the movie Wayne's World)," recalled Mark Lightfoot, director at a graphic design and consulting firm who is an ardent Mac user and a shareholder of Apple Inc.
"It was an amazing experience ... it was unlike any other computer. It had a personality (so did the original Mac) but this was different. It wasn't beige. This thing was so desirable."
Adrian Micallef, brand manager at SG Solutions Ltd, the local representatives of Apple, had two instant reactions to the first iMac. "The first one was 'Wow! That is what I call a concept computer'. The second one was 'Where the hell is the floppy drive?'"
Indeed the iMac did not have an in-built floppy drive at a time when flash/pen drives were not available as they are today. But the shape, the vibrant colours and the ease of use made up for it.
It also pushed the industry to make more USB-enabled peripherals for computers, including PCs running Microsoft Windows, since the iMac was the first Mac with a USB port. iMac users could buy a lot of peripherals such as webcams, scanners, storage devices and mice intended for the PC since USB is compatible with both types of computers. Apple has made a crucial step towards bridging with the alien PC world running on Microsoft Windows and Intel chips.
But did the iMac obtain the same success in Malta as abroad over these 10 years?
"I must say it did," said Mr Micallef. "Our customers reacted very well to the iMac. Mainly it was the new look and the way they were looking at filling up their desks. The design struck the eyes as it was a very neat computer to own and in a way changed a bit the perception of Apple."
Four versions of iMac have been released over the years. The first iMac with the Bondi Blue and other nice colours, officially known as the G3, had a 233 MHz processor and up to 256 megabytes of RAM. The next version, the G4, was introduced in 2002 with an LCD screen and came with a 700-800 MHz processor and up to 1 GB of RAM. The next version, the G5, was launched in 2004 and had the innovative shape of an LCD screen that hid the computing parts at the back, thus saving on space. This is very similar to the current version in terms of shape. It had a 1.6-1.8 MHz processor and up to 2 GB of RAM. Other variants were introduced along the years, including the cheaper eMac for educational purposes.
In 2006 Apple switched from IBM to Intel processors, and as a result the iMac could load Microsoft Windows and other software used on PCs. This created waves in the computing industry.
"At first there was a general negative impact about Intel in Macs," admitted Mr Micallef. "Once people laid their hands on it and had seen the potential of the new specifications, things changed a bit. In fact the facility to have your Mac boot in Windows was a selling point initially but today (although it's still a very good feature) it's not considered to be a selling point any longer.
"Once people see the Apple's OS X they will soon dump the Windows operating system and most of the time never turn back."
Mr Lightfoot has used every single model of Macintosh and Apple computer. He is the proud owner of the original Apple Macintosh 128k that was released in 1984, the one made famous by the Orwellian commercial that attacked computers which ran on the "Big Brother"IBM MS-DOS system.
"Every year and every kind of Mac has something special. The current version is an exceptional machine - I'd buy one (not that I need one I have over eight Macs at home already). I can honestly say that there is nothing wrong with it. A negative aspect? Can't think of one!"
For the past 13 years Robert Caruana, a website and graphic designer, has been using both iMacs and PCs, so he is in a very good position to compare the two rivals in the home computing market.
"Both systems made a large improvement in both operating systems and hardware architecture, but incompatibility between them is still a major issue. The most boring part of it all is that sometimes I have to redo artworks in different formats or using different software to make them compatible with both Mac and PC. Not to mention fonts which are a nightmare. On the other hand, in certain cases by using PDF file format, one can bypass this problem and this format can easily be modified on both platforms."
The PC seems to have caught up with the iMac in the printing industry and when it comes to website design and development it seems PCs are much better to work with since they are much more conversant with Microsoft packages.
"I love iMac for their nice, neat screen which has always been a step ahead of PC monitors which fall in the same category. It is neat by design, as if it is wireless both from the outside and inside. As regards the graphical user interface, iMac is fun to work with. It is easier to use and install hardware and applications on it.
The keyboard has always been nice and comfortable but I never got used to one-button mouse, until the last model which has a three-button mouse," admits Mr Caruana.
http://www.apple-history.com
i-tech@timesofmala.com
From the innovative Macintosh in 1984 which introduced today's standard Windows-style graphical user interface (GUI) and the "mouse" to home users, to the iMac 10 years ago and today's iPhone, Apple have left an indelible mark on the development of personal computers and communication.
In August 1998 Apple shipped the first iMac, the 'i' standing for 'internet', a few years after internet was introduced to homes in the developed world. It marked the return of Steve Jobs, one of the founders of Apple, in a bid to bring the struggling company back on track in terms of innovation and style.
"I was with my brother on Kensington High Street in London soon after the launch. I had never seen the iMac before and we went in to the Mac reseller (can't recall the name) and fell prostrate in front of the podium that the iMac was displayed on, bowing, chanting "we're not worthy, we're not worthy" (like Garth and Wayne in front of Steve Tyler of Aerosmith in the movie Wayne's World)," recalled Mark Lightfoot, director at a graphic design and consulting firm who is an ardent Mac user and a shareholder of Apple Inc.
"It was an amazing experience ... it was unlike any other computer. It had a personality (so did the original Mac) but this was different. It wasn't beige. This thing was so desirable."
Adrian Micallef, brand manager at SG Solutions Ltd, the local representatives of Apple, had two instant reactions to the first iMac. "The first one was 'Wow! That is what I call a concept computer'. The second one was 'Where the hell is the floppy drive?'"
Indeed the iMac did not have an in-built floppy drive at a time when flash/pen drives were not available as they are today. But the shape, the vibrant colours and the ease of use made up for it.
It also pushed the industry to make more USB-enabled peripherals for computers, including PCs running Microsoft Windows, since the iMac was the first Mac with a USB port. iMac users could buy a lot of peripherals such as webcams, scanners, storage devices and mice intended for the PC since USB is compatible with both types of computers. Apple has made a crucial step towards bridging with the alien PC world running on Microsoft Windows and Intel chips.
But did the iMac obtain the same success in Malta as abroad over these 10 years?
"I must say it did," said Mr Micallef. "Our customers reacted very well to the iMac. Mainly it was the new look and the way they were looking at filling up their desks. The design struck the eyes as it was a very neat computer to own and in a way changed a bit the perception of Apple."
Four versions of iMac have been released over the years. The first iMac with the Bondi Blue and other nice colours, officially known as the G3, had a 233 MHz processor and up to 256 megabytes of RAM. The next version, the G4, was introduced in 2002 with an LCD screen and came with a 700-800 MHz processor and up to 1 GB of RAM. The next version, the G5, was launched in 2004 and had the innovative shape of an LCD screen that hid the computing parts at the back, thus saving on space. This is very similar to the current version in terms of shape. It had a 1.6-1.8 MHz processor and up to 2 GB of RAM. Other variants were introduced along the years, including the cheaper eMac for educational purposes.
In 2006 Apple switched from IBM to Intel processors, and as a result the iMac could load Microsoft Windows and other software used on PCs. This created waves in the computing industry.
"At first there was a general negative impact about Intel in Macs," admitted Mr Micallef. "Once people laid their hands on it and had seen the potential of the new specifications, things changed a bit. In fact the facility to have your Mac boot in Windows was a selling point initially but today (although it's still a very good feature) it's not considered to be a selling point any longer.
"Once people see the Apple's OS X they will soon dump the Windows operating system and most of the time never turn back."
Mr Lightfoot has used every single model of Macintosh and Apple computer. He is the proud owner of the original Apple Macintosh 128k that was released in 1984, the one made famous by the Orwellian commercial that attacked computers which ran on the "Big Brother"IBM MS-DOS system.
"Every year and every kind of Mac has something special. The current version is an exceptional machine - I'd buy one (not that I need one I have over eight Macs at home already). I can honestly say that there is nothing wrong with it. A negative aspect? Can't think of one!"
For the past 13 years Robert Caruana, a website and graphic designer, has been using both iMacs and PCs, so he is in a very good position to compare the two rivals in the home computing market.
"Both systems made a large improvement in both operating systems and hardware architecture, but incompatibility between them is still a major issue. The most boring part of it all is that sometimes I have to redo artworks in different formats or using different software to make them compatible with both Mac and PC. Not to mention fonts which are a nightmare. On the other hand, in certain cases by using PDF file format, one can bypass this problem and this format can easily be modified on both platforms."
The PC seems to have caught up with the iMac in the printing industry and when it comes to website design and development it seems PCs are much better to work with since they are much more conversant with Microsoft packages.
"I love iMac for their nice, neat screen which has always been a step ahead of PC monitors which fall in the same category. It is neat by design, as if it is wireless both from the outside and inside. As regards the graphical user interface, iMac is fun to work with. It is easier to use and install hardware and applications on it.
The keyboard has always been nice and comfortable but I never got used to one-button mouse, until the last model which has a three-button mouse," admits Mr Caruana.
http://www.apple-history.com
i-tech@timesofmala.com