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Macintoshes are the original modern computers. They've been around longer than Windows PCs.
  technofile
Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

Why I recommend an iMac to most computer buyers


May 13, 2001


By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2001, Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2001, The Syracuse Newspapers

   I'm often asked what kind of PC I recommend. Do I prefer Dell? Or maybe Gateway? What about Compaq?
   My answer in most cases is none of the above. In fact, I usually don't recommend a PC at all.
   I recommend an iMac. I don't recommend a Windows PC to anyone except power users -- people who already know what they're getting into, people who are willing to put up with a lot of trouble just to get a little excitement.
   For people who just want to get things done on a computer, I recommend an iMac. You might already know what an iMac is, but I'll bet most Windows users have no idea such a computer exists. Take a look at what an iMac offers:
  • Complete freedom from Windows crashes.
  • Total immunity from Windows viruses.
  • The ability to run Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer and Outlook Express, the three most popular software programs on the planet. (This means you'll be able to run Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point, too.)
  • Low purchase price and inexpensive maintenance. An iMac costs only $899 including a color monitor. It's one of the most reliable computers sold and costs very little to maintain over the lifetime of a typical home computer.
  • Easy program handling. If you want to uninstall a program, you drag its folder to the trash. That's all you do. (Try that on a Windows PC and you mess up more than you could imagine.)
   This sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? But the iMac is real. You can buy one today or tomorrow. It's sold at stores in most major areas of the country and can be purchased over the Internet, too. (Locally, Applied Technical Systems is the largest iMac store.)
   Still having a hard time placing the iMac? Let me help.
   The iMac is a Macintosh, made by Apple Computer Corp. It's one of many different Mac computers, and in fact the iMac itself comes in various models. (iMacs with extra memory cost more than basic ones, for example.)
   Macintoshes are the original modern computers. They've been around longer than Windows PCs, in fact. Macs work a lot like Windows computers in some ways, but they're different in some very big ways. Macs have a much more stable operating system, for example. (The operating system is the program that runs the computer.) Another difference: Many of the parts that make up a Mac are built differently. Some of the components are the same, but the general design is quite a bit different.
   This means Macs are not PCs. Yes, Macs are used by persons and they're computers, and so that makes them "personal computers." But they are not PCs. A PC is a computer based on the design of IBM's original Personal Computer of 1981. Fans of the Mac often refer to Windows PCs as "IBM PCs" or just as "IBMs." (Of course, only a small percentage of Windows PCs actually are made by IBM.)
   An iMac is a self-contained Macintosh. The computer is built into the color monitor's case. You can carry an iMac around by putting the mouse in your pocket and toting the computer in one hand and the keyboard in the other. iMacs connect easily to other computers and to the Internet, too. Hooking up two or three iMacs to each other takes about 10 minutes. Unlike Windows PCs, Macintoshes have had a simple networking system built into the operating system for years.
   Because iMacs and all other Macintosh computers use a different operating system from the one Windows PCs use, they have their own software. It's not Windows software. It doesn't work the same way. Macs can't run Windows software and Windows PCs can't run Mac software. (You can make a Mac mimic a Windows PC in some ways, but I don't recommend doing that.)
   The fact that Macs use different software is both good news and bad news -- good news because Windows software is notorious for crashing and locking up, and bad news because Mac software is harder to find. But Mac owners quickly learn whether any local stores carry Macintosh programs. (In the Syracuse area, Applied Technical Systems and CompUSA both carry Mac software, and a few other stores do, too). And finding Macintosh programs on the Internet, through Web-based discounters, is an easy matter.
   If you have a Mac you can get Mac versions of many of the programs Windows users are familiar with. Such programs include Microsoft Office 2001, along with nearly all the standard Office programs such as Word, Power Point and Excel, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Outlook Express, Netscape Navigator, Eudora e-mail software, Adobe Photoshop and even ACDSee, my all-time favorite image viewer. And there are thousands of programs available only for the Mac, including a vast amount of free software that can be downloaded off the Internet.