If you're going to gamble, be bold. Last week, in announcing the iMac--Apple's new all-in-one computer for the home and education markets--interim Chief Executive Steve Jobs lived that principle.
After ignoring the home market for a couple of years, the Mac is back with a vengeance. The iMac boasts ample power, great features, competitive pricing and a radically new look--curvy, translucent, blue and white.
To my eye, it's far from beautiful, but what matters is this: The iMac is so different from the norm that people will pay attention. And if Apple needs anything these days, it's attention as an innovator.
If the reality matches the promise--something we'll know only after reviewers get their hands on the iMac between now and August, when the product becomes available--I'm likely to buy one for my 10-year-old. (The last computer I got him, the venerable Quadra 605, was also a great deal for its time.)
When Apple releases an interesting new computer, I often compare it with Windows PCs on the basis of price, performance and features. It's hard to place a dollar value on the Mac OS, and identical systems don't exist, of course. But you can come close.
Normally Apple charges a hefty premium--albeit often for superior products. This time I compared the iMac with the closest competitors from Dell (the Dimension XPS D) and Gateway (the GP6-233). Using their online stores, I was able to build models that closely matched the iMac, feature for feature.
Both of the Windows PCs use a 233-megahertz Pentium II processor, which is slower than the 233 MHz G3 in the iMac for most purposes but plenty speedy for all but the most demanding multimedia and graphics applications.
But this time Apple turned the tables on price. The iMac will sell for $1,299, while the Dell goes for $1,779 and the Gateway for $1,592.
So if the iMac is such a great deal, why is it a bold gamble? And how will Apple make money on it? One dreaded word answers both questions: compromises.
Both Windows machines come with 56K modems, expansion slots (for adding specialized graphics or networking cards) and three-year warranties, compared with the iMac's 33.6K modem, zero expansion slots and one-year warranty. And the iMac lacks a floppy drive.
