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The iMac is the first complete machine that is the result
of the "2nd Coming of Jobs" era. Its unique all-in-one futuristic
design, speedy processor, low price and excellent marketing
has propelled it to become one of the best selling computers
of its time. The revision C version of the iMac was released
at the January 1999 Macworld in San Francisco, a short 6 months
after the initial release of the original iMac. As of the
release of version C, Apple has sold over 800,000 units of
previous iMac versions. According to Apple 40% of purchasers
have been first time computer purchasers and Wintel converts.
Sales of the iMac are in large part responsible for the growth
of Macintosh market share at this time.
The revision C iMac has a few modest technological improvements
over the previous revision. There is a small processor performance
boost (from 233Mhz to 266Mhz), a larger hard drive (6GB instead
of 4) and the machine come with OS 8.5.1 installed which fixes
some bugs in the original release of 8.5. The biggest change
with revision C is in its looks. The iMac now comes in 5 Lifesaver
colors; strawberry, lime, tangerine, grape and blueberry.
In addition Apple dropped the price on the revision C iMacs
8% from the price for the previous version (see sidebar for
feature comparison among revision releases).
Apple is showing that it has really got on the ball again
in marketing and generating interest in its products. The
changes to the C version are really rather modest in terms
of technology, but when combined with the cosmetic changes,
the C versions have made quite a big splash. Apple's efforts
show just the type of care and nurturing of its product line
that had been woefully missing in previous years.
Revision C Software Bundle
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Major Technological Changes
| iMac A
G3/233Mhz
ATI Rage IIc
Graphics Controller
2MB VRAM
OS 8.1
4GB Hard Drive
Mezzanine Slot
Infrared Port
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iMac B
G3/233Mhz
ATI RAGE PRO TURBO
accelerated 2D/3D
graphics controller
6MB VRAM
OS 8.5
4GB Hard Drive
Mezzanine Slot
Infrared Port
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iMac C
G3/266Mhz
ATI RAGE PRO TURBO
accelerated 2D/3D
graphics controller
6MB VRAM
OS 8.5.1
6GB Hard Drive
Mezzanine Slot -removed
Infrared Port - removed
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- AppleWorks 5
- FaxSTF from STF Technologies
- Quicken Deluxe '98 from Intuit
- MetaCreation's Kai's Photo Soap
- EdView Internet Safety Kit, Family Edition
- World Book Macintosh Edition
- Pangea Software's Nanosaur
- Williams & Sonoma Guide to Good Cooking from Broderbund
- Microsoft's Internet Explorer & Outlook Express
- 4.01 Earthlink's, Total Access 2.01
- Adobe Pagemill v3.0 (Web Site Builder Software)
As with previous iMacs there is no floppy drive
or high-speed SCSI port for connecting external drives. Instead
the iMac comes with two, 12Mbps hot-pluggable USB ports and
built in high speed 100BASE-T Ethernet. Also included is an
internal 56Kbps modem. The iMac has a built-in handle on the
back for easy transportation.
Geared for the consumer , school and business market the
machine is capable of very little upgradability and is more
appropriate for general computer use - it is not the kind
of heavy duty machine required by graphics or publishing professionals.
The machine comes with a substantial software bundle (see
sidebar).
MacBench 5.0 Scores
MacBench Scores are relative to the Pre-Yosemite G3/300
Power Mac which is assigned a score of 1000. Longer bars are
better. Click here for more
information on MacBench 5.0
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For Great Prices On Upgrades 
