My Life in Computers, Part Four: The iMac

It's been a while since I did one of these. Clearly I've been a little distracted lately, but never fear, my Mac-owner obsession with my old technology is still going strong.

This is our iMac. Original form, slot loading, second or third generation. When they released these, the the ad campaign was about how cool the colours were and how easy it was to set up and immediately connect to the internet.

Connecting to the internet was the reason we got it. My siblings and I finally convinced our parents that high speed internet was the way to go and a new iMac was required to get us there. Our dad only demanded that we get graphite instead of one of the fun colours, which was reasonable.

There's a lot I could write about with the iMac: My first (and ongoing) battle with my ISP, my confusion about why everyone wanted to "stay connected" through Hi5 or Bebo when we saw each other every day at school anyway, or the time when my brother spilled a can of pop in the keyboard. But, that's not what really sticks out right now about this computer.

Now, I am clearly a big Mac fan. I doubt I'll ever own anything else, but what this iMac has made me think of lately is the fact that while Apple sets technology trends and are definitely ahead of the curve, if you're looking to be a Mac user, wait a couple of generations before getting the product. My iMac is awesome, the generation before it, not so much. It was loud, had a traditional CD drive, and the mouse sucked.

Apple gets big ideas, runs with them and then observes and makes adjustments. Don't get me wrong, it clearly works for them. I mean, they're way ahead in the tablet market with the iPad and like with the iPod, I think it's too late for anyone to catch them. But, like the changes Apple made to the iMac brand, the second iPad has made vast improvements over the first version and it's only going to get better from here.

With Apple, waiting pays off. My iMac still works and I don't think that will change anytime soon.