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Lost in Cyberspace

iMac sites help build suspense

This article was originally published on July 21, 1998 by SignOn San Diego and Copley News Service.

Before the new iMac home computer from Apple is even available (it's scheduled for release Aug. 15), eager would-be owners have been busy making it the most talked-about new computer in years. Like the new Volkswagen Beetle (which it physically resembles), the iMac has created a stir before ever hitting the street.

Whether one is a Mac fan or not, or even a prospective Mac owner, most of us are curious about the new machine. A holdover from the early days of personal computers, the Apple Macintosh is the last PC that still melds hardware and operating system into a distinct system. (The dominant Windows platform is hardware independent; thus the term "clone" and complete lack of personality in those computers.)

Reader feedback
I enjoyed reading your on-line article, "iMac sites help build suspense." I would just like to add that there are at least two sites that I found are very good for iMac information:

1. Macworld's Imacworld web site
2. O'Grady's NoBeige web site

These are among the two largest, most consistently updated sites that I have found.

MARK UNNO

So where to learn about the new, low-priced but still powerful Mac causing all the fuss? The obvious is also one of the most informative: Apple's official iMac site is at http://www.apple.com, then click on the iMac link off the main page. There you can view a Quicktime video promoting the iMac, download Quicktime VR 360-degree images, link to hardware vendors supporting iMac (makers of Universal Serial Bus printers, scanners and joysticks), and get a complete list of technical specifications on the iMac.

Of the independent iMac sites, applelinks.com was the most informative. While it had no dedicated iMac area, applelinks.com still had a lot of iMac news and features as part of its general Apple coverage. You will find info on new software, plus upgrades and patches; a Mac news roundup from the Web (updated every 15 minutes); product reviews; and interesting links, such as to a Macintosh Webcast talk show, the MacTalk Show, and a growing list of iMac-oriented Web sites.

Another independent site, MacCentral. does have a special iMac area set up. This site is updated daily, so there will be more info than when we stopped by in mid-July. Among the links were dealers pre-selling the iMac to the impatient.

iMac2Day has some good links to the latest iMac news on other sites, plus its own message boards and a list of peripherals already announced for the iMac. There's also an online contest where you can win a bunch of iMac-related products, including the grand prize of a brand new iMac itself. Many of the pages on this site were still under construction, though.

iMac iNfo is part of a loosely affiliated group of sites in an iMac ring (including the above iMac2Day, which didn't list the ring on its site – thus the term "loosely"); only four sites total so far, but that is sure to increase. There was also an online survey and the usual news links.

For the latest, often-unconfirmed rumors on the iMac, check out MacInTouch . The day we visited, MacInTouch was reporting that Apple was planning a no-returns policy on iMacs – unless they were completely dead.

And the most comprehensive set of links and news sources we found belonged to the MacTimes special iMac site: The iMac Channel. This may be an even better starting point than the official Apple site.

Finally, getting back to the VW Beetle-iMac comparison, anyone with an ounce of humor in their bones really should check out Jeremy Wilker's parody of Volkswagen's JettaTrek promotion: BeetleMac..