The iMac and eMac Channel

I Want iMacTV

Low End Mac Reader Specials

Memory To Go Special: MacPro 8 Core 8GB kit $232 / 4GB kit $116 / 2GB kit $72. New Macbook 2GB DDR3-$65. HARD DRIVES available -- Free shipping / LIfetime warranty.

Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com

LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, Apple Batteries and Apple A/C Adapters. Also Great prices on Used Apple Computers. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.

Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.

17 September 1998 - Dan Knight

It was the first "gotta have it for looks alone" Macintosh since the first Mac shipped in 1984: Mac TV.

If you've ever seen a 500-series Macintosh (mostly found in schools), you know the shape. But unlike any desktop Mac before or since, it was black. The case, the keyboard, the mouse, the remote control - all black.

A computer even Disaster Area could love!

Alas, it didn't live up to its looks. The 32 MHz 68030 sounded fast, but sat on a 16-bit data bus, which made it slower than the 25 MHz LC 520. It had 16-bit video, but only for TV - Mac software ran in 8-bit mode. Lack of an FPU wasn't a big deal, but there was no expansion slot. Worse, maximum memory was 8 MB.

What's Mac TV got to do with the iMac?

Today Apple has its third Mac with killer looks, the iMac. But we're living in a very different era. TV cards aren't that uncommon. Computers are starting to ship with DVD drives. Graphics are 24-bit whenever possible.

And there's only one standout computer in the looks department: iMac.

Last week I proposed Apple create a monitor free iMac (see A compact iMac?) as an upgrade machine for current Mac and Windows users.

This week I'm proposing iMacTV, a family information appliance.

What is iMacTV?

Take the basic compact iMac concept, which should fit comfortably atop your TV set. Add video circuitry to drive today's analog and tomorrow's digital TVs in addition to the traditional computer monitor. With a 56k modem and ethernet for faster connections (ADSL or cable modems), you've just taken on WebTV.

Create an infrared keyboard with a trackpad so you can control iMacTV from across the room. Leave room for a few extra buttons, which we'll get to in a moment.

At this point, you've just got WebTV with the Mac OS. Cool, but not killer.

Then pull the CD-ROM player and drop in DVD, along with a DVD decoder in the mezzanine slot. With a few extra buttons on the keyboard, you can compute, surf the internet, or watch DVD movies.

Since the only consumer electronics that seems hotter than the iMac today is the DVD player, the combination would provide a great computer, a great game machine, and a great way to watch digitally recorded movies.

If Apple could package this for $999, every Mac using videophile would crave it - and a lot of Wintel users would probably lust after it as well. Those who don't already own a computer would see this as a way to get a computer, a game machine, and a DVD player in one package.

It could be the first Mac successfully positioned in the consumer electronics field, not just the computing realm.

I want iMacTV! LEM

Further reading

Recent Content on Low End Mac

Latest Deals on Low End Mac

Go to the iMac channel home page.


Have a question?
Ask an expert!

Navigation

Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Best Used Macs
Video Cards
Email Lists
InfoMac's Low
End Mac Forum

Favorite Sites

MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
   Museum

DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
   Mac FAQ

Abandonware
   Petition

Mac vs. PC Info

Affiliates

The Apple Store
Mac Connection
MacMall
TechRestore
MacResQ
ExperCom
Crucial Memory
batteries.com

Advertise

Open Link