Mac Lab Report

The Headless iMac: Once Again Ahead of My Time

- 2005.01.04

I have never seen such a fever of unrepentant rumor-retelling as that surrounding the $500 "headless iMac." Remember, folks, there was just one unsubstantiated rumor - and then another that sounded suspiciously like the first.

Now everyone's yapping about a headless iMac.

Just remember, you read it here first: Low-End Macs: Why Apple Needs a Headless Model for Education and Home Users (2004.04.16).

I really think I started the ball rolling with this one, though: How a Revised Cube Could Save Apple Education (2002.12.05).

Editor's addition: Adkins wasn't the first to call for a headless iMac. I first suggested it in The Tiny iMac (1998.08.05 - ten days before the iMac was first available for sale), and followed that with A Compact iMac? (1998.09.10).

I haven't been alone in calling for a modular consumer Mac. Gene Steinberg (Mac Night Owl) called for such a model in March 2003. "A low-cost, headless iMac may be just the ticket to give Apple credibility in a lot of places. It may even help preserve its educational presence."

Alex Salkever (Business Week Online) has been asking for the same thing (see The iMac Needs to Lose Its Head, 2004.02.11). And there have been numerous others - google "headless iMac" and you can find hundreds of articles for and against the idea.

I once wrote: "Until they can produce a headless iMac for under $600 or so, Windows will own the entry level." If the rumors are true, this will be the first time Apple has offered a Mac at such a price. In fact, the first time they've dropped below US$799 (CD-ROM versions of the G3 iMac).

Last May, I suggested other configurations for a headless consumer Mac in One Size Does Not Fit All: Mac Solutions for the Entry Level (2004.05.05). And these articles are just the tip of the iceberg. We desperately want Apple to make a low-end Mac for the consumer market. We want Apple to grow their installed base.

I also proposed a "media center" iMac, which is what some sites are now calling the "headless iMac," in I Want iMacTV (1998.09.17). Of course, that was before iMovie, iDVD, or even CD-RW drives came standard with any Mac - and long before EyeTV made it possible to record analog video to the iMac's hard drive.

Then again, we're not all agreed here at Low End Mac. Anne Onymus penned Why We'll Never See Another Modular Desktop Design from Apple (2002.12.11):

"Call it pigheaded stubbornness (with apologies to the porcine population), but I think that Apple wants to be perceived in a certain way - and Steve Jobs doesn't see any type of traditional desktop design fitting that image. Profits and stockholders be damned. Apple is never going to pursue the huge market for desktop Macs. It might turn them into a 10% player...."

Then again, Anne was wrong about the flat-panel iMac, too.

Jeff Adkins is a science teacher who isn't afraid to state his preferences in computing platforms. In his classroom he has everything from a beige All-in-One to a a G4 XServe, and they all work together nicely. He calls himself the "poster child for technology integration" in the classroom. He was the 2006 Outstanding Educator of the Year for the California Computer Using Educators (CUE) organization. He also maintains a site for astronomy teachers at www.AstronomyTeacher.com.

Recent Mac Lab Reports

Microsoft Word 2004 vs. iWork Pages 1.0 for writing a book, 2008.01.10. Microsoft Word is great for technical writing, powerful yet slow, while Pages lets you concentrate on just writing, making it great for novels.
iWeb a great tool for quickly creating an attractive website, 2007.09.11. Apple's iWeb software isn't just easy to use, it also integrates nicely with .mac and other programs in the iLife bundle.
Use your Bluetooth phone to control your Mac? Maybe, 2007.02.27. Salling Clicker software turns many Bluetooth phones into remote controls for Bluetooth-equipped Macs.
More in the Mac Lab Report index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Mac IIfx, introduced 1990.03.19. This 'wicked fast' 40 MHz Mac trumped the 33 MHz DOS world.
February 14 in LEM history: 98: A perfect compact Mac - 00: Extended computer warranties worth the cost? - Making your PC work with your Mac - 01: Customize Microsoft Word - 02: Quadra revives a passion for computing - 03: Real world performance - DIY Pismo screen replacement - Best Mac for writing - 03: Fastest browser on the Mac - 06: 15" MacBook Pro - Impressions of a newly acquired Lisa - Finding and using free WiFi - Apple should liberate OS 9 - 07: New Mac mini cheaper than upgrading a Power Mac - 08: Falling in love with OS X
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

Mac Lab Report copyright © 2000-08 by Jeff Adkins. Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2012 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.
Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.

Custom Search

Follow Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac on Facebook

Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct from Strider Software.

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker and Mac Casino applications in minutes.

Affiliates

Amazon.com
The Apple Store
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
GainSaver
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay