Second Class Macs & Road Apples

350 MHz iMacs

one

Dan Knight - 2007.10.15

Second Class Macs are Apple's somewhat compromised hardware designs. For the most part, they're not really bad - simply designs that didn't meet their full potential. (On our rating scale, the more brown apples, the worse the hardware.)

When Apple introduced the slot-loading iMacs in October 1999, it was the first time the iMac sold in multiple speeds. To keep the cost down (it sold for only US$999), the blueberry 350 MHz entry-level iMac was slower than its 400 MHz siblings, had a CD-ROM drive instead of a DVD-ROM drive, and didn't have the FireWire port that was standard on the faster models.

In July 2000, Apple refreshed the iMac line with new colors and more options. The fastest model ran at 500 MHz, and the slowest was the indigo 350 MHz iMac, but it now retailed for an even lower price - US$799. (It was the least costly Mac until the Mac mini shipped.)

The 350 MHz iMacs aren't bad computers, and they offered a lot of value. For many users, they still do today. They are supported through Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" and can handle 1 GB of RAM. They handle drives up to 128 GB without the need for special third-party drivers. And the ATI Rage 128 graphics with 8 MB of video memory is competent, albeit dated.

So why do we label the 350 MHz iMacs Road Apples? Because Apple left out one very important feature that made these two models incompatible with iPods and FireWire Target Disk Mode: They don't have FireWire, a feature that would not have impacted price, as the motherboard was already designed for it. It was a marketing decision pure and simple, leaving these machines with no high speed interface for backup.

A second reason to recommend against these is that more and more software is shipping on DVD-ROM these days, and these came with CD-ROM drives as a cost-saving measure. (We're not arguing that it didn't make sense at the time, nor was this a factor in awarding the 350 MHz iMacs the Road Apple label.)

As was often the case, there was really just one factor that argues against picking up a 350 MHz iMac. Of course, if you don't need FireWire and are content with a CD-ROM drive, these are very affordable iMacs than handle Mac OS X 10.3 quite nicely.

Details

CPU: 350 MHz PPC 750
bus: 100 MHz
performance: 11.5, BYTEmark
RAM: 64 MB, expandable to 1 GB using two PC100 SDRAM (3.3 V, 64-bit, 168-pin, 100 MHz)
VRAM: 8 MB SGRAM
Video: supports resolutions of 640 x 480, 800 x 600, and 1024 x 768 using ATI RAGE 128 chip set and 2X AGP
monitor: 15" (13.8" viewable) multiscan to 1024 x 768
L2 cache: 512 KB 140 MHz (5:2) backside cache
hard drive: 6 GB or 7 GB EIDE drive
CD-ROM: 24x maximum throughput
SCSI: none
PCI slots: none
USB: 2 separate USB 1.1 ports and controllers
FireWire 400: none
modem: built-in v.90 56k modem
ethernet: 10/100Base-T
Microphone: internal
power: 150W
PRAM battery: 3.6V half-AA
height: 15.0 in/38.1 cm
width: 15.0 in/38.1 cm
depth: 17.1 in/43.5 cm
weight: 34.7 lb/15.8 kg
family numbers: M5521

Join us on Facebook!

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.
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

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