Adino Online

As I mentioned in my previous post, I just got my brand new Apple iMac 20″ 2.66 GHz on Saturday.

It cost me RM5,299, which according to Google is US$1624.

I carried the box quickly to the car park, and headed for home. On the way to the lifts, I could see many people staring at my iMac box. I think most of them didn’t know what it was (probably thought it was a TV or a monitor).

Some gave me an envious look. Now I got a taste of what it feels like to drive a BMW.

So I arrived home and put the box near my computer table. Immediately Uncle Adino and Baby Patrick climbed on top of the box, because they were so excited. Their tails were wagging and all.

Warning: This post contains many photos so be patient while they load.

The next photo shows my computer table, and my current computer setup. There’s my Dell Inspiron 5100 in the middle and a pair of speakers beside it. I want you to look at the mess of cables under the table.

The next photo shows you the size of the iMac box compared to a Nintendo Wii box.

When I opened the box, there was a small rectangular cardboard box which contained the keyboard, OS X installation CDs and manuals.

The next photo shows my new iMac 20″ sitting on my new computer table. I think the iMac just made my computer table look bad.

I realize that it looks like the table is bending under the iMac’s weight, but that’s not so. The table is warped because it wasn’t assembled properly.

I have to mention that the iMac’s keyboard is slimmer than a cracker biscuit! There are even two USB ports on either side of the keyboard!

All this excitement made me hungry.

This photo shows the back of the iMac 20″. As you can see, there is only one cable that fits to the back of the Mac.

Okay I’m cheating. The keyboard, mouse and Ethernet cable have not been fitted.  If you accidentally trip on the power cable, it is designed to come off cleanly.

The screen swivels up and down to adjust for different viewing heights.

Another shot of the back of an iMac. It looks gray because I used my camera flash in this shot to reflect the Apple logo.

This is the Super DVD drive on the right side of the screen. It supports writing dual layered DVDs.

The setup is complete. I’m averagely tall in height (179 cm), and the monitor towers over me, which is great. No more neck pain from looking down on the screen.

A top down view of the iMac.

The iMac comes with a small remote control. I thought they bundled a free iPod by accident!

Using the remote control will open up a media menu, which interfaces with iTunes to play all your music, pictures and movies. I guess the iMac can be used as a media centre too.

The iMac posing beside my Dell Inspiron 5100. My old laptop looks like those X-wing starfighters that have been laser scorched through many space battles.

The Apple startup screen.

The iMac played a welcome video, and I continued snapping away like a tourist.

When I was creating a user account, I suddenly saw myself on screen. The built-in webcam activated to capture a user profile picture. I took a picture of the computer taking my picture.

My first pose. Note my messy hairstyle.

I decided to go with this photo until I got a haircut.

I spent the whole of Sunday installing applications, transferring my files, testing out the different hardware components and getting used to the Mac interface.

I have to say that it takes some getting used to. But the interface is really Cool (with a capital C).

It’s not that difficult to learn how to navigate around. If you know what you want to do, then there is a Mac way to do it.

I’ve fallen in love with my iMac, and so has Poey Chin.

I’ll write a technical review of the iMac some time next week, after I’ve used it for a while. I will describe the hardware specs, the applications, and the experience.  Look out for that post soon.