Apple Computer has taken its new company motto "Think Different" to heart and created a powerful, futuristic-looking, affordable computer in the Apple iMac. The iMac is a great fit for first-time computer buyers, students, and those in the market for a new Macintosh. Although targeted toward consumers, the iMac's excellent connectivity features may offer it a place in the business world.

The iMac is an all-in-one unit with a built-in 15-inch monitor. It reminded us of a Mac SE, but on multimedia steroids. With its unique triangular shape that is curved in the back, the iMac certainly looks like no other computer on the market. The now-signature translucent blue-green panel runs up the sides, allowing glimpses of the insides of the computer. Even the power cord is translucent, showing the twisting wires as they move up the length of the cable.

The iMac is so forward-thinking in its technical design that the traditional ports found in older Macs, like ADB, SCSI, and serial, can no longer be found. Unfortunately, this presents a quandary for Mac users with legacy equipment. The good news is that vendors are quickly creating adapters so older peripherals can be connected to the iMac.

Apple has moved to the rapidly proliferating Universal Serial Bus (USB), which will interface with peripherals such as floppy drives, joysticks, scanners, digital cameras, and printers. A note on adding a floppy drive: Apple contends that the floppy drive is a slow and outmoded technology, but users may think differently. The omission will make it difficult for students to transfer files from school, for example, so many will probably opt for a USB floppy drive. Just remember that it will likely add $100 to 150 to the total price.

Image quality on the iMac's monitor was extremely crisp and bright. The system can produce 24-bit color at 640x480 and 800x600 resolutions. However, the ATI RageIIc-based graphics subsystem's 2MB of SGRAM produces 16-bit color at the highest resolution, 1,024x768. To achieve 24-bit color at the highest resolution, you'll need to upgrade the SGRAM to at least 4MB. This will add about $40 to the price.

The USB keyboard is small in footprint and slightly curved, making it comfortable for typing. The semitranslucent mouse is a departure from traditional Apple mice. It is circular and about the size of a hockey puck. It takes some getting used to, and people with large hands may want to buy a more conventional mouse.

A compartment on the lower right side of the system houses the modem, the Ethernet connector, and two high-speed USB ports. You'll also find 16-bit stereo mini jacks for audio in/out. We think it would be helpful if the housing had some sort of lock to deter tampering, especially when used in educational and corporate environments.

Setting up the iMac was as easy as it gets. In fact, this is probably the easiest time we've had setting up a computer. In five minutes and six easy steps, we had the computer up and running. A quick-start guide shows the setup process with great close-up photographs any novice could easily follow.

• Small, compact design ideal for small work environments
• Simple connections and easy Internet access along with plenty of bells and whistles in a way cool design
• Large enough hard drive for all of your favorite games and applications.

• Lack of floppy, SCSI, and serial ports a potentially big turn off.