After a successful run with its cute, almost friendly CRT iMac -- the machine that brought Apple Computer back from the brink -- the company started 2002 with what it hopes will give it another successful three-year run: the LCD iMac. With a design that mimics Luxo Jr., the desk lamp from Pixar Animation Studios (a company also run by Apple CEO Steve Jobs), this new iMac is the new kid on the block who's better-looking than everybody else.

I've heard the argument before. "I don't care what my computer looks like, I just want it to work." But anyone who has to sit in front of a computer for more than a few hours a day will appreciate the new design of the iMac. It takes up very little desk space and provides a very bright, clean LCD display that is easy on the eyes. Apple's close attention to detail shines through in this iMac. Not only does it ship with a white keyboard and white Lucite optical mouse, but the phone cable, power cable, and USB cables are also the same color. The cables also have stylish plugs, in case you get tired of staring at your stylish computer.

Out of the box, your new iMac is ready to go. It ships with all the software found in Apple's "digital hub": iTunes for music, iMovie for video editing, iDVD for DVD creation, and iPhoto to organize and share your photographs. By default, our test machine (like all new Macs) ran on OS X, which takes advantage of the G4 chip in the new iMac. Anyone who has used a G3-based Mac will appreciate the performance boost delivered by the G4 chip when running OS X.

Thanks in part to the faster G4 chip, our iMac performed extremely well in our Photoshop, iTunes, and iMovie tests. It managed to complete our Photoshop tests with an average score of 39.9 seconds, which is on par with other Macs. (The 867-MHz G4, for example, completed the same tasks with an average time of 30.2 seconds.) Encoding our test CD took a mere 313.5 seconds, and our iMovie QuickTime export finished in less than three minutes.

The SuperDrive -- now just over a year old -- has finally found its way into Apple's consumer line, making its debut in the new high-end iMac. Not only does the SuperDrive let you burn CDs, it also gives you the option to burn DVDs for movies or data. Apple's inclusion of iDVD makes the process of DVD creation painless. In fact, it's the best consumer option for DVD authoring our TechTV Labs has seen.

It is easy to recommend this new iMac. It is the best consumer option to come out of Apple in a long time. Not only is the price right, but Apple has managed to include just about everything that makes the company's computers easy to use and fun.

Apple has packed enough power to get your creative tasks done quickly. We only wish Apple would stop using outdated video hardware in its machines, or at least give the option of using a better card. If you are a Mac user ready for an upgrade -- even if you're a current G4 user who can go without the expansion -- this is the Mac for you. PC users tired of dealing with computer viruses and an operating system that seems to continually get bigger, not better, may want to consider this machine as well. You'll have to do without a few proprietary applications that don't work on the Mac, but for most of your needs, this is the one you want.

• Superb design
• Excellent value for money
• Pro-level performance from a consumer machine

• Despite being good value, still expensive in real terms
• No way to expand the available screen space
• Awkwardly positioned power button and slightly vulnerable screen