Gumdrop morphs into iMac jet

I have an iMac sitting at home, a wonderful little blue gumdrop that needs a new hard drive. It has newfangled USB ports, no FireWire ports, some puny amount of memory and, yes, a matching round "hockey puck" mouse.

There's a new iMac at my office, too, and if they didn't share the same name you probably wouldn't believe they're related.

After nearly a year, Apple updated its flagship consumer Mac last week, making it the very model of a modern Macintosh. The iMac also comes with the new iLife '08 suite of applications and a tryout version of the new iWork '08 bundle (which gains a new spreadsheet application, Numbers, and officially replaces the venerable AppleWorks, which was retired last week).

With the original Bondi Blue iMac, Apple hit on the revolutionary idea that computers didn't need to be beige boxes. The iMac was curved, colored, and translucent (sparking a design fad that continues to linger). Recent Macs — as well as the visual appearance of Mac OS X — have capitalized on the simple premise that people are drawn to shiny, glossy things.

Gone is the white polycarbonate case of previous models, replaced by a single piece of shiny aluminum that houses the entire computer in a thin slab. If not for the slight bulge at the back, you might mistake the iMac for one of Apple's external displays.

Available in measurements of either 20 or 24 inches, the screen is the same glossy type found on the MacBook, encased behind a thin layer of glass.

Colors do seem richer and more vibrant than on matte screens (such as my MacBook Pro's screen), but this display is highly reflective, especially given the larger sizes.

For some the reflection may be too distracting; if you think it might be an issue, visit an Apple Store or Apple reseller to see one firsthand.

These new materials haven't affected just the iMac itself, however. The keyboard is a wafer-thin slice of aluminum into which a complement of quiet MacBook-style keys has been incorporated.

The keys are spaced further apart, and look like they'd be alien to type on, but give them a chance. I found it to be quite workable, which is surprising considering that I fall into the "clackety-keyboard" camp; I connect a Matias Tactile Pro keyboard (www.matias.ca) to my MacBook Pro when I'm at the office.

The keyboard's two inputs are also high-speed USB 2.0 ports, so you can connect an iPod, iPhone, or external-storage device and still get fast transfer speeds.

The keyboard is also available separately from Apple for $49. A Bluetooth wireless model, which doesn't include the numeric keypad and some function keys, will start shipping next month for $79.

A computer's design is great for drawing your attention and turning heads at the office, but day to day you're going to be taking advantage of what's inside the svelte computer.

In terms of computing power, the iMac contains the usual array of options: an Intel Core 2 Duo dual processor at 2.0 GHz, 2.4 GHz, or 2.8 GHz; an 8x SuperDrive that reads and writes DVDs (but not high-definition HD-DVD or Blu-ray discs — that format war is still brewing); built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi networking and Bluetooth; gigabit Ethernet; an integrated iSight camera (cleverly rendered almost invisible in the generous black bevel that surrounds the screen); ATI Radeon HD 2400 or 2600 graphics processors; up to 1 TB (terabyte) of hard-disk storage (which still sounds like a lot, but the space fills up quickly with digital photos, videos, and music); and, for the first time, a fast FireWire 800 port.

The iMac arrived only a few days before I wrote this column, so I haven't had a chance to push on it too hard. But in that time I've found it to be quick and responsive.

For example, encoding a two-hour video project in the new iDVD '08 on its new Professional Quality setting took 3 hours and 52 minutes; the same project took 5 hours and 14 minutes on my MacBook Pro (with its 2.33 GHz Core 2 Duo processor).

My co-columnist, Glenn Fleishman, and I will definitely devote more Practical Mac space to the new iLife '08 and iWork '08, as both are important developments in the Mac world (particularly iMovie '08, which is a completely different application than before).

Apple's little blue gumdrop has evolved quite a bit into this new aluminum fighter-jet of a personal computer, but the same idea is retained: You can put everything you need in a computer into an all-in-one design that actually looks good on a desk.

Jeff Carlson and Glenn Fleishman write the Practical Mac column for Personal Technology and about technology in general for The Seattle Times and other publications. Send questions to carlsoncolumn@mac.com. More Practical Mac columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists.