The new iMac, with its sleek flat-panel display, may well go beyond that, winning new converts to the still-marginal Mac operating system. We wouldn't have believed it, but more than a few die-hard Windows PC users in our labs said they'd finally consider buying a Mac. (PC Magazine 2002)
With clean white styling that's both retro and futuristic, the iMac is a truly elegant-looking machine. It also has one of the best ergonomic designs we've seen. The screen tilts forward, ahead of the base, letting you place your keyboard farther back. That means you can rest your forearms on your desk and still have the screen near enough that you don't need to squint. It's a comfortable way to work. (PC Magazine 2002)
The solidly built stainless steel neck that holds the flat panel screen is a coup of iMac engineering. It's meant to be a handle, should you need to transport the machine from one room to another. We are impressed that it holds the screen at the same angle when you raise, lower, or swivel the panel (which you can do with the touch of a finger), so you don't need to readjust the viewing angle continually. (PC Magazine 2002)
The 15-inch TFT active-matrix LCD is sharp and crisp. Though it seemed a hair too dark, even with brightness set all the way up, it gave one of the best images we've seen on a flat panel. The image was clear, with no color shift, even when we viewed it from an extreme side angle. (PC Magazine 2002)
What makes the iMac attractiveeven more so than the stunning exterioris the excellent suite of digital-media tools Apple has developed over the past few years, and which come preloaded on all iMacs. There is iDVD (burning your finished movie to a DVD disc), iMovie (for editing video footage), iPhoto (for sorting and editing photos), and iTunes (for organizing and playing music). (PC Magazine 2002)
Though these tools are not the most fully-featured on the market, they offer enough power for casual users and excel with Apple's famous intuitive designs that let you begin using them right away. You'll find you won't need to read a manual to get impressive results. In addition, the iMac ships with other programs targeted at the home user, such as Apple Works 6, Otto Mattic (a loopy space game), PCalc 2 (a high-end calculator), and World Book. This is a great assortment, since it means first-time Mac users won't need to shell out a bundle on new software. (PC Magazine 2002)