Editing IMac G4 (section)

==Reception==
The iMac G4 was positively received, particularly the flat-screen design that allowed critics to forget the rest of the computer was there.{{sfnp|Snell|2002a|p=53}}<ref name="nytimes_2002-01-10"/><ref name="wsj_2002-10-17"/> ''[[The Washington Post]]''{{'}}s Rob Pegoraro called the design "staggeringly useful" and found the screen was never in the wrong place.<ref name="washpost_2002-02-17"/> ''[[USA Today]]''{{'}}s Edward Baig and others liked the desk lamp look,<ref name="usatoday_2002-02-06">{{cite news|last=Baig|first=Edward|date=February 6, 2002|title=Apple's iMac Is Flat-Out Powerful and Pretty|work=[[USA Today]]|page=D.07}}</ref> with many comparing it to the [[Luxo Jr.]] character that starred in a [[Pixar]] short animation.<ref name="australian_2002-01-15"/>{{efn|Apple denied a Luxo Jr. influence; coincidentally, Pixar creative chief [[John Lasseter]] also directed the initial iMac G4 advertisement.{{sfnp|Quittner|Winters|2002|pp=46–53}}}} Pegoraro and James Coates compared the computer's dome to the character [[R2-D2]].{{efn|Cited to: <ref name="tribune_2002-01-20"/><ref name="washpost_2002-02-17">{{cite news|last=Pegoraro|first=Rob|date=February 17, 2002|title=iMac's Radical Redesign Easy on the User as Well as the Eyes|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|page=H7}}</ref><ref name="zdnet_2002-01-14"/>{{sfnp|Grumet|2002|p=38}}<ref name="guardian_2002-02-28">{{cite news|last=McIntosh|first=Neil|date=February 28, 2002|title=Online: Me and My iMac|work=[[The Guardian]]|page=5}}</ref>}} Others found the iMac G4 ungainly, with ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]''{{'}}s [[Walter Mossberg]] and ''[[The Vancouver Sun]]''{{'}}s Peter Wilson left with the sense it was always likely to tip over.<ref name="wsj_2002-10-17"/><ref name="vancouversun_2002-01-17"/> ''[[Popular Mechanics]]''{{'}}s Tobey Grumet found the iMac larger than the promotional shots suggested, and that overall it took up nearly as much space as the CRT model it replaced.{{sfnp|Grumet|2002|p=38}}

Reviewers cited the iMac's ease of use as a major positive of the machine,<ref name="irishtimes_2002-02-22"/> as well as the quality of its included software.<ref name="washpost_2002-02-17"/><ref name="sun_2002-01-24"/><ref name="postdispatch_2002-01-23"/> ''[[The Irish Times]]''{{'}}s Karlin Lillington said the setup of the computer was so simple a child could do it, while Baig cited the "plug and play" nature of its hardware and software as the best feature of the computer.<ref name="irishtimes_2002-02-22"/><ref name="usatoday_2002-02-06"/> The large port selection was also praised,{{sfnp|Snell|2002a|p=53}}{{sfnp|Dreier|2002|p=42}} with ''[[The Baltimore Sun]]''{{'}}s David Zeiler saying they met the needs of home and education consumers who would not care about the computer's limited expansion options.<ref name="sun_2002-01-24"/> ''[[PCMag|PC Magazine]]'' and ''[[HardwareZone|HWM]]'' were among the publications that suggested the machine would entice Windows PC users to switch to Macs,{{sfnp|Dreier|2002|p=42}}{{sfnp|Tang|2002|p=88}} with the prices of comparably-specced iMacs and Windows PCs generally close.{{efn|Cited to: <ref name="nytimes_2002-01-10"/><ref name="washpost_2002-02-17"/>{{sfnp|Quittner|Winters|2002|pp=46–53}}<ref name="wsj_2002-10-17"/><ref name="sun_2002-01-24"/>{{sfnp|Dreier|2002|p=42}}}} Joe Wilcox of ''betanews'' felt that the iMac and similar all-in-one systems were as expensive but less portable than midrange Windows laptop computers.<ref name="Wilcox"/>

Critics noted the performance improvements of the G4 processor. Jason Snell of ''Macworld'' wrote that compared to the consumer iMac G3, the new iMac was fast enough for demanding users who did not need the expansion options of a Power Mac.{{sfnp|Snell|2002a|p=53}} Peter Wilson and ''[[The New York Times]]''{{'}}s [[David Pogue]] felt that the iMac was a better value than the lower-end Power Macs, and might steal sales away from the latter.<ref name="nytimes_2002-01-10"/><ref name="vancouversun_2002-01-17">{{cite news|last=Wilson|first=Peter|date=January 17, 2002|title=Maybe New-Generation iMac Is in the Cards, Or Maybe Not|work=[[The Vancouver Sun]]|page=D11}}</ref> In comparison, ''[[The Guardian]]''{{'}}s Neil McIntosh found the iMac powerful enough, but that the Power Macs were much speedier than the on-paper difference suggested.<ref name="guardian_2002-02-28"/> ''Macworld'' speed tests found that the iMac generally performed worse than equivalent G4 processors in the Power Mac line,<ref name="macworld_2003-05-19">{{cite web|last=Breen|first=Christopher|date=May 19, 2003|url=https://www.macworld.com/article/160078/1ghzimac17inch.html|title=Reviews: 1GHz iMac G4, 17-Inch|website=[[Macworld]]|access-date=June 25, 2024|archive-date=June 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240625150754/https://www.macworld.com/article/160078/1ghzimac17inch.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="macworld_2002-04-17">{{cite web|last=Jary|first=Simon|date=April 17, 2002|url=https://www.macworld.com/article/666260/imac-800mhz-2002-review.html|title=iMac 800MHz (2002) Review|website=[[Macworld]]|access-date=June 25, 2024|archive-date=June 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604113435/https://www.macworld.com/article/666260/imac-800mhz-2002-review.html|url-status=live}}</ref> while another comparison found that the iMac lagged behind a similarly priced [[Pentium 4]] system in multitasking performance.<ref name="Wilcox"/>

Other complaints about the iMac included the placement of the computer's ports and power button on the back of the base, since this made it harder to plug and unplug peripherals.{{efn|Cited to: <ref name="nytimes_2002-01-10">{{cite news|last=Pogue|first=David|authorlink=David Pogue|date=January 10, 2002|title=For Apple, To Be Flat Is a Virtue|work=[[The New York Times]]|page=G1}}</ref><ref name="washpost_2002-02-17"/><ref name="wsj_2002-10-17"/>{{sfnp|Dreier|2002|p=42}}}} Neil McIntosh called it the machine's "[[Achilles heel]]".<ref name="guardian_2002-02-28"/> Baig and ''PC Magazine''{{'}}s Troy Dreier found that the external speakers sounded tinny.<ref name="usatoday_2002-02-06"/>{{sfnp|Dreier|2002|p=42}} Other deficiencies noted were the limited options for expansion,<ref name="wsj_2002-10-17"/><ref name="vancouversun_2002-01-17"/> color-shifting of the screens when viewed at extreme angles,<ref name="macworld_2003-12-31">{{cite web|author=Staff|date=December 31, 2003|url=https://www.macworld.com/article/169186/reviewsinbrief-7.html|title=Reviews in Brief; 17-Inch IMac G4/1.25GHz|website=[[Macworld]]|access-date=June 26, 2024|archive-date=June 30, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240630145030/https://www.macworld.com/article/169186/reviewsinbrief-7.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and the small amount of RAM offered on the entry-level models.<ref name="sun_2002-01-24">{{cite news|last=Zeiler|first=David|date=January 24, 2002|title=iMac Is Barely There—but Delivers Goods|work=[[The Baltimore Sun]]|page=10C}}</ref> Some reviews complained of hardware glitches and malfunctions.<ref name="usatoday_2002-02-06"/><ref name="washpost_2002-02-17"/> Dreier felt the keyboard and mouse were unappealing and likely to be immediately replaced by users,{{sfnp|Dreier|2002|p=42}} while Mossberg and ''[[ZDNet]]'' regretted the lack of a wireless option for the mouse and keyboard,<ref name="wsj_2002-10-17"/><ref name="postdispatch_2002-01-23">{{cite news|last=Sheets|first=David|date=January 23, 2002|title=Digital Editing, Not Flat Screen, Is the New iMac's Real Gem|work=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]|page=E3}}</ref> which Apple would not offer until 2003.<ref>{{cite web|last=Edwards|first=Benj|date=March 1, 2013|url=https://www.macworld.com/article/220496/tablets-mice-and-trackpads-the-evolution-of-apple-pointing-devices.html|title=Tablets, Mice, And Trackpads: The Evolution of Apple Pointing Devices|website=[[Macworld]]|access-date=June 26, 2024|archive-date=March 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320001845/https://www.macworld.com/article/220496/tablets-mice-and-trackpads-the-evolution-of-apple-pointing-devices.html|url-status=live}}</ref>