iMac and TV
The biggest selling point to Windows 98 was the impression that it was a major bug fix for Windows 95, despite the fact that Bill Gates himself publicly stated that this was NOT the case. Other major selling points were support for multiple monitors, support for USB devices, and support for broadcast and cable TV.

Support for multiple monitors is something Apple's Macintosh has had since the Mac SE.

Support for USB is something that Apple is about to have with the iMac.

And support for broadcast and cable TV is something that Apple has had for quite a while, through third party boards, through Apple's own PCI board, and even through the Mac TV.

The Mac TV didn't sell well. That may have been in large part because almost nobody heard of it when it was available. It also was very expensive for a television set and very expensive for a low end computer -- and it was even very expensive for two separate devices (a TV and a low end computer), and unlike purchasing the two devices separately, the Mac TV could only be one or the other at the same time (it switched modes between being an over priced TV and being an overpriced computer).

Apple's TV/FM PCI card is an excellent and reasonably priced card, producing quality TV and quality FM and very nicely integrating the two into the computer. It even comes with a remote.

Seems to me that, at least as an option, adding Apple's own TV/FM capabilities to the iMac would make it even more appealing to the intended market (low end consumer market, especially those replacing aging 286, 386, and 486 machines and those purchasing a computer for the first time).

Obviously one of the key factors in the iMac is keeping the costs down. There are a lot of cool things that get left out because you can't keep adding cool things and still keep costs down. The iMac as currently planned is an excellent (but not the only) choice for basic budget options.

But it still seems to me that a home entertainment version of the iMac with Apple's own TV/FM capabilities and a DVD drive instead of a CD-ROM drive would be an excellent additional model. Fast processor, access to low end USB devices, excellent picture for low end system, lots of hard drive space, and all the other existing merits of the iMac PLUS broadcast and cable television, FM stereo, DVD playback, audio CD playback, interactive multimedia CD-ROM, connections for use of existing home stereo equipment or external speakers, and a remote control. Even at an extra $200 or so (and it shouldn't add even half that to the cost), the appeal to consumers grows.....

--Milo (CatGuy@lamg.com)