iMac: iLove it or iHate it

JANELLE BROWN: Yes, Apple needs to address some of the minor bugs and glitches in the OS, and I hope that they'll achieve that with the next big operating-system overhaul, OS X, due next year. But that's for seasoned computer users to debate. What Apple needs most of all right now is newbies.

Apple must rebuild its market share -- to bounce back from selling a paltry 4 percent of all PCs -- or it's doomed to be a specialty machine that only graphic artists and die-hard fans use. Apple needs to stop the defection of Mac users to Windows, which it seems to be trying with the G3 line; but more important, it has to entice first-time computer buyers. Regardless of debatable complaints about the feel of the mouse and the keyboard, the iMac is a computer that gets noticed, not just by the jaded PC media market, but by consumers. And that is crucial.

Maybe I'm partial to Apple because I'm a longtime Mac user and my boyfriend happens to work for the company. But like it or not, a good portion of the consumer market buys major products because of those "aesthetics": from cars and stereos to residences and computers. Young consumers especially are willing to overlook bugs if they can feel passionate about a product -- and the iMac is a product whose looks inspire passion.

Here, the analogy to the Volkswagen Beetle is especially relevant. The revamped Beetle may be a cramped car with spotty engineering (in fact, it had to be recalled because of engine fires). But because of its unique design and warm-fuzzy factor, it has sold like wildfire and helped put Volkswagen back on the automotive map with a new, young demographic.

The iMac, I believe, could have the same impact. Talk all you want about improving memory management and such, but a first-time computer buyer is less likely to think about or understand these things. They probably don't know much about whether one machine is more crash-prone than another. What they do understand is perceived simplicity and approachability, the two things that Apple is pushing with the iMac, and those (wisely) ubiquitous ads.

Additionally, the audiences Apple really needs to capture are young adults, college students and families with kids: to ingrain the MacOS early and often in these consumers as they embark on a life of PC purchases. These demographics are also the groups most likely to find the iMac design appealing.

And so far, if you believe the reports, the strategy seems to be working. Apple has filled 150,000 advance orders, and analyst estimates are putting year-end sales at a strong 800,000. But more important, a survey by ComputerWare (a Mac-only computer store) showed that 13 percent of iMac purchasers were switching over from Windows; 15 percent were first-time computer buyers.

It remains to be seen if those numbers pan out across all computer retailers, or if sales will continue to be strong after the initial buzz wears off. But in the vast wash of the computer store, the iMac stands out. And that, in itself, is likely to sell this machine.

SCOTT ROSENBERG: Yes, the iMac stands out (to me, like a sore, Bondi Blue thumb). I agree that Apple is marketing it with gusto. And its initial splash and sales numbers have heartened the Apple faithful and the market's confidence in the company. If Apple sells enough iMac boxes, it means that the Mac has a new lease on life, and Mac users are more likely to continue to find new Mac software on store shelves. Fine and dandy. I don't begrudge Apple all the iMac razzmatazz, as long as we recognize it for what it is.

But does anyone seriously believe the iMac will make any kind of dent in the Wintel world? For one thing, though the iMac's price tag is low for Apple, if all you want to do is write letters and browse the Web you can still buy an adequate Windows machine for several hundred dollars less -- and that means at least as much to the first-time buyer as an eye-catching box.

Say Apple sells tons of iMacs and doubles its share. And say, for the hell of it, that Linux starts to make inroads on the general marketplace as well. That still leaves Windows with more than four-fifths of the market. Apple, alas, has already lost this war.

I write that in sorrow, as a longtime Mac devotee who wishes history had unfolded differently. But I fear that a lot of Mac lovers are engaging in an orgy of wishful thinking as they imagine the iMac winning over droves of Windows users. As a survival move, the iMac may be savvy, but it's not going to turn the world upside down.

• View blog reactions