It’s designed around the popular LCD display monitor, but unlike other PCs, the new one doesn’t house all the workings behind the display. All the “guts” are housed in the base and connected to the display via the “neck” or “arm,” which makes it far more efficient and flexible.

The iMac is all about simplicity. With people spending more and more time on the computer, they can easily adjust the display position as their own positions change during the day. Or they can adjust it to accommodate children (no more pillows) or multiple viewers. On the technical side, we added the Super Drive, a G4 processor, more USB ports, plus software like iPhoto, iMovie and iDVD. These features address the fact that a growing number of people have devices like digital cameras and camcorders, and they want to manage their photos, music, et cetera more effectively. We also allowed for the highest resolution graphics (through an nVIDIA Gforce2 MX graphics chip), so games and other images are excellent.

Basically, this iMac represents everything coming together — design, hardware, software — you plug it in and it works.

Apple refers to the iMac as a “Digital Hub.” Is the idea to design a more complete, all-in-one entertainment system? Allow a kind of “convergence” where all you really need is your PC?
To an extent, yes. The base is so tiny (10.5 inches), and has an elegant look, so it’s suitable in the den, the kitchen — anywhere in the house. And our idea was to make all the computing devices come together: you can make a DVD, a photo album or a CD all on one unit — easily. But it’s not intended to be substitute for a TV. We know that TV viewing is a more passive activity — you get the remote and sit on the couch. The new iMac is designed with more creative and interactive pursuits in mind. So, convergence of computer activities was more our goal than convergence off all home entertainment.

To what extent are you creating a new kind of user?
I think we’re already seeing a new kind of user, in that more and more people are playing with digital still cameras, DV camcorders and the like. But they want to do more with these devices, and they want to do it more efficiently. With this iMac, we’re providing the enabling device that allows the consumer to do that. So, rather than creating a new user, we’re responding to the demands of existing users.

By offering improved DVD and CD-burning capabilities, how do you handle copyright issues now and in your future product roadmap?
We think about copyright all the time. Apple itself owns a lot of intellectual property, so we have the highest respect for the copyrights of others. As a result, our Super Drive will simply not allow you to duplicate commercial DVDs. Any photo or video images you take are yours, of course, and you can burn them into a DVD, but you can’t rent a DVD at Blockbuster and come home and make a duplicate on your iMac. In fact, Apple was recently selected for a Grammy in music technology, so the music industry appreciates our respect for its intellectual property.