iMac Launch at CompUSA, Richmond Virginia
August 15th, 1998

Due to the long drive and leaving the house a little late, I didn't arrive at CompUSA until about 1:00 PM. I'm sure I missed a lot of the early morning customers who arrived to get a first look at the iMac. The Apple Store area was still more populated that I'd ever seen it during several visits there.

Apple Store area

There were iMac Balloons everywhere and a iMac setup at the entrance to the area. At least 3 volunteers assisting shoppers with iMac demos and other Apple products. In the hour or so I was there I was never able to actually use the iMac since it always had someone 'test driving' it.

Volunteers Spreading the Word

Everyone wanted to know about the iMac and note the casual shopper on the distant right is checking out what all the excitement is about. Several people were also test-driving the G3's and PowerBooks. That's a side benefit of the iMac, it draws attention to the entire Apple line and is a reminder that Apple is alive and well.

iMac = People Magnet

The above photo shows the crowd around the iMac when I first arrived at 1:00 PM. For the Richmond store, this was the most activity I'd seen there since the Apple Store opened. I'm sure there were more people present earlier in the day when the store opened. The good thing was that people seemed to stay in the Apple store for some time, not just popping in for a curious look and departing. Even as I left many of the original crowd was still there and new customers were entering the area. I saw a couple of iMacs being bought while I was there.

iMac Internet Setup Demo Movie

My first impression was that the iMac is very shiny, much glossier than I had imagined from the photos I'd seen on the web. It reminded me of a new car on the showroom floor of an automobile dealer. I kept thinking how much I wish Kay had been here to see it, I think she would really like it. The aqua coloring is almost Jade-like (she loves Jade). She would have loved the demo running on the iMac - comparing getting connected to the internet on the iMac vs. a PC (a young kid connects easily with the iMac, while an adult struggles with setting up a PC).

Hands on iMac

This is as close as I got to actually using an iMac, I'll have to return later when the store is less busy. I'd rather potential customers come first (I already know how cool the Mac is ;-)

Interesting that all these photos were able to sync to the screen. The photos don't do the iMac justice - you have to go see one. Like the original Macintosh, it really grows on you.

I'm sure the crowds at the larger stores and cities dwarfed what I saw here, but it was still great to see so many potential customers in the Apple Store. Hopefully it will bring a lot of new people into the Mac community. The iMac may not be the right computer for everyone, but from what I've seen it is getting Apple a lot of attention. If they don't buy an iMac they may buy a G3 or PowerBook that better suits their needs. Either way it's a win/win situation for all of us. I'm excited about the future.

One humorous note - while there I saw a Macintosh version of VirusScan that had a "Built for Win 98" sticker on the box.

Back to WWW.XLR8YOURMAC.COM!

= Top of Page =