Wiley iMac For Dummies, 6th Edition
Contents
1. All productivity and no play Hey Steve Jobs likes a good challenging game as much as the next guy so you can look forward to playing Chess on your iMac right out of the box ah but this isn t the chessboard your Dad used Play the game of kings against a tough and configurable opponent your iMac on a beautiful 3 D board Heck your iMac even narrates the game by speaking the moves Stuff You Oughta Buy Right Now No man is an island and no computer is either I always recommend the same set of stuff for new PC and Mac owners These extras help keep your new computer clean and healthy and some make sure you re happy as well Surge suppressor or UPS uninterruptible power supply Even an all in one computer like your iMac can fall prey to a power surge I recom mend one of these e A basic surge suppressor with a fuse can help protect your iMac from an overload e A UPS costs a little more but it does a better job of filtering your AC line voltage to prevent brownouts or line interference from e A UPS provides a few minutes of battery power during a blackout so you can save your documents and safely shut down your iMac Screen wipes Invest in a box of premoistened screen wipes Your iMac s screen can pick up dirt fingerprints and other unmentionables NING faster than you think Vs Make sure your wipes are especially meant for flat panel monitors or laptop computer screens 1 Blank C2. FireWire 800 port which is twice as fast as the older FireWire 400 port the ports are shaped differently so you can t plug a FireWire 400 device into a FireWire 800 port in error Converter cables are available that allow you to plug a FireWire 400 device into your FireWire 800 port USB Short for Universal Serial Bus the familiar USB port is the jack of o 1 FireWire These ports are the standard in the Apple universe for con all trades in today s world of computer add ons Most external devices such as portable hard drives scanners or digital cameras that you want to connect to your iMac use a USB port The iMac sports four USB 2 0 ports on its back USB 2 0 connections are much faster than the old USB 1 1 standard For the specs on connecting your keyboard and mouse see the upcom ing section Absolutely essential connections For more on FireWire and USB ports get the lowdown in Chapter 23 Ls 1 Ethernet The iMac includes a standard 10 100 1000 Ethernet port so it s ready to join your existing wired Ethernet network Alternatively you can go wireless for your network connection find more on that in the next section and in Chapter 21 14 Part I Know Your iMac ar IOI D digital Apple doesn t include a built in modem on the iMac so if you need a dialup connection to the Internet you need an external 56K v 92 USB modem Apple sells a USB modem which can send and re
3. assigned spot l assume that s a desktop you need to make a minimum of one connection the power cable Plug the cable into the corresponding socket on the iMac first then plug er in to that handy AC outlet Your batteries will need to be installed in your wireless keyboard and mouse After the batteries are in you re set to go Chapter 1 Okay This Machine Looks Really Really Weird Adding the Internet to the mix If you have Internet access or a local computer network you need to make at least one of the following connections If you don t already have any Internet service you ll probably want to start with local dialup Internet access if you have an external USB modem for your iMac If you decide to investigate your high speed options immediately your local cable and telephone companies can provide you with more information on DSL or cable Internet service Dialup Internet access If you get on the Internet by dialing a standard phone number you ll need an external USB modem to connect your iMac Follow these steps 1 Plug your external USB modem into one of the USB ports on the back of your iMac 2 Plug one of the telephone cable s connectors into your modem s line port 3 Plug the other telephone cable connector into your telephone line s wall jack Networks and high speed Internet access If you have high speed Internet service or if you re in an office or school with a local computer networ
4. iCal Keep track of your schedule and upcoming events and even share your calendar online with others in your company or your circle of friends See how to keep your life in order in Figure 1 4 1 DVD Player Put all that widescreen beauty to work and watch your favorite DVD movies with DVD Player You have all the features of today s most expensive standalone DVD players too including a spiffy onscreen control that looks like a remote 1 Address Book Throw away that well thumbed collection of fading addresses Snow Leopard s Address Book can store search and recall just about any piece of information on your friends family and acquain tances AN g A You can use the data you store in your Address Book in other Apple applications that are included with Snow Leopard such as Apple Mail and iChat iCal File Edit Calendar View Window Help G 4 Wed1 35AM_Q AOO iCal Today a Day Month gt Qr CALENDARS 2008 Sunday Jan 6 Monday Jan 7 Tuesday Jan 8 Wednesday Jan 9 Thursday Jan 10 Friday Jan 11 Saturday Jan 12 E Work New Event E5 e 01 09 2008 02 00 AM ti 1 09 2008 03 00 AM url Done Sy jl Figure 1 4 Hey isn t 4 January 2008 that iCal 1 2 3 4 5 running on 7 s Eo n 2 iM 9 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 your act 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 You are 27 28 29 20 21 iTogether 7 ea Chapter 1 Okay This Machine Looks Really Really Weird 23 Would you like to play a game
5. iWork suite A demo version of Apple s powerful office productivity suite is included with your iMac You can create documents spread sheets and presentations within Pages Numbers and Keynote It s much like that Other Office Suite the one that costs a bundle from those guys in Redmond Figure 1 3 illustrates a flyer under construction in Pages 1 Front Row This onscreen menu system makes it easy to watch movies listen to your music and display your favorite photos on that gorgeous iMac screen all remotely if you invest in an Apple Remote I go into the details of Front Row in Chapter 10 The installed software on your iMac might change as new programs become available Looking forward to fun on the Internet What is a modern computer without the Internet Apple gives you great tools to take full advantage of every road sign and offramp on the Information Superhighway right out of the box EE Figure 1 3 Pagesisa great tool for home and office eSSSSSa77 Chapter 1 Okay This Machine Looks Really Really Weird YY Web surfing I use Snow Leopard s Safari Web browser every single day It s faster and better designed than other browsers although I might be biased Safari includes tabbed browsing and has built in RSS feeds If tabbed browsing and RSS feeds sound like ancient Aztec to you don t worry Chapter 8 is devoted entirely to Safari 1 Web searches Your Dashboard widgets can search the entir
6. tied down by a cord Say it with me Death to cords death to cords Just stay within about 30 feet of your iMac screen and sweet freedom is yours You can also feel safe using these wireless peripherals because they offer secure 128 bit over the air encryption which helps keep sensitive information safe while you type and click away One downside about the wireless keyboard though Unlike the previous wired keyboard the wireless model doesn t include any USB ports and you will need a supply of batteries Go rechargeable The keyboard is a particular favorite of mine because from here You can either control the sound volume using the volume control buttons F11 and F12 or mute all that noise completely using the Mute button F10 vy A handy dandy Media Eject key lets you eject a CD or DVD The wireless Magic Mouse needs a flat surface but that s what TV trays are for right The disc slot You ll notice a long groove on the right edge of your iMac No it s not for your credit card If you order online often enough you ll memorize your card number This slot accepts standard size CDs and DVDs into your opti cal drive don t try using mini CD or DVD discs in your iMac they can get stuck and Ruin Your Day If the drive is empty loading a disc is as simple as sliding it in an inch or so the drive sucks in the disc automatically And we don t need no stinkin floppy drive Macs haven t had floppy dri
7. Chapter 1 Okay This Machine Looks Really Really Weird In This Chapter Identifying the important parts of your iMac Locating the right home for your computer Plugging stuff in and getting hooked up Playing with your bundled software Buying additional stuff that you might need ou bought a brand new iMac and there it sits in the box Waiting Waiting for you If youre a little nervous about unpacking that shiny aluminum and glass rect angle I completely understand Face it The latest iMac follows in the foot steps of many revolutionary iMac designs that have come before it In other words it doesn t look like a computer at all and that can be a bit disconcert ing And if you re switching from a Windows PC to the Apple universe you might find yourself floating weightlessly in your office or your living room without a familiar bulky beige box to anchor yourself Hence the reluctance you might be feeling However dear reader let me assure you that you ve indeed made The Right Choice I commend you The aluminum Intel iMac is the fastest leanest and easiest to use self contained all in one computer ever built Practically every thing s in one shining panel except for your keyboard and mouse You ve got one of the best backlit LED screens on the planet a super fast processor room for a ton of RAM memory and a regular laundry list of the latest tech nology Best of all you don t have to be a techno nerd to use al
8. Ds and DVDs Depending on the type of media you re recording like computer data CDs DVD movies or audio CDs you ll want blank discs for e CD R record once e CD RW record multiple times e DVD R record once e DVD RW record multiple times 24 Part I Know Your iMac vv Cables Depending on the external devices and wired network connec tivity you ll be using these are e A standard Ethernet cable for wired networks or high speed Internet e FireWire or USB cables for devices you already have Most hardware manufacturers are nice enough to include a cable with their products but there are exceptions especially USB print ers Shame on those cheapskates Y A wrist rest for both your keyboard and mouse You might have many reasons to buy a new iMac but I know that a bad case of carpal tunnel syndrome is not one of them Take care of your wrists by adding a key board and mouse rest even for a wireless keyboard mouse combo even on a TV tray
9. More powerful and more expensive external speaker systems e A set of headphones e A home stereo system The power cable Sorry but you can t get a wireless power system yet Apple s working hard on that one With the wireless keyboard and mouse setup the power cable is actually the only required cable that you need to run your computer Now that s sassy The power button Yep you ve got one of these too It s on the back of the case Those holes are called ports Our next stop on your tour of Planet iMac is Port Central that row of holes on the back of your computer see Figure 1 2 Each port connects a different type of cable or device allowing you to easily add all sorts of extra function ality to your computer Chapter 1 Okay This Machine Looks Really Really Weird 13 Fan exhaust H E Figure 1 2 Only slightly less sexy l it s the back 09009000 s end of an aluminum Power button ee Ports Each of these stellar holes is identified by an icon to help you identify it Here s a list of what you ll find as well as a quick rundown on what these ports do necting external hard drives and DVD recorders but they do double duty as the connector of choice for most digital video DV camcord ers A peripheral is another silly techno nerd term meaning a separate device that you connect to your computer Note that the iMac offers a
10. That magnificent screen What a view you ve got An aluminum iMac is graced with either a 21 5 or 27 LED display LED screens use far less electricity than their antique CRT ancestors and they emit practically no radiation less in fact than even the LCD screens Apple recently used Chapter 1 Okay This Machine Looks Really Really Weird Both sizes of iMac screens offer a widescreen aspect ratio the screen is con siderably wider than it is tall which augurs well for those who enjoy watch ing DVD movies A favorite editor of mine loves it when I use the antique word augur meaning fo predict or foretell For example the 27 screen boasts a whopping 2560 x 1440 resolution That reminds me Throw away your printed dictionary You won t need it because Mac OS X Snow Leopard includes the fantastic Dictionary widget that uses the Internet to retrieve definitions from Dictionary com More on the wid gets in Chapter 5 and yes the Dictionary widget does contain augur The keyboard and mouse Hey here s something novel for the Intel iMac something external outside the computer s case Gotta have a keyboard and mouse right And you gotta love the options with iMac You ll go nomadic um that is wireless and free The iMac comes standard with a truly 21st century combo of an Apple wire less keyboard and Magic Mouse This dynamic duo lets you sit back and relax with your keyboard in your lap without being
11. a stretch but bear with me She d say You can t possibly expect to work without decent lighting You ll go blind She s right you know At a mini mum you need a desk or floor lamp y Plan to expand If your iMac hangs out on a desk allow an additional foot of space on each side That way you have space for external peripherals more powerful speakers and that wired keyboard and mouse Unpacking and Connecting You are going to love this section it s short and sweet because the installa tion of an aluminum iMac on your desktop is a piece of cake Sorry about the clich overload but this really is easy Unpacking your iMac For Dummies Follow these guidelines when unpacking your system 1 Check for damage I ve never had a box arrive from Apple with shipping damage but I ve heard horror stories from others who claim that King Kong must have been working for That Shipping Company Check all sides of your box before you open it 18 Part I Know Your iMac ar ar Take a photograph of any significant damage just in case 1 Search for all the parts When you re removing those chunks o Styrofoam make certain that you check all sides of each foam block for parts that are snuggled therein or taped for shipment 1 Keep all those packing materials Do not head for the trash can with that box and those packing materials Keep your box intact and also keep all packing materials for
12. at least a year until your standard Apple warranty runs out If you have to ship it to an Apple service center the box and the original packing is the only way for your iMac to fly And now a dramatic Mark s Maxim about cardboard containers Smart computer owners keep their boxes far longer than a year For example if you sell your iMac or move across the country you ll want that box Trust me on this one Store the invoice for safekeeping Your invoice is a valuable piece of paper indeed Save your original invoice in a plastic bag along with your computer s manuals and original software manuals and other assorted hoo hah Keep the bag on your shelf or stored safely in your desk and enjoy a little peace of mind 1 Read the iMac s manual Hey wait a minute Mark why do I have to read the manual from Apple along with this tome Good question and here s the answer There might be new and updated instructions in the documentation from Apple that override what I tell you in this book For example Never cut the red wire Cut the blue wire instead Or something to that effect Besides Apple manuals are rarely thicker than a restaurant menu Connecting cables like a true nerd The iMac makes all its connections really simple but your computer depends on you to get the outside wires and thingamabobs where they go Absolutely essential connections After your new iMac is resting comfortably in its
13. at super fast Intel dual or quad core processor generates quite a bit of heat Fans inside the case draw the heat away Nothing like an overheated proces sor to spoil an evening of Civilization 4 Follow these three rules to keep your cool Make sure that e The location you choose is far from heating vents e The location you choose is shielded from direct sunlight e Allow plenty of room below the machine where the air enters the Ney case and above the machine where heated air escapes from the NING RY slot at the top of the case Hot air from a wall mounted iMac can discolor the wall Chapter 1 Okay This Machine Looks Really Really Weird 7 Considering the convenience factor Technology is nothing if you can t make it convenient Y Outlets outlets outlets Your computer needs a minimum of at least one nearby outlet and perhaps as many as three or four e A standard AC outlet ll discuss surge protectors and uninterrupt ible power supplies at the end of this chapter e A telephone jack if you use an external USB modem for connecting to the Internet or sending and receiving faxes e A nearby Ethernet jack if you use the iMac s built in Ethernet port for connecting to a wired Ethernet network If you prefer to send your data over the airwaves consider wire less networking for your iMac I discuss everything you need to know in Chapter 21 Don t forget the lighting Let me act as your Mom I know that s
14. ceive faxes too YY Mini DisplayPort In case that splendid screen isn t quite big enough you can add an adapter to this port and send the video signal from your iMac to an LCD monitor or flatscreen TV with a DVI port Apple also offers different adapters that can connect your iMac to standard VGA monitors and projectors Connections for external audio Your Intel iMac comes equipped with two pretty powerful stereo speakers on the bottom of the case but you re certainly not limited to them Apple pro vides a number of connectors to add a wide range of audiophile equipment to your system 1 Headphone Optical Output You can send the high quality audio from your rectangular beast to a set of standard headphones or to an optical digital audio device such as a high end home theater system Y Line In Last but certainly not least is the audio Line In jack which allows you to pipe the signal from another audio device into your iMac This one comes in particularly handy when you record MP3 files from your old vinyl albums or when you want to record loops within GarageBand which you can read more about in Chapter 15 This jack supports both analog and digital input Important Hidden Stuff When you bought your new digital pride and joy you probably noticed a number of subtle differences between the low end iMac and the uber expen sive top end model I call these differences the Important Hidden Stuff or IHS if you re add
15. e Internet for stocks movie listings business locations and dictionaries 1 Chat iChat lets you use your iMac to chat with others around the world for free via the Internet by keyboard voice or with your built in iSight Web camera full color video This is awesome stuff straight out of Dick Tracy and Buck Rogers If you ve never seen a video chat you ll be surprised by just how good your friends and family look Always wear a shirt when videoconferencing v E mail Soldier Apple s got you covered The Mail application is a full featured e mail system complete with defenses against the torrent of junk mail awaiting you Imagine a hungry digital saber toothed tiger with an appetite for spam Send pictures and attached files to everyone else on the planet and look doggone good doing it ka v ages File Edit Insert Format Arrange View Window Help _ G 2 mt S 4 Wed1l3AaM Q ane Untitled Page Layout 0 A Quarterty Newssetter odio risus plocerat odiv Plurseitus This image is a placeholder Drag a new media file Here to replace it Ll a aaa _ fa Page2 Pellentes que habitan Py IER doke v Nullam hendreri 21 Part I Know Your iMac 22 Applications that rock Dozens of small applications are built into Mac OS X I mention them in later chapters but here are three good examples to whet your appetite 1
16. icted to acronyms and they re just as important as the parts and ports that you can see Hard drive The aluminum iMac uses serial ATA hard drives As I type these words the iMac product line offers three different hard drive sizes depending on the processor speed and screen size you choose 500GB 1TB or an immense 2TB yes friends and neighbors that TB means terabyte or 1000GB The bigger the better YY Optical drive Okay I m cheating a little here I mention the optical drive in an earlier section but all you can see is the slot so it qualifies as an IHS item All new iMac models include a DVD R SuperDrive which can play and record both CDs and DVDs ar Chapter 1 Okay This Machine Looks Really Really Weird 15 YY Wireless Ethernet Look Ma no wires As I mention earlier your iMac can join an existing wireless Ethernet network with its built in AirPort Extreme card With wireless connectivity you can share documents with another computer in another room share a single high speed Internet connection betwixt several computers or enjoy wireless print ing Truly sassy Although Apple would want you to build your wireless wonderland with an Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station go figure you can actually use your iMac with any standard 802 11g or 802 11n wireless network And yes PCs and Macs can intermingle on the same wireless network without a hitch Scandalous ain t it Y Bluetooth Let
17. k you can probably connect through the iMac s built in Ethernet port You make two connections 1 Plug one end of the Ethernet cable into the Ethernet port on the iMac 2 Plug the other end of the Ethernet cable into the Ethernet port from your network It s probably one of the following e An Ethernet wall jack e An Ethernet hub or switch e A cable or DSL Internet router or sharing device Will you be joining a wireless network If so you find all the details you need in Chapter 21 to configure Snow Leopard for wireless networking 19 20 Part I Know Your iMac Discovering All the Cool Things Vou Can Do MBER KV amp This section answers the most common of all novice computer questions What the heck will I do with this thing You find additional details and excit ing factoids about the software that you get for free software you ll want to buy and stuff you can do on the Internet What software do I get Currently all iMac computers ship with these major software applications installed and ready to use Y The iLife suite You know you want these applications They turn your iMac into a digital hub for practically every kind of high tech device on the planet including DV camcorders digital cameras portable music players PDAs and even cellphones Chapters 11 16 of this book focus on the five major applications that make up iLife iMovie iDVD iTunes iPhoto iWeb and GarageBand 1 The
18. l that power In this chapter I introduce you to your new dream machine giving you an overview of the more important locations within iMac City I show you how to unpack your new computer what wires go where and where your iMac should set up housekeeping I preview the awesome software that s waiting within that powerful panel Finally I list the accessories that help keep both you and your new iMac computing smoothly 0 Part I Know Your iMac An Introduction to the Beast Figure 1 1 The charis matic form of your aluminum Intel iMac Ce The Intel iMac might look like a sculpture straight out of your local museum of modern art but it still sports everything that it needs to function as a computer In this section I identify the important stuff that you need to live your life you know write a term paper in Pages hear the music you down loaded or manage the affairs of those lazy Sims Major parts of your major appliance Every computer requires some of the same gizmos Figure 1 1 helps you track them down Of course as you d expect a computer has a body of sorts in which all the innards and brains are stored the screen in this case a dis play screen a keyboard a mouse pointing device and ports for powering and exchanging data with peripherals LCD screen Disc slot NL ees See ea an ee Keyboard 4 0 Foot SES Mouse ae
19. on sider the important placement points in this section 16 Part I Know Your iMac Picking the right location You know the mantra Location location location 1 There s always the wall Your iMac can disguise itself as a particularly interesting digital picture frame With the right mounting adapter you WING can hang your computer right on the wall and snub your desk alto ss gether This wall mounted solution has two big problems e Your VESA mounting plate must be installed safely and correctly for example using the studs within your walls The iMac is slim and trim but it s no lightweight and it doesn t bounce well You don t want it to take a high dive e External peripherals aren t happy campers that includes any FireWire and USB devices which must either camp out on the floor or on a nearby and conspicuous shelf Personally I think the cables for external devices tend to spoil the appearance of a wall mounted computer Re Your iMac must be mounted at the proper height on the wall It s not amp good ergonomic practice to sit more than two feet away from your iMac s screen and the screen should be placed at or slightly below eye level My solution Don t plan on using any external devices Instead opt for a wire less network with a remote printer and remote backup storage space like a Time Capsule unit on your network Y Keep things cool Your new iMac is nearly silent but th
20. s get the old digital pirate joke out of the way Arrgg matey I needs me a wireless parrot Engineers again sheesh Although strangely named Bluetooth is actually another form of wire less connectivity This time however the standard was designed for accessories like your keyboard and mouse and devices like your per sonal digital assistant PDA and cellphone Bluetooth is now built in to every aluminum iMac 1 SD Card slot This slot allows you to directly read photos and video from standard SD memory cards photographers and video junkies rejoice 1 iSight camera The iMac s built in video and still camera appears as a tiny lens and activity light at the top of your computer Video card If your applications rely heavily on high speed 3 D graphics you ll be pleased as punch to find that your iMac comes equipped with an NVIDIA GeForce 9400M ATI Radeon HD 4670 or for the more expen sive models an ATI Radeon HD 4850 card All three cards are well suited to 3 D modeling video editing and well honestly blasting the enemy into small smoking pieces with aplomb Choosing a Home for Vour New Pet If you pick the wrong spot to park your new iMac I can guarantee that you ll regret it later Some domiciles and office cubicles obviously don t offer a choice you ve got one desk at work for example and nobody s going to hand over another one but if you can select a home for your iMac c
21. ves for years now and the PC types are just beginning to follow 11 12 Part I Know Your iMac NING RY Luke the printed label side of the disc should always be facing you when you load a disc Always Ves your computer has a foot just one You and I normal human beings would say that the iMac is supported by a sturdy aluminum stand but Apple calls it a foot The foot lets you tilt the iMac panel up and down for the best viewing angle Most importantly though the foot minimizes the computer s desk space requirements or its footprint Engineers sheesh And yes that foot is perfectly balanced and quite stable so there s no danger of your treasured iMac taking a dive If you decide to get really snazzy and mount your 27 inch iMac to the wall you can remove the foot and install the VESA mounting adapter available separately for about 30 You can use any VESA standard mounting bracket on your wall too You can be positioned within 30 yards or so of your wall mounted iMac with a wireless Apple keyboard and mouse Hey Hewlett Packard or Dell can you mount one of those monolithic PCs to the wall J think not Food for your ears A machine this nice had better have great sound and the iMac doesn t disap point You have a couple of options for iMac audio 1 The iMac sports built in stereo speakers and a microphone to boot Y Built in ports connect your iMac audio to either e
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