New Apple iMac cabling, PC cable messes and solutions, part two

A number of people have left some great comments on the blog re: my post on how Apple compares the simplicity of their iMac vs. the cable mess associated with a Windows PC.

And again, the standard disclaimer: I own PCs, Macs and other various computer systems, some off and some on the home network. 😉 

A quick note on a single cable PC: there are solutions available. My point was that there are better comparisons (certainly not in Apple’s interest) that offer a similar minimal cable configurations, such as the pricey Dell XPS M2010 (which Dell says is a notebook PC), more affordable HP’s TouchSmart IQ770 (lots of discounts in the Sunday sales circulars this weekend) and the range of Sony all-in-one PCs.

Of interest: HP has an interactive 360 view (in Flash) on their web site. I’m surprised that they (as does Dell and also Sony, with a 360 product tour here) haven’t taken the same approach as Apple in their single cord solution, and just highlight a single power cord connecting the PC.

And note on our new home PC set up: we have three cables coming out of the back of our HP Slimline PC: the power, the monitor and USB camera cable. (I have an HP monitor which doesn’t offer a set of USB ports on it as does my Dell monitor at the office, integrated into the bezel.)

Although initially reluctant, I disconnected the Ethernet cable and used the integrated wireless 802.11G to access our home network with little noticed hit to the network performance, as the laser printers are on our network. (Note that I do have a scanner on the desktop but that is disconnected as we clean up the home office this weekend.)

The system is complete with a Wireless Entertainment Desktop 7000. I’m thinking about upgrading to the new Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000 as this Bluetooth mouse and backlit keyboard set has four USB Ports.

If anything, I’m reminded that it’s so much more satisfying to have a clean desk. And the fewer the cables the better.

That and thinking we should look at one of these new iMacs or PC all-in-ones for our home office, v-next. 😉

Tags: Apple, iMac, Microsoft, Vista, Windows.