"One in five Americans under 30 now owns a portable MP3 player, thanks largely to the success of the iPod. But 96 percent of computer users still have PCs. Not wanting to squander a drop of the iPod's power as a crossover product, Apple created a desktop computer in the iPod's image that's likely to be seen by a much wider audience. It then spoke to that audience by pointedly marketing the flat-panel iMac G5 as "from the creators of iPod," capitalizing on the cool factor. With 15 of its iconic designs now included in the Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection, Apple has adopted as its core value the idea that high style isn't reserved for lamps and armchairs. This iMac reinforces rather than changes the company's direction, but cramming a powerful G5 processor into a slim space proves that minimalism can make high technology more human and easy to approach," Monica Khemsurov writes. "Bottom line: Apple sold 337,000 G5s in its first quarter, doubling iMac unit sales and increasing the division's revenue by 147 percent."
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