iMac - How can you tell if it's on?

RedRaven571 · Mar 18, 2009

Title says it all.

I got my first iMac over the weekend and I think it's great, fast, beautiful, compact and QUIET!!! My old tower pc sounded like a plane because it needed so much cooling for the Prescott P4 processor.

But, how do you know if the iMac is on? Once the monitor turns off, there are no power or HDD lights on the front; and, as mentioned above, it's so quiet you can't really hear it running. Obviously, I can wiggle the mouse and see if the monitor comes on.

Tallest Skil · Mar 18, 2009

Would you rather it had dozens of LEDs flashing all over?

http://www.burbia.com/node/2366

Enjoy your computer. In some ways, it's a GOOD thing that you don't know it's on.

Sorkvild · Mar 18, 2009

Tallest Skil said:
Would you rather it had dozens of LEDs flashing all over?

http://www.burbia.com/node/2366

Enjoy your computer. In some ways, it's a GOOD thing that you don't know it's on.

Jeez! I mean the white iMacs don't have "dozens of LEDs flashing all over" just the one soft white light that tells you its status. I too am a little disappointed there isn't one in my aluminum iMac, I really liked the previous ones.

themoonisdown09 · Mar 18, 2009

Sorkvild said:
Jeez! I mean the white iMacs don't have "dozens of LEDs flashing all over" just the one soft white light that tells you its status. I too am a little disappointed there isn't one in my aluminum iMac, I really liked the previous ones.

I hated the white glowing light when it was asleep. I like it much, much better the way it is now... looks sexier.

RedRaven571 · Mar 18, 2009

Tallest Skil said:
Would you rather it had dozens of LEDs flashing all over?

http://www.burbia.com/node/2366

Enjoy your computer. In some ways, it's a GOOD thing that you don't know it's on.

Pretty funny link

You're right, I'm happy the Mac is so quiet, and I don't really want a bright white Apple beacon to safely guide me back from the North Atlantic, but a small pin-point LED, just to let me know it's alive, wouldn't be so bad....

There was a guy on a HP notebook forum that obscessed over the glowing 'HP' on his notebook cover; he said it was keeping him awake at night.....
He covered it over with electrical tape

I think he may have had some other issues.....

I don't want to be that guy, I just wanted to see if I overlooked something.

Thanks!

themoonisdown09 · Mar 18, 2009

RedRaven571 said:
You're right, I'm happy the Mac is so quiet, and I don't really want a bright white Apple beacon to safely guide me back from the North Atlantic, but a small pin-point LED, just to let me know it's alive, wouldn't be so bad....

That is a good idea. Use a very small green LED light on the side of the monitor to show when it's on. Basically, use the same LED light that the new aluminum Macbooks use for the battery meter.

RedRaven571 · Mar 18, 2009

themoonisdown09 said:
That is a good idea. Use a very small green LED light on the side of the monitor to show when it's on. Basically, use the same LED light that the new aluminum Macbooks use for the battery meter.

Yes, I like the idea of having it on the side, so it's not staring you in the face; just a little something to say 'I'm still here'.

notjustjay · Mar 19, 2009

What about a little glowing LED on the keyboard? Capslock, etc.?

Or the LED glow of the mouse for that matter.

Are there activity lights on the Ethernet jack?

RedRaven571 · Mar 20, 2009

notjustjay said:
What about a little glowing LED on the keyboard? Capslock, etc.?

Or the LED glow of the mouse for that matter.

Are there activity lights on the Ethernet jack?

Are these suggestions, or questions? The wireless keyboard has no lights on it that I've noticed (I will check Cap lock later [no num lock since they did away with the num pad] but, so far, I haven't noticed anything); I only see a glow on the mouse if I turn it over and stare at the laser (OW!). I am using a wireless connection, so no Ethernet jack activity (besides, it is on the back).

notjustjay · Mar 20, 2009

They were both suggestions and questions

What I do is I set my iMac to sleep after a few hours of inactivity, and to sleep when I press the power button. When I know I'm done, I sleep the machine, and if I forget to do that, it will sleep itself eventually. So I always know that, unless there was a power failure, it's sleeping, and I just tap a key on the keyboard to wake it up.

The only time my iMac ever restarted was after a power failure or software update. I had uptime easily measuring into weeks.

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