Hands-On Review--Mactallic, Color for the iMac G5

Neuron Industries recently introduced a thin aluminum front cover for the white 17" and 20" iMac G5s called Mactallic. It comes in six different colors: brushed aluminum, blue, pink, green, orange and black. We requested a pink copy for our rev. B 20" iMac G5 for this review.

The Mactallic is a very thin sheet of anodized aluminum so we wondered about it getting damaged in the mail. But Neuron Industries packaged it in a stiff outer corrugated box and a rigid cardboard sleeve inside the box. Ours arrived with no damage.

The Mactallic kit includes the Mactallic, two sets of double-sided tack strips and an instruction sheet. While there are two sets of tack strips, one has to get it right the first time because removing the very thin Mactallic to reset it is very likely to crease it. The instructions include just such a warning so one has to be very careful. We strongly recommend one to READ THE INSTRUCTIONS!

Seven tack strips are first applied to the back of the Mactallic in a design provided in the instructions. To help position the Mactallic perfectly, one removes the backing of only two of the strips completely and the rest are removed only half way with their backing folded so that they may be pulled and removed once the Mactallic is in place.

We followed the instructions and got it right. The Mactallic was set in place from the bottom with the iMac G5 upright. Then we pressed it into place on the lower left and right, pulled off the remaining backing strips and pressed it on all over once again.

The Mactallic is precision cut. Its edge can be felt but barely around the edge of our iMac G5. The cutout for the iMac's screen is also perfect. The small hole in the Mactallic is positioned exactly right over the iMac's sleep light.

Having done it, we think it would be difficult to place the Mactallic poorly on the first try. While Neuron Industries does not recommend removing the Mactallic unless one is doing so permanently, they recommend doing so very slowly and carefully working from one corner.

We included before and after photos for comparison. We think the iMac G5 with the pink Mactallic looks very attractive. For those who tire of the all-white look or want to add a splash of color to a room or want their iMac G5 to match Apple's "pro" hardware, the Mactallic is a terrific option.

The Mactallic for the 17" iMac G5 model costs $39.95 and the 20" model is $44.95. [Bill Fox]