APPLE was certainly ''thinking different'' when it created the iMac. The new personal computer, which goes on sale on Aug. 15, has already won popular acclaim for its creative design and its refreshing departure from the computer industry standard of boring beige boxes.

By rushing the iMac to market, Apple succeeded in getting on the radar screens of buyers before the next school year starts. There is a pent-up demand among owners of older Macintoshes for an affordable upgrade, and Apple is expected to sell all the iMacs it can make in coming months.

But the iMac (pronounced EYE-Mac -- the ''i'' stands for Internet) also departs from computer industry standards in other ways, and customers will have to decide whether different means better. Based on observations of the iMac at the recent Macworld computer trade show and discussions with Apple executives, a few things are clear.

First, the obvious: It looks different.

The iMac combines the computer and the monitor in one unit that brings to mind a beach ball, making it, in effect, an updated version of the original one-piece Macintosh. That makes the iMac ideal for those who want to conserve desk space. The drawback of such a design is that people are locked into using the iMac's 15-inch screen, measured diagonally (with a 13.8-inch viewable area), when the trend in the industry is to move to larger screens and flat panel displays that are even better at conserving space. But the iMac screen is one of the best 15-inch displays available.