iMac. Should i buy 1?

[SteveC]

Comments?
Experiences?
vs. PC?
Thx.
Steve

[JBH]

I've had mine for about 9 months and won't be going back to a pc. Not having to worry much about viruses and easy use is probably my biggest selling points. I bought microsoft office for it as well so I really have lost nothing there either. Of course keep in mind I am not an advanced computer guy either, just your average user. Good luck.

Jason

[SteveC]

I'm just a regular computer user myself, and this one's getting real old, with some of it 13 years old, and other pirated newer stuff that doesn't like to work with most new applications.
Thanks!

[Mongoose]

Ugh, you need a PC! It's all I've ever used. I actually happen to be sell some PC's from my old store too...

[noreaster]

I switched many years ago, and have never looked back. Remember - if you really freak out and hate it (IMO - impossible) you can always install Windows on it - all new Macs run Intel processors. Or if you find some software that you absolutely must run and it's Windows-only (say, custom software for work) you can purchase an app that allows you to run Windows, full-speed, right on top of the Mac OS. I have a copy of "Parallels" I use for testing purposes, and it works phenomenally well.

If you have more questions, you may drop me a line - I worked for Apple for a few years and still have several friends there. If I can't get an answer for you, there is no answer. ;)

[kmdmac]

Steve,

i've had home Macs since '93 and love 'em.

PC's @ work and hate 'em.....

the IMac tends to represent a larger investment initially, however, in the long run, a better one.

it's all about the operating system, the mac OS just plain works great.

Kevin

[heckler]

Macs tend to be more expensive because they come with all the stuff you mght want already there. if you get a PC and want, say a firewire port, it's extra, wireless card? extra, enough memory to actually run the computer? extra.

I am sitting at my iMac right now. Other than to get a newer iMac, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I use PC's at work and basically find them fussier, less user friendly and basically harder to deal with. The virus thing is just the tip of the iceburg. The fact that Windows Vista is so much more like a Mac OS than ever is because they know Apple got it right. Or close to it.

The learning curve on a Mac is short in so many ways. You say you are just a basic computer user. You don't need all the potential other stuff that a PC might offer to a user who really knows his/her stuff. On a Mac, you just plug it in and it works. Need to save somethign? Call it whatever you want pretty much- forget about naming protocol. Can't remember where you saved it? Spotlight will find it for you in a second or two.

et/., etc., etc. ;)

[De~Rok]

macs are easy to upgrade too. the mac im on now runs OSX but started out running OS 9.something

[MtnBkr]

God, Windows and Microsoft in General Piss me off! There software has always something going on with it. Its so annoying. I am glad i switched to Mac, Its Real easy, and it never freezes or anything like that. Its awesome. I would say Yes.

[MTBME]

I just spent the last couple of months going back and forth on this same question. I went to the mac store in the mall to see them up close and personal. I ended up going with a Windows based laptop with XP professional installed. (I wouldn't buy Vista) Bottom line it was half the price of the mac. And yes I will have to add a little more software but my upfront costs was a big factor. It was a tough choice because the mac had a lot of things going for it. As far as viruses I've never had a major problem with that. I keep my virus protection up to date.

[noreaster]

It's a myth that Macs cost more than PCs. What fuels this myth is that Apple chooses not to make low-end machines. If you go to Dell and try to buy a $500 machine, you'll quickly find that it has the specs of a 3 year old machine - and if you want something with modern specs, you're going to have to spend more. I know - I worked for Apple for 4 years so I'm intimately familiar with the specs and costs, and recently I had to purchase some Dell PCs for my current job (we're a mostly Mac shop otherwise). It was laughable how much crap I had to add to the "base model" just to make it passable for us - and the machine is going only to be used for accounting. So the hardware comes out roughly to the same cost - ignoring how much nicer a package Apple wraps its hardware in.

And this whole comparison ignores the phenomenal software Apple ships in every machine. They're not loaded with junk - just software you might actually want and enjoy using.

There are several reasons I recommend Macs to my friends and family: I know I can recommend one and it'll be powerful enough to keep up with anything they need to do. I just helped my cousin pick a new machine for returning to taking college courses - he told me the requirements and I was able to simply tell him than any Mac he could buy would fit his needs. From there choosing was more enjoyable. Second - the more of my friends and family go Mac, the less phone support I have to do. And they're measurably happier.

FWIW I just replaced my father's 9 year old iMac with a 2 year old G5 of mine that I wanted replace with a much smaller machine (Mac mini as home media server, now attached to my HDTV). The iMac is still going strong so he decided to keep it as another machine elsewhere in the house.

[MTBME]

"It's a myth that Macs cost more than PCs."

I bought my laptop for $750.00. I would have had to pay around $1500.00 for a mac with similar features. (Again I admit the software installed with the macs are a major plus but it doesn't necessarily mean I need or want that software package).

I got an Intel, Dual Core, 2 gig processor, 2 gigs of memory, 120 gig hard drive, LightScribe Double Layer DVD+/-RW Super Multi Drive. A nice 15.4 in widescreen display, 1280 x 800 resolution, a 5 in 1 digital media reader, XP Professional and all the external ports I could possibly want.

* 3 x Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0
* 1 x Video - VGA (15-pin)
* 1 x Video - TV Out (S-Video)
* 1 x RJ-11 Modem
* 1 x RJ-45 Ethernet LAN
* 1 x Audio - Headphone-out
* 1 x Audio - Microphone-in
* 1 x Notebook Expansion Port 3
* 1 x IEEE-1394 Firewire (4-pin)
* 1 x Consumer IR

[noreaster]

I believe a computer, like most things, is more than the sum of its ports. Hyundai has recently advertised that one of its cars stack up against BMWs 5-series, and it's true, they have access to all the same mechanicals that BMW does, and a few of the specs do actually exceed those on the Beemer, at a lower price. But the Germans will tell you it all comes down to gestalt.

I sincerely believe people should use what ever computer makes then happiest. That's why we just bought two PCs for the office: one person has an unexplainable vendetta against Apple (but not her iPod, strangely) and the was didn't want to change any habits. Everyone else who chose to switch back in November are all very happy with their decisions, and I'm happy with my decreased support load!

I hope you enjoy your new PC!

[heckler]

"It's a myth that Macs cost more than PCs."

I bought my laptop for $750.00. I would have had to pay around $1500.00 for a mac with similar features. (Again I admit the software installed with the macs are a major plus but it doesn't necessarily mean I need or want that software package).

I got an Intel, Dual Core, 2 gig processor, 2 gigs of memory, 120 gig hard drive, LightScribe Double Layer DVD+/-RW Super Multi Drive. A nice 15.4 in widescreen display, 1280 x 800 resolution, a 5 in 1 digital media reader, XP Professional and all the external ports I could possibly want.


You buy what you want. I hope you love your new computer. Especially that cute little 15.4" screen! How quaint! The bottom of the line iMac at $1200 has a 20" screen. Oh, and you don't need room for that big empty box that houses all that PC goodness as well. ;)

[C.P.]

See what you started Steve?
Considering your coming froma 13? year old machine with some upgrades, I think any new computer will be wicked nice in comparison.

Have you gone to a good computer store to try both OS out? I like microcenter, (in Cambridge) since there's a good mac area, and I think a pc area...
Personally, I've used PC's at work (including some minor admin stuff) and have been using Apple stuff at home for years...(I have a basement with some dinasaur macs in it) Right now, I'm on an 0S10X Imac ...it's about 1.5 years old now, and I just love it...

[catbbq]

You buy what you want. I hope you love your new computer. Especially that cute little 15.4" screen! How quaint! The bottom of the line iMac at $1200 has a 20" screen. Oh, and you don't need room for that big empty box that houses all that PC goodness as well. ;)

You say that like $450 is chump change.

Try carrying a 20" screen around. You'll probably have to drop another $100 on a case that will fit it. And how much does that weigh? Until they fold, your better off with the 15 or a desktop.

[noreaster]

Yeah, Heck, I'm sure he's talking about a laptop.

I wouldn't, however, suggest going to MicroCenter for anything Apple. You'll see a better selection and talk to someone who is really knowledgeable about the Mac if you go to the Apple Store in the CambridgeSide Galleria which is about a mile down Mem Drive from MC. Perhaps MicroCenter would be OK to see PCs, though. If you're not from around Cambridge there are Apple stores all over the place in Eastern Mass, and southern NH.

$450 isn't chump change, but it's certainly not much when it comes to computers. But $1300 will buy you a very portable MacBook with the same screen resolution (better pixel depth) and modern, digital ports. Not those 15 year old ports. Which is my point: Apple doesn't make machines that use only old technology to meet low price points. There's a place for these low-end machines, but it's just not a market that Apple is interested in. They are essentially the R&D dept for the tech industry. They make machines that are thoroughly powerful, modern and beautiful at a fair price. If you get a PC with the same modern digital ports, built-in camera, and the ability to drive a 23" HD display - you'll get a similarly priced, if not more expensive PC, and this ignores the superior, useful and usable software.

[SteveC]

Wow! I guess I did touch a nerve. I thought I would:burndev:
Thank you ALL for your feedback. I'm leaning towards the iMac, some of the same reasons that I liked buying an 8-year-old Volvo instead of a brand new plastic car for the same amount of clams.......and this old wiggly monitor is driving me blind.......
SC

[MTBME]

You buy what you want. I hope you love your new computer. Especially that cute little 15.4" screen! How quaint! The bottom of the line iMac at $1200 has a 20" screen. Oh, and you don't need room for that big empty box that houses all that PC goodness as well. ;)

Actually I was talking about a laptop with a 15.4 inch screen. If you want a 15.4 inch screen with the mac you have to go to the mac book pro for $1,999.00. Quaint???

[Mr_Cheeze]

There's only one reason to get a Mac: to join the multitude of other Mac snobs. Basically, if you drive a VW, listen to Coldplay, wear sandals most of the time (even in winter), absolutely love Newport (at an obsessive level), and/or attend poetry club meetings, then you should have a Mac.

Or if you're a graphic artist, then it's ok to actually need a Mac. Otherwise it's pure geekery or snobbery.

And why would anyone buy anything from an Apple store? Everything carrying that friggin logo is priced twice as high as it's worth. Proof?
Belkin auxiliary cable, white with i-pod logo: $30
Same cable, black without logo: $20

I fart in Apple's general direction.

[MTBME]

I fart in Apple's general direction.

May I always ride upwind from the mac store.

[noreaster]

Absolutely. They give us a snobbery card and everything. Gives me the right to flip people off from inside my VW.

Actually, if you go into an AppleStore and check out some of the cables, then go over to BestBuy and look for the same exact cable - you'll be surprised.

And the graphic artist excuse is seriously out dated. Everything you could do before in design on a Mac can now be done on PCs, just some things, not as eloquently. An Apple isn't for everyone, but then again being an M$ lemming isn't either. All I'm saying is you should give it a fair investigation, and not just run on preconceived notions.

FWIW - Apple's market share is climbing at 3x the rest of the industry.

[kernel crash]

FWIW - Apple's market share is climbing at 3x the rest of the industry.

I'll bet the ipod and the iphone is behind that market exuberance.

[De~Rok]

but apple must be doing something right or it wouldnt be climbing so fast

[catbbq]

FWIW - Apple's market share is climbing at 3x the rest of the industry.


Its easier to go from 1% to 3% than it is to go from 99% to 297%.

[C.P.]

Mac vs PC shootouts (http://www.systemshootouts.org/)...just another P.O.V.

[fishbum]

Personal Computers: Twice the Mac capability in the mouse alone!
;)

[C.P.]

Riiiiiggghhhhtttt....

http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/mmouse_diagram.jpg (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=164548D8&nplm=MB112LL/A)

[catbbq]

Riiiiiggghhhhtttt....

http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Images/mmouse_diagram.jpg (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=164548D8&nplm=MB112LL/A)

What's that thing hanging off the front of it? Some type of cord?

[C.P.]

What's that thing hanging off the front of it? Some type of cord?

Yeah. theres an wireless version (http://www.apple.com/mightymouse/) also...