RealGM

I asked this help a couple years ago, but would greatly appreciate any updated input.

Looking at the iMacs. They look really good and a whole lot easier than PC which I've used most of my life.

A couple questions for the Mac users:

a) Is it worth it?

b) Is there a big difference in processing power on the I-Macs from the 2.1 to 2.4 to 2.8ghz chips?

c) Can you easily read jpgs, mp3's etc from a PC formatted external hard drive to load in your data?

a) Depends on the person. If you're worried about viruses then Macs are better. If you only want to do simple things, Macs are better. If you want to play games or really customise your system then PCs are better. I switched to Mac in January and am happy with it, although I do miss some aspects of the PC. Thankfully Macs can run Windows so, while I use OS-X for day to day things, I also use XP whenever I need.

b) There's an improvement, as it is for any computer. Which CPU you need would depend on what you're doing. Just Office and internet? Then the 2.1 is fine. Photoshop and video editing? You'd prefer the 2.4 or 2.8 chips.

c )Yes.

My last four or five computers have been Macs but I use PCs at work. I much prefer Macs, and don't care at all that they cost 10% (or whatever amount it is) more than a Dell or HP.

Good luck keeping this topic open - for whatever reason this topic arouses the most firey emotions as if it were a political or religious debate.

Do you have a Mac store where you can play around with one and see what you think?

edit to add: regarding which processor you need - you only need the entry-level one. If you needed something faster (for protools/serious photoshop use), you would know. However, you might want to consider spending $100 on maxed out RAM from a third party provider (apple charges a lot).

aside from the occasional thing that doesn't work quite as well (generally web browser stuff), i absolutely love my mac and if you have windows on it too then it should be perfect.


3. yep, i use a 250gb external hd to keep music projects and other random stuff on and it was formatted on my old windows laptop and it works great*

*the only downside i've come across is that because of a pro tools quirk it will only treat it as a transfer drive so i can't record directly to it. but i could easily fix that if it bothered me. that's probably not a problem for you though

I bought a 24" 2.4ghz iMac about a month ago and it's the best purchase I've ever made. I've always had laptops and I miss the portability, but for the price I don't know if you can beat it.

For day-to-day work I don't know if you'll notice much difference in the processors. Unless you're going to use it to do a lot of video work, I'd get the 2.4 and the 24" monitor. It's a stunning display.

The OS is where the real value is. I'm not a computer gamer; I've got my 360 and PS3 for that. So once that's thrown out the window there's really nothing I can't easily do in OS 10.5. Everything works logically and simple and quickly. Firefox quits on me unexpectedly rarely, but that's the only program I've had an issue with.

I'm on a PC at work all day; I'd kill to have an iMac.

DrugBust wrote:Firefox quits on me unexpectedly rarely, but that's the only program I've had an issue with.

I get Firefox issues daily, on average. Usually it doesn't quit...it more just stops working. Firstly images don't load and pages have no formatting, then all pages just open as blanks. It doesn't 'quit', but it does require restarting.

Still, it's rarely anything more than an inconvenience.

The bigger inconvenience is that MS Office doesn't have Access so, PP, if you need to use Access then you'd be in trouble.

I've used macs for the last 10 years.

......and I don't know why PC's even exist anymore.

They're super powerful, fisher price easy, and do everything you want to do with pics, music, movies etc.

DrugBust wrote:I'm on a PC at work all day; I'd kill to have an iMac.

I often hear people refer to the simplicity of Macs, but I'm curious where specifically people find the most improvement.

Using PCs all my life, I don't really think of anything being all that complicated because I'm so used to it, but by the same token I don't really have any grounds for comparison. I've used friends' Macs, but using them just occasionally I get more annoyed at not knowing shortcuts than impressed by their features. That's not intended as a shot, as I'm sure the same would be true if I was a Mac person who never used PCs.

Where do you guys get the most utility out of the Mac? I won't have a choice when I buy my next laptop, as the grad school I'm going to next fall makes you get a specific brand/model, but I'm curious what specific things you guys like the most.

re: processor speed - you should be OK with the entry level processor. RAM is probably more important, and as adamcz mentioned you can get this much cheaper at a 3rd party then from Apple, and it's easy to install.

Macs are like Hondas or Toyotas vs. American cars - they last forever, perform well, and won't break down after a couple of years. I'm a web guy and my primary machine is an iBook from 3 years ago - and it still gets the job done nicely using Adobe CS3, audio and video editing (all beefy software).

Also, one of the most amazing things about the OS is that each new version is FASTER on old hardware. My computer actually sped up when I got Leopard, instead of having to upgrade everything to run it like I would with Vista. Another reason why processor speed isn't as important.

Lastly, if you miss Windows, you can run it natively on your Mac, or using Virtualization like Parallels or VMWare Fusion (both of which work really well).

DrugBust wrote:I bought a 24" 2.4ghz iMac about a month ago and it's the best purchase I've ever made. .

DB....does that 2.4ghz work well for home movies/photoshop stuff as compared to the 2.8 model they are pushing that is a lot pricier?

I'd use it for what my PC can't do well at all, and that is edit home video and burn to a DVD.

Anybody else have a weigh in there?

Also, since the entire thing is enclosed in one unit, have you had service problems ever and need to take the whole thing in?

Thanks again for all the replies....this is good stuff.

fam3381 wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



I often hear people refer to the simplicity of Macs, but I'm curious where specifically people find the most improvement.

Using PCs all my life, I don't really think of anything being all that complicated because I'm so used to it, but by the same token I don't really have any grounds for comparison. I've used friends' Macs, but using them just occasionally I get more annoyed at not knowing shortcuts than impressed by their features. That's not intended as a shot, as I'm sure the same would be true if I was a Mac person who never used PCs.

Where do you guys get the most utility out of the Mac? I won't have a choice when I buy my next laptop, as the grad school I'm going to next fall makes you get a specific brand/model, but I'm curious what specific things you guys like the most.

There's a couple of things:

1) no maintenance. zero. zilch. No defragging your drive, no spyware removal. I don't even run anti-virus software, as there has never been a Mac virus "in the wild". Your system won't crash or need to be reinstalled. All of your time is productive.

2) the user interface is simple, elegant, and intuitive. The learning curve is almost non-existent, everything just kind of works like you expect it to. If you don't know how to do something, usually you'll figure it out on your 1st or 2nd guess. I would imagine Windows having a much steeper learning curve for a newbie, though once your used to it it's not that difficult.

3) software installation is as simple as drag-n-drop. No registries, rarely any wizards. When you want to uninstall - drag it to the trash.

DocGonzo wrote:re: processor speed - you should be OK with the entry level processor. RAM is probably more important, and as adamcz mentioned you can get this much cheaper at a 3rd party then from Apple, and it's easy to install.

Macs are like Hondas or Toyotas vs. American cars - they last forever, perform well, and won't break down after a couple of years. I'm a web guy and my primary machine is an iBook from 3 years ago - and it still gets the job done nicely using Adobe CS3, audio and video editing (all beefy software).

Also, one of the most amazing things about the OS is that each new version is FASTER on old hardware. My computer actually sped up when I got Leopard, instead of having to upgrade everything to run it like I would with Vista. Another reason why processor speed isn't as important.

Lastly, if you miss Windows, you can run it natively on your Mac, or using Virtualization like Parallels or VMWare Fusion (both of which work really well).

That's such a huge advantage to having a Mac. I had a PowerBook G4 877 mhz. This last winter, after beating the hell out of it for almost five years, the frame cracked bad enough that the monitor broke it's hinges. Had that not occurred I'd still be using it now. You're right. I'm also a web developer and I was doing freelance work last fall on CS3 and it worked just as well as the day it was bought.

Then I used my brother's dell laptop he picked up new last Spring. The thing is toast. Takes forever to login, is loaded with viruses and is essentially useless unless he wipes everything out and starts over.

[quote="paulpressey25"][/quote]

What kind of video work are you talking about? I used a 1.8 at my last job and it worked swimmingly. Then again, I could do all the video editing and DVD copying I wanted on my old '877.

I can guarantee that you'll be able to do all the PS stuff you want with the 2.4. It's got plenty of power to spare.

fam3381 wrote:I often hear people refer to the simplicity of Macs, but I'm curious where specifically people find the most improvement.

Never having to install things like cameras, routers and printers, more consistency from application to application (and around the OS) in terms of how you do things, and probably above all that, a user-friendly look and feel that I like. My computer is five years old and has only crashed once to the point where I had to force it off with the power button. Sometimes applications will crash, but not the whole computer.

I won't have a choice when I buy my next laptop, as the grad school I'm going to next fall makes you get a specific brand/model, but I'm curious what specific things you guys like the most.

What and where are you studying?

If you are editing videos and photos for amateur purposes, an entry level system is fine. The reason pros need something faster is not because the entry level system couldn't do the job, but because time is money. If you are a recording engineer who charges $200/hour, having a system that can do a big task 25% faster is a really big deal. To the home user, the difference between 4 minutes and 5 minutes is unnoticeable.

DrugBust wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



That's such a huge advantage to having a Mac. I had a PowerBook G4 877 mhz. This last winter, after beating the hell out of it for almost five years, the frame cracked bad enough that the monitor broke it's hinges. Had that not occurred I'd still be using it now. You're right. I'm also a web developer and I was doing freelance work last fall on CS3 and it worked just as well as the day it was bought.

Then I used my brother's dell laptop he picked up new last Spring. The thing is toast. Takes forever to login, is loaded with viruses and is essentially useless unless he wipes everything out and starts over.

Wow, a mac user and a web developer! Nice. What kind of web work do you do? Are you in the Milwaukee area?

I have the first iMac - first shipment, revision A, ugly "Bondi Blue" with no reset button - from 1998. I installed Debian Linux on it and now it's my development web server. It's 10 years old and is still extremely useful, which is nuts. And it's never had a hardware failure.

People always complain about the cost of Macs, then go to Best Buy and buy a whole system for $300, and then wonder why their hard drive crashes 6 months later. Macs cost a bit more because they refuse to use junk parts in their machines, which is why they'll last forever.

DocGonzo wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



Wow, a mac user and a web developer! Nice. What kind of web work do you do? Are you in the Milwaukee area?

I have the first iMac - first shipment, revision A, ugly "Bondi Blue" with no reset button - from 1998. I installed Debian Linux on it and now it's my development web server. It's 10 years old and is still extremely useful, which is nuts. And it's never had a hardware failure.

People always complain about the cost of Macs, then go to Best Buy and buy a whole system for $300, and then wonder why their hard drive crashes 6 months later. Macs cost a bit more because they refuse to use junk parts in their machines, which is why they'll last forever.

This is true for PCs too though. If you spend $1,000 on a PC instead of a $2,000 Mac, of course it's going to crash more. But a $2,000 PC would be superior to both.

Press, I had worked on computers for 15 years or so. I've worked on everything from the first IBM 5100, 5110, 5120, System 3, Sys 23, Sys 32, Sys 34, Sys 36, Sys 38, AS400, and all the different IBM PC's from the beginning. Basically any IBM PC and Midrange systems, no big iron. Since I left that field, I have been working on PC's as part of my daily work and I also maintain the computer systems for our small family business. I say all that only to say that I was about as Blue/PC as one could get; but I'm ready to toss it all out and go to Mac's. I'm just sick of the ridiculous problems, the inferior OS and how much time it takes me to keep everything up and running, much less the problems relating to installing new hardware or software. The next machine I buy will be a Mac and if all goes well (which I fully expect), the migration will begin! After all the years of die-hard Big Blue/PC support; stick the fork in me - I'm done!

BTW, I'd buy a Mac.

DocGonzo wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



Wow, a mac user and a web developer! Nice. What kind of web work do you do? Are you in the Milwaukee area?

I have the first iMac - first shipment, revision A, ugly "Bondi Blue" with no reset button - from 1998. I installed Debian Linux on it and now it's my development web server. It's 10 years old and is still extremely useful, which is nuts. And it's never had a hardware failure.

People always complain about the cost of Macs, then go to Best Buy and buy a whole system for $300, and then wonder why their hard drive crashes 6 months later. Macs cost a bit more because they refuse to use junk parts in their machines, which is why they'll last forever.

ColdFusion development, but most of my time lately is spent designing in Flash and now Flex 2. I love it. I'm a horrible graphic artist in comparison to the people I work with (here in Eau Claire), but if you know enough ActionScript you can make some pretty slick stuff for the web and never have to tough the stage

jeremyd236 wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



This is true for PCs too though. If you spend $1,000 on a PC instead of a $2,000 Mac, of course it's going to crash more. But a $2,000 PC would be superior to both.

Which brand of PC are you referring to?

Macs will always be more stable because Apple controls both the hardware and the software aspects of the system.

Microsoft has to rely on Dell and HP and whomever else to build machines to run their software, and there's always a disconnect when you have multiple companies with multiple agendas involved. That's part of the reason Windows is so bloated - it has to run on any number of old, strange, cheap, badly built machines, as well as the nice, $2k ones.

Mac software is written for Mac hardware, and vice versa.