Posted on 02/04/2002 6:39:48 AM PST by gratefulwharffratt
David Coursey,
Executive Editor, AnchorDesk
Monday, February 4, 2002
It's been a week since I started using a new iMac as my full-time desktop and a PowerBook G4 as my portable PC, all as part of my month-long challenge to see if I, long a loyal Windows user, could make Apple the center of my computing universe. There are still a few problems--specifically related to getting PDA data in and out of Microsoft Office.
But besides that, I've made a very smooth transition. I have even started using the Apple key instead of the Control key when cutting and pasting.
None of the photos I've seen do the new iMac justice. It's hard to take a picture of a white computer with a clear frame around the screen and make it look good. It is especially difficult to do this against a white background, as Apple is prone to do. They had the same problem with the iPod, which people thought was much larger than it is because they had seen it only on a billboard. Now, they didn't think it was that big, but...
If you are trying to show off the iMac base--about the size of a big salad bowl turned upside down--it's hard to have the monitor in a normal position. This is probably why the best pictures of the new iMac, such as they are, have been taken from the side. That shows off the arm that connects the screen to the base rather nicely.
IN USE, the base of the iMac, which contains the computer itself, essentially disappears from view, hidden by the screen. The screen--a 15-inch flat panel--has all the predictable benefits of LCD displays, but the mounting mechanism is really special. This is the first time I've been able to position a screen precisely where I want it.
Mac OS X also does an excellent job of driving the screen, with great graphics performance. I am not quite so wild about the characters that show up while I am typing using Word or the other Microsoft Office apps. Microsoft has yet to fully implement the features of OS X that put great-looking fonts onto the screen.
This was likely lost in the rush to get a version of OS X to market and will be resolved in a future release. The "poor" quality of the Microsoft fonts is noticeable because the rest of the computer looks so great, not because it's putting my eyes out or anything.
The iMac has no fan--actually it has a fan, but I've never heard it--meaning my office is quieter than it used to be. The fan is thermally controlled, so it turns on only if the machine heats up. The iMac also has a very small footprint, leaving me with a lot of unused desk space.
If I were making any changes to the iMac, I'd increase the screen resolution (1024x768 is standard) or go to a 17-inch screen. The higher resolution is a personal preference (I need more open windows sometimes), and boosting the screen size would make the machines too expensive. To think of it, so would the increased resolution.
I'VE DISPENSED with the Apple one-button mouse that came with the machine. I replaced it with a Microsoft optical mouse with all the buttons and a thumbwheel. I just plugged it in, and it worked immediately. While the stock Apple mouse--with its single button--doesn't support right clicking, all the iMac apps seem to. This gives me access to a wide range of shortcuts I've grown used to under Windows. "Real" Apple users know you can control-click the one-button mouse to access the right-button features, but I still like my extra buttons and the thumbwheel.
The transition to the Mac way of doing things has been pretty easy, once I got the hang of the docking bar that is the OS X equivalent of the Windows start menu. Now that I have all my frequently used apps in the dock, I am a pretty happy camper.
Based on my experience, I have no reservations whatsoever recommending an iMac as a family's new or next home computer. Only really hard-core gamers would have trouble with a Mac, and those people should be looking at the new gaming consoles anyway.
I'M TEMPTED to say that Apple should have waited to make OS X the standard operating system for its consumer Macs, at least until there was better support for things such as Palm PDAs, media players for Windows Media, and Real Networks file formats. But as Steve Jobs told me on Day 1 of my Mac odyssey, there are some things that simply won't happen until the OS becomes the Apple standard.
I can't really disagree with that logic, so this is more a warning that you may find yourself working in classic mode from time to time. I am doing my very best to remain totally in OS X, so I have to admit that my concerns about this issue may be inflated.
As for working from the iMac, I can only hit the corporate Exchange mail server using a POP client or a Web browser. This isn't a problem for me, but it may be for a few of you. I also have not tried to find a VPN client, so I need to call our IS department and inquire.
The lack of OS X support for both Palm and Pocket PC devices is, however, troublesome. I think this will be worked out, at least for Pocket PC (and only with the help of a third-party developer) in a few weeks. Palm OS support will doubtless come, though I cannot today tell you when with any level of confidence. Six months seems likely.
I'VE HAD NO trouble exchanging files with colleagues, sending and receiving e-mail, or browsing the Web. And the free mail client Apple provides, though lacking a calendar function, works very well. Actually it's a better pure mail client than Microsoft's Entourage, its office productivity suite for the Macintosh platform.
It's for this reason that so many Mac users have separate calendar, contact management, and e-mail programs. The single-solution approach, àla Outlook and Entourage, is very attractive, but I am looking at other options as well.
The iPod is a fantastic MP3 player, and iTunes does a good job of managing my music. I want to find a "disco" software package, which I believe exists, to do some mixing, but the basic dubbing of music from CD (or Internet) to computer to iPod works very well.
THE MORE I USE IPHOTO, the more useful I find it. The program is not a photo editor, although it will allow you to crop a photo, correct red eye, and convert color images to black and white.
But iPhoto really shines in managing a large photo collection, thanks to its ability to vary thumbnails of the photos from very tiny to full-screen. This means you can zoom back and easily scroll through hundreds or, more likely, thousands of photos and then zoom in to pick the one you want.
iPhoto is also great for sharing your images. While the program does not have an easy way to resize and e-mail an image, it does a very nice job of collecting photos into books, which you can print at home or have commercially printed by Apple ($30 for 10 pages, and the books are really quite nice). iPhoto can also be used to create slide shows, HTML photo pages, and, of course, order prints.
OVERALL, I'D RATE the Macintosh photo "experience" significantly superior to Windows XP, although XP has the basics covered.
I have not played with iMovie, but finally have an idea for a home movie project (lacking kids, I have no ready players), so I am planning to compare the Mac and XP cinematic experiences this weekend.
Another area in which OS X has a little maturing to do is support for streaming media. Microsoft Media Player doesn't support all its formats on the new OS, meaning I can't listen to a number of online radio stations. Real doesn't seem to have announced an OS X version of RealPlayer, though I suspect one will appear.
So that's where things stand after the first week of "Mac Month" here in my office. About the only thing I am still using the XP box for is some instant messaging (especially during the radio program) and to keep the Outlook telephone directory open when I need to make a quick phone call.
I'm glad all your email corresponndents have fast internet connections. I usually take my email images down to 30K max. This looks great at 600x800.
I said you couldn't get top performance in UT under emulation...
Not exactly the same thing...
Win95 DID make it to the shelves in 95, right? It's sometimes hard to tell...
Ah, yesss. Windows 95. File names longer than 8 letters! A trash can!
Beats me why FReepers want to compare $600 PCs with $2400 iMacs. My main objection to Apple has always been price. Goes back to the Apple II vs Trash 80 days. I watched the rich kids with the Apples while I soldered video upgrades for my hand-me-down '80. I guess envy isn't flattering, but now that I have more money, I would rather spend it on performance.
As for reliability, I've used NT 4.0 since about 1996 at work and Win2000 at home for a year and never re-booted either because they crashed. (OK, I've written some VB programs that required a re-boot, but we're not talking about commercial released software.)
Every time I hear the slogan "the computer for the rest of us", I assume "the rest of us" means the wine and cheese set on snob hill.
A couple of FReepers have tried to point me to the amazing low prices available on recent iMacs, and after looking at them, I can only say HAHAAHAHAHAHAHA. Let them eat cake.
This is what I was referring to, when I described Mac Users as rude:
:
This quite is just plain insulting:
You MicroSloth shills are showing up by post number two these days...
You are becoming ever more diligent in your Kool-Aid drinking.
5 posted on 2/4/02 7:52 AM Pacific by gratefulwharffratt
Inferring that Wintel users are Stupid & lazy:
Hmmm, if it only takes a week for the FULLY indoctrinated Winbloze user to see the error of their ways, then the conversion must be nearly instantaneous for people who DON'T derive their income from using and pushing MS products.
8 posted on 2/4/02 8:00 AM Pacific by gratefulwharffratt
Inferring that Wintel users are unimaginative and that they have no valid points:
These are things I do as a hobby, which I cannot do to this machine. Therefore a Mac of any sort is not for me. Does this still make me a "MicroSloth Shill"?
Considering that you have just trotted out the same old tired laundry list of 'shortcomings' as all the rest of the Shills, I would say:
YES!!!!!
19 posted on 2/4/02 8:29 AM Pacific by gratefulwharffratt
Inferring that Wintel users are Stupid:
Do you use ANY Operating Systems that are NOT from MicroSloth??
31 posted on 2/4/02 8:48 AM Pacific by gratefulwharffratt
Inferring that Wintel Users are Dope Fiends:
Rodney, I don't know how to break this to you, but it may be time to re-think the old 'PCP before lunch' routine...
Praytell, how many OTHER box-makers turned a profit in the last quarter???
45 posted on 2/4/02 9:17 AM Pacific by gratefulwharffratt
I really don’t need to go on. You’re being insulting and rude.
As I said, you prove my point exactly.
Sometimes you boycott to get a company to change. Sometimes you boycott to punish. And sometimes you boycott-for-life, simply because you must. Toshiba is one of those cases.
Why would I want to play a game if my hardware couldn't handle it?
Sorry, but for games, the Mac suffers solely due to market saturation. If the Mac could play games as well as an x86 machine could, I would consider it. But since games are a big part of my computer life (outside of work), Macs just won't make the cut.
Your point??
If you are suggesting somehow that I should capitulate to the Winbloze shills all over this thread, then you are NEW to FR. If you have never been on one of the OS related threads with the MS Kool-aid drinkers, then I suggest you consult the archives, this thread is MILD compared to some of the things usually said about Mac users by the Winbloze shills.
BTW, the Rodney King-- PCP reference should have been very obvious, as that is what the LAPD always accused the REAL Rodney King of ingesting, as they beat him senseless. Next time, I will explain all my remarks to you separately from the rest of the class, so you don't hold the others up.
I guess that next, you will turn your pious, self-righteous gaze toward post # 11, and when you do, please tell me how you justify that post.
Technically, you don't. But...
Ever notice that Mac users tend to demand that Windows users try out their machines?
Actually, what I've tended to notice is that, whenever some Mac user posts a nominally mac-friendly article (as in this case) the WinTellicrats come out of the silicon woodwork. So instead of a dozen or two posts talking about mac's you get a 100+ post insult-fest (or did you miss the posts about mac users being, ahem, less than masculine and the chardonnay and brie crowd?) which is usually broken up by a Wintel chap decrying the fanatacism and/or rudeness of the mac crowd. In other words, old boy, the mac guys didn't start the fire, all they were doing was a little good natured boasting about a new product. But the WinTel Warriors, shall we say, had to "weigh in".
Ever notice that Mac users also tend to insult the OS itself, insult those who disagree or who are perfectly happy with Windows? (as you did, gratefulwharffratt)
Slide on back thru the posts, there, RT. That one swings both ways.
Here's a hint, Mac users.
Gee, Thanks!
Some people just plain don't like your product for good reasons.
Yup. Probably about 40% of the people engaged in this back and forth, on either side, actually have good reasons. The rest are trying to make sure, to themselves, that they didn't buy the wrong computer. Why, I don't know. Probably because of folks like the Wintel Warriors with their token line: it's an orphan platform with no software. Heck, maybe if the warriors stopped screaming that EVERY TIME something came out for the Macintosh, these posts might not ramble so.
Some of those reasons are: 6. No Interest in Graphic Software (many people don't give a hoot about photo albums, music, or graphic arts)
In which case, they should be totally ambivelent to the iMac. It's not their problem, it's not their concern, let the happy home users fight it out amongst themselves.
5. High Priced Software
Well let's see. I'm typing this in one of three or four web browsers I have on my hard drive. All of which were free. Every piece of software on my drive was sold at the same price for both platforms. So just exactly which software are you speaking of?
4. Low availability Software
Ouch. Got me there. Since I'm using productivity software like the aforementioned graphics software and MS Office, all my needs are met. However, I did lose a client to the dark side when Deer Hunter II failed to port to the mac. C'est le guerre.
3. Scant variety of Software
So true. I've nothing but graphics, sound, animation, web design, web browsing, e-mail, word processing, business and, oh yeah, games, on my computer. If there get's to be any less software for the mac, I'll need a bigger hard drive.
2. Comfort and enjoyment of current setup
And defensiveness regarding it. Which brings me back to an earlier comment about the Wintel users' tendency to pile on to any favorable report regarding Apple. What? Afraid someone might actually buy an iMac? Or, God forbid, switch?
and the number one reason why a lot of Wintel users get tired of you Mac Evangelists:
1. Mac Users Are Rude and Insulting On The Whole
Which, switching out wintel for mac in the appropriate instances, is conversely the number one reason many Mac users get EXCEEDINGLY tired of the Wintel Warriors.
Oddly enough, in my posts here, I don't think I've besmirched anyone's sexuality (even in jest), or called anyone hoity toity, or rude or obnoxious or what have you. I'm simply making an argument.
And as I said earlier in this post, if you take a step back and look at some of these dispassionately, I think you'll find the Rude and Insulting swings both ways. In fact, I'd tend to place that balance in the favor of Wintel.
The point was, most of the good ones are ported for the Mac. If they mean that much to you, and every single one must be purchased, then indeed, Wintel is your choice.
To put it simply, the high end games, a la Unreal, Quake, FAKK 2, Rainbow 6, Diablo, et al, are all available, and have been available, on my personal platform of choice. In fact, having used both platforms, I find the Mac Port to be an excellant winnowing fan. That is, a game must be practically guaranteed of successful sales when a company decides to run a mac port. A simultaneous release speaks even more highly. In the meantime, some of the games on the Wintel side are (were, I should say) of a bit lower quality.
And that's part of the game, of course. Wintel has 85-90% of the market, excluding Unix, Mac, and 'other' OS's. Where are you gonna put your time? After all, if you can convince 5% of the Wintel market to buy your game, you've probably made your money back again. Even if your program is of lower quality/playability, you can still push it as bargain-basement and probably make a profit.
C'est le Vie.
I am quite overjoyed to see a person who has a Mac who does not immediately make my neck hairs rise. (Note: I specifically restricted my #1 reason by prefacing it with the more specific "Mac Evangelist". Those kinds are who are rude and who, on the whole, I vigorously disparage)
As to your response vis-a-vis games availability on the Mac, I must be more clear. Mac games are not as varied as I like. They do not match my interests, as I indicated in my list. The genres that I enjoy are sparsely supported in the Mac world compared to the PC market.
Who cares? The iPod will soon work for Windows, thanks to this company....
So no more reason to need a Mac to use this iPod. (besides, the new iMac is already decimating sales of G4's already in the pipeline...how dumb of them) Also 125,000 players is bupkus, next to what Rio has sold. And Apple will not license the technology so the player will ultimately go the way of the Newton, while PC-loving replacements outpricing and outselling it next Christmas.
Same old story, same old long haired, pot-smoking, sandal-wearing tilting-at-windmills Democrat CEO song and dance.
All sizzle, no steak. Or is it "all hat, no cattle"?
--Boris
Exactly when were you looking at them? I only ask because you quote $2400 as the price for an iMac, when it's really $1299. I know it's still pricier than that top of the line $600 PC, but that's a bit of stretch.
Naturally, that $600 PC will have 128MB RAM, a 40GB hard drive, a CD-RW drive, an NVIDIA GeForce2 MX w/32MB DDR, two operating systems preinstalled, Quicken and MSWorks, some form of CD/DVD authoring software, among others. I mean, a simple error like (nearly) doubling the price of the machine you dislike shouldn't make me wary, since I am a trusting soul.
Oh, and of course the $600 PC will have the company's top of the line chip and an LCD monitor. Otherwise, what would be the point of comparisons? It'd be like, well, apples and oranges...
I was attempting to make the point that I had noticed gratefulwharffratt, whom you were chastising, was being held to a different standard than those, shall we say, on your side. For example, the first reply (about 'shills') was in turn a reply to a call for a barf alert by some gentle soul (reply 2).
It struck me that, had I posted this article (not that I would have, being a minitower bigot), thinking to toss out to my fellow free thinkers a bit of tech news that reflected favorably upon my personal tastes, I'd have been just a bit peeved to find THE VERY FIRST REPLY a snide little dig.
Seriously, tell me it's not appropriate for a political forum? No problem. Ask why I insist on posting tech articles? No worry. But why be a prick about it? And then, the pile on starts (a bit of mea culpa, I did make a 'herd' crack, alas). So I felt it necessary to defend the gratefulwharffratt.
Moreover, since I am a Mac Evangelist (belonged to a mailing list and everything, whooo doggies), it seemed appropriate to stand up for my own honor.
FYI, and the information of assorted other members of the Wintel Faction, here's a mac user who is:
1. A member of the Happy HETEROsexuals (ask the wife; he**, do a name search, I've posted pix of her all over the place, and tell me if any man COULD be lite in the loafers with that woman)
2. Virulantly opposed to any form of fancy cheese. If it doesn't have hot peppers somewhere in there, don't waste my time.
3. Blissfully ignorant of wine. I drink Mexican beer and just about any form of hard liquor (although, after a certain honeymoon experience some years back, tequila takes a little more effort)
4. Disgusted by loafers. I wear boots. Made in Texas. From dead animals, the way it oughtta be.
5. A great believer in knives, swords, guns and the art of kicking and punching with the hand.
6. A man of otherwise simple tastes; when the wife asks what to cook, I say "Beef! It's what's for dinner!" in my best Sam Elliot voice. Because Sam Elliot is the closest thing our generation has to Duke Wayne.
So, don't all you windoze folk get toooo complacent with that fruit fly image you got of us mac users. Some of us don't quite fit your bill.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.