Why I just love the new iMac (and why you might, too)

Ziff Davis ^ | Feb. 4, 2002 | David Coursey

[toupsie]

Argue convenience and beauty all you want, but be careful about arguing price/performance. And please don't keep comparing the wonders of OSX with Win95. It has been 7 years since Win95.

As someone who uses a ton of i386/x86 hardware for work (UNIX systems), I can tell you those "hand-built" systems come no where close to the quality of components used in a Mac. Apple builds tanks. In 15 years of using Macs, I have never had one hardware failure so I have ended up with a closet full of Macs. About 2-3 years of use of a x86, they are pretty ragged out. They just run so damn hot compared to a Mac.

Yes, you can build a PC cheaper. I just don't know if I want to rely on it working day in and day out.

I would never compare Windows 95 to Mac OS X. Windows XP is easy enough to beat. Why would you want to use an OS that limits you to 80% of your bandwidth and you have to report to Bill Gates and Microsoft if you want to change your system up not to mention that Bill Gates refuses to let you see one line of the operating system source code? Talk about proprietary!

[Paulus Invictus]

All Apple needs now is to get a license to use Kodak's new display screen material, the organic light emitting diode (OLED). The screen is super bright in any ambient light situation and makes LCD's look washed out and dim. OLED has just been announced as a global joint venture by Kodak and Sanyo. Watch for OLED displays soon on PDAs, small screen DVDs etc/ then computer monitors. Hooray!

[toupsie]

Without extensive price shopping, I found a dual AMD 1.9 gHz motherboard with processors and 1 gig DDR error-correcting memory for under $1000 total. About @500 more would fill out the system. DDR memory is twice as fast as SDRAM, which is what the Macs use. Any number of web merchants will allow you to pick the components you want for a PC and will assemble and install the OS for free. The Superdrive (DVD burner) is currently selling for about $500 for PCs. By summer it will be around $300.

Just curious, with this system, would you be able to burn a DVD the first time you turn it on? Or would you have to buy DVD burning software? Also it sounds like this system would cost more than the top of the line iMac -- granted it has two Athlons that run at the temp of Sun in it.

[Paulus Invictus]

But the iMAC will never end up as road fill like the PCs are in Europe.

[toupsie]

Watch for OLED displays soon on PDAs, small screen DVDs etc/ then computer monitors. Hooray!

Well Apple has decided to go LCD only so I am sure they will be interested in this. Knowing Apple, this sounds like a product they will be first in the marketplace with.

[cmsgop]

Great Post and Great Read.

I think Im going to wait until July to get one after the Mac Show.

[js1138]

You build the Mac of your choice, tell me how much you spent, and I'll match or exceed its performance for less money, on any demanding professional application, such as Photoshop.

[js1138]

Top of the line iMac is currently $1800. I could match that in a dual AMD with a Superdrive. Nero (free) will burn DVDs. It must be really, really, important to Mac users never to have to install or upgrade software, because you're always bragging about what comes built in.

Do you really believe, in the absense of federal intervention, that Windows wouldn't have a lot of built-in apps?

[spodefly]

Oh Dear God, please ... not another Mac vs. PC thread ...

Why not? It's Wednesday - time for the obligatory "Two Minute Hate", the target of which depends upon what you're typing your posts on...

I know ... it just so predictable ... and I'm sitting here on my piddly little network that has 2 PCs (Win 2K Server, Win 98), a Mac G4, and a P2-450 w/ Linux 7.2 ... so that makes it pretty hard for me to pick a side and have anything to contribute other than, "can't we all just get along?"

[Publius6961]

It has been clearly state [sic] that there are three different models of iMacs with three different price points.

I apologize for my inattention.
Please direct me to the spot on this thread where the three prices are discussed prior to my post.
Not being from San Francisco, I am not qualified to visit the apple Mac site.
My assesment of Mac weenies prevents me from even being curious.
Should I start looking for my Ouija board?

[js1138]

those "hand-built" systems come no where close to the quality of components used in a Mac...

Please get real. How many hand built machines have you built? Except for motherboards and cases, the same components are available to everyone. the same memory chips, the same video cards, the same SCSI cards, the same disk drives, the same DVD burners.

You want tank cases? Try Supermicro or LianLi, or even the server cases made for Dell or IBM.

As for motherboards and CPUs, I have seen exactly one Pentium, a 200, fail. I have never seen a motherboard fail except after a power surge. Nice thing about PC motherboards is you can hike down the street, pick up a replacement for $100 and be back in business the same day.

I wonder what iMac users will do for a backup monitor while their LCD is in the shop?

[Fiddlstix]

Bump

[Zathras]

Look at the Pixar dancing lamp and the new iMac.
See any resemblance?

[Valkster]

This was posted days ago. Take your spam home. That's right! We had to suffer through this pap about the new iPaperweight 2 days ago. The consensus being that Macs are for fairies and Democrats, and that real men and Republicans use Windows. 'Nuff said. Well that's funny. You must be thinking of the Mac that looked like a toaster. Better get with the times.

[general_re]

and I'm sitting here on my piddly little network that has 2 PCs (Win 2K Server, Win 98), a Mac G4, and a P2-450 w/ Linux 7.2

Hmmm, you've got me beat - this box in front of me is only running win2k for the moment, now that I've wiped the BeOS and 98SE partitions. Feels empty - gotta dig out those Mandrake disks ;)

[pt17]

I'm sitting here on my piddly little network - so that makes it pretty hard for me to pick a side and have anything to contribute other than, "can't we all just get along?"

I'm sitting here on my piddly little home ethernet LAN of 4 PCs. The fourth used to be a Mac (G4) but I had to ditch it because it didn't get along very well with an NT4 Server (running Oracle/SQL server and Cold Fusion server) and my two other development machines (NT WS and XP). However, the main reason I ditched it was because it didn't do much in the way of serious database/internet work.

Having owned just about every Mac made up through the G4, I used to be one of the world's biggest mac bigots but got over it when I found out where the development demand ($$$) was. It was a hard switch but I now prefer the Windows environment because of the available development tools and ($$$) opportunities.

PS: For you ex-flyers or flyer wannabees who'd like to get some quality "stick" time without the danger, cost or FARs, check out IL-2 Sturmovik. My kids gave this to me as a gift and this simulation is first-rate with scenery rendering that's better than many of the commercial flight simulators I've seen, the sound is great, the planes' flight characteristics are outstanding (e.g., try getting out of an inverted spin in a P39) and the ability to build simulation missions/scenarios is excellent.

[toupsie]

Top of the line iMac is currently $1800. I could match that in a dual AMD with a Superdrive. Nero (free) will burn DVDs. It must be really, really, important to Mac users never to have to install or upgrade software, because you're always bragging about what comes built in.

Its important for novice users to have a system that works straight out of the box. I used to be a UNIX "guru" and have switched because of Mac OS X -- because it is UNIX. Apple and its Mac OS X is a beautiful marriage of power and ease. Since I have given my parents a Mac, they never call for tech support. If anything, that is greatest gift in the world for me. Nothing worst than having your mother screaming the seven words you can't say on TV so well that George Carlin would blush.

Do you really believe, in the absense of federal intervention, that Windows wouldn't have a lot of built-in apps?

I wish the Feds would not have gone after M$ for bundling but for its activities in forcing x86 manufacturers to buy licenses for Windows. It never hurt Apple but it did hurt Caledra and Be.

[toupsie]

I wonder what iMac users will do for a backup monitor while their LCD is in the shop?

iMacs by default are dual monitor systems. You can take a standard VGA monitor and plug it into an iMac. So screw off the LCD and plug in the VGA monitor in the closet and go back to work.