Page 1 of Apple iMac- why would you buy one?

I`ve only ever had PC`s but happened to be round someone`s house the other day who had a Apple iMac with a gorgeous big screen.

Just looking for (unbiased) opinions of whether to move into the Apple market - pro`s & con`s - over a PC.

What do you reckon?

Advantages: All Macs look very good. More efficent processors. Not Microsoft
Disavantages: less software, one mouse button, less people own macs.

You used to only be able to get itunes on the Mac, but now it`s on Windows too.

I would stick with a PC, certainly for desktop use, but a Powerbook is a very tempting proposition(from my point of view) if I had the money. The build quality is superb on them.

I`d buy one if I wanted to be an out cast.
Imagine, I`m emailing a word processor attachment to some one that has a PC which has Word/ .RTF, what are they suposed to do? I go in to a local store and want some leisure software, again what might there be.

How well do websites work with an Apple PC?

Good luck
KBO

Quote:
You used to only be able to get itunes on the Mac, but now it`s on Windows too.

iTunes is available for both PC and Mac (it was actually available for the Mac first, but so many PC users wanted it to use with their iPods they made it available for both). http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

Quote:
Imagine, I`m emailing a word processor attachment to some one that has a PC which has Word/ .RTF, what are they suposed to do?

errr open it? Appleworks will open RTF (and I think Word documents), but you could always buy Office 2004.

Quote:
How well do websites work with an Apple PC?

Fairly well for most things. The biggest problem isn`t using a Mac, but not using IE. The number of web developers/designers who only develop for one browser nowadays is shocking...

True, if you`re a dedicated gamer then don`t buy an Apple, however for most other things they are as good (if not better) than Windows based PCs. The major disadvantage is that if you`re a tinkerer they`re not for you :D. It`s personal preference to a large extent.

Personally I have 2 desktop PCs (running XP), and laptop (running XP) and my oldest machine in use is an iMac G3 running OS 9.2 (I`m not counting the Performa 6200 that`s sitting in the computer room unplugged ;) ). I wouldn`t consider not having an Apple in the house and we`re looking at replacing the iMac in the near future when we`ve got the cash.

If you`re thinking about getting an Apple then think seriously about what you will be using it for. Then go to your local Apple centre and try the machines out and ask the questions about what software is available to do what you want it to do.

This item was edited on Tuesday, 2nd November 2004, 15:13

Additionally, the old adage of Macs being more expensive isnt actually true any more. The only reason not to buy a Mac, tbh, is the utter ubiquity of windows and windows based programs.

Thanks folks.

May I just add my two cents worth, please? :-)

That old one about the 1 button mouse is always a laugh, but OS X does support 2 and 3 button mice out of the box so you just need to find a good one and plug it in. No need to install drivers.

I`m a die hard Windows user, but I`d switch to a Mac simply because the integration of applications is superior to Windows ones. I use Windows at home, and a Mac at work and I enjoy it. :-) I use film editing s/w and have used Sony Vegas on the PC, but prefer Final Cut Express on the Mac. Same with other things such as Photoshop, it`s faster on a Mac, and now Adobe are working on a 64-bit version for the G5s, which`ll fly!! I could go on but I don`t want to bore! (iLife anyone? GarageBand!)

Why would the fact that because less people own a Mac, mean that you shouldn`t consider it? Lots of people are buying Macs these days; the support and AppleCare Service is second to none and Apple customer service is unrivalled. As someone mentioned previously, there`s MS-Office on the Mac, as well as AppleWorks which can read and write Word and Excel file formats that are compatible with Windows versions.

If you`re an avid games user, you might stick to Windows. Everything else a Windows PC can do, a Mac can do too, and better in most cases. More games are coming to the Mac platform, though these are behind the Windows versions.

btw, the new all in one iMac G5 rocks! Where else can you get a 64-bit computer with the effortless style and power of an iMac G5?

At the end of the day, the choice is yours. What do you want to use a computer for? What kind of things will you want to do with it? Pop into a store and play with one if your friend won`t let you play with his! Take a look at iLife, which comes bundled with all new Macs (iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD and GarageBand). There`s nothing like this on Windows and iLife is so tightly integrated that digital pics, videos, creating DVDs and adding your own music with GarageBand couldn`t be simpler! If you live in London, pop down to the new Apple Store on Regent Street when it opens, from the 20th November.

There`ll be free workshops and you can play with one to your hearts content.

And lastly, all new Macs with OS X can mix well in a Windows network and vice versa. If you have wireless broadband already setup, it`s a breeze to make your Mac with it.

HTH!

Anil, saving for an Apple PowerBook!
___________________________________________________
Anil Khedun
Reviewer, DVD Reviewer
The UK`s BIGGEST Online DVD Magazine!

This item was edited on Thursday, 4th November 2004, 10:08

I thought there must be some reason why people still used Macs! Although you do sound like a Mac salesman. You don`t work at that store do you?

D`oh! I do work for Apple. :-) And of course because I use Windows at home and Macs at work this makes me very popular at work! ;-)

Anil
___________________________________________________
Anil Khedun
Reviewer, DVD Reviewer
The UK`s BIGGEST Online DVD Magazine!

This item was edited on Thursday, 4th November 2004, 18:31