iMac vs. PC??

[jcd11235 0]

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-you CAN run osx on a windows machine. pystar (i think that's it) has been selling hackintoshes for awhile and now sells a $50 piece of software that lets you install osx.

While technically possible, there is no way to run OS X on a non-Apple machine without violating the EULA of OS X.

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another option is bootcamp. this is just a boot manager that lets you select an os on boot, windows or osx

Bootcamp emulates legacy BIOS for Windows to run on an EFI equipped machine. Macs do not have BIOS.

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you will pay more for similar specs, but you will get more for it (software) and have less hassles with it.

The last two laptops I have purchased, a MacBook and a MacBook Pro, were both less expensive than machines equipped with comparable hardware from other makers, such as Dell, HP, etc., without even considering software.

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sometimes, a mac isn't your best choice.

Very true. Apple offers relatively few system configurations and chooses not to compete in the budget PC market. They also tend to tie larger screen size to higher machine performance in their notebook and iMac lines. If someone is in the market for a low end laptop with a 17 inch screen, they're not going to find it in the Apple store.

Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

[mnealtx 0]

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I know this has probably been brought up a million times but can someone with a little sense tell me the benefits of owning an iMac over a PC? I'm tired of putting up with the mess on this computer of mine and although I know it's a bit higher priced, is an iMac worth the money to keep spam/viruses, etc under control? Is it any different to operate and if so, will I have to learn everything all over again?

TripleF

Reformat and put Linux Mint on it - problem solved.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[Harmless 0]

I was gonna stay out of this but since you brought in linux I recommend Ubuntu for user friendliness.

"Damn you Gravity, you win again"

[mnealtx 0]

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I was gonna stay out of this but since you brought in linux I recommend Ubuntu for user friendliness.

Mint is basically Ubuntu with all the media codecs and set up with a bottom menu bar like Windows.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[Harmless 0]

Is it using KDE then (I actually prefer GNOME)? Kbuntu has this also and adding the correct repositories adds in all the needed codecs, but I see where you're going.

"Damn you Gravity, you win again"

[mnealtx 0]

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Is it using KDE then (I actually prefer GNOME)? Kbuntu has this also and adding the correct repositories adds in all the needed codecs, but I see where you're going.

They have KDE, Gnome and Fluxbox (?) versions, as I recall.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[freefallfreak 0]

Shit...ya'll lost me. I have no idea what the last few posters said.

TripleF

"Upon seeing the shadow of a pigeon, one must resist the urge to look up."

[mnealtx 0]

www.linuxmint.com

Go give it a look - if you don't need specialized windows apps, it might just give you a facelift for your computer. You can burn it to a cd and try it out without having to load anything.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[freefallfreak 0]

Kewl. I'm computer illiterate and old school. Hell, I can't even type with more than two fingers. Understanding most of what was said is just so far above me, I'm lost. Thanks for the link. I'm gonna' go there and try it.

TripleF

"Upon seeing the shadow of a pigeon, one must resist the urge to look up."

[tkhayes 126]

Feb 17, 2007, I opened the box on my new 20" iMac, my epiphany.

I am never going back

[MarkM 0]

I hate Apple. I think they abuse the hell out of their customers and the Apple fanboys lap it up.

But they make good shit. Make a list of what you need your computer to do for you, research up on whether or not Mac supports that well and if they do, go ahead and pick one up.

But do buy the extended warranty. Apple support isn't cheap and the warranty will pay for itself easily.

[Zenister 0]

self explanatory..

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[mnealtx 0]

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[murrays 0]

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But do buy the extended warranty. Apple support isn't cheap and the warranty will pay for itself easily.

In the last ten years since I bought my first Mac I bought the extended warranty once. Never used it. I've owned 3 Macs personally and about 10 where I work. Nothing has died or had an issue I couldn't resolve myself.....except for my 2 and 4 year olds jamming two CDs into the slot loading drive on my original iMac, an issue with OS 9 I couldn't figure out and the kids once again doing something that froze the original iMac up and required a trip to the local Mac dealer. Total cost less than Applecare for one computer.

So, I'm not sold on buying Applecare. Perhaps for a first time Mac user it might be a good idea to get the 3 years of technical support. It should be noted that you can buy the Applecare warranty up to a year after you purchase your Mac so you've got time to think about it. For people close to an Apple Store I think buying Applecare is less compelling due to the tech support offered therein.

--
Murray

"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey

[TomAiello 25]

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Next stop is Birmingham and the Apple store.

Funny story. Birmingham was supposed to have like the 10th Apple store in the nation. Apple had gone so far as to start hiring staff when the management of the Summit (where they were going to locate) backed out of the deal because they felt that a computer store wasn't in keeping with their upscale image. Fast forward a few years, and Birmingham gets the the 150th store (or something like that), right there in the Summit.

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[MarkM 0]

I run the IT dept of a company that's all Mac laptops. They do break down, a lot. The build quality of new Macs isn't any better or worse than anything else out there.

The big difference is Apple charges a lot more for the components so it's expensive as hell to fix them.

[Harmless 0]

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I run the IT dept of a company that's all Mac laptops. They do break down, a lot. The build quality of new Macs isn't any better or worse than anything else out there.

The big difference is Apple charges a lot more for the components so it's expensive as hell to fix them.

Yup, hardware in a mac is the same hardware available in PCs... just costs twice as much :P

"Damn you Gravity, you win again"

[murrays 0]

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I run the IT dept of a company that's all Mac laptops. They do break down, a lot. The build quality of new Macs isn't any better or worse than anything else out there.

The big difference is Apple charges a lot more for the components so it's expensive as hell to fix them.

Mark,

Would these laptops be getting heavier use and abuse than what an average user would put on a personal machine?

Mine (2 imacs, One Macbook) have stood up fairly heavy use at home with no problems but they aren't being packed into bags and lugged around all the time.

Murray

[MarkM 0]

Not especially. The main cause of the failures is heat related. These are all macbook pro's. It's very possible that normal macbooks and imacs are better because they're not as fast.

[jumpwally 0]

Well, gee, Duh !! There is the difference......you'll hear individuals rave about macs and mac laptops, cuz they do last,,mostly because owners spend more for them ,are aware and take care of them, i've yet to see anyone who doesn't pay for something, take care of said thing.......(shaking head )

smile, be nice, enjoy life
FB # - 1083

[murrays 0]

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Not especially. The main cause of the failures is heat related. These are all macbook pro's. It's very possible that normal macbooks and imacs are better because they're not as fast.

Interesting. The iMac on my desk here at work is running at 41 to 42 degrees celsius...running Excel, accounting programs, mail and web browser. It would be interesting to see what the temperature gets to if doing things more processor intensive like rendering video, etc. If I put my hand at the top of the machine it is definitely warm but no fans ever kick in on my work machine. I do get the fans running on my black MacBook at home. I'll have to check and see what sort of temps it runs at.

Do you know how hot those laptops are running?

What fails on these machines due to the heat?

Murray

[JerryBaumchen 1,048]

Hi f3,

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I'm computer illiterate and old school.

So am I. I bought my first pc in '85, a PCjr. 8 weeks ago I bought a 20" iMac and then the frustration began.

The machine is OK and no real problems; a fair amount of learning of a different machine. Sort of like learning to drive on the other side of the road. I bought the longer Mac keyboard ( chiklitte (sp) type which is very similar to what came on the original PCjr's ) and cannot stand it. The tactile feedback is just not the same; $49 in the toilet.

The system that I bought has the new Snow Leopard OS. I also bought Office for Mac and only use MS Word.

MS Word for Mac does not have the same features as MS Word on a PC so you will have to learn some new things; and learn to not have some features such as CTRL End going to the end of the document.

My biggest problems are that my H-P printer will not do an envelope properly; H-P does not have the proper driver for the new OS.

Also, my label maker just will not do much because they also do not have an updated driver or editor. I spent over an hour with tech support at Brother last week and we sort of got things to work OK but then yesterday everything went to H***.

I am just a home user with a small some-time business.

Oh, forgot one other thing. iPhoto just will not do anything understandable; it's crazy. I joined the Mac Users Group and they sort of help but they are mostly techies or those who 'just love' their Macs so they cannot see any problems with them.

I think my problems will get worked-out but it has not been a fun experience. I have no interest in being 'one with my computer,' I just want to turn it on and use it.

Your experiences may be different; I sure hope for your sake,

JerryBaumchen

PS) Find someone to help in setting all of the 'preferences.' I have changed about 50% of the default settings to make things more understandable &, for me, useable.

[jcd11235 0]

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MS Word for Mac does not have the same features as MS Word on a PC so you will have to learn some new things; and learn to not have some features such as CTRL End going to the end of the document.

I'm on a laptop, which doesn't have an [end] key, so I can't test it, but …

As a general rule, keyboard shortcuts from Windows work on Macs by replacing the [ctrl] key with the [command] key.

Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

[ryoder 1,384]

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My biggest problems are that my H-P printer will not do an envelope properly; H-P does not have the proper driver for the new OS.

Huh?
Snow Leopard already contains all of the HP printer drivers.
If you are using an HP printer, there is nothing to add.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[Blink 0]

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It's fairly trivial to boot up Windows on a Mac. However, the reverse is not possible at all.

For those who are unaware, you can absolutely run MacOS's on PC's, even AMD chipsets! I have a few friends running SnowLeopard and 10.5 (I think, the version before SL). It's trickier to install, but runs fine afterwards. A small google search will yield many tutorials for installation.