help w/ flaky father!

devilot · May 6, 2005

Awhile back, I approached my parents with a plea for an Apple desktop (I saved up and bought a 12" PB g4 last summer; have since fallen in love with macs). I gave them a rough estimate of the price range and surprisingly, they ok'ed my request.

Was waiting and obsessively reading forums for the new iMacs... went to my father asking to take up his previous offer, but now he claims that the computer I want is "just an overpriced entertainment machine." I'm looking at the 20" iMac rev. B, 1 g sdram because I'm thinking about using photoshop more (currently taking a class on PScs). Maybe I could go for less memory?

I'm a student and even w/ the discount, he's not really budging.
Any suggestions as to how I can persuade him?!

FoxyKaye · May 6, 2005

Don't know if this helps, but you could make the point that if you wanted an "overpriced entertainment machine" that in fact an iMac is actually not the machine of choice: there are far more games available on the Windows platform, which also ususally gets first run games as well (Mac folks have to wait for them to get ported), and in fact the most overpriced entertainment machines of them all are the PS2/PSP/PS3, X-Box, GameCube varieties.

Good luck with your dad - I'm saving up for one of the new iMacs right now (unless I win the lottery, in which case it's 2.7GHz G5 DP all-the-way).

sammyman · May 6, 2005

Dude, maybe don't ask for the 20". Get the 17". It is a lot easier on his pocket book. Also, wait for the RAM. Get some RAM in a month after he has bought the computer from Crucial.com. It will be much cheaper anyway. If he sees a price tag of 1399, compared to almost $2000, he might be more inclined. Also, create a list of all of the reasons why you "need it" and that might sway him. Good luck.

devilot · May 6, 2005

thanks for the input...

i was hoping for the 20" because the extra screen space is a definite plus w/ photoshop. darn palettes. hee.

yellow · May 6, 2005

Ask him what he's basing his reaction on..

Has he ever used a Mac?

iGary · May 6, 2005

devilot76 said:
thanks for the input...

i was hoping for the 20" because the extra screen space is a definite plus w/ photoshop. darn palettes. hee.

20" is nice, but if 17" will get the job done....

devilot · May 6, 2005

"Ask him what he's basing his reaction on..

Has he ever used a Mac?"

I don't know how to do that cool, quote thingy in forums... but I'm pretty sure my dad's been burned because many many years ago, my older sister begged for an Apple desktop which she barely used at all during the one year and it has sat in the original cardboard box since then. So I think he refuses to believe that I would ACTUALLY use the iMac. Not to mention, I don't think he understands that my photoshop meddling isn't just plain "red-eye reducing" but that it has a whole buncha practical and nifty tools.

No... unfortunately, daddy has not used a Mac.

And just to set the record straight; I'm not a gamer (only dabble in Diablo II) and my dad doesn't think I'm a gamer either.

TreeHugger · May 6, 2005

dont get the ram from apple. go for 512 from apple and then get the second 512 from crucial. so much cheaper and works great.

anubis · May 6, 2005

my first reaction was to suggesting asking for the 17-incher instead of the 20-incher, but i see i was beaten.

If you really want the 20-inch screen and wouldn't mind a slight performance hit, maybe a Mac Mini would suit you. $500 Mac Mini with a $400 Dell 2005fp 20-inch widescreen LCD = $900. That would even leave you with a few hundred dollars to max out ram. Or wait for the proper coupon code and get that sweet, sweet Dell 2405fp 24-inch flat panel for $900. I've been hurtin' for one of those for a long time, but I'm waiting for the right combination of coupon codes to bite.

yellow · May 7, 2005

devilot76 said:
but I'm pretty sure my dad's been burned because many many years ago, my older sister begged for an Apple desktop which she barely used at all during the one year and it has sat in the original cardboard box since then. So I think he refuses to believe that I would ACTUALLY use the iMac.

Gently remind him that you're not your sister.. and then strike a deal with him. If you get me X, and I don't use it like Sissy, then I will do Y for a year.

wordmunger · May 7, 2005

How about a 20-inch external monitor for the powerbook? That would give you the screen space you desire for photoshop, and save your dad a bundle. Then, next year, you can ask for a new G5 to go with your monitor!

devilot · May 8, 2005

thanks for all the input...

I finally agreed w/ ya folks and thought, "well, a 17" iMac is better than nada," but when I brought the revised price to my dad, he still blew me off. He even had the audacity to whine that I already have a faster computer than he does-- TOO BAD I PAID FOR EVERY LAST CENT OF MY 12" PB! grrr he has no right to complain to me about that.

So it looks like the iMac will have to wait.

too bad there's no weeping, sniffling anti-smiley face.

Thanks again for all the responses! i <3 the apple community. You guys are awesome.

matticus008 · May 8, 2005

devilot76 said:
thanks for all the input...

I finally agreed w/ ya folks and thought, "well, a 17" iMac is better than nada," but when I brought the revised price to my dad, he still blew me off. He even had the audacity to whine that I already have a faster computer than he does-- TOO BAD I PAID FOR EVERY LAST CENT OF MY 12" PB! grrr he has no right to complain to me about that.

So it looks like the iMac will have to wait. too bad there's no weeping, sniffling anti-smiley face.

Thanks again for all the responses! i <3 the apple community. You guys are awesome.

How about just getting an external LCD for your PowerBook? You could get the 20" display you wanted (the Dells are good quality and inexpensive) and have enough power to run Photoshop. Maybe upgrade the RAM on your PowerBook, and you'd be set. Your dad would probably respond better to buying a $500 monitor than an $1800 computer, especially since the one you have is fine.

Later on, you might want to get a firewire enclosure and slap a hard drive in there for when you run out of disk space on the PB. But there's not a lot of reason for your dad to pay for that.

EDIT: this is exactly what wordmunger just said! Apologies!

alex_ant · May 8, 2005

It must be rough

When I told my parents I was "thinking about using photoshop more" they gave me a cluster of dual G5s and built me a climate-controlled mansion to house them in. What is your dad trying to do, send you down a slippery slope out of the upper middle class? It's not like you asked for a 30" cinema display or something. How stingy can a dad get? Hang in there, I'm sure he'll cave sooner or later.

admanimal · May 8, 2005

Dont forget that there is an additional $100 mail-in rebate you can use if you buy from the education store. It expires June 25 I think.

eva01 · May 8, 2005

why don't you tell him you will pay for part of it?

or do what i do to my dead beat father, get him drunk then have him write you a check

devilot · May 14, 2005

yaaaaaaaaaay!

Thanks to everyone for all of your feedback.

My mom has used her influence (no kidding since she's the breadwinner of my family) and my dad has finally succumb to the women of the house!

I just placed my order for a brand spankin' new, rev. b 20" iMac G5 w/ 1 Gb of ram!

I think I qualify as a true switcher what with my almost one year old 12" pb, and soon to be iMac!

asif786 · May 14, 2005

glad to know you're getting your imac

when i wanted an imac g5, i just got the full a4 sized ad, printed like 100 copies (lol, at a printer, not at home

) and stuck them *everywhere*. pretty soon he got sick of seeing them, and agreed

wdlove · May 14, 2005

Congratulations devilot76 on your purchase of a new G5 iMac. Your mother sounds like mine, she would always assist with convincing my Dad of something. Happy to have you as a full fledged Mac user and member of MacRumors.

Balin64 · May 14, 2005

Flaky Father?

Get him some Head & Shoulders....

Sorry. Terrible Joke.

You already have a 12" PowerBook, correct? If you do, sell that to make the dent smaller.

Or did you mean he ok'd the PB then you wanted an iMac?

Sorry kiddo. I worked and saved for about six months to buy my first Mac: a screaming SE 30.

Get a job... if you are not old enough, use the Macs at school to hone your PS skills.

Then get your own iMac and copy of Photoshop. You will be very satisfied with yourself and your Dad will be very proud I am sure.

dotdotdot · May 14, 2005

Balin64 said:
Flaky Father?

Get him some Head & Shoulders....

Sorry. Terrible Joke.

You already have a 12" PowerBook, correct? If you do, sell that to make the dent smaller.

Or did you mean he ok'd the PB then you wanted an iMac?

Sorry kiddo. I worked and saved for about six months to buy my first Mac: a screaming SE 30.

Get a job... if you are not old enough, use the Macs at school to hone your PS skills.

Then get your own iMac and copy of Photoshop. You will be very satisfied with yourself and your Dad will be very proud I am sure.

Uh... he just said he ordered his iMac G5... unless you didnt read that.

Balin64 · May 14, 2005

Crap

I must have missed that!

Well, congratulations young one...

You are a lucky. Welcome to the Mac Side.

dotdotdot · May 14, 2005

Balin64 said:
I must have missed that!

Well, congratulations young one...

You are a lucky. Welcome to the Mac Side.

Uh... lol, he had a powerbook for over a year he said...

devilot · May 14, 2005

haha... I think I mentioned earlier but I had already saved up and purchased that pb, paid for every last penny of it.

and by the way... "he" is a "she."

hence, the sentence saying that the WOMEN of the household rule.

Mechcozmo · May 14, 2005

dotdotdot said:
Uh... lol, he had a powerbook for over a year he said...

Hehe...

Did you get your RAM from Apple? They overcharge a lot.....

I would have gotten 1 512MB stick from Apple and then a 512MB stick from Crucial or somewhere else.

help w/ flaky father!

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