convince me: iMac isn't great for business...

[WestCoastpdx]

I run a couple businesses from a warehouse. retail, etc. Want to get rid of 4 year old 2ghz Dell.

New 17" iMac makes me drool. Convince me it's the wrong computer for the company so I don't go and spend $1300 on this thing.

Quickbooks, etc etc, someone stop me.

[achie25]

Go run and buy it my boy! MAke the switch. Except get the 20" Imac. :)

[stonyc]

I run a couple businesses from a warehouse. retail, etc. Want to get rid of 4 year old 2ghz Dell.

New 17" iMac makes me drool. Convince me it's the wrong computer for the company so I don't go and spend $1300 on this thing.

Quickbooks, etc etc, someone stop me.You come on a Mac site and ask for people to convince you not to get one? Okay, I'll bite.

Don't buy the iMac because $1300 could be better spent on strippers?

[WestCoastpdx]

no no, don't tell me it's good for business

tell me it can't help me grow, tell me it can't operate business software....

SOMEONE!!!!

[macbaseball]

tell me it can't help me grow, tell me it can't operate business software....


But it can...

[WestCoastpdx]

honestly, I guess I just want to be reasured that everything I do business wise (quickbooks, etc etc)

will go fine on the mac and I will get 4 years of use out of it and all that.

yes, no?

and why 20" ? just more real estate, or better resolution as well? it's not HD over the 17" is it?

[lom8104]

I dunno about Quickbooks but I do know that Quicken for Mac is a vastly inferior stripped down version.

[drake]

I run a couple businesses from a warehouse. retail, etc. Want to get rid of 4 year old 2ghz Dell.

New 17" iMac makes me drool. Convince me it's the wrong computer for the company so I don't go and spend $1300 on this thing.

Quickbooks, etc etc, someone stop me.

Macs are awful for business. For that, you need a PC.

[WestCoastpdx]

Macs are awful for business. For that, you need a PC.

examples?

I'm running NeoOffice on my PB, and there doesn't seem to be anything I can't do.

pray tell, this is why I'm asking

[edesignuk]

Go and speak to any old sales monkey in a local PC store, they'll soon put you straight about those nasty Macs :eek:

[WestCoastpdx]

and honestly, I am using a 15" PB and 15" LCD for my Dell.

Is 20" really that important over 17"?

[Moof1904]

QuickBooks and QuickBooks Pro for the Mac are great products. M$ Office, of course, is available. Unless you have some super specialized software that's not supported by the Mac at all, and Virtual PC isn't an acceptable option, I'd say go for it!

[Stampyhead]

I dunno about Quickbooks but I do know that Quicken for Mac is a vastly inferior stripped down version.
Yeah, I'm told that the Mac version of Quickbooks is in the same situation. The developers don't want to spend the time making the Mac version up to par with the Windows version because they say most businesses are run on Windows anyway.
Although I've never used it, I'm told that MYOB (Mind Your Own Business) is a good business program for the Mac, and they even offer a free copy for your accountant! Might be worth checking out when you finally give in an go get that iMac. Come on, you know you want to...

[Macky-Mac]

examples?

I'm running NeoOffice on my PB, and there doesn't seem to be anything I can't do.

pray tell, this is why I'm asking

there's no reason.......plenty of businesses use Macs....and plenty of them use iMacs........I use a 20" iMac for my business and it works fine

the issue of course is software, not hardware.........if your business needs a piece of software that's only available for Windows, then you would have a problem, but otherwise be reassured that there are lots and lots of Macs being used in businesses

[slipper]

The info you gave use is to vague for us to give you a knowledgable opinion. what type of business is this, what software do you currently use for your accounting, inventory, employee management, what type of POS do you use, etc.

Besides that, i feel that macs are a lot better due to the fact that macs are stable and less prong to crashing and because they are almost impervious to spyware and viruses.

[RobHague]

Mac's crash all the time. Get a new PC, that uses a stable OS like Windows.

If you get that Mac you wont get any work done, you will be forever reseting the thing. They are lemons done up as grapefruits ;), over priced and underpowered. Apple are moving to Intel you know too, hope you dont plan on keeping this new purchase for more than a year before Apple are pushing you to 'upgrade' to get the latest benifits.

Who in their right mind would spend so much money on a MAC? I mean.. its a MAC. The walt disney of the computer industry! Not like Microsoft software which is 1000% professional no-nonsense. Though i guess expose' might save you a couple of vital business seconds and the dashboard ripple effect looks fancy (that will impress your customers oh yes!).

No but.. Windows! BEST OS EVER!! Avoid OS-EX! Ew nasty! :p

[Artful Dodger]

drake

Macs are awful for business. For that, you need a PC.

Yep, they don't use Macs in the video/movie, printing/publishing, music, photography, design and classes at college for running those types of business. But then again why put a Mac in a "cubby farm" :cool:

[WestCoastpdx]

ooooh, you guys are good.


so, 17" vs 20"

upfront money is a concern, business isn't making much $$ yet :)

[glennsan]

I am looking at the PDF that lists the technical specs for both, the differences are:

17in - 1440 x 900 pixels, 1.9 GHZ CPU, 160 GB Hard Drive, X600 Pro Video

20in - 1680 x 1050 pixels, 2.1 GHZ CPU, 250 GB Hard DRive, X600 XT Video

The CPU difference is about 10%, that's noticeable to the eye, if your time is important, big plus for 20.

Another 90GB for the Hard drive if you get the 20, unless you do lots of video/pictures/music the 160 GB is fine, trust me I have a 120GB that has almost 40 GB of video and I have lots of room left.

Do not know the real difference on the video card, I suspect there isn't much but am not sure.

Either would work fine for you, it depends on if the $400 is worth it for the items I mentioned. Good luck and I know you will enjoy the Mac without mentioning the lack of virus's and spyware to bother you.

Glennsan

[WestCoastpdx]

well, the Powerbook I bought last week is up for sale on Craigslist

when it sells, I'm going to order the 17".

20" is nice, but I've been using a 15" for the past 4 years.
the PB is a 15" as well

17" will be a nice step up, and the speed isn't important anymore as I don't game, as long as it last and last and lasts, the 17" should be good good.

[FFTT]

A local high end veterinary clinic near where I work
just bought 6 iMac G5's for their reception desks.

Yes this place is posh and those iMacs really look outstanding to anyone who enters the building.

Heck how many vet clinics do you know that have a Starbucks machine in the waiting room?

Obviously, they care about image as well as function.

I asked the office manager how she feels about
the OS X switch and everyone there is absolutely thrilled with how they can use Mac applications AND access their Wintel server as well, covering just about anything they need to do for appointments, billing and record keeping.

No one there would ever dream of going back to
the P/C desktops that plagued their operation before.

[DeSnousa]

http://www.apple.com/business/ ;)

[CanadaRAM]

honestly, I guess I just want to be reasured that everything I do business wise (quickbooks, etc etc)
will go fine on the mac and I will get 4 years of use out of it and all that.
yes, no?


Now, it would be irresponsible to answer this question yea or nay.

#1) We don't know specfically what software is mission-critical for your business. You need to identify the particular software you need and then research if there is a Mac version, if it is data compatible or at least data migrateable, or if you can live with the expense and trouble of retooling your software setup.

#2) Nobody can say if you will get 4 years. Obviously, you can buy a 3 year warranty and likely the machine will be running 10 years from now, but what obsoletes a machine is the software upgrades that the owner 'must' have.
If you keep a machine frozen at the software it was set up with, it will last years. But you are sometimes forced into upgrading software (and OS) versions based on the software manufacturer support; the classic example is an accounting software vendor only releasing the next year's tax tables for the most recent version of their program. The other scenario is the manufacturer going out of business or dropping support for the Mac product.

[FFTT]

Do we have any File Maker Pro 8 experts here in the ranks?

I've been reading through some of the promo's
and it sounds very much like something you may need
beyond Quickbooks.

From what I understand it's similar to Microsoft Project/Excel made easy with a much better GUI.

[slipper]

The info you gave use is to vague for us to give you a knowledgable opinion. what type of business is this, what software do you currently use for your accounting, inventory, employee management, what type of POS do you use, etc.

Besides that, i feel that macs are a lot better due to the fact that macs are stable and less prong to crashing and because they are almost impervious to spyware and viruses.
What kind of business!? restaurant?....real estate?.....porn rental?....what?

[baummer]

What kind of business!? restaurant?....real estate?.....porn rental?....what?

Check the OP's signature..................

[panda]

.... once you discover mac, you are just going to fall head over heels and will wonder what took so long.

the new imacs look amazing.

why 20"? bigger screen, but also brighter/better screen. i say 20"

as for business software, i run my business on myob and love it.

it does stocks, multi-currency and tonnes more. you can choose the type of myob that suits your business best.

your business will run great on mac+ myob. as for other business software, they are out there, but i am not familiar with them. :)

[WestCoastpdx]

I sell sailboats, I'm a dealer for the Laser/Sunfish etc etc line here in the Northwest.

So, quick, someone buy my PB so I can go get an iMac!

[Lucky8]

Get the 20", you will never regret it.

[applefan]

I think Apple Computer uses Macs to run their business and they seem to be on quite a roll these days. In my area there is a smog check chain (Smog & Go I think), and they use Macs too, so maybe Macs are a viable business solution for you.

What software do you currently run on your PCs to manage your business?

[Le Big Mac]

ooooh, you guys are good.


so, 17" vs 20"

upfront money is a concern, business isn't making much $$ yet :)

We have a small (7 person) office all using 17" iMacs (the rev A G5). So far as I'm concerned, they're great. The PC-centric folks were a bit put off at first. But, frankly, since I have to make sure things keep running (we have IT support), no viruses and ease of use are big plusses.

17" is fine for general use. If you need large spreadsheets then maybe not, but for word it's fine. Entourage is almost as good as outlook. Limited only on some exchange features, but for basic mail it works great (I think interface is better than outlook).

A large reason that businesses use PCs is because of legacy equipment and lock-in. Yes, software can be an issue. But most businesses don't want to replace all their PCs at once, so they aren't going to switch over. Since we were a new office, we didn't have the legacy problem. The Mac solution was about the same price as similar Dell boxes. But, no viruses, no windows BS, and only some minor issues getting networked printers to work (we solved that by cancelling with Kyocera and getting Xerox in).

[WestCoastpdx]

Thanks Le Big,

I'm just a one man shop at the moment, but am not doing much hardcore power using, where the 20" would be vital.

again, just basic office stuff, QuickBooks, you know, the usual.

----
Somone buy my 15" PB so I can get my iMac =)