Computer for my grandmother

matt459 said:

First off, would this be in the right place?

My grandmother wants to buy a computer to be able to communicate, access the internet, and basics things like that. I want her to get a mac, because this would be her first time using a computer on a regular basis. I think viruses, and popups etc.. would only cause her stress. She doesnt need anything new, and she doesn't want to spend alot of money. It would only be used for basics, and connecting her new digital camera. Budget, around 300-400 dollars. I don't deal with ebay, because i hear alot abot fraud and all of that bad stuff. So what do you recommend for the task?

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eMac would suit her fine. Simple all in one design and the cheapest Mac there is. Get an older one if you want to keep money to a minimum, 1Ghz to 800Mhz (800 at the lowest). Pricewatch.com and pricegrabber.com. Ebay is the best for this, but just don't give your money out, get a phone number, talk on the phone and what not. Just make sure they are who they say they are and that their address is real. I usually ask for them to send a letter as a way to verify address.

In Apple's special deals, they have this: eMac 1GHz/256MB/40GB/NO CD-ROM/NO MODEM for $529. But no CD-Rom and modem kind of kills it.

All I can say is, you get what you pay for, so cheap isn't always the best way. Might want to think about who this will go to after your GM kicks the bucket, which is going to happen. So think about future for this thing too and what the next person is going to want to do with it.

varmit said:

Might want to think about who this will go to after your GM kicks the bucket, which is going to happen. So think about future for this thing too and what the next person is going to want to do with it.

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Nice mate, nice

My best advice try and get her an Apple refurb, you could get an eMac pretty cheap. Also phone your local Apple dealers and see if they have any floor models for sale, they will be a lot cheaper then a new computer. Try and get her a machine with Panther on it, because it will be a lot easier for her to work with, and it has Universal access if she is hard of seeing.

varmit said:

....after your GM kicks the bucket, which is going to happen....

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Did you really need to go there, dude?

You could get a CRT iMac with a 400mhz or faster cpu, that computer would be just fine for internet and e-mail and they are alot smaller than the eMac which is also very nice but is bigger and has a much faster cpu than she will need, and i don't think the display size difference would be much of a big deal unless her eye sight is getting bad.

ebay is about the only way to go for your price point, unless you find a nice person on these forums.
you could get a well upgraded used iMac (CRT) with that much money, and it'd be fine for your grandma, I'm sure.

Brettla said:

You could get a CRT iMac with a 400mhz or faster cpu, that computer would be just fine for internet and e-mail and they are alot smaller than the eMac which is also very nice but is bigger and has a much faster cpu than she will need, and i don't think the display size difference would be much of a big deal unless her eye sight is getting bad.

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If she's a grandma, and has a grandchild old enough to be computer savvy, then she's got to be at least 50 (or from West Virginia ), which means eyesight is definitely an issue. eMac is a better choice.

I posted a nearly identical question in the "Buying tips..." forum last week. vga4life provided a good link to eMac deals.

BTW, I set up a new combo-drive eMac for my Grandfather this past Saturday. He loves it and is picking it up a lot faster than I thought! I ended up getting it new since he decided he wanted a printer and Apple has the $100 rebate program.

Here are some sites
PoweMax
http://www.powermax.com/

PowerOn
http://shop.poweron.com/1-800-673-6227/index.asp?CartId=131387-ACCWARE-83PLDVZ72

Mac of All Trades
http://www.macofalltrades.com/

Small Dog Electronics
http://www.smalldog.com/

DV Warehouse
http://www.dvwarehouse.com/index.php/cPath/253_53

Well, its obvious that she's gonna need at least a dual 2.5 G5, as well as dual 30in LCD's to be able to do that kinda work.



lol, just kidding!



I agree with everyone else who posted above suggesting the CRT iMac or the eMac would be the way to go. Of course, if you wait a few months, you may be able to get a 1G iMac FP for that price....

varmit said:

..your GM kicks the bucket, which is going to happen.

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Way to be sensitive

When I left for Iraq back in Feb. I bought my mom, who is 62, a new 1Ghz eMac Combo. She picked up on it fairly quick and emails me everyday. She uses it mainly for surfing and emailing and loves it. I think I am going to get her a digital camera next, since she is ready to take the next step. Overall a great machine for her. She says it is really fast. Granted for how she uses it now, it probably has a lot of power in reserve!

Why not just get a nice (*NEW*) Dell that actually had a warrenty and just put firefox/opera on there instead of IE?

As most have said her the eMac is the best way to go. Wit the right digital camera and an iSight camera, she would be ready to communicate and share her life with those that matter most.

MrJohnson said:

Why not just get a nice (*NEW*) Dell that actually had a warrenty and just put firefox/opera on there instead of IE?

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In my experiences Macs are actually far better computers for older people with little previous experience with a computer. They are not fighting viruses and they are very simple to set up and use.

Abercrombieboy said:

In my experiences Macs are actually far better computers for older people with little previous experience with a computer. They are not fighting viruses and they are very simple to set up and use.

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Same reason that I recommend the eMac.

varmit said:

Might want to think about who this will go to after your GM kicks the bucket, which is going to happen.

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Dude, that's not right.

Abercrombieboy said:

In my experiences Macs are actually far better computers for older people with little previous experience with a computer. They are not fighting viruses and they are very simple to set up and use.

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VERY true, i'm speaking from experience. A few weeks ago I spent many hours with a relatives PC (Theyr'e not old, just new to computers lol). It's slower than my 4 year old PC - I downloaded some antivirus software for them quite a while ago, they havent been keeping it updated, so I updated it, scanned the computer and found a virus. Downloaded a spyware scanner and found tonnes of spyware.

They don't seem to have any understanding of viruses or security issues and tend to click on anything and download anything. Needless to say, they're finding working with the computer very frustrating. I think if they'd purchased a Mac, at least some of those problems wouldn't have cropped up.

If you DO love your GM, get a mac, she deserves more than a dual G5 2.5 GHz, one 30" would be ok ... and Powerbook when she goes out... be a good boy and love your grandma ... But she will refuses it, get an iMac G4, it will fit nice in her room and will be proud of you... you should give what you would like to receive...

varmit said:

Might want to think about who this will go to after your GM kicks the bucket, which is going to happen.

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Seriously bad karma. I hope you bite the big one before matt459's grandma does, and if you do, can you donate your computer to me? Thanks. I'll be waiting. Hopefully, it'll be tomorrow so that I'll have your computer by next week.

NM... dead display.

Keep in mind folks that a grandparent can be from 50 on up now a day. So there is a possibility of many upgrades from Apple in the future.

Continue reading my post... she will be in love with a G4 iMac ... get her a 800 MHz ... it's a nice look, cheap option and far better than a pc...