That's a fine machine however, it's not an iMac competitor for several reasons.
The most obvious of which is that it has decided to incorporate a touch UI. One could argue that tablet-esque manipulation is the wave of the future, but as it stands now, it simply serves as a hinderance to the OS. The UI is completely un-refined. It doesn't play nice, at times, with the system itself. And professional level programs have not migrated to a multi touch interface (as of yet).
Another problem is the software. Argue what you want about specifications, there's no denying that OSX and high-mark Linux distributions are far more stable than Windows. Sure, I could load Ubuntu onto this machine and be happy, but when I needed a professional level program, I might back myself into a corner.
Stemming from that point is the issue of the (currently) fragmented Windows ecosystem. That might not mean much to certain professionals, but for me, it's what puts Apple far and away above the competition. The apps. The quality of builds software companies effort toward Mac vs PC. The integration with media technology. Yeah, I could Hackintosh this machine, but if we're being honest, it's a pain to maintain/troubleshoot a high functioning hackintosh.
Lastly, Apple's are expensive up-front. But 2-3 years down the road when I'm ready to upgrade, I'll offload my iMac for 60% of what I paid for it. While this Asus machine will likely be around 20%. Once you invest into the Apple product line, your out of pocket cash for an upgrade is comparable to the PC market. They hold their value.
The most obvious of which is that it has decided to incorporate a touch UI. One could argue that tablet-esque manipulation is the wave of the future, but as it stands now, it simply serves as a hinderance to the OS. The UI is completely un-refined. It doesn't play nice, at times, with the system itself. And professional level programs have not migrated to a multi touch interface (as of yet).
Another problem is the software. Argue what you want about specifications, there's no denying that OSX and high-mark Linux distributions are far more stable than Windows. Sure, I could load Ubuntu onto this machine and be happy, but when I needed a professional level program, I might back myself into a corner.
Stemming from that point is the issue of the (currently) fragmented Windows ecosystem. That might not mean much to certain professionals, but for me, it's what puts Apple far and away above the competition. The apps. The quality of builds software companies effort toward Mac vs PC. The integration with media technology. Yeah, I could Hackintosh this machine, but if we're being honest, it's a pain to maintain/troubleshoot a high functioning hackintosh.
Lastly, Apple's are expensive up-front. But 2-3 years down the road when I'm ready to upgrade, I'll offload my iMac for 60% of what I paid for it. While this Asus machine will likely be around 20%. Once you invest into the Apple product line, your out of pocket cash for an upgrade is comparable to the PC market. They hold their value.
DD I cant imagine what level of frustration would lead me to buy THIS
