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Attention Emac Owners!!!

S

steeleclipse

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 7, 2002
363
0
Canada
Don't get too excited... just wanted to ask you question...

My school is getting 68 new superdrive EMACS next year... I heard that there has been several problems with them. Is this true??? Is there anything quirky about them I should know???

We do some pretty heavy multimedia work, and they will take a beating. Are they up to it???

Thanks
 
They have CRT displays. I see no reason to pump the students full of any radiation they don't need. I'm pretty sure they won't be doing anything that requires color-correctness. LCD screens are the only way to go for the avarage user.
 
all emac units built before (i think) 12/20/02 have a chance of a faulty display. manufactured after that, they're ok. emacs aren't a bad choice for schools where
a) LCD is cost-prohibitive
b) students are hard on equipment

ugly as hell tho...

if the school buys a lot, there will be a share of defective units, but shouldn't be any more than other macs...

pnw
 
Yeah.. the things that i heard about were display malfunctions.. .so they are fixed???


Anyways, were a design school, so I think we should be getting Powermacs. That is what we have right now (8500's)
 
average

Originally posted by FelixDerKater
I'm pretty sure they won't be doing anything that requires color-correctness. LCD screens are the only way to go for the avarage user.
Click to expand...

LCD are NOT the only way to go for the AVERAGE user. I think you're just trying to justify your own expence in buying an AVERAGE LCD, nothing like getting "everyone" in the same boat to make you feel comfortable.

Sorry, but I think a pair of 19'' Diamontron or such like would find you in paradise.

steeleclipse - As for eMac I think the glitch you were referring to was corrected post mid December last year just as paulwhannel says. Ugly wise I think the eMac looks finished on one of those swivel stands, that's the badger for looks but I can't see every school forking for those at 50 quid a piece. Generally I think you'll be at a pretty cool school computer wise.:) 68 of the beasties woooo:eek: :D
 
Re: average

Originally posted by kettle
LCD are NOT the only way to go for the AVERAGE user. I think you're just trying to justify your own expence in buying an AVERAGE LCD, nothing like getting "everyone" in the same boat to make you feel comfortable.
Click to expand...

I am not trying to justify anything. I am perfectly happy with the LCD screen on my TiBook. I am also happy with the 21" SONY Trinitron CRT monitor I use for graphics and web design on my desktop. I am simply saying that the end is at hand for the CRT on the average user's desktop... Even Apple is admitting that. That is why the eMac and CRT iMac are supposedly about to go the way of the dinosaur.
 
I have an eMac at home but I use pro towers at school (college for Graphic Design). I often wonder myself why the school always buys top of the line, since I see the difference in my tuition. I figure it is an image thing, the school wants to be seen as using the top of the line cutting edge computers. I mean they didn't buy the towers for upgradability.

What would be sweet is if when you are buying all these eMacs you ask the students if they want to buy one and get them a wicked group discount.

Mike

P.S. I love my eMac :) If you have a burning question email me vanillamike@hotmail.com
 
I've had an eMac at home for some time, it's actually for my daughter's schoolwork (she's 6) and it takes a kicking on the Barbie game issues believe me.

So far it has proved faultless, runs my Ti book a merry chase, and handles heavy video and audio editing/mixing sessions with ease.

I've just spec'ed 20 for a multi-media lab in the Uni, it's relativley low level stuff, we use DP G4's in the main audio studios and in the digital arts labs, but the combination of speed, cost and the superdrive are a potent combination.

You're bound to get the odd DOA, but I think the eMac is a great machine for Apple and as a general computer.
 
Ugly?

After seeing the eMac in person, I think it looks pretty good if (a) you're sitting in front of it and (b) you have the tilt/swivel. If you don't have the tilt/swivel it's too low on the table and looks a bit odd.

If the school can afford superdrives, they should be able to afford the extra $50 for the tilt/swivel.
 
Originally posted by vanillamike


What would be sweet is if when you are buying all these eMacs you ask the students if they want to buy one and get them a wicked group discount.

Mike
Click to expand...

Thats a really good idea... except I don't want the other students to have macs, because the less experience they have, the better my work looks. I know that sounds selfish, but think about it.

If there is advertising agencies scouting my school, I want my work to look the most polished, so I look the best. A lot of people have good ideas, so the competition is tight, and a lot of the time it comes down to the mechanics of the finished layouts.

Sad, but true... Does anybody think that is wrong of me? (Go ahead, I can take it) :D
 
eMacs

I was an Apple Techician and Sales Specialist for Computer Showcase (got laid off 2/14/03) My experience with the eMac has not been very positive. Let see, RedBank Valley School District bought 21 eMacs and 13 of them failed and sometimes failed multiple times. Raster shift on all of them was the problem. It really upset the tech coordinator and school district. They threatened to drop Apple over this. I am not sure if my call to Apple and etc solved that issue or not. I certainly hope so. The tech coordinator was beside himself in anger. Penncrest School District bought 120 eMacs and 35 failed at least once.....a few failed as much as five times. The problem with these was failing to powerup and popping sounds. Tech coordinator was not happy, but she wasn't as overly upset as the RedBank coordinator. AC Valley bought 100 of them, and I believe 32 of them failed and multiple times. Problems ranged from Raster Shift, to DOA at shipment, to popping sounds, to flickering screen on the bottom corners, and bad logic boards. Clarion University bought several........only looked at 4 of them.....all had Raster Shift. Edinboro University had five of them that they bought that had Raster Shift issues. Several individuals had Raster Shift and popping sound. My experience is a failure rate of at least 35%. I am not sure how fixed they are after 12/20/02........I just know I replaced a lot of Display/Analog Assembly Units, logic boards, and power buttons with power button cables. I was constantly fixing eMacs.....I even bought tools specifically for that machine. They were a pain to fix, and I became all to familiar with them. I hope you get a good batch.....if not ......well look for a lot visits from a AASP and a lot of tearing apart of eMacs and replacement of parts. I had a lab at Penncrest just all tore up November and December and part of January.....CRTS and screws and parts all over the place. I had to start recommending iMacs and other macs instead of the eMac. I have to admit I let Apple know I wasn't in support of the eMac. I felt it was the poorest quality mac ever built since the PB 5300 and 190 series.
 
Wow that is a lot of problems. I've had the raster shift on my eMac, sounds like that was the majority of the problem with the ones you mentioned. From what I hear they have resolved the issue in the new eMacs produced after Dec 31st. The fix from what I hear (and it was in my case) an IVAD wire or something like that. I was told that basically there was a bad connection nothing more. The apple warranty covered the repairs, and I had my eMac back in 3 business days.

Mike
 
eMacs

Yeah it was a lot of problems. Raster shift was majority of problems.....although popping sound came a close second. Yes, during Christmas, Apple said the IVAD cable was the problem and replacing it was the fix........but I did a lot of Display/Analog Assembly Units before that fix came along.





Originally posted by vanillamike
Wow that is a lot of problems. I've had the raster shift on my eMac, sounds like that was the majority of the problem with the ones you mentioned. From what I hear they have resolved the issue in the new eMacs produced after Dec 31st. The fix from what I hear (and it was in my case) an IVAD wire or something like that. I was told that basically there was a bad connection nothing more. The apple warranty covered the repairs, and I had my eMac back in 3 business days.

Mike
Click to expand...
 
I must say, in response to an earlier post, that not only do LCDs have a place in homes, but in schools and businesses especially. With the remarkably low energy usage and low heat production, businesses and schools save a bundle in electricity and cooling expenses. With energy being more and more a problem, I think that an LCD purchase, although more expensive, usually pays itself off.

Another thing, I have very sensative eyes, and the CRT screens in most computers nowadays bother me a lot and even give me major headaches. I could look at an LCD screen for a week straight (if not for the need of food and sleep) and my eyes would still be fine with it. I use a laptop, and compared to my older desktop that I keep in my room with a CRT screen, the laptop is heaven.
 
Originally posted by FelixDerKater
They have CRT displays. I see no reason to pump the students full of any radiation they don't need. I'm pretty sure they won't be doing anything that requires color-correctness. LCD screens are the only way to go for the avarage user.
Click to expand...

Please name me an adavantage an LCD has over a CRT. Besides size, power consumption (irrelevant to desktop computing) and radiation (modern qualit CRTs have very low radiation levels).


In my list CRTs

are cheaper
sharper
higher contrast
better color
brighter
more flexible due to multiscan
 
marshmellow

I picked up two of them for my office mid january, and we love them, no problems what so ever. To me they look like giant marshmellow's. some times I walk over and lick the side of the one my lay girl (layout & design) uses and it momentarily cures my munches.:D

It realy freak's her out though.
 
marshmellow is a good one!!!
i just do not like the front view. the side and the back are very strong.
i was thinking about getting one, but i decided to get an ibook because of mobility.

for a multimediaschool i would go with some 1ghz powermacs. you can stuff'em with videocards, more memory, more hd...
.a
 
LCDs Vs CRTs

LCDs are bad for schools......very bad. You got to understand that little kids don't know not to press to hard on the screen and don't know not to poke a pencil into the screen. I have serviced elementary school computers. I see how the kids treat them. They push on the screen with their fingers and sometimes put the pencil point against the screen. We had one school that did purchase the LCD iMac and it was hell for the school......the kids kept breaking the LCD screen.....one kid tried to close the iMac screen like it was an iBook. It might be ok for high schools and colleges.......but not elementary or middle schools. No tech coordinator in their right mind will buy LCD based desktops for little kids......it just isn't wise use of money.



Originally posted by KingArthur
I must say, in response to an earlier post, that not only do LCDs have a place in homes, but in schools and businesses especially. With the remarkably low energy usage and low heat production, businesses and schools save a bundle in electricity and cooling expenses. With energy being more and more a problem, I think that an LCD purchase, although more expensive, usually pays itself off.

Another thing, I have very sensative eyes, and the CRT screens in most computers nowadays bother me a lot and even give me major headaches. I could look at an LCD screen for a week straight (if not for the need of food and sleep) and my eyes would still be fine with it. I use a laptop, and compared to my older desktop that I keep in my room with a CRT screen, the laptop is heaven.
Click to expand...
 
CRTs are NOT brighter than LCDs. That is a major difference in the two. LCDs are considerably brighter than CRTs. Not only does it make them easier to see, but also better on the eyes. Also, CRTs cannot adjust the actual brightness. They can just make the colors darker or lighter, but not actually BRIGHTER. LCDs, on the other hand, can actually adjust the brightness of the backlight, which doesn't wash out the colors at all, just makes it brighter or dimmer. True, CRTs are still cheaper and have better color, but that gap is steadily diminishing. I find that LCDs are actually sharper and have better contrast at their native resolution than CRTs. Yes, that is one drawback of LCDs, though, that they only operate well in their native resolution.

Originally posted by MacBandit
Please name me an adavantage an LCD has over a CRT. Besides size, power consumption (irrelevant to desktop computing) and radiation (modern qualit CRTs have very low radiation levels).


In my list CRTs

are cheaper
sharper
higher contrast
better color
brighter
more flexible due to multiscan
Click to expand...
 
For me LCD's meant low resolution (I run 1600x1200 on my 19' Sony Trinintron) and ghosting (for gaming). If i cant run a good resolution then it's hard to work on them because there isnt much space. And if they ghost, it sucks when playing games. Anyone know anything about plasma technology?
 
Go for the eMacs. They have a bigger display (17" Flat CRT) than the iMacs and much higher resolutions. As long as it was made/refurbished after mid-december, there should be no video issues at all. And not only does the stand complete the look, but it helps with ergonomics, too.
 
Yeah, I admit that they also have a lesser resolution currently. They are working on technology to eliminate this problem, but still, I think that LCDs give you a better "full experiance" when working on them. Actually, I think that there is already a technology out there that betters the resolution of LCDs....I think it is like SXGA or something like that, but Apple hasn't adopted that technology yet, so we are going to have to wait to see any improvements there. Also, the reason people have probelms when playing games is that a lot of games are currently still run in 640x480 resolution, which I don't see why they are not taking advantage of higher resolutions with the graphics cards on the market currently.
I have only heard of plasma technology in conjunction with TVs. They are apparently a lot better than LCDs with viewing angles and the such, but they are SOOOOOOO expensive. If people complain about LCDs being expensive, they would have a heart attack with the current prices of Plasma screens.


Originally posted by DeusOmnis
For me LCD's meant low resolution (I run 1600x1200 on my 19' Sony Trinintron) and ghosting (for gaming). If i cant run a good resolution then it's hard to work on them because there isnt much space. And if they ghost, it sucks when playing games. Anyone know anything about plasma technology?
Click to expand...
 
Originally posted by KingArthur
Yeah, I admit that they also have a lesser resolution currently. They are working on technology to eliminate this problem, but still, I think that LCDs give you a better "full experiance" when working on them. Actually, I think that there is already a technology out there that betters the resolution of LCDs....I think it is like SXGA or something like that, but Apple hasn't adopted that technology yet, so we are going to have to wait to see any improvements there. Also, the reason people have probelms when playing games is that a lot of games are currently still run in 640x480 resolution, which I don't see why they are not taking advantage of higher resolutions with the graphics cards on the market currently.
I have only heard of plasma technology in conjunction with TVs. They are apparently a lot better than LCDs with viewing angles and the such, but they are SOOOOOOO expensive. If people complain about LCDs being expensive, they would have a heart attack with the current prices of Plasma screens.
Click to expand...

Plasma has a terrible burn in problem after just a few hours of displaying a motionless image.

Also most computer can not run the new games coming out at 1280x1024 even with the modern video cards. This makes playing them even tougher on top of the slow refresh rates that LCDs have creating ghosting on even the best of them.
 
I personally wouldn't just mind computer games with 1024x768 resolution, but sadly, a lot of them are still in the old 640x480 or 800x600 modes. I personally haven't noticed anything wrong with my LCD screen, but I must admit that I don't do intensive gaming on it and also, they have been known to perform worse with games. Let's just see what the next technology for LCDs brings us. Maybe it will be a nice suprise.
 
I just have to say that eMacs were definately designed with schools in mind. They are durable, they have no holes in the top for kids to spill or put stuff into ( G3 all-in-one), fingerprints are easily washable with common janitorial equiptment that schools have. Kids won't try to pick them up (they are dreadfully heavy). And they are really quite quiet.

The downside to this is, yes, they do consume more power, they are tough to move, and hell to repair.

LCD's can not take the abuse of the kids the computer is designed for. You should use special cleaner for the screen, as to not damage the coatings. CRT's are also cheaper, helping the machine to stay within the price range of a good amount of schools.

Just to confirm again, the display problems have been fixed, but that does sure leave a damper on the eMac's reputation.
 
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