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Best Apple Buy

R

roadapple

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 21, 2004
218
0
What is the "best" new mac buy now?

Mini should be updated with a 1.5 or 1.67 ppc G4 soon, but when?
eMac could also be updated, what's holding it back, but a CRT?
iMac just had an outstanding update, seems like the best buy
PowerMacs are great, will last at least 2-3 years, but are still kind of pricey

iBooks, when will they be upgraded?
PBooks, great laptops, best we have, but is there a possibility of a dual core G4? If so, when?

Have a G4 667 pbook and a bit of cash for an upgrade, maybe I'll just buy the 24" dell monitor and wait a year for the new intels :(
 
my favorite has to be the 20" iMac... it's sleek, sexy, and has no footprint what so ever.... I almost made the mistake (my opinion) of buying the mac mini... but after some deliberation I decided that saving up for an iMac after MWSF...
 
I have to go with either the eMac or the low end iMac. The eMac is an awesome value for the money, even with the CRT, but the iMac is a G5. So I think it's a tie between the two.
 
eMac won't be updated soon...it was JUST updated...remember, along side the G5 iMac update. Anyway, I would say for iMac, definetly best bang for the buck right now.
 
I would actually go with a powermac. since they don't get updated that much.. besides. happening to own one. powermacs are really a dream machine. besides it's upgradable. and it has the fastest front side bus (1.35Ghz on Dual 2.7) . ram is upgradable to 8GB and with x-PCI .. what more would you need.if you are aiming for the lower end macs. i sugguest that you wait till 2006 for the intel based macs..
 
EASY - my 20-inch iMac G5 with 1.5GB of RAM and a sh*tload of other upgrades, including a Wacom tablet, Corel Painter IX, Photoshop Elements 3.0, among many others . . .
Oh yeah, AND a Panasonic PV-GS250 digital camcorder! :D
 
Look in my profile for your answer. I was dead set on the mini thinking it was the best buy (which I think it was prior to the iMac update), however once the iMac update hit it replaced the mini and I haven't looked back or second guessed it. :D
 
Great buy currently would be the 17" 2Ghz iMac. Wonderful computer sporting a compact size, strong processor, lots of features and a great design. Pricetag isn't too steep either for what you get.

Obviously if you have more money then the 20", but I think the 17" is a little more value currently.

Differences are: (all other specs equal as seen on Apple store iMac homepage)
  • 160Gb -> 250Gb HDD
  • 17" -> 20" screen
  • $1499 - > $1799 USD
Actually after seeing that I would say 20" is more value....but either are nice machines.
 
I've gotta jump on the iMac train. The 20" or the high end 17" are great buys. With the 20", you're getting a $800 display, and then what amounts to a last gen PowerMac for about half the price. Just can't upgrade it, but still a great buy.

The 17" is also a great machine for the money, but if you can afford it the 20" is a very good value! Any of the G5 iMacs should be plenty to last up to and all the way through the Intel transition, until there are some nice Intel machine available and the software is ready as well.
 
mad jew said:
I agree with efoto except I'd say the 17 inch iMac with a BTO 250GB hard drive.
Click to expand...

Once you take that BTO option into account (granted free but returns/exchanges are a hassle this way) and upgrade to a 250Gb HDD, what cost are you looking at?

I would check myself but I don't have the spare time at the moment....plus MacRumors looks more like work compared to Apple's online store....bosses are lurking near :rolleyes:
 
efoto said:
Once you take that BTO option into account (granted free but returns/exchanges are a hassle this way) and upgrade to a 250Gb HDD, what cost are you looking at?

I would check myself but I don't have the spare time at the moment....plus MacRumors looks more like work compared to Apple's online store....bosses are lurking near :rolleyes:
Click to expand...


About US$75 which is pretty reasonable IMO.

Say g'day to your bosses from mad jew. :p
 
Getting a new iMac at the office--can't wait!

If I were shopping for one for home, that's surely what I'd buy as well. After this last update Apple came out with, they're very much worth the price now.
 
Well, I'll give my opinion as a Mac outsider (currently) but I've been building Wintel machines for years. I've spent ages on the Apple Store looking at prices too as I'm about to take the plunge with my first Mac.

I dislike the eMac because it uses CRT and is nowhere near as elegant as any of the other designs in the range. Thats my opinion though, but I would never entertain the idea of buying one.

The Mac Mini is super cool in terms of design, and super cheap too. But once you start adding upgrades to it (bigger HD, bluetooth/wireless, keyboards and of course the display) the price starts to border on the iMac territory, and you get a lot more in the iMac.

The iMac is the best looking desktop machine in the range, very elegant. I love it. As for best value, that would have to go to either the 17" 2.0Ghz or the 20" 2.0Ghz. In England, the difference in price between these is £165 (on Educational pricing) and for that extra £165 you get 90Gb's of extra space and 3 inches of screen, or 35% more real estate. It's a tough call, both the 17" and 20" are super good value. 17" is £976 (with the bluetooth keyboard/mouse and AppleCare) and the 20" is £1141.

For the "average" consumer, I think the PowerMac is a bit overpriced; especially the low end single 1.8Ghz, but then again I'm no Mac expert whatsoever (the opposite, in fact!), and I'm sure its worth its weight in gold when it comes to the more professional video editing and photographic applications.

The iBook is good value and a great sleek design. My fav. iBook would be the 14" Superdrive model, which retails at £1044 (again Educational prices) if I were to use it all the time, or the basic 12" iBook to go hand in hand with a Mac desktop.

I'm a little confused as to where the Powerbook fits in - the iBook seems to do the whole mobile thing exceptionally well in terms of value and from peoples comments on here, but the PB is obviously quicker. I think if money was no object, I would have an iBook 12" (for portability) and a 20" iMac for everything else. I think together they represent the best value for the average consumer.

12" iBook with a 60Gb HD = £650
20" iMac with the bluetooth keyboard and mouse and AppleCare = £1141
 
mad jew said:
About US$75 which is pretty reasonable IMO.

Say g'day to your bosses from mad jew. :p
Click to expand...

That is very resonable. I was assuming that Apple would charge much more than that for a 90Gb upgrade.
On those details, I say that the better deal is back to the 17" with upgraded drive.

I'll tell them hi, and also I'll let them know that "some things are just better mad". Hope they don't take it wrong like I'm comin' in shooting tomorrow :eek:
 
efoto said:
That is very resonable. I was assuming that Apple would charge much more than that for a 90Gb upgrade.
On those details, I say that the better deal is back to the 17" with upgraded drive.
Click to expand...

You reckon?

When viewed side by side the 20" is so much more impressive, its only 3" larger but looks a lot bigger, all for ~€150 :cool:
 
DJC17 said:
You reckon?

When viewed side by side the 20" is so much more impressive, its only 3" larger but looks a lot bigger, all for ~€150 :cool:
Click to expand...

I could go back and forth on the two all day long. I personally do not care for them, but I think they represent the best value currently in the Mac lineup of computers. I have a great portable (Powerbook) and when my PC desktop runs dead (soon I hope :rolleyes: ) I will be looking for a power-desktop replacement. I don't care for the design of the iMacs for some reason, not that I don't respect the work of getting it all in there quite stylishly, but I just don't prefer them.
 
The mini, it will hold its WOW factor for years to come like the g4 cube has....Im waiting for the REv B though..

ShadoW :)
 
efoto said:
I could go back and forth on the two all day long. I personally do not care for them, but I think they represent the best value currently in the Mac lineup of computers. I have a great portable (Powerbook) and when my PC desktop runs dead (soon I hope :rolleyes: ) I will be looking for a power-desktop replacement. I don't care for the design of the iMacs for some reason, not that I don't respect the work of getting it all in there quite stylishly, but I just don't prefer them.
Click to expand...

same here, for some reason the plastic white bordering the gorgeous screen isnt doing it for me...
ill get one away though.
 
sk8erboy said:
same here, for some reason the plastic white bordering the gorgeous screen isnt doing it for me...
ill get one away though.
Click to expand...

I wonder if Apple ever debated releasing a "Power iMac" encased in the Powerbook Alu or something. At first thought it seems like a horrible idea because the silver would distract from the screen, but typing on my 12" PB I don't notice it anymore than a black or grey frame on a pc, so I guess it wouldn't be that bad. Not that the features have much room to change in that enclosure, which is probably why there is not "Power" version, but still, an Aly casing could prove pretty interesting.

I still wouldn't care for it....don't like the idea. I personally prefer a tower and 30" Cinema ;)
 
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