Differences in new 1 Gig machines vs. old 867?

[IndyGopher]

I currently have an 867 Quicksilver with a GeForce 3, SCSI card (Apple/Adaptec 2930), and Zip 250. I was considering a new iMac, but when I finally saw one in person, I couldn't get over the 15" screen. I have an Apple 17" LCD on the 867, and that was a ... crossgrade I suppose... from a 21" CRT. I have decided to go with the dual 1GHz tower, as 90% of my computer time is spent on my powerbook while the tower renders video... so I think the dual processors are worth the upgrade. My question, if any of you have access to one of the new machines, is whether the SuperDrive in the new towers is the same as the old towers (Panasonic 103) or if it uses the newer 104 drive that the iMacs use? Also, has anyone heard of any Apple plans to offer the new machines WITHOUT a SuperDrive? I really cannot see needing 2 DVD burners, and would prefer to move the one from the 867 to the new machine.

 

[Ensign Paris]

At my work, we buy top of the range macs but have the super drive removed (cuts about $400 off the price)

I have no idea who does it other than AppleCentre Warrington (UK) http://www.applecentre.com or 01925 4444 99

 

[networkman]

hey indy and ensignp,

do you think the dual gig machine will make a difference for a home user like me way better, than say, a 700 imac with a g4?

we have 300 mhz rev. a ibook right now and my wife does graphics on it for extra income and actually makes ok money with the ibook

is the low end g4 imac ok for making x-mas cards for rich people or showing them how to make cards and flyers...where i live art directors for the media make 6-8 dollars and hour but only a generation ago, the only work here was mostly agricultural anyway and paid sub-mininum wage...maybe we should step up and get a g4 to cover this fast moving field...at work she has a 450 g4

of course, up north, in san jose, it was largely the same and the silicon valley really took off after apple since hp was making mostly specialized high end computer stuff with super limited applications but did sell a quite popular calculator...but this was 10 or more years before most of this forum was born

so, what do you all think about a g4 imac over a g4 pro tower in cost and practical useablity...we can't jus buy both like some lucky people on macrumors ;-)

thx,
jefhatfield

 

[IndyGopher]

I think the g4 iMac, especially the 700MHz machines, are probably the best value in Apple's history. In fact, the only complaint I have about them is the small screen. Even then, it's a matter of what you are used to. I bought one of the iBook dual USB's last May when they were released, and the 12" 1024x768 screen looked TINY.. but at that time, my desktop Mac was a dual 500 with a 21" CRT. The 12" iBook screen, however, just took getting used to. After a week or so, it was still small, but it didn't make me recoil every time I had to use it. I replaced it with a TiBook, though, before I ever really gave it a fair shake. One of my customers has used iMacs since the Rev. C came out, had a 266 and then a 400DV, and when I took him down to CompUSA to look at the demo G4 iMac, he was VERY happy with the screen. To him, that 15" is larger, of course, than the 15" CRT in his older iMacs. I know that most of the iMacs I work on are set to 800x600, and that the owners think 1024x768 is "too small" on the CRT version, while 1024x768 on the LCD ones looks "right". I think ALL home users, and honestly, 90% of the "pro" users (certainly myself included) could do just fine on the G4 iMac. It's just a matter of what you are used to/can get used to. As I said, my Macs at home are not really work machines... I use the tower to transfer vhs tapes to dvd for friends and family, and I do charge for it.. so I suppose it's a business.. but I certainly do not expect them to ever generate enough revenue to pay for themselves, let alone become "profitable".

So, somewhere in all this rambling, I think what I was trying to convey is yes, the iMac is more than adequate for creating greeting cards