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Finally! My parents are considering a Mac.

C

Coca-Cola

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 10, 2002
446
0
WA
Here is a message from my parents.

I think you may have convinced me to buy a Mac. Should it be a notebook or a desktop? How would I hook up a printer? This will be a ways off, but I need to investigate. What is your best advice? I know I should have wireless, right? What else? I would like to stay below $1500.

Help me seal the deal.
 
Coca-Cola said:
Here is a message from my parents.

I think you may have convinced me to buy a Mac. Should it be a notebook or a desktop? How would I hook up a printer? This will be a ways off, but I need to investigate. What is your best advice? I know I should have wireless, right? What else? I would like to stay below $1500.

Help me seal the deal.
Click to expand...

Notebook/desktop - depends on how you are going to use it. I would hazard a guess at desktop.

Printer - just plug it in. Brother and HP usually come with extra software to install, but usually most just work.

Wireless? Dunno what you mean but that is built in.

For under $1500, you can get a 17 or 20 inch iMac. Both are probably very suited to your needs.

Also, you can save a fair bit of money at the Refurb store on the Apple site.
 
Coca-Cola said:
Here is a message from my parents.

I think you may have convinced me to buy a Mac. Should it be a notebook or a desktop? How would I hook up a printer? This will be a ways off, but I need to investigate. What is your best advice? I know I should have wireless, right? What else? I would like to stay below $1500.

Help me seal the deal.
Click to expand...

20" imac refurb. (or buy from amazon with the rebate). connect the printer to the USB port silly:D .

sigh.. if only my parents would do this. My step-mother wanted a mac and my dad insisted on a Dell... which has been repaired and replaced more times than can be counted on an abacus. At least she now, after seeing my MB, won't budge next time... My dad, on the other hand, doesn't know what the non-MS world looks like.
 
If they want a portable the MacBook should do fine. As far as the desktops go, the 17"/20" iMacs should land withing budget. If you want to save a bit of money look into Amazon or MacConnection. You won't pay any tax, shipping, and will often get a rebate. I used MacConnection and everything went very smoothly.
 
I'd go with the refurb 20" iMac or the middle-speced white Macbook. The refurbs are a great deal, and you sometimes even get free "goodies" (larger hard drive, more RAM, etc). If the purchase is a while off, make sure you wait until Santa Rosa is released (probably in May).
 
I guess it depends on how your parents are going to use it.

A 17" iMac may be a good choice. Some have mentioned a 20" refurbished iMac. I think either would be a good choice.

A desktop may be the best choice unless your parents are going to need a laptop. With a desktop, iMac in this case, you get more for your $ by giving up portability. Although, you can tote a 17" iMac around. Not easy but you can.
 
Depending on what your folks want to do the Mac Mini is the way to go for price. Check the refurb items as well. Then the iMac would be next for value/feature set. Depends on what they want to accomplish. I always say get as much machine as you can afford.
 
Congrats!!!!

Mine bought a 23" ACD & MacPro last week!!! I'm still in shock - if you had told me a year ago my Dad would go back to Apple......

Happy shopping - my Grandma loves her iMac.
 
20'' iMac is the best option. The 17'' iMac just seems too small and uncomfortable in comparison.
 
I have a 17" iMac G5 and I find it to be a great size. Now that the 24" is out there are more people who want the 20", compared to the 17" because they dropped so much in price, but really the 17" is more than enough for more people...
 
I was lucky enough to grow up with Macs. My parents have always been Apple users. We've never owned a Windows computer. :)

For your parents I'd suggest the 20" iMac. Bigger screen for those old eyes. :p
 
i would suggest you connect your printer to a router, so all of your computers can use it to print. Most printers have a ethernet port on it; if its USB, a few routers have a USB port as well.
 
Coca-Cola said:
Here is a message from my parents.

I think you may have convinced me to buy a Mac. Should it be a notebook or a desktop? How would I hook up a printer? This will be a ways off, but I need to investigate. What is your best advice? I know I should have wireless, right? What else? I would like to stay below $1500.

Help me seal the deal.
Click to expand...

The desktop or notebook question depends solely on how you want to use a computer and what you will do on it.
If your family wants a notebook, and if you do play games a lot then I wouldnt recommend the MacBook. (I'm not saying the 950 is bad, because im typing on a MacBook right now) but i believe a family computer should be a desktop. That is why we have a desktop for my dad and everyone else besides my little brother has a notebook(i have the only mac:( or :D whichever way you take it)
If you get a desktop, you would only need a wireless router if you do have other computers/notebooks. Its not demanded for the only computer or without a notebook.
But if threre are other computers, i dont think you would need an apple branded router. Linksys and netgear run fine if you configure them the right way. And the printer should work perfectly if you dont need the wireless router
I believe the 20 inch iMac or a 17 inch iMac with an upgraded processor and applecare works perfectly if you dont need a router and want a desktop.
I love my Notebooks but Id recommend the iMac
 
Update

My parents, are so close to buying the 20" iMac. My mom actually had the page loaded and is eyeing the purchase. Should they wait until Leopard comes out?

Thanks for all the help.
 
Coca-Cola said:
My parents, are so close to buying the 20" iMac. My mom actually had the page loaded and is eyeing the purchase. Should they wait until Leopard comes out?

Thanks for all the help.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately it looks like Leopard is not going to appear as soon as we hoped.

Buy now ;)

FJ
 
Coca-Cola said:
My parents, are so close to buying the 20" iMac. My mom actually had the page loaded and is eyeing the purchase. Should they wait until Leopard comes out?

Thanks for all the help.
Click to expand...

as everyone says, "if you need it get it, and be willing to pay for leopard if you get it now." A 20 inch iMac can run leopard awesomely i bet so it will run but if you are willing to wait,then wait, and if not get it now and maybe wait until the small kinks in the OS are solved and then buy it(leopard)

:edit: FJ beat me
 
I think knowing that 10.5 may come out soon, may have scared them off. Darn it. I bet they will get an HP with Vista instead. I blew it.
 
On a side note, I don't think Vista is even on the top 20 software purchases on amazon.
 
Coca-Cola said:
I think knowing that 10.5 may come out soon, may have scared them off. Darn it. I bet they will get an HP with Vista instead. I blew it.
Click to expand...

well what sealed my deal with me getting a mac was the day i was going to compusa to pick up a sony VAIO, i passed by to look at the macs and i saw my video production teacher and he convinced my mom that i should get my macbook and I walked out with one too. If you can, let them experience a mac or have someone else recommend a mac to give them a second opinion maybe.
 
Coca-Cola said:
I think knowing that 10.5 may come out soon, may have scared them off. Darn it. I bet they will get an HP with Vista instead. I blew it.
Click to expand...

Maybe emphasise how Vista is new and has issues whereas Tiger is mature and works (8 major updates!). Also how Vista only just introduced the features Tiger has had already for ages (Search = Spotlight, Flip 3-D = a less useful version of Exposé, Gadgets = Widgets ... etc). And the fact that good security is a much more proven thing on the mac, whatever MS's claims are for Vista.
 
Instead of focusing on features they absolutely would never use, focus on features that would be very beneficial to them. All my mom did on her PC was wait for websites to load. I not only showed her the speed of the mac, but how Mail automatically gets her mail, how she can easily view things in iCal (instead of a scribble pad in our kitchen called a calendar), and how she can find people more easily in Address Book. I also showed her the major improvements of Safari over IE like the Bookmarks Bar and built-in Google search and SnapBacks.

It's all about showing what they'll use and how beneficial it would be to them. My mom's loved her mac for the month she's been using it, which has been quite a bit.
 
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