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If OS X doesn't have a firm grip upon you then frankly there's next to no non-emotional justification for buying a iMac.

Especially with the release of Windows 10 - which leaving partisan emotions to one side, is a very nice operating system. I use OS X and Windows 10 daily and would be happy with either myself.
 
I like my iMac and have added various upgrades in the 4 years I have owned it. However, I am under no illusion that I could and can be a high end PC or build one myself for a significant cost saving over my iMac.

Anyone who thinks differently is simply deluding themselves - no one else.
 
I like my iMac and have added various upgrades in the 4 years I have owned it. However, I am under no illusion that I could and can be a high end PC or build one myself for a significant cost saving over my iMac.

Anyone who thinks differently is simply deluding themselves - no one else.


Probably true....

But there is a lot more to it than that....try building a sleek, high performance, high tech 5K all-in-one package like the 27" iMac Retina yourself......ain't gonna happen.

I've been a Windows man since forever and recently made the switch to a 5K iMac on our main desktop system.....This is the most I've ever paid for a computer!
While WIN10 is a huge improvement over WIN8 (why is every other OS a disaster?) the iMac & OS X is a completely different and very welcome animal.
You can't really compare the two IMHO.

btw - Do we really need to have 10 - 15 updates to the WIN OS every single week?
A lot of things about Windows that made myself and many others say goodbye......that can be debated forever.

Zero regrets and enjoying it despite the high initial cost factor..............I'll continue to use Windows machines at work and elsewhere, you can't avoid it......
But I know one thing, when running my iMac Retina I have a continual smile on my face the whole time! :D
 
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Probably true....


Zero regrets and enjoying it despite the high initial cost factor..............I'll continue to use Windows machines at work and elsewhere, you can't avoid it......
But I know one thing, when running my iMac Retina I have a continual smile on my face the whole time! :D

This. If you have a smile while using a Mac, then the Mac is for you. If you don't - it's not. Then you don't care about how the computer makes you feel, you care about specs and benchmarks. Which is fine - don't get me wrong - if you want to play games, or render a scene in a 3D program - specs ARE important. But when you are an illustrator, or a designer - just an example - you will simply enjoy the beauty and efficiency of the Mac. If you think Windows "is the same thing" - then you don't get it (and I don't want to sound condesending here, sorry) and the things Mac offers are not important to you.

Let me give an example - I recently compared a Windows app - sorry, program - for disk space managment to Daisy Disk app on the Mac. They basically do the same thing, but the Windows app looks like it was designed by, well, programmers. It has that Windows 95 ancient look with a fuzzy background image that is there for some reason. And Daisy Disk.... well, just look at the thing! My friend told me this: "They do the same thing, who cares if the Mac one is prettier? Why would I care what a hammer looks like, if it hits a nail?". And he's both right and wrong at the same time. It depends on the user. While aesthetics are certainly not the only reason to consider a Mac, the example is good - it explains how some people care about how their computers feel, and others don't. Both are fine, and Macs aren't for everyone.
 
This. If you have a smile while using a Mac, then the Mac is for you. If you don't - it's not. Then you don't care about how the computer makes you feel, you care about specs and benchmarks. Which is fine - don't get me wrong - if you want to play games, or render a scene in a 3D program - specs ARE important. But when you are an illustrator, or a designer - just an example - you will simply enjoy the beauty and efficiency of the Mac. If you think Windows "is the same thing" - then you don't get it (and I don't want to sound condesending here, sorry) and the things Mac offers are not important to you.

Let me give an example - I recently compared a Windows app - sorry, program - for disk space managment to Daisy Disk app on the Mac. They basically do the same thing, but the Windows app looks like it was designed by, well, programmers. It has that Windows 95 ancient look with a fuzzy background image that is there for some reason. And Daisy Disk.... well, just look at the thing! My friend told me this: "They do the same thing, who cares if the Mac one is prettier? Why would I care what a hammer looks like, if it hits a nail?". And he's both right and wrong at the same time. It depends on the user. While aesthetics are certainly not the only reason to consider a Mac, the example is good - it explains how some people care about how their computers feel, and others don't. Both are fine, and Macs aren't for everyone.


Perfect...

Thanks.
 
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iMacs represent the sliced bread in computers. You're either okay with the whole package, or you're not. If you're not emotionally attached to Apple the brand or OS X, in certain cases getting a standard desktop can be far more cost effective than an iMac. By going the Apple route you are effectively barred from any upgrades that can hugely improve your computing experience, e.g., switching from hdd to an ssd, better graphics, faster processor. Other times components simply break -- the failure rates of hard drives and power supplies are insane, if that happens with your iMac expect to cough up as much as five times the actual cost of the replacement. The advantage is that Apple knows what the crowd wants, this year is 5k, next time it will be something else. If you're not willing to wait for Apple's competitors to catch up, I'm afraid there is no other option for you.

Overall, if you're price sensitive an equivalent desktop can easily outclass most Apple hardware, upgrades can be made yearly when superior hardware becomes cheap enough, old components can be reused, etc. The disadvantage is that you have to be willing to do this, if you're not enjoying it, then there's no point in going this route.
 
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iMac is fantastic! That's my Mac. An Early 2008 iMac Core 2 Duo. Still working like the first day (except for the superdrive). Currently with OS X Yosemite and waiting for El Capitan.

By the way, I was thinking in design… and White iMac was true piece of art.
Maybe, Apple could go back to that.
 

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Although I certainly wouldn't say that Macintosh's are similarly priced to equivalent PCs you can build, I do think it's about the experience than anything else. It's about having a no-hassle, great looking and generally long lasting computer that you buy, plop down on to your desk and enjoy. Not to mention I also have an iPhone and some other Apple hardware, small little things like answering calls or even sending texts from my computer is nice. If i have a tab open on my computer, walk out the door and its just there on my iPhone.
Finding deals and going from newegg to tiger direct to amazon and what not is just fine, of course you can spend time and get a better deal. The key word there is "time", fact is you may many hours searching for deals and even longer waiting on Freaky Friday. To me that says you don't value the time you spend on building your PC as if it's a resource, but really it is. Is your time truly "priceless"? I understand that some may even ENJOY spend hours searching for bargains ;)
 
No offense, lJoSquaredl, but you must be the world's worst shopper.

Let me guess. When you compared prices, it probably went like this:

  1. You upgraded parts (e.g., storage) at Dell.com rather than quickly check the prices at Newegg, Amazon, etc.
  2. You didn't take a minute to find a deal at Dell Outlet.
  3. You didn't take a few seconds to get one of the many readily-available Dell Outlet coupons.
  4. You didn't wait for Black Friday / Cyber Monday weekend like many hardware enthusiasts do.
I own an iMac and it's my primary computer, but it's overpriced hardware. Period. The Precision workstations with Xeon processors that I bought last Black Friday / Cyber Monday weekend from Dell Outlet cost me under $600 after discounts. My iMac is a blatant rip-off in comparison.

To give you an idea of the kind of deals that are available to people who know what they're doing, I recently bought the following TV from Dell for around $40 after discounts and rebates. Seriously.

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?sku=a7851809

That being said, I wish to express my gratitude to all the people who pay retail price at Apple.com and Dell.com. You guys subsidize people like me. Thank you!

OP, don't bother with an iMac for gaming. Use a PC for gaming and maybe get a Mac mini for everything else. You can use the same keyboard, mouse, and monitor for multiple computers using a KVM switch.

Also, you can diversify you computer portfolio further by getting a single-board computer (e.g., Raspberry Pi), installing a hardened Linux distro, and using it as a dedicated banking computer. Gotta protect those brokerage accounts!

See now you're not comparing similar things again. You're comparing a normal computer bought off the Apple Store to a bunch of coupon deals, Outlet clearance stuff from Dell possibly on the lowest price shopping day of the year maybe even with side purchased parts you may install yourself to save even more money. This is not equal comparison by any means. Also Apple Products are WAY better built than Dell products. I have a desktop PC as well, it's a metal box with parts shoved in it, plain and simple.
 
iMac is fantastic! That's my Mac. An Early 2008 iMac Core 2 Duo. Still working like the first day (except for the superdrive). Currently with OS X Yosemite and waiting for El Capitan.

By the way, I was thinking in design… and White iMac was true piece of art.
Maybe, Apple could go back to that.

I'll agree with you on this. I bought my first iMac back in 2008 and still use it every day to run my business. Fantastic machines! (The Superdrive still works in mine. :p )
 
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