iBook, iMac Advice needed

[XIII]

Hia there. I'm new here so I'll start with a hia...

I am a teenager, and don't have an enormous income, about £100 a month from my job, thats $184. I'm looking for my first Mac, and my main priority will be it being a decent purchase (as in it not being replaced the next week or month). I have looked at the iBook for a while now, but I have no idea when they will re-design that, and put a G5 (presumably) in it. This lead me to looking at the new iMac, which will have a G5 in it. The thing is, I will have enough money for a $1300 iMac in January. Thats £700, and I should think it will be at least £100 more in the UK than the exchange rate goes. Thats Febuary before I can get an iMac, at the earliest.

So, I need to get something cheap essentially, and my real question is whether I should get a G4 12in iBook, or a cheap new iMac. I will really only be using it for internet, word, email, iTunes, maybe a little bit of photoshop...

Will I really notice and feel it to be much faster on the G5? Or will the iBooks G4 be fast enough?

And then I need to have some idea of what I essentially need to spec it with. If I get the iBook airport extreme would be nice, but I can add that later...

I think what I have just written is pretty much unreadable, so ask me about anything you don't understand.

Cheers

 

[stevehaslip]

iMacs currently start at £999 here in the UK just go to Apple's UK Store to give you an idea of what you might be spending. I wouldn't think that the iMacs will be any cheaper than current prices but they might go up or down by £50-100.

Ask yourself a question? Do you need a laptop? if not then have you considered an eMac? They are plenty fast enough to use for most photoshop stuff and you'd be able to save a fair bit of money compared to an iMac.

Basically the iBook will probably suit you fine, the new iMac will be even faster and therefore probably last longer before you want to upgrade and the eMac will last you a while but it really is a snip at its current price.

Also are you at college? if so you qualify for Apples Educational discount, this makes it even easier to save up. Any questions, just ask.

 

[XIII]

Thanks for the answer. I quoted lower, because my dad is the headteacher of a school, and can get these things as "Buying For His School" and then bring it home I could prob get one with optical for about £850 ish... The reason I singled out the iMac and iBook is really because I love the design of the iBook, and I believe the iMac will be a looker too (hopefully...). I suppose the eMac IS a bargain, esp with my dads educational disc, I'm looking at about £400 for one with optical... Half that of an iMac... Would I notice the difference of a G5 just in normal iTunes, internet etc etc?

Thanks a lot,

Jack.

EDIT: Also, If I get a desktop instead of a laptop, I can use wired ethernet instead of airport, saving me a bit I should think...

 

[jsw]

For your usage, an eMac will be more than adequate! Yes, it won't be as sexy as the new iMac, and it won't be portable - but you can actually afford it, and a Mac you can own is infinitely faster than one you can only dream about.

 

[stevehaslip]

For your usage, an eMac will be more than adequate! Yes, it won't be as sexy as the new iMac, and it won't be portable - but you can actually afford it, and a Mac you can own is infinitely faster than one you can only dream about.

ditto, you are getting a serious bargin with an eMac for £400! I wouldn't bother too much about getting an iMac or iBook because you like the way it looks because Apple will always bring something else out a month after yo buy which you will fall in love with!

its sods law really.

Anyway my point is for the money yo save you could buy an iPod and a printer and other stuff that would be far more useful than a more expensive computer that isn't as fast (iBook) or a computer that is way way more expensive and only a little bit faster (iMac)

You really will be getting mega value and its more than you'll need for the stuff you said.

 

[XIII]

Mmmmm.... Yeah I know y'all have valid points... I could have an eMac by October... Damn it this is annoying... I've always liked the looks of apple products, but the eMac is the one I didn't immeadiatly love. I suppose I can go and play on one for a bit, let it turn me around... I'll prob give it a go... Its just I would rather spend twice as much on a computer I will always love and really always like, than half of that on a computer that will do the job, and thats all I can see it for. I really am not sure... Divided!

 

[stevehaslip]

Mmmmm.... Yeah I know y'all have valid points... I could have an eMac by October... Damn it this is annoying... I've always liked the looks of apple products, but the eMac is the one I didn't immeadiatly love. I suppose I can go and play on one for a bit, let it turn me around... I'll prob give it a go... Its just I would rather spend twice as much on a computer I will always love and really always like, than half of that on a computer that will do the job, and thats all I can see it for. I really am not sure... Divided!

Ok, you could always wait until the iMac comes out then buy an eMac? What if you don't like the new iMac? Don't buy the old one because it is essentially the eMac except with a heavier price tag. Me, I hate waiting but sometimes its what you gotta do!

 

[XIII]

I didn't really understand what you said there in the first part of your reply, but in any case I will be waiting to see the new iMac, and accurate pricing before I buy anything, not least because I wont have the money by then. Oh - I have checked the prices - If the new iMac stays as it is for consumer price in england, £999, then I can get one education for £799. The emac with the basic CD-RW and CD-ROM I would want as lowest would be £445, or something like that. I think my next step is to wait for the new iMacs, and hope I don't like the looks of them! Then I can get an eMac!

 

[winwintoo]

If you are saving for it, and it sounds like you are putting all your money away and have a goal, go for it. I had a bubble iMac and loved it. Then i came into a windfall of cash and decided to buy the iBook I'd been salivating over. As soon as I opened that box, the iMac sat idle until I finally gave it away. Eventually I thought I needed a faster computer and replaced the 600 Mhz iBook with a 1Ghz G4 PowerBook and gave the iBook to the grandkids who love it.

I don't like the PowerBook and every time I visit the kids, I think seriously about forgetting the PB there and slipping the iBook into my bag

You can use the iBook with wired Ethernet until you can afford an Airport Express or some other wireless device. I had an Airport Extreme but found it unreliable in my densely populated location so replaced it with a Linksys which was a lot less money.

It sounds like you're willing to do without until you can save up for things, you'll get a printer when you need one. Go for the iBook. You won't regret it.
M

 

[d.f]

advice

mate, i've still got an ond school 400Mhz G3 imac DVSE.

i have word and broadband internet. i can't type emails or documents quicker than the processor can understand so there's no point in me having a G5.

I use a 1.8 G5 at work and i can honestly say that for the purposes you want a mac for ANY G4 (ibook / imac / powerbook / etc) will be perfect.

 

[Natalia81]

Here's what I think:

You're working hard and deserve to spend your money the way you want. I wouldn't just settle for something you're not too thrilled about just because it's cheaper....even if the reason you don't like it is because it's not so great looking. I think you'd regret that purchase later on down the line. I say go for the iBook or iMac.

 

[kerb]

wait for the new G5 iMacs, if they don't seem worth it to you definately do with something like the eMac, the iBook is more money and less performance. just consider if the portability is worth £200. or even £500 as the eMacs perform close to the PowerBooks.

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

For your usage, an eMac will be more than adequate! Yes, it won't be as sexy as the new iMac, and it won't be portable - but you can actually afford it, and a Mac you can own is infinitely faster than one you can only dream about.

I'll agree about the eMac. Just got the last revision used (1.25ghz) with a SDD and swivel stand and 768mb RAM for $800. I was surprised by the overall performance of the eMac over my rev. B PB 12". The eMac is our second system, and is my other half's system, being a back-up for me.

I have had none of the issues that some have talked about with the 17" CRT of the eMac. I am looking at the eMac as my own desktop system in the Sept/Oct timeframe, when the next updates are due. Otherwise I will wait till March for the Tiger update of the eMac. I have fallen for the eMac that much.

I was planning on a review of the eMac at this time. But this will have to do for now. I don't do games. My heavy apps are Adobe PS, InD, and Acrobat Distiller and Reader. Other than that MS Office X.v, Safari, Mail and the general day to day stuff is what I use. For Teddy, the eMac is able to keep up performance wise over a Windows system. And we have not had to deal with the 10+ virus emails a day between the two of us.

Overall the eMac has performed such tasks without breathing heavy. There are times that I love the screen size over my rev. B PB 12". It is somewhat surprising just how little the extra screen space means to the work that can be accomplished.

For the general user there is a "small" difference between 1024 vs. 1280 in day-to-day use IMO. As a PB 12" user, the 1280 resolution would be nicer IMO, but not a show stopper. For me the eMac 17" is much better than even the Mitsu SB70 17" that I have used on on my PB 12" rev. B.

On somethings that many Mac users take for granted. Connecting my ethernet cable from a Cox Cable Modem through a Linksys router was seamless. It was recognized without any help.

Not sure if i did an update before, but the Epson 925 was recognized with no problems. Even adding a MS Wireless Optical Mouse was problem free. As well as USB 2 and FW external HDD's.

In my case the PB 12" rev. B has been able to do what I need. The eMac makes it just a little faster and easier.

My hopes for the future:

- 64mb VRAM, even as an option

- G5 at the 1.5 level

- spanning allowed as an option from Apple

- 2gb ram as the max officially

- support of the Core Images technology

- a move to BT for the keyboard and mouse

 

[XIII]

Thankyou all for your replies. Your right - it is a situation where I am saving all my money I get to put into this, so I do want something I will really love. In this respect, I am sure the G4 eMac will be fine for the time being, but when I want to play the latest games on it in a couple of years, or use the most advanced programmes, then it might struggle (I forgot to mention that I would like to play games like Halo 2 on the Mac, as I dont have an XBox). For this reason and hopefully looks, I really believe that Natalia81 and winwintoo are right. Depending on what the iMac looks like when it comes out, I will decide on whether I will get that (my choice at the mo, but obviously i havn't seen it) the eMac (Oh - did one of you say that was getting updated - if it is getting re styled aswell,and I like the styling, that would be the option for me, but only if it is getting updated soon, preferably with a G5), or at the moment the least likely option, the iBook. I really don't think quite yet I need to portability, and like someone said, I am paying £200 for it.

So really its wait time to look at the new iMac - and working time! If someone could tell me if the eMac will be updated, and restyled, that would be good, and knowing when it might possibly happen would also help.

Thankyou for your help.

Jack