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[iMac] Any switchers having any regret?

2

2Shae

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 7, 2006
249
0
I still can't make the decision!!!
Should I buy the 24 inch iMac or should I just buy a PC:confused:

I could buy a 24" with upgraded graphic card + 2GB ram + EyeTV
Price: 2200 euro

or

I could buy a very powerful Core 2 Duo pc + 19" TFT
Price: 1800 euro

But If I would buy the iMac than I would also use it as an TV.


I'm worried that I would get bored with the OS X look after a while (not that I find it ugly). I also have this with my current windows but there I can use software called WindowBlinds to chance the look with themes.

But now the big question !!!
Any switchers here that now have regret that they bought an iMac ???
 
My first mac was a 20 iMac g5 which I got last december.

I'm now a devoted mac user that cannot conceive of ever buying a windows machine again.

I got used to it within 10 minutes of playing around.

OS X looks beautiful, it works beautifully and reliably, and its so user friendly.
 
2Shae said:
@ iVersa
And what about the lack of upgrade options?
Click to expand...

The 24" (should) let you change the graphics card if you open it up fully as it uses a mini pci-express port, you should also be able to change the hard drive and processor if you open it up, though it's much harder to do this with an iMac than a PC.
 
Eraserhead said:
The 24" lets you change the graphics card if you open it up fully as it uses a mini pci-express port, you should also be able to change the hard drive and processor if you open it up, though it's much harder to do this with an iMac than a PC.
Click to expand...

But I heard that they don't sell the MXM graphic card seperate (not just apple)

And who would be able to open it for me? it's kind of a big risk
 
I made the switch 5 months ago. Purchased a 2ghz Core Duo iMac ... No regrets to date. I can run XP for my games, as well as OSX for my general computing needs. It's kinda like having your cake and eating it too :D

I find myself rarely booting into XP anymore and I honestly don't miss it. Learning OSX was fairly easy. I doubt you have any problems switching.

As far as getting bored with the way OSX looks..there are programs you can use to change the look if you're so inclined. Have a look at the Applications section. Also ... the next version of Apples OS "Leopard" is due out early next year, so there is an update in the works.

Whether or not you should purchase a Mac is really a personal choice. Evaluate your needs in a computer, applications you typically use, and base your decision upon that. If you're only wanting to switch because you're bored with the way XP looks, that might not be the best reason for switching?

I switched because I was sick of all the security problems that come along with Windows. Even though I consider myself a power user and could safely secure my own pc from most of the nasties, it was an ongoing battle. I'm really just much happier now since I made the switch. My time is now spent enjoying all the things a computer was really made for vs maintaining my computer.

My advice is to read all you can about Macs, evaluate your needs, wants etc...and base your decision on that. Best of luck, whatever you decide. :)
 
Yeah I've been reading a lot about it already and I think a know most already.
The biggest reason I have for getting a iMac 24"(only this on...no other) is because I would be using it as a TV also with the EyeTV. That would look perfect in my room.
And all I do on a computer are mostly just basic things: music, movies, msn messenger, bitorrent, Office, in a while also a little bit of webdesign & photoshop and I might just might play some games on it in the future, but I already have a xbox 360.

I know photoshop runs slow, because of Rosetta but there will be a universal binary pretty soon anyway.

BUT!!!
I want msn with the iSight webcam.
And that right now is impossible. Only aMSN supports it but not always and I don't really like aMSN as much as Windows Live Messenger because it's slow and a hog. iChat is not an option for me since I don't know anyone that uses AIM (here in The Netherlands, msn is the standard).
It would be a waist not being able to use the iSight on the upgraded 2200 euro iMac.

I know it sounds stupid, but actually the lack of msn is the only real reason that I haven't bought the iMac yet:(


PS: If you wanna know why I would buy a Very powerful pc if I only do basic things on it...it's because I can pay for it and I then know that I can do everything with it including games
 
You can not use the iSight or microphone in Audium yet; if ever.

I bought an iMac and I love it; no regrets.

...then again, I've been on the Mac for over 10 years, used a PC for one year and was scared to death... :eek:
 
2Shae said:
And that right now is impossible. Only aMSN supports it but not always and I don't really like aMSN as much as Windows Live Messenger because it's slow and a hog.
Click to expand...

Maybe that's just the windows version? It's fine on my PPC iMac, it uses about 3% of processor and 30MB RAM while not doing anything, it seems like a perfectly fine program to me.
 
regrets

not really any regrets, but I find I fall back on a PC quite often to get certain things done, the constant looking for new softwares to do things is trying at times, some of the cool stuff it does much easier than the PC, I have such a good time with learning about both that I started a website to post things I run into while trying to "switch" to mac, I'm starting to run Home automation using a mac, so that will be some of my next posts on my site, youre more than welcome to check it out and contribute to it on things you run into with your switch

DD
 
2Shae said:
I still can't make the decision!!!
Should I buy the 24 inch iMac or should I just buy a PC:confused:

I could buy a 24" with upgraded graphic card + 2GB ram + EyeTV
Price: 2200 euro

or

I could buy a very powerful Core 2 Duo pc + 19" TFT
Price: 1800 euro

But If I would buy the iMac than I would also use it as an TV.
Click to expand...

How can you compare a 24" iMac with a PC & 19" monitor? At least factor in the cost of a 24" monitor.

That said, if you had to, you could use your iMac entirely as a Windows PC. (just wipe out the Mac OS partition and use the whole hard drive as a Windows partition). That fallback makes switching a lot easier.
 
I switched back in January and have no regrets at all. I wound up getting a 2.1 GHz iMac G5 instead of an Intel iMac. The only thing I am missing is being able to use Boot Camp but I still have a Windows notebook for the time being for some games. It is going to be replaced with a Mac Book sometime next year depending on finances.

I switched because I was tired of fighting viruses, spyware, malware, having to download updates almost daily, etc. My hatred for Windows was reinforced when I spend the better part of Monday evening downloading and installing security updates on that POS Windows notebook…

To date, I have been completely satisifed with my mac...
 
A 24" all in one computer? How would you regret it? Not buying something bigger? :D

You can run XP in your new Mac so you can transition easier.
 
I just bought my iMac Sunday after using PC's from day one (First Computer: IBM P/2, 386 Processor, 32MB RAM!).

I'd say the transition is very easy. You will have problems finding where stuff is located at here and there but overall it's not terrible. Also, having a printer work w/o spending an hour downloading drivers and simply dragging programs from the Application folder to the trash to delete them may surprise you in it's simplicity and throw you off :).

I would go down to a Mac retailer (or better yet, Apple store) if you have one in your area and play around with an iMac, MacBook or Mac Pro to get a feel of the OS.

I bought the 20" iMac and it works just fine for me. 24" would have been too big for me. Tip: Get a USB Extension cable for you devices so you aren't constantly turning your machine around to plug them in.
 
yeah i switched like a month and a half ago to an ibook from pcs and i cant say i regret it i love it i love mac im way more productive on a mac than i ever was on a pc, the way i see it with mac you get the best of both worlds if you so choose you can have both os's on one machine, and if your like me and dont have an intel mac and cant run bootcamp you still dont have much of an excuse seeing as you can use parallels for all programs on the windows base you abosoluty need. i dont regret my switch at all i just use my windows box for games and games only now, everything else got moveed to my mac. best of all there are no virus :)
 
I switched in May from PC to iMac. Had really, really wanted to back in iMac G4 days but it seemed too hard to switch - not much help! What clinched it for me was the Intel move and Boot Camp/Parallels.

The OS X puts Windows XP to shame and iLife is amazingly good. This is the personal computing experience that Windows PC's have advertised but never delivered on.

The infuriating thing I find now is that most people in the UK don't know there are other operating systems than Windows.

Never going back - have Windows when required - very excited about Leopard and the whole buzz about Apple in years to come.
 
Not as all..its been a few years since I've had a Mac, but after seeing my brother's iMac G4...I need a Mac..and I got an iMac G5, and after that an iBook and ACD and Intel Mac Mini after that...I never looked back...there is nothing I miss from Windows, not one thing

After seeing the 24'' in real life, I'm simple blown away by it!
 
"Even though I consider myself a power user and could safely secure my own pc from most of the nasties, it was an ongoing battle. I'm really just much happier now since I made the switch. My time is now spent enjoying all the things a computer was really made for vs maintaining my computer."

That about says it all. Same experience I've had: I felt totally on top of Windows news and updates, and kept my machine running like a top .... then I started grudgingly using a Mac and learned I didn't *need* to spend hours a week keeping up with Windows updates, security warnings, and exploits. I spent more time doing things with the computer that were the real reasons I wanted a computer.

I found, when I first switched, that I accidentally renamed files too easily, but learned to stay away from the Enter key when working in Finder windows, and now, the habits are all re-learned the Mac way. When I am on a Windows machine, whacking the Enter key opens the file now, which throws me off because I wanted to rename the file. :D
 
what is this chin every1 is talking about??? when i look at my imac all i see is elegant design, no chin!:confused:
 
iVersa said:
My first mac was a 20 iMac g5 which I got last december.

I'm now a devoted mac user that cannot conceive of ever buying a windows machine again.

I got used to it within 10 minutes of playing around.

OS X looks beautiful, it works beautifully and reliably, and its so user friendly.
Click to expand...

Pretty much sums up my experience. Except I got an intel one, so even faster. now that the core 2 duo's are out, you can have an even better time.

Enjoy the iMac because looking at the 24' thing is not even half the fun.
 
thechris69 said:
what is this chin every1 is talking about??? when i look at my imac all i see is elegant design, no chin!:confused:
Click to expand...

it is that large amount of white plastic beneath the screen (where the logo is) that just (for me) makes the box look incorrect. I don't really know how to describe it but I feel the shape of the box should have the same shape (aspect ratio) as the screen, or at least closer than the square-ish iMac shape.

This is an issue for me because I am deciding now what mac to get and am forced to consider the following:
24" iMac, live with limitations and the ugly white plastic box
23" or 30" ACD connected to 17"MBP, but given the heat issues I am afraid to run the MBP closed constantly. (plus I have portability when I want it)
23" or 30" ACD connected to MP, but this introduces another big box which I am sick of big box computers, as well as the MP is more powerful than I need for my photoshop work (but it will last longer).
 
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