Imac + Ipod now, or Macbook when "updated"?

[bwillmont]

Hey, I need some help figuring out what I want to get/need. I've been using my trusty quicksilver G4 for 4 years now and its time for an update (i've been saving for like a year).

I can't decide whether to spend my money on the bottom of the line Imac and get the free ipod touch, or wait to see what happens with this crazy Macbook update that everyone is so tweaked out about.

Currently I don't NEED the portability of a laptop, but I am hoping not to buy another competer for a while and can see this being advantageous in the future. I am an artist (which is my excuse for being broke) and will hopefully be attending residencies in the future, but will have to keep up on freelance design projects and my book/print publishing "business". these residencies would be 1 month to a year, so it seems feasible that i could transport the Imac. PLUS since the Ipod touch has wireless i can do emailing on the go which is a big part of wanting a laptop in the first place.

If i were to get the macbook i would often want to use it with external peripherals at my desk just like I am working at my G4 now, though it would be cool to be able to bring it into my studio or work while hanging out with roomates.

Im concerned about the power id get with each. either way I would probably get the core 2 duo 2.4 and they seem pretty similar but I think there are factors Im not taking into consideration.

Everyone talks about the Macbook like its only great as a media playing web surfing college kid apparatus, but since its like 500 times better than my current setup it seems like it should handle CS3 fine (i mostly use photoshop, dreamweaver and indesign, but would like to be able to use after affects minimally)

also is there a big difference between the imac 2.4 and its 2.66 older brother? is it worth getting the cheaper one and having apple install a larger hard drive and dealing with memory myself, or at that point do i just get the better one?

sorry for the essay, I keep going back and forth and need to feel comfortable with my decision.

 

[Ducky21]

I'm sorry to report to you that the free iPod Touch (not itouch.) deal is only for educators and college students. If you aren't in one of those categories, unfortunately, you do not qualify.

 

[paduck]

The price-performance of the next-to-bottom iMac is pretty hard to match, especially if you get a free iPod Touch along the way. You get the 2.66GHz processor, 2GB RAM, a "better" video card, and the 320MB hard drive for $300 more than the $1199 base. You will probably want to put a little more storage in it though. That's faster than the current comparably configured Black MacBook with more storage and he big screen. If you are doing lots of graphics, the faster processor, video upgrade, memory and HD will be valuable to you. All your peripherals will plug into the iMac - plus you can get FW800. The only downside is no portability. So, the desktop buys you more power and capability than the laptop at the same price point.

Now, if you wanted to (or could) wait, the the Core i7 processor iMacs that will come out mid-2009, that might not be a bad idea either. But you are on a G4 and not a G5, so maybe you are suffering on the performance side too much already at this point. That's your choice to make.

The bottom-end iMac is also a pretty good deal, although you will probably want a bigger drive and probably a 3rd party RAM upgrade which will eat up some of the price difference (assuming you don't want to do the hard drive install yourself). The $300 extra expense for the next up option with your graphics use might be a good investment.

I personally like the iMac line very much, but I don't "need" a laptop. The iMac will probably be more reliable since it will not be placed at risk by moving. Plus, with the greater capabilities, it will last longer before you require another replacement. I'm big on skipping a generation and my iMac G5 is going to allow me to skip two, so I am pretty pleased there.

 

[bwillmont]

The price-performance of the next-to-bottom iMac is pretty hard to match, especially if you get a free iPod Touch along the way. You get the 2.66GHz processor, 2GB RAM, a "better" video card, and the 320MB hard drive for $300 more than the $1199 base. You will probably want to put a little more storage in it though. That's faster than the current comparably configured Black MacBook with more storage and he big screen. If you are doing lots of graphics, the faster processor, video upgrade, memory and HD will be valuable to you. All your peripherals will plug into the iMac - plus you can get FW800. The only downside is no portability. So, the desktop buys you more power and capability than the laptop at the same price point.

Now, if you wanted to (or could) wait, the the Core i7 processor iMacs that will come out mid-2009, that might not be a bad idea either. But you are on a G4 and not a G5, so maybe you are suffering on the performance side too much already at this point. That's your choice to make.

The bottom-end iMac is also a pretty good deal, although you will probably want a bigger drive and probably a 3rd party RAM upgrade which will eat up some of the price difference (assuming you don't want to do the hard drive install yourself). The $300 extra expense for the next up option with your graphics use might be a good investment.

I personally like the iMac line very much, but I don't "need" a laptop. The iMac will probably be more reliable since it will not be placed at risk by moving. Plus, with the greater capabilities, it will last longer before you require another replacement. I'm big on skipping a generation and my iMac G5 is going to allow me to skip two, so I am pretty pleased there.

Im starting to think that the iMac is the way to go, i definitely need a new system by october, it would be better if i had it now. im not sure its worth waiting to see the new macbook which might have kinks when i could get the ipod touch deal now, i dont want to get the imac later anyways and kick myself for waiting.

Is there enough of a difference between the 2.4ghz and 2.6ghz systems to justify the extra money? are the cpu/gpu gaps going to make a big difference? I would definitely upgrade the HD if I got the Lower end version and upgrade the ram to 4g's myself, while with the 2.66ghz i might leave those alone and upgrade the ram when i need it.

also is applecare really worth it? i havent had any issues i couldnt sort out myself with the G4 through web searches and the like and I've upgraded mostly everything myself. obviously when you spend a bunch of money you want to make sure your investment is safe but....

 

[Cymbal]

Well, Both the iMac's 2.4GHz and 2.66GHz processors have 6MB of L2 cache and 1066MHz FSB so the only real difference is the .26GHz of processing power which would most likely not be noticed in normal everyday use. The upgraded GPU in the 2.66GHz model would only be beneficial to you if you do any gaming or use graphic intensive programs.

As for AppleCare, every new Mac comes with 1 year of complementary AppleCare, so you have a year to decide if you want to upgrade that to 3 years. I definitely think it's worth the price