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iMac why bother
- Thread starter idontseeit
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This is a legitimate question: Can you make a custom PC with 2 processors, as in 2 separate dies as opposed to just one with multiple cores? The Mac Pro is still up there (first page, at least), and it looks like semi-supercomputers/other-pre-made workstations top this list.
http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/top
The Mac Pro is probably the one Mac that's priced in line with other PCs of its class. It's also has things like error-correcting memory, which are tough to get in any other computer, even one that you make yourself.
If that happens, they will lose tons of sales from their hardware.
As for why people buy iMacs, I'm not sure why. The fact that you can only upgrade a few things (Ram, Hard Drive) really boggles my mind as to why people would buy such a machine. The price is also absurd. I could build my own computer, customize to my liking, and upgrade later on, all for a lower price. I also wouldn't have to wait for Apple to build it's refresh of the model whenever I'd want to update. New processor out? I could buy it as soon as it's released to the consumer (making sure everything is compatible as well). The iMac also uses a Mobile Graphics Card. All-In-One's in general I see no point in. I mean, I have plenty of room on my desk and I'm sure you do to. It's not like I have to carry the thing everywhere (and if you do, get a Laptop).
The OS is the only reason anyone would buy an iMac compared to a tower PC. It's cool that you can install Windows on a Mac and use it, but if you are doing that often, why would you even buy a mac? There are many more applications and games that are compatible with Windows than OSX. But Macs don't get viruses... it's bound to happen soon and there's already been some slight problems with security and it's bound to get worse. I'm babbling here blah blah blah...
Bottom line, at this JUNCTURE, iMacs are overpriced and Apple's prices for upgrades are laughable. I still don't understand how on Earth they charge $200 fricking dollars for 8GB or RAM?????? HOWWWWWW? Obviously people are buying it because they continue to sell it at that price... iKnow the general rule is to not buy ram from Apple but oh my do I laugh at that price.
I think I'm done ranting. I've owned an iMac for several years, HAD a Macbook, own an iPhone 4, I am not a troll.
Hey, I do carry my iMac everywhere. And I do have a laptop as well.
The biggest advantage of the iMac (for me, at least) is the all-in-one design. It makes the computer fit a level of portability somewhere between a laptop and a desktop. This is particularly useful for me because I'm a college student, and I often drive back from my dorm to spend time with my family on the weekends. And sometimes, I just want to move my iMac to another room.
The appeal of the all-in-one design is how easy this thing is to move around. If I wanted to take my iMac to another room, all I have to do is shut it down, unplug the keyboard and the power cable, and I can just lift up this big beautiful slate of aluminum and glass, and right there, I have the entire computer in my hands. I don't have to fuss around with also juggling a monitor or tucking a big tower away into a corner and then re-connecting those two things, I just have the entire unit in one piece.
Yes, I know, a laptop is probably better suited for a role like this... but no laptop available today (or any time in the near future, as I see it) has both a beautiful 27 inch screen AND all the horsepower that my iMac has.
Maybe the iMac isn't for you, but believe me, some people out there really do enjoy them. Myself included.
why so overpriced! hmmm... lets see
Could you sell your dell pc after 3 years for half of its original price? I did sell my imac for slightly less than a half. So in the end using an imac for 3 years has cost me 600 euros. Good luck selling Dell or any other pc!
Could you sell your dell pc after 3 years for half of its original price? I did sell my imac for slightly less than a half. So in the end using an imac for 3 years has cost me 600 euros. Good luck selling Dell or any other pc!
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Mac = reliable OSX = reliable and streamlined MAC + OSX = polished, quality, refined = expensive + RELIABLE
rearrange my equation if you disagree.
rearrange my equation if you disagree.
I'll explain, there's two key points here,
Form factor
The Dell and iMac are two different form factors: the former is a desktop tower -- which offers more customisation but is more bulky and requires setting it up -- and the latter is an all-in-one -- which takes up very little desk space and is very easy to setup. In short, you're paying to have powerful hardware in said form factor, much like you would a laptop except the benefit isn't portability but simplicity and neatness.
Upgrades
They're extremely exorbitant from Apple. You should never purchase any RAM or storage from them, either with your Mac or from the (online or physical) store. That's that. Apple charges you $600 to upgrade from 2x2GB of RAM to 4x4GB, whereas you can purchase 16GB outright from OWC for $100 and sell off your 2x2GB sticks. The CPU and GPU upgrades they offer are still too expensive, but not nearly as much as the others and you can't upgrade them yourself so they're often worth choosing, depending on your needs.
A better comparison
That same Mac you configured but without the 16GB of RAM and 2TB HDD costs $1699.
A better comparison would be to compare the stock high end 27 inch iMac ($1999) to a Dell desktop tower of equivalent specs, plus a 27 inch 1440p display. Or better, to compare the iMac models against other all-in-one systems.
Because, unlike most windows computer companies, Apple is in charge of everything they make. There's not 50 other Mac companies to compete with, and license to copy each others' products. Over-exaggeration, but you get the point.
Mac computers are also much higher quality, and from my experience hold up longer, and run better for longer periods of time.
If you like windows, don't buy a mac. Macs are better for me, not necessarily for you. If you want a good computer, you'll have to pay for it.
Mac computers are also much higher quality, and from my experience hold up longer, and run better for longer periods of time.
If you like windows, don't buy a mac. Macs are better for me, not necessarily for you. If you want a good computer, you'll have to pay for it.
That used to be true
That's no longer true. If you look at the latest Apple financials, Apple makes around 12% of all its sales from Mac hardware.
If Apple sold Mountain Lion for $49, and opened the Mac up to cloning again, who knows how many millions of copies of OS X they could sell?
It has never been less painful for Apple to bring back the clones.
That's no longer true. If you look at the latest Apple financials, Apple makes around 12% of all its sales from Mac hardware.
If Apple sold Mountain Lion for $49, and opened the Mac up to cloning again, who knows how many millions of copies of OS X they could sell?
It has never been less painful for Apple to bring back the clones.
But the fact that they control the hardware side means that they don't have to impose on us some silly anti-piracy scheme on the OS. Presently they don't really care if you copy Mac OS X and install it on more than one system since you did have to buy those computer from them in the first pace and so they don't lose all that much.
The day you make it available on "clones" will also be the day that sales of OS X will start to decline and money will have to be invested in some silly non-workable and disruptive anti-piracy system like we see on the windows plateforms.
These silly threads pop up every few weeks.
For me, I switched to an iMac because I like having an almost totally silent, self contained computer on my desk. Previously, I self-built all of my PCs, but honestly I don't miss the upgrade cycle or the headaches involved with doing that anymore. It was fun for a while, but I'm too busy for that. I don't really game that much anymore, but my 27" iMac from last year is able to run almost all current games at maximum or very high settings in Bootcamp running Windows 7 (3.4 GHz i7, Radeon 6970M w/2 GB, SSD, 16 GB of RAM (bought from Newegg for $100, and not Apple, obviously)).
Did I overpay? No, I'm happy with it. To me, the cost of the computer wasn't a struggle, and the resale value on Apple computers is very high, so when I'm ready for a new one, it's even less painful than the initial purchase.
For me, I switched to an iMac because I like having an almost totally silent, self contained computer on my desk. Previously, I self-built all of my PCs, but honestly I don't miss the upgrade cycle or the headaches involved with doing that anymore. It was fun for a while, but I'm too busy for that. I don't really game that much anymore, but my 27" iMac from last year is able to run almost all current games at maximum or very high settings in Bootcamp running Windows 7 (3.4 GHz i7, Radeon 6970M w/2 GB, SSD, 16 GB of RAM (bought from Newegg for $100, and not Apple, obviously)).
Did I overpay? No, I'm happy with it. To me, the cost of the computer wasn't a struggle, and the resale value on Apple computers is very high, so when I'm ready for a new one, it's even less painful than the initial purchase.
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Mac Pro uses workstation grade mainboard, RAM and custom engineered case. If you want to compare that kind of machines, please pick a comparable Dell workstation. BTW, that Xeon CPU uses a different CPU slot and won't fit in your Dell.
And if you want to compare the iMac, please pick a comparable all-in-one product from another company. Right, there are non, because they are either slow, too expensive, or just simply and plainly suck (if they don't go up in flames, like the Lenovo).
I'll feed him for a sec.
Add a 2560x1440 27" monitor to every computer you build. FYI, the Dell monitor is $900 added to all the comparisons you can come up with. Basically, it's a $100-200 price difference most of the time and we will always pick the Mac. I'd we see retina screens on the computers soon it'll be even easier.
The MacBook Pro is a whole other issue. Apple is terrible in their laptop offering right now... There really is nothing to defend.
Add a 2560x1440 27" monitor to every computer you build. FYI, the Dell monitor is $900 added to all the comparisons you can come up with. Basically, it's a $100-200 price difference most of the time and we will always pick the Mac. I'd we see retina screens on the computers soon it'll be even easier.
The MacBook Pro is a whole other issue. Apple is terrible in their laptop offering right now... There really is nothing to defend.
When i was pricing to buy a computer in 2010, the iMac was 100$ more expensive than custom built with similar components, but i could get the iMac locally adding VAT, if i wanted a 27" dell monitor i had to import it paying a lot in freight or waiting a month or so and send it via boat.
That's why i got an iMac locally instead of importing the components, had i been living in the US i would probably ended up with a hackintosh due to the flexibility in changing parts.
Also I really really like the 27" display.
Well the big deal is that hardware and software (OS X) are made for each other ("People who are serious about software should build their own hardware") , and you don't have to put up with all the crap that comes with a windows machine, including device drivers, dll hell, registry databases, viruses (even with current events being what they are, windows is FAR more eaten up with viral attacks than OS X), blue screens of death (I've had OS X for a year; it has NEVER crashed), clunky interfaces, and the simple fact of the matter is that the mantra of "it just works" is not just lip service; it just works. It's well worth the premium price to me to not have to put up with all that nonsense. If cost is all that matters to you and you apparently don't mind all the bs that comes with windows, by all means have at and enjoy. But I just don't want or need the aggravation anymore.
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Or do what I did recently and buy 2 Crucial 4gb sticks for $50 to upgrade my macbook pro 13 from 4gb to 8 gb, and take the 2 2gb sticks from the MBP and stuff in the empty slots in the iMac to bring it (also!) up to 8gb. Absolutely the most cost-effective hardware upgrade I've ever done with anything!
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You are speaking reason on a forum which is dedicated to emotional attachments. Prepare to be flogged.
But, there are several reasonable reasons to buy Apple over Dell.
1. Even though Apples customer service isn't what it once was, it is still better than most PC manufacturers.
2. Apple controls the entire environment, meaning you will not get "it's a software"-"it's a hardware" problem when calling customer service. My father purchased a top of the line Dell and spent several days being passed back and forth between Dell and Microsofts customer support when he had a problem.
3. The resell on Apple products is unmatched. I can sell a 2 yo Apple MacBook or iMac in a matter of days on Craigslist and for a nice price. Try that with a Dell.
Seriously, and they just keep feeding him.
How was he speaking reason? By showing two incomparable products?
My friend and I compared the other day because he also has this "why bother with a mac argument"; claiming that he can build a better PC for cheaper. When you take into consideration the quality of the iMac screen a 27" iMac with identical specs to a PC will cost about the same amount, in fact slightly less once the OS is added.
Take that and add it in with the fact that apple's quality is higher and you get OS X rather than Windows and it's no question at all. Quality is the key here. macs are expensive because they use high quality parts. For a comparison PC you will pay the same if not more.
Take that and add it in with the fact that apple's quality is higher and you get OS X rather than Windows and it's no question at all. Quality is the key here. macs are expensive because they use high quality parts. For a comparison PC you will pay the same if not more.