Mini Mac Vs iMac worth it?

[McGinz]

Hi There,

Im have been reading through the other post and have seen many people ask for advice on mac but i can't find one specifically for what im looking for (I'm sorry if there is apost out there like this it's just i could not see it)

So i was thinking about buying either the Mac mini or the iMac the only problem is i'm scared that i wont take to this mac life and would have ended up wasting a large amount of money on a mac when i could have bought a shiney new PC that i know how to use well.

Or that if i went for the mini mac that i would love it so much that i would want to improve it (which i have read is very hard to upgrade)? and again would have ended up with a product thats not the best for me.

is there any advice that you can provide?
I do have Mac at work which i have used a few times but i get frustrated that i dont know how to use them properly (which im sure will just come with time)

Are they very expensive to get repaired?

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Mac's are extremely expensive to get repaired. I dropped my Macbook pro, and even under warranty it would still have cost me $1200 to fix a small dent in the corner. (I should add, this is including a new hard drive, because I was told my hard drive was failing... almost a year after the accident I'm still waiting. So I would say Applecare lied to me about it as well, but I'm just bitter.)

As for the mini vs imac, get the iMac. The mini is too anemic and if you do like it, too underpowered unless you never plan on use it for anything besides word/internet/email.

Welcome aboard.

 

[McGinz]

see one of the main reasons to go to mac is so i can download and not get a virus!
and i'm liking the look of the iphotos
i dont plan to bin my pc but im aware that its aging and soon wont be able to cope with all the new technology that is developing and mac seems to be the way forward!

If i got the apple support cover would that protect me if i was to spill water on it or drop the iMac/mac Mini?

 

[flopticalcube]

If i got the apple support cover would that protect me if i was to spill water on it or drop the iMac/mac Mini?

No. That's accidental damage and would have to be covered by your home insurance.

 

[Jamesl94]

No matter what mac you get, you will love it, so dont be scared you have wasted your money.

I was on PC's for about 8 years and then I bought a mac from going on one for about 20 minuets and it took me about 2 days to get completely confident with it.

They are so easy to use, the just get on with things.


James

 

[iceblade]

Thanks to Bootcamp (A program that either comes with new Macs or is downloable, not sure), you can install Windows in case you just really can't stand OS X. Even if you don't want to deal with that, you could still sell the computer. You'll take a loss, but if the way mac works just doesn't work for you, you won't lose all your money.

Pick up the iMac. Because of the reasons above, you're somewhat safety proofed. And in case you love OS X and how Macs work, you'll have a decently powerful system.

 

[McGinz]

so what your saying is the imac is powerful enough for me if i was to love the imac but not overpowerful that it would be wasted?
Whereas the mini has the power to do basic things but isn't powerful enough to 'fully experience' the mac?

I want it mainly to download as the macs dont get viruses. but im liking the added bonus of the fact that they are good for editing photos. But im not sure of what else i would use it for?

 

[mikejtl]

mac mini home ent benefit

One benefit to the mac mini is that you can plug it into a tv (HDMI input I think, I've never done it myself) and then use as an entertainment center. You can load your music, photos, movies onto it and control it all with the apple remote and front row software. Plus it can serve as your dvd player.

I bring this up since you said you want to use it for downloads, which I'm guessing are some form of media. Although, I think to do this you would have to bring any media into iTunes so that front row can access it. Basically it's like a suped up Apple TV. Of course you could do this all with an iMac too, you're just limited by the screen size of the thing, but the picture would look good.

Mac are expensive to repair, but they rarely need it except when the owner drops it. The parts don't ware out, my Powerbook 100 from 1992 works like a charm except for a weak battery.

 

[trip1ex]

iMac is the better value overall. Faster cpu. Memory at least is easily upgradeable. Faster hard drive too I believe. Plus you get the keyboard, mouse, monitor, mic, speakers and camera for not too much more. Better discounts on iMacs too lately.

Another reason I went iMac was the cleaner design. Obviously everything is built-in. And that means no speaker wire. No microphone wire. 1 power cable instead of 2. No DVI cable. And no camera wire if you mounted one of those.

 

[trevpimp]

see one of the main reasons to go to mac is so i can download and not get a virus!
and i'm liking the look of the iphotos
i dont plan to bin my pc but im aware that its aging and soon wont be able to cope with all the new technology that is developing and mac seems to be the way forward!

If i got the apple support cover would that protect me if i was to spill water on it or drop the iMac/mac Mini?

Yes but just keep in mind, this will change. We just dont know yet

so what your saying is the imac is powerful enough for me if i was to love the imac but not overpowerful that it would be wasted?
Whereas the mini has the power to do basic things but isn't powerful enough to 'fully experience' the mac?

I want it mainly to download as the macs dont get viruses. but im liking the added bonus of the fact that they are good for editing photos. But im not sure of what else i would use it for?

Go with the iMac, the mini is good for simple stuff. I was gonna get the mini but then as I read about Mac OS X I really like its features. So I decided to just wait a little more to get an iMac. Not only that the RAM installation couldn't get any easier.

iMac is the better value overall. Faster cpu. Memory at least is easily upgradeable. Faster hard drive too I believe. Plus you get the keyboard, mouse, monitor, mic, speakers and camera for not too much more. Better discounts on iMacs too lately.

Another reason I went iMac was the cleaner design. Obviously everything is built-in. And that means no speaker wire. No microphone wire. 1 power cable instead of 2. No DVI cable. And no camera wire if you mounted one of those.

you get a free keyboard and a mouse. That by itself is $100.

Not only that you get way more stuff that the mini doesnt include. [Screen!!!]

So really the iMac is well worth it.

 

[pilotError]

Go iMac. I love my Mini, but having just the Power cord go to the iMac (wireless KB/Mouse) is very nice and clean. It really cleans up any area you work on. My Mini is just like my PC, has wires going in every direction.

The only real reason to buy a mini is if you have a really nice monitor to share with your PC. Chance's are, your going to end up getting a PC/Mac compatible keyboard and mouse anyway. The mini comes with just the machine, the iMac has everything in the box.

Any Mac you buy doesn't become a boat anchor immediately as does the PC. You don't like it, you can get a good price for it here or on Ebay. You can even install windows on it if you don't like OS X. Give the Mac a bit of time (1 or 2 months) and you won't want to turn on your PC's anymore for anything besides gaming.

 

[McGinz]

sorry to be a pain again - i promise i'll go into the apple shop soon!

Does the iMac plus into hd tellies? so i could potentially watch something downloaded from itunes or btjunkie through my television or would it have to be done through the 20/24inch iMAc screen?