New iMac In September

[thatwendigo]

In other words, if it isn't completely tricked out, it isn't a real computer.

No, what I was saying is that you're comparing Apples to, well, piles of crap that are randomly slammed together in the cheapest way possible by companies that don't create integreated systems. Compare a mac to IBM's computers, hell, even throw them at Dell since they're making a profit and show some inkling of understanding that software is about as important as hardware, but don't try to take a pile of junky third-rate parts and say that it's a fair test.

The low end Athlon 64 boxes may not be as fast or look as good as the high end systems, but they are good enough for 90% of the public.

So is Ford, McDonalds, and Wal-Mart, but that doesn't make any of them good, nor does it mean that it's what we ought to be striving for. In each of the above cases, you get the bottom of the barrel in the disguise of "value," which people buy into because they're fundamentally ignorant and more concerned with shaving a buck off here and there than getting a quality product.

And more importantly, they are affordable and upgradable.

Hint: Most people buy a new machine rather than upgrading. You are in the minority if you swap out parts.

What did I get when bought my G3? A $2300 non-upgradable computer that was obsolete in six months and unusable ofr all but word processing two and half years later.

I have a G3 computer that's still pretty usable, actually, but it's a laptop and so it's already intended for a slightly different market. However, I think that you need to provide a bit more data on that "non-upgradable" machine of yours, since I happen to know that plenty of G3 machines now have G4s in them.

I don't know about you, but I can't afford to shell out two grand on a new computer every other year and I have no intention of getting another all in one after the Performa 5200.

I've never spent two grand on a computer, and I've always used macs. Always. The trick is to not be greedy and realize that there are some things that other hardware do better. I use my computers for computing, a console or three for gaming, my TV and DVD player for watching movies (sometimes I watch them on my machine)... Get the picture?

And quite frankly, after dealing with x86 HARDWARE for two years, spending that kind of money every two years is unjustified as well. What it comes down to, I would like an upgradable computer with a great operating system that I can afford. Unfortuately, no such computer exists.

Quite frankly, after dealing with x86 hardware on behalf of the hordes of clueless end-users out there, I don't want a machine I have to fiddle with BIOS, drivers, and other nonsense just to use. It took over an hour to get my coworkers' wireless hub to recognize the USB bridge he'd plugged in, while my Airport card scanned his network and was talking to it from the moment I opened the lid of my iBook.

It's not Apple's fault that you're either too stubborn or too poor to buy their machines, nor is it your fault that you don't want to pay their prices. Do the only thing that matters and vote with your dollars, just like I do. I use OS X on a daily basis, touch Windows only when I have to, and I've never paid more than about $1,600 for a computer.

 

[threem96720]

Which Mac Should I Buy

This is my first posting and it's not a reply. I'm seeking advice. I have been using my seven year old Mac PowerPC and also used the Apple IIe and the first generation eMac at work. I obviously am in need of a new computer and I want it to be a Macintosh. My computer is largely used for surfing the Internet, emailing, and word processing. I inquired at the Apple Store and to one reseller as to whether I should get an eMac or an iMac and got conflicting advice. So I've been reading this website to get other viewpoints.
I had finally decided to get an eMac with the superdrive, the largest hard drive and 1GB of memory because it was more up-to-date than the iMac. Just then, it was announced that a new iMac will soon be released. Now I'm unsure which computer to buy and when to buy it. Someone mentioned that it was wiser not to buy a computer that has just been introduced because it often has "bugs" in it that need to be solved. Should I buy an eMac now, or should I buy a new iMac now? Or should I wait until the "bugs" are worked out of the iMac and buy it later? Or should I just buy an eMac because it will serve my needs just as well as an iMac? I 'd appreciate your expert advice. Thanks loads!!

 

[paxtonandrew]

to be honest thats a very silly statement (ok ok the eating i macs wasnt genius) they already have crt imacs called emacs..yeah they also have portable g5s with g4 processors called powerbooks

ok what prehaps i should of said was the imac has always been a ground breaker... the way to break-ground is not to make another emac....

In my defense, i must say that I still use a G3(333mhz) CRT iMac, almost daily, as this is my spare computer. So, only naturally, i look at the eMac as the sucessor to the crt iMac. To say the way to break-ground is not to make another emac, is stupid. One of Steve's goals for Apple was to make the whole Mac line LCDs. We saw this for the first time really with the release of the new iMac, and the demise of the CRT apple 'Cinema Displays'. If Apple were to release something that closely resembled the 20th anniversary Mac, we would all hit the forums and badmouth the people who developed it. An LCD eMac would look just like that.

The main reason the eMac isn't LCD, is the fact that the computer was made for the school environment, where a flimsy LCD screen would have broken under the immense strain of the little school children attacking (using) the computers every day. Until a way around this problem, there will be a place for the CRT screen.


The new iMac WILL NOT be a re-incarnation of anything; Apple or wintel, WILL, have an LCD screen, and will hopefully have a G5 processor, or as i have said earlier in this discussion, a beefed up Freescale (g4) processor. *crosses fingers over G5 iMac*

 

[manu chao]

This is my first posting and it's not a reply. I'm seeking advice. I have been using my seven year old Mac PowerPC and also used the Apple IIe and the first generation eMac at work. I obviously am in need of a new computer and I want it to be a Macintosh. My computer is largely used for surfing the Internet, emailing, and word processing. I inquired at the Apple Store and to one reseller as to whether I should get an eMac or an iMac and got conflicting advice. So I've been reading this website to get other viewpoints.
I had finally decided to get an eMac with the superdrive, the largest hard drive and 1GB of memory because it was more up-to-date than the iMac. Just then, it was announced that a new iMac will soon be released. Now I'm unsure which computer to buy and when to buy it. Someone mentioned that it was wiser not to buy a computer that has just been introduced because it often has "bugs" in it that need to be solved. Should I buy an eMac now, or should I buy a new iMac now? Or should I wait until the "bugs" are worked out of the iMac and buy it later? Or should I just buy an eMac because it will serve my needs just as well as an iMac? I 'd appreciate your expert advice. Thanks loads!!

I think the risk of bugs in the new new iMac is the least thing to worry about. If something like the white spots on the PowerBook screens where to happen again, the worst thing for you would be that you would have send back your computer and wait a week or two until they fixed it.

Having said that, the eMac is certainly a good computer at a fair price. If you don't mind a bulky CRT and don't want something as fancy looking as the just discontinued iMac, go for it.

September's iMac will be faster than the just discontinued iMac, that's for sure, but not dramatically so. If you want a nice (widescreen) LCD and have the money to spend (and the time to wait) go for September's iMac.

 

[MontgomeryBurns]

the new imac is DOWN MY PANTS.

 

[BakedBeans]

In my defense, i must say that I still use a G3(333mhz) CRT iMac, almost daily, as this is my spare computer. So, only naturally, i look at the eMac as the sucessor to the crt iMac. To say the way to break-ground is not to make another emac, is stupid. One of Steve's goals for Apple was to make the whole Mac line LCDs. We saw this for the first time really with the release of the new iMac, and the demise of the CRT apple 'Cinema Displays'. If Apple were to release something that closely resembled the 20th anniversary Mac, we would all hit the forums and badmouth the people who developed it. An LCD eMac would look just like that.

The main reason the eMac isn't LCD, is the fact that the computer was made for the school environment, where a flimsy LCD screen would have broken under the immense strain of the little school children attacking (using) the computers every day. Until a way around this problem, there will be a place for the CRT screen.


The new iMac WILL NOT be a re-incarnation of anything; Apple or wintel, WILL, have an LCD screen, and will hopefully have a G5 processor, or as i have said earlier in this discussion, a beefed up Freescale (g4) processor. *crosses fingers over G5 iMac*

i dont think you get me here paxton,

i said that if apple mac the next IMAC a crt i would get it and eat it, and in reply you said happy eating (or something to that effect) which impies that the new imac would be crt...

secondly the emac is not the follow on from the imac... its just an emac... the flat panel imac was the follow on from the imac crt....

what im saying ( against a few statements that it would be ) is that why would they make a previously ground breaking imac into a crt..answer...they wont...

sorry we got our wires crossed... but the fact is ( i say fact but meanquite probable) that the imac with have a really nice flat panel monitor.. and be flashy and ground breaking... i just cant see how or why apple wouldnt put a g5 in it.....

and just to clarify.. no imac emac or anymac eating will be partaken by me ( unless the imac is a crt of course )


ramble ramble ramble

 

[paxtonandrew]

Maybe the specs on the chips aren't finalised.

I think the delay is because IBM are having trouble with the chip yield. They are still having trouble catching up with the Xserves, so until they have caught up with them, there will naturally be a delay with the personal sector of the computing. Another issue is the heat issues. The G5 is more than 50% air to aid in cooling. If you want a melted mainboard as your computer, by all means protest for a 750FX 2.5ghz g5 cpu, but until Jonathon Ive and his team find a fix to the cooling issues, a faster G4 (freescale processor) will be a solution to the problem.

 

[paxtonandrew]

i dont think you get me here paxton,

i said that if apple mac the next IMAC a crt i would get it and eat it, and in reply you said happy eating (or something to that effect) which impies that the new imac would be crt...

secondly the emac is not the follow on from the imac... its just an emac... the flat panel imac was the follow on from the imac crt....

what im saying ( against a few statements that it would be ) is that why would they make a previously ground breaking imac into a crt..answer...they wont...

sorry we got our wires crossed... but the fact is ( i say fact but meanquite probable) that the imac with have a really nice flat panel monitor.. and be flashy and ground breaking... i just cant see how or why apple wouldnt put a g5 in it.....

and just to clarify.. no imac emac or anymac eating will be partaken by me ( unless the imac is a crt of course )


ramble ramble ramble

I'm going to hold you to that!

 

[gensor]

iMac only needs a G4

Leave the G5s and speed for you power users. People like me who own iMacs have plently of speed and memory and buy new computers after 3 or 4 years and have no desire to upgrade. If you slap a low cost G4 in, and give a lower price, letting Apple maintain profit margin, that will increase sales. My computer is plenty fast with a G4. Please don't post something like the consumer will compare a tricked out Dell to an iMac with a G4 and say give me the Dell. Just lower the price on the iMac and the buyers will increase. Don't waste the G5s on us iMac market users cause we don't need it. The game is no longer about CPU processing power.

 

[gensor]

Why would Apple trick out an iMac

for the next model and make it expensive. Trick out the G5 and just give us a no frills iMac. Make it low cost, slap older technology in it and this will let Apple maintain gross profit while lowering cost and driving switchers to Macs. Once you see the smooth OSX then you got em

 

[relimw]

Come one people. This IS NOT good news. Apple will be losing a lot of income because of this.

I guess we'll find out how bad things are when Apple annouces their earnings on July 14th. Maybe Jobs will tell us all what the big hold up is then.

 

[zelmo]

Isn't this what the eMac is for now?

for the next model and make it expensive. Trick out the G5 and just give us a no frills iMac. Make it low cost, slap older technology in it and this will let Apple maintain gross profit while lowering cost and driving switchers to Macs. Once you see the smooth OSX then you got em

Sounds like a great definition of the eMac. Older tech, CRT, speedy-enough entry level Mac for switchers, iLife s/w, all that good stuff. Just keep pushing that price down. If Apple wants to increase market share, why not a sub-$600 1.25GHz G4?
I'm no chip expert or anything, but if IBM is struggling with a high yield of 2.0 and 2.5 GHz chips, seems like that might translate to mean they are getting more 1.6 and 1.8 GHz chips that they really want for the PowerMac line. Put them in the iMac. The distinction between iMac and PM can be slightly faster Dual G5's.

 

[crees!]

I think the risk of bugs in the new new iMac is the least thing to worry about. If something like the white spots on the PowerBook screens where to happen again, the worst thing for you would be that you would have send back your computer and wait a week or two until they fixed it.

A week or two? I had an issue with white spots on my PB - sent it in on a Wednesday and had it back on that Friday. I was told the white spots were from a screw near the power supply that wasn't properly grounded and was sending more voltage to the LCD than needed.

 

[~Shard~]

the new imac is DOWN MY PANTS.

So this new iMac exploits nanotechnology, requiring a microscope to even see it?

 

[oldpismo]

Leave the G5s and speed for you power users.

Some consumers (like me) want to have a home PC that looks good, but also has power. Quite often home tasks like : editing home videos, photo editing, games playing, etc. require as much power as can be spared. It really doesn't make sense to have a whole line of machines that are deliberately underpowered (i.e. the whole consumer line) as then those home users who want power, but not a great big box, will never be able to buy one.

 

[ApReSe]

Some consumers (like me) want to have a home PC that looks good, but also has power. Quite often home tasks like : editing home videos, photo editing, games playing, etc. require as much power as can be spared. It really doesn't make sense to have a whole line of machines that are deliberately underpowered (i.e. the whole consumer line) as then those home users who want power, but not a great big box, will never be able to buy one.

Spot on, the iMac is definitely a Prosumer machine, just look at its price, and it will be a huge disappointment if a G5 is not in the new iMac with at least 1.6GHz & 1.8GHz models.

 

[Multimedia]

Spoken like someone who has never experienced the power of a G5 Mac.

Leave the G5s and speed for you power users. People like me who own iMacs have plently of speed and memory and buy new computers after 3 or 4 years and have no desire to upgrade. If you slap a low cost G4 in, and give a lower price, letting Apple maintain profit margin, that will increase sales. My computer is plenty fast with a G4. Please don't post something like the consumer will compare a tricked out Dell to an iMac with a G4 and say give me the Dell. Just lower the price on the iMac and the buyers will increase. Don't waste the G5s on us iMac market users cause we don't need it. The game is no longer about CPU processing power.

Spoken like someone who has never experienced the power of a G5 Mac.

 

[zelmo]

Some consumers (like me) want to have a home PC that looks good, but also has power. Quite often home tasks like : editing home videos, photo editing, games playing, etc. require as much power as can be spared. It really doesn't make sense to have a whole line of machines that are deliberately underpowered (i.e. the whole consumer line) as then those home users who want power, but not a great big box, will never be able to buy one.

I agree. Let the eMac Apple's entry level, but make the iMac a pro-sumer machine. It needs a single G5 with a faster bus, so we can bring app's like iDVD and GarageBand up to a walk instead of a crawl.

 

[paxtonandrew]

I agree. Let the eMac Apple's entry level, but make the iMac a pro-sumer machine. It needs a single G5 with a faster bus, so we can bring app's like iDVD and GarageBand up to a walk instead of a crawl.

I am using Garage band on a PMG4 667mhz Digital Audio. It may run a little slow, but it is what you are used to. If you put a high end G4 CPU (more than about 1.5ghz) into a eMac, it will run at a speed that new switchers/school students require. The iMac however, is a prosumer machine, where a faster FREESCALE chip or a G5 will need to be used. With those conspiracy theorists saying 'Tiger won't run on my G4, I Need a 64 Bit CPU" i say to you, it CAN USE 64 bit addressing THAT IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS(after stability) THAT UNIX OFFERS IN THEIR CODING. Some developers have said Tiger runs on their G3's. We won't see a true 64-bit Os until XI (sorry OS11) is released in about 6 years.

 

[threem96720]

I reread my posting and noted an error. I used a first generation iMac at work and tried out the present eMac at the Apple Store. I thank you for your candid and sincere advice. You made a lot of sense. You and another person took the time to share your knowledge and it is most appreciated. I'm now leaning towards the new iMac.