Anyone got an iMac?

[staben94]

My (Acer) laptop's gone kaputt so I'm looking at my options.

I'm not really interested in anger laptop, more interested in desktops.

I REALLY want an iMac but the £899.00 price tag is making me blush.

Although, PC World are offering interest free finance on Apple products so my arm is slowly twisting.
£90.00 p/m is very manageable but it's still £900 bones!

I want a desktop. Should I buy a half-decent PC at around £400 or splash out on the interest free iMac?

First world problems eh.

I've just bought an iMac Desktop, without a doubt hands down the best purchase I've made in terms of computer technology. So yes, get an Apple Mac Desktop.

 

[Hiney]

This Autumn's new OS for the Mac looks like the absolute Dog's Doo-Dahs, especially if you have other Apple hardware.

I've been using Windows for as long as I can remember, but this summer I'm thinking of switching to the other side.

It's a dilemma all right

 

[drop dead fred]

I've just bought an iMac Desktop, without a doubt hands down the best purchase I've made in terms of computer technology. So yes, get an Apple Mac Desktop.

I fully agree with you about iMacs
I want to purchase a 27" iMac myself but it's to near a refresh to buy at the moment
But this cut down iMac is to expensive for what it is

 

[Box of Frogs]

What is it that you don't like about iTunes?!?!

 

[StonehamPark]

Thanks everyone for the tips so far.

I read some reviews of the £899.00 model and soon realized this cheaper model has less RAM.

I definitely can't be doing with Windows anymore. Windows 8 is just a ball-ache.

I'm off to have a look at iMacs and Mac-Mini's this evening so we'll see.

Thanks again.

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

It is things like this that really puts me in two minds about converting to apple. On one hand I can see the quality of their products (I want one for music production) but I hate the unjustified cost, the locking people in and the inflexibility of using other products. It would feel a little like getting into bed with the corporate devil.

But the cost isn't unjustified on the whole. That particular model really isn't worth the money. But IMO, the rest of them are. There's nothing locking you in to a mac at all. They're great for music production and, in my experience at least, far more reliable than any PC I've ever owned.

 

[Hiney]

Most of the Mac owners I know have had their machine for 4/5 years and they are showing no signs of slowing down and style-wise, they are still as cool as they were when they were bought.

I built a Windows PC 4 years ago, at a cost of around £800 and I'm now looking at the same again, or maybe a little less, for a machine with the spec I want. The 4-year-old machine has little or no re-sale value and if I pass it on to one of the children, it will be just as temperamental for them as it was becoming for me. In 4 years time, I would probably be looking at the same scenario over again.

If I had spent say £1,400 on a top-spec Mac 4 years ago, I would probably not be looking to replace it any time soon and if I was, the resale value means I would be saving money vs the Windows scenario.

I've always waded into the Mac v PC debate firmly on the side of Windows, but the longer I go on, watching my family and friends using their Macs, the more inclined I become to switch over.

 

[Ⓩ-Ⓐ-Ⓜ-Ⓞ-Ⓡ-Ⓐ]

Might have already been suggested, but if you know a student who could go and buy it with you you can get a 15% discount at the Apple store

 

[Monkey Man]

I've always waded into the Mac v PC debate firmly on the side of Windows, but the longer I go on, watching my family and friends using their Macs, the more inclined I become to switch over.

I've been sceptical about Macs for years and also took the Windows side of the argument, partly because I hate the slavish devotion you see in some Mac users. It creeps me out a bit.

But having switched to an iMac almost a year ago, I'm glad I spent that bit extra. The hardware is reliable and (if you care about these things in a computer) attractive. No sudden whirring from the fan. No grinding of gears. No viruses. No crashes.

There are a few things that still bug me about the Mac, and which Windows does better. But when even Microsoft seemed to admit the last version of Windows was no good, I knew it could be time to move on.

 

[jackanada]

I was up for buying a G5 Mac about 10 years ago, but then Linux started to get better so I didn't feel the need to buy one in the end. Linux for me does everything it should do. I don't miss anything and now Linux has steam and more games coming it's way it just gets better. Of course I will never enjoy the latest Photoshop or Dreamweaver, but I use Photoshop 7 and Dreamweaver 8 using Wine which runs Windows programmes without the need to install a Virutal Machine in Linux. Doesn't run all Windows software but again it does get better, and on top of that I can still install a Virtual Machine if I want using Virtual box.

I find GIMP does everything an old version of Photoshop can do for free. Raw Therapee is a decent substitute for Lightbox.

 

[Deleted member 22389]

I find GIMP does everything an old version of Photoshop can do for free. Raw Therapee is a decent substitute for Lightbox.

Been using Photoshop for years and struggled with GIMP. Think I just need to spend some time getting used to it and I will probably like it. For me It's funny this Windows V Apple debate. If you install Linux you get the security of a Mac, Performance of a Mac, and you can get away from Windows and not spend a single penny by installing a free Linux distribution such as Mint or Ubuntu.

And now we have Steam for Linux and games there really isn't any point for me in ever getting a Mac. For me personally Mac seems like an expensive luxury.

What I love about Linux, I can grab any distribution I like and just install it. I don't have to worry about any silly licenses, and believe it or not for novices Linux is actually easier to use than Windows these days because nothing can go wrong.

The only thing you do need on Linux is a firewall that sits silently in the background, so the user isn't constantly nagged with stupid pop up security updates like you get in Windows.

 

[Wilko]

What is it that you don't like about iTunes?!?!

I have lost my entire itunes library. TWICE. Once when it wanted me to upgrade and another time for no explainable reason at all. On my Samsung laptop you can bung any old music on there in any type of file and arrange it how you want, not how itunes wants.

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

I have lost my entire itunes library. TWICE. Once when it wanted me to upgrade and another time for no explainable reason at all. On my Samsung laptop you can bung any old music on there in any type of file and arrange it how you want, not how itunes wants.

You can arrange iTunes how you want it to and it will play all types of music files.You can do exactly what you've just said. There's this myth that iTunes is some sort of music eating, file losing mess of an application. It isn't.

But. I hate being forced to use it. It's fine as a music player, but as an application for managing podcasts, apps, iPhones, iPads, movie rentals etc, it ****ing sucks. Apple IMO should ditch half of the crap in the application and just keep it as a simple music player.


Edit: I'm not saying that it didn't lose your music, but I'm saying that if you can be arsed. It's able to read files of any type, without organinising them all for you.

 

[Bozza]

I have lost my entire itunes library. TWICE. Once when it wanted me to upgrade and another time for no explainable reason at all. On my Samsung laptop you can bung any old music on there in any type of file and arrange it how you want, not how itunes wants.

I believe you think you lost your iTunes library but I would be willing to bet large amounts of money that you didn't lose your music.

iTunes is, in essence, a database that details where your music is and metadata relating to it.

If iTunes doesn't know where your music is, for any reason, your iTunes library will be empty. All it needs is for you to tell it where it is. iTunes will never delete a music file unless you tell it to do so.

All that said - my iPhone 5 has never been connected to iTunes in the whole time I've had it - approaching 2 years now.

 

[Wilko]

I believe you think you lost your iTunes library but I would be willing to bet large amounts of money that you didn't lose your music.

iTunes is, in essence, a database that details where your music is and metadata relating to it.

If iTunes doesn't know where your music is, for any reason, your iTunes library will be empty. All it needs is for you to tell it where it is. iTunes will never delete a music file unless you tell it to do so.

All that said - my iPhone 5 has never been connected to iTunes in the whole time I've had it - approaching 2 years now.

I bow down to your better judgement of all things Apple. I have a great solution now though - Spotify

 

[Bozza]

I bow down to your better judgement of all things Apple. I have a great solution now though - Spotify

Spotify + Sonos is a particularly decent solution to music woes.