Tech iMac

Does anyone have one? What is your experience so far?

I'm thinking about getting the 21.5"

My Netbook was a great value purchase, and I am really getting a lot of miles out of it, but it's time to get serious. I need firepower

http://www.apple.com/imac/

Well, I have one that I use as my main computer and I don't think it was a waste of money. :lol:

Mine isnt one of the new ones, I've had it for about 2 and a half years. I love it. Never had a problem with it. I still like the form factor of having a desktop versus just using a laptop for everything. :smile:
 
Waste of money.

Hahaha, what's up Chuck. What computer are you running? The Windows 8 tablet-PCs coming out down the line look promising, but I wish Microsoft would personally manufacture the hardware that it ran on, similar to what they do for their Xbox.

Windows 7 is a great OS, but what I like about the iMac is the whole, "The monitor is also the computer" setup. HP has something similar but ehhh I don't want an HP.

You gotta admit, coming pre-packaged with a wireless keyboard/mouse is pretty cool. If I get it, I'm not that looking forward to having to learn OS X Lion after running Windows my entire life, but hey, if my autistic cousin can figure it out, I can too lol

Well, I have one that I use as my main computer and I don't think it was a waste of money. :lol:

Mine isnt one of the new ones, I've had it for about 2 and a half years. I love it. Never had a problem with it.

Do you have the 21.5" or the 27"? Did you know that the newer ones have an input for an HDMI cable so you can plug your PS3 or Xbox into it? Pretty damn cool. And since the CPU is embedded in the monitor, I may get an Xbox to plug into the monitor since I have space on my computer desk (where the tower would normally go). And there are quit a bit of video games out for it like Wow, GTA, and Arkham City. And you don't have to worry about having the right video card or failing to meet the hardware requirements since the different mac models are more streamlined.

A friend of mine just got one and I was really jealous of how lightning fast her internet was compared to my Netbook lol

I still like the form factor of having a desktop versus just using a laptop for everything. :smile:

Me too! Dollar for dollar desktops are much faster, plus the monitors are bigger. And I'll still have my Netbook to take with me on the go. I don't really need that type of portability anyways, I'm not in school anymore taking notes.

Plus, I don't really find mac laptops to be very portable. They are great computers, but they are so expensive and fragile and pure and holy, I would be really afraid of damaging it or losing it to theft. There is NO WAY I would leave my Macbook air lying around at a table in Starbucks or at a desk in class while I go to the bathroom cause that has STEAL ME written all over it. I'm from LA, it happens lol

With my Netbook I can shove it into a backpack without having to think twice about it. Their smaller, lighter, and I wouldn't care as much about scratches or dents to the body. Most people couldn't spend over $1,000 on a laptop without being self-conscious about it when they take it out.
 
I don't know what you need a desktop machine for, but my husband last year switched from using a Mac Pro (the big tower unit) to an iMac, and he does a lot of heavy-duty programming. We don't use Photoshop, so you may want to search for info about that. A friend does a lot of video editing on an iMac, so apparently it's robust enough for that.

That said, I've used Mac laptops exclusively for 19 (!!! -- it pains me to admit this aloud!!!) years. I love them. I'm on a Macbook Air now, and I find the 13" screen is excellent for everything I do (which, admittedly, is text-intensive). I don't want ten different apps littering my screen -- it's easy enough to switch between them, and I like making them as big as I can and filling the screen. I don't leave it on a table when I go to a cafe, though -- given how easy it is to carry with one hand, NO WAY.
 
Vendrazi, would you say the Macbook Air is a good purchase instead of the regular Macbook? I only use my laptops for websurfing and writing. I love how light the Air is. I'm not crazy about the smaller screen...my HP laptop that just died was a 19". Using the Air at the store today was like a netbook! I am even more tempted to buy the ipad instead, but I am not sure if it is enough for college work.

After my HP died, I vowed to never buy another. I had it barely more than a year. Ridiculous.

I was playing with the iMac today, the screen is so beautiful. I have my heart set on one, but I would prefer to have something portable first.
 
I bought one for my hubby last October w/21.5" screen. I felt the 27" was unnecessarily large for what he needed. He has an entire recording studio he runs through it, so I would say that it was worth every dime.

I'm definitely Pro-Mac. I was so happy to get rid of our last Windows based system in August.
 
Do you have the 21.5" or the 27"? Did you know that the newer ones have an input for an HDMI cable so you can plug your PS3 or Xbox into it? Pretty damn cool. And since the CPU is embedded in the monitor, I may get an Xbox to plug into the monitor since I have space on my computer desk (where the tower would normally go). And there are quit a bit of video games out for it like Wow, GTA, and Arkham City. And you don't have to worry about having the right video card or failing to meet the hardware requirements since the different mac models are more streamlined.

A friend of mine just got one and I was really jealous of how lightning fast her internet was compared to my Netbook lol



Me too! Dollar for dollar desktops are much faster, plus the monitors are bigger. And I'll still have my Netbook to take with me on the go. I don't really need that type of portability anyways, I'm not in school anymore taking notes.

Plus, I don't really find mac laptops to be very portable. They are great computers, but they are so expensive and fragile and pure and holy, I would be really afraid of damaging it or losing it to theft. There is NO WAY I would leave my Macbook air lying around at a table in Starbucks or at a desk in class while I go to the bathroom cause that has STEAL ME written all over it. I'm from LA, it happens lol

With my Netbook I can shove it into a backpack without having to think twice about it. Their smaller, lighter, and I wouldn't care as much about scratches or dents to the body. Most people couldn't spend over $1,000 on a laptop without being self-conscious about it when they take it out.

My iMac is the 24". I wish that they still made this size! It's perfect, to me. Now the 27" one looks huge but the 21" looks tiny! lol. I feel like I can't win!

I don't think that mine has the HDMI connections though.

I agree with you about Apple laptops. I have a Macbook also and I will say that it doesn't get a lot of use. It's not that I don't like it, I just don't need it much. I'm not in school anymore either so I don't have to have it with me all the time. The way my desk is set up, a laptop just isn't practical for my only computer. I like the bigger screen and it seems silly to buy a laptop, plug it in to a bigger screen and use that. Why not just buy a desktop?! :lol:
 
I don't know what you need a desktop machine for

Just basic every day use, I am on the web constantly.

I was at a friend's apartment on Saturday and she was showing me these web sites and I was taken aback at how fast the pages were loading, especially since we are both on the Time Warner 20 Mbps/s plan. The exact same plan, but her pages were loading so fast, almost instantly.

Afterwards we ordered pizza and she put on Party Down on DVD. She has the 27" so we were actually using it as a TV monitor. Unbelievable. Had the couch setup in front of it and everything. I didn't know it was possible to be that happy with technology.
 
Ok, are you mainly going to use this for the internet? Media viewing? Any decently new computer will load pages fast..Mac, PC, Linux, whatever. Newer processor, more memory, faster HDD (preferably solid state), and a good connection are what matters. In addition to that, even if you have the fastest computer in the world, if your cable modem sucks or you're in an area with bad connections and lots of people using the bandwidth, you're going to have a slower load times. So when you say "My friend's iMac loads so much faster than mine computer", it's not specific to the iMac as being the one deciding factor.
I can guarantee you that I can point you to a computer that has equal, or better specs, than the iMac and will be at least $300 cheaper. And really, Win 7 is a great OS.
 
i'm on an imac here at work and i freaking love it. of course im' not paying for it. but the screen is huge. i think it might be the 21"

i still love my 14 inch laptop at home but sometimes i go home and look at something think "man i wish i could view this on my mac......."
 
Ok, are you mainly going to use this for the internet? Media viewing? Any decently new computer will load pages fast..Mac, PC, Linux, whatever. Newer processor, more memory, faster HDD (preferably solid state), and a good connection are what matters. In addition to that, even if you have the fastest computer in the world, if your cable modem sucks or you're in an area with bad connections and lots of people using the bandwidth, you're going to have a slower load times. So when you say "My friend's iMac loads so much faster than mine computer", it's not specific to the iMac as being the one deciding factor.

I can guarantee you that I can point you to a computer that has equal, or better specs, than the iMac and will be at least $300 cheaper. And really, Win 7 is a great OS.

But Charles! Macs were hand-made in the USA by working class America on a livable wage with health insurance!

Lol, but seriously, give me links to some PC alternatives and I'll consider them. I will admit though, I'll hold on unfair bias to anything with a tower because it's not as simple as the iMac where the CPU is embedded in the monitor AND its monitor has an HDMI input. Tons of monitors have that, but their not that easy to find (bundled in with a PC). HP has a PC alternative to the iMac, but ehh I don't want an HP. Their so... 1999.

And to answer your question, primarily web browsing. I use my PS3 for games and my iPad for media viewing.

Lol, believe me Charles, I understand your anti-Apple stance, I had it too for a long time. And I'm still not one of the fanboys. But I mean, if my lifelong enemy has a new product out that everyone is raving about I'll give it a try, and if it turns out to be pretty good I'll admit it, in spite of my personal feelings.

I remember reading an interview with Melinda Gates that Bill won't permit her to own an iPhone which saddens her since all her friends have one and love it. I say let her own one, that'll make the rivalry a little more personal and hopefully get them to step up their efforts. Step up yo game playa