iMac - opinions

all in one concept

[smallcompany]

I love the idea of iMac. I stopped by it in a local shop and figured it would be three pieces of hardware to run this machine: itself, keyboard, and mouse - no messy wires.

Originally, I would buy more powerful PC (100% MS Windows guy, never used Mac) which would be like what Mac Pro offers (Multiple CPUs, RAID, etc…).

Then, I thought that iMac could be enough for site design and simple graphics. I mean, right now I’m using 1.9GHz P4 with 1GB of RAM which runs just fine, so anything new will work better.

So the question is:

Do you like your iMac? Is there anything that you don’t like about it?

Thanks

[travelin cat]

I use a 24" 2.8 GHz Dual Core iMac with 2 GB of ram. I have never found it lacking in any respect. It's mind-bogglingly fast and I can run Windows on it as well.

Most of my work is web development including heavy use of Photoshop and Dreamweaver.

I love the fact that it takes up such a small footprint yet is very functional. The screen is so bright that I have it set at around 50% and even at that setting, everything is clean and crisp.

You can't beat it for the price.

[LunaC]

I'm using a 20 inch, Intel Core 2 Duo 2.16 GHz with 3 Gigs of Ram. I added the extra 2 Gigs just because blazingly fast could be even faster ;)

Even when I have Photoshop, Textmate, and every browser open on the OS X side, it can still easily load windows so I can test the sites in IE. For me, Windows works faster even as a virtual OS than it ever did on my PC. (Which in fairness I have to admit the PC was getting to be an old clunker.)

I tested it once to see just how much it could take before it slowed / froze by opening every app in applications (including 2 movies playing!) and while it had slight pauses while opening some apps once there was so much already going on... it did it, and didn't crash.

So to answer, yup, I love my iMac! I've had it for quite a while now (around 1.5 years.) and it hasn't had a problem yet.

The only thing I didn't like about it was the default mouse. Mighty Mouse's right click wasn't as responsive as I'd like, but that was taken care of easily by switching to another mouse.

[domrep]

Just purchased 3 iMac's (24"/3.06Ghz/4GB Ram).

These 3 units went to die hard PC guys, in under a week they all said they would never go back to using a PC.

Running Photoshop, Parallels, Dreamweaver, browsing all at the same time shows no speed decrease.

Stunning to look at and amazingly fast and easy to use is an understatement. The build quality is way above any "branded" PC I have ever used, and I have used many!

[travelin cat]

The build quality is way above any "branded" PC I have ever used

This is something I have been saying for years. Forgetting the differences in os's, the physical quality/construction of any Mac I have ever owned has been far superior to ANY pc I have owned/used.

If you really want to see something intense, open up an iMac and look how it's constructed, it is truly a marvel of engineering.

I think Jobs was right in deciding to be the sole manufacturer, quality can only be properly controlled that way.

[timster]

A lot of good replies here. The new iMacs are definitely fast enough for web developer tasks. (But would you rather have a MacBook Pro? It would also be fast enough for the stuff you mention. I really like my MacBook.)

The only thing I don't like about the iMac is it's limited to one internal hard drive. Leopard's got great new backup software, but you need an external drive to take advantage of it.

[smallcompany]

It's that glass on 24" one that prompted me to stop and think about it. I was thrilled by it as I’m sick of dull soft cover on LCDs that give me a feeling of vulnerability.
Don’t get me wrong, right now I’m using NEC’s 19” that I paid over $800 for, and I like it, it’s a great monitor.
But that glass man... plus all-in-one with no “free humming bird effect”...

That is what made me think about becoming 50/50 in Mac/PC. I would use VMware (or Parallels) for Windows stuff like Office, but then I saw MS’s Office for Macintosh.

Is anyone using Office for Mac? How it compares to regular Office?

[bouncybunny]

I've used Office for Mac since OS 8/OS 9 days and it's good. No difference from using it under Windows - same bugs also ;). Entourage is a good email client, similar interface to Outlook and works well with Exchange servers - although I use about 12 different pop email accounts and haven't emptied my inboxes for about 4 yeas, so it is getting kind of slow these days. If you're starting from scratch, you may as well use the built in Mail app though - it's a bit less klunky apparently.

Word and Excel are no different from the Windows versions. The only thing not in the Mac version is Access, which I can live without.

Having said that, I am still on Office 2004. I've heard that the initial release of Office 2008 had a few issues, so you may want to see if there have been any service packs since then.

[ccubed99]

Don't think you would be unhappy with the purchase of an Imac. Everything that has been said seems to be pretty much on the money. One thing no one has mentioned is the unix under the hood. I am just starting to learn some of the tool sets for networking and the internet and have to say there is definitely some handy items.

And if the time comes that you decide to make the purchase, do get the applecare, the cost is nothing compared to repairs if needed. My opinion only, had problems with a powerbook way back -gave it about two years of heavy use and it needed work - ouch. No problems with the imac, but went with the protection this time around.

[Xstnva]

I use the 24 inch iMac, completely maxed out with 750Gb storage and 3G Ram. I have to say I absolutely love it. The machine is a beast and it does everything under the sun, and quickly at that. I even run virtual PC on it so all my programs that are PC only still run without any hiccups.

I'll have to agree with ccubed99, that anytime you purchase ANYTHING from apple, it is in your best interest to invest in applecare. Apple products are highly reliable, but since they can be so specialized, fixing them is very pricey without applecare.

Also, having come from a PC background, I found making the switch to Mac to be both user friendly, and beneficial. All in all it's a great choice.

[smallcompany]

Cool stuff. Thanks.

Something I still wonder about:

- I would connect two external HDDs and possibly mirror them. Is there a software solution for that?
- I would connect one or two additional monitors. Can I do that?
- With some virtual PC installed, can I see PC stuff on one of the external monitors?
- Are there any problems with screen glare?

[travelin cat]

I would connect two external HDDs and possibly mirror them. Is there a software solution for that?

I believe that the Disk Utility App found in Applications -> Utilities will do this. Or, you can try SuperDuper! which is only $27.95 and should do this as well.

I would connect one or two additional monitors. Can I do that?

Take a look at DualHead2Go Digital Edition from Shopmatrox. I have not used this, but the docs state that it will work.

I don't have an answer for the virtual pc question, but the glare may be annoying to some people as the screen is crystal clear and can be highly reflective under certain conditions, like having a large window behind you as you work.

[tstaheli]

You can get a second screen with an adapter sold by Apple. They have VGA and DVI adapters.

Running XP/Vista or any other OS via Parallels or VMFusion is great! You can set it up on your second monitor with no problems.

[smallcompany]

I’ve never been so close to Mac world. I think I’m pretty much set with whatever the best iMac is (or will be) at the moment of purchase.

Thanks very much for all answers and thoughts. I’ll take none of you work for Apple. ;)

[StoutFiles]

Where's the PC support?

I'm running a 24 inch Intel Core 2 Quad 2.66Ghz with 6GB RAM. It does everything perfectly. PC's are just fine.

[smallcompany]

Where's the PC support?

Nobody blamed PC here.

I started the thread as I liked the concept of iMac and its screen. If I found a PC like that (concept and quality), I wouldn’t think twice.

I was a hard core PC guy running P4 at 1.9MHz with no issues, until now. Just got my iPhone. ;)

[akmac]

I'll second that the Imac is a great work machine-I've had 5 of them. However, I have not had the trouble-free experience that others here claim.

The first Imac I purchased back in 2005 arrived with a dead ethernet port. They shipped me out a new machine after a couple hours with tech support. That machine lasted almost 4 years, when I noticed a few weeks ago that it was emitting a high pitched whine. I pulled it apart and determined that the sound was coming from the power supply. Apparently there were some power supply issues with the particular model I had, but it had lasted long enough to put me outside of Apple's Extended Exchange program for the component. ;-)>

Apple wasn't much help on the phone, as I was out of my warranty/applecare period-and they estimated it would be $500-$700 for me to send it in for repairs. So, I ordered a new Imac, and replaced the power supply in the old one myself for $125 (and about 15 minutes of my time (it's now back in the box-ready to go on ebay).

The new machine is beautiful-glass screen, aluminum case-but it's got a problem as well. In the two weeks I've been using it, it's powered down with no warning a half dozen times. I'll be working, and suddenly the screen is black, and I have to turn it on again using the power button. So, I spent almost two hours yesterday on the phone with tech support and they are sending me a new machine overnight, and an ipod nano for my trouble.

So, I guess you can take my experience for what it's worth-I have an Imac at home for almost 3 years as well that I've had no problems with (apart from my kids coloring on the screen).

All in all-my apple experience has been positive, and my current imacs will not be my last.

[smallcompany]

Hmm, nice testimony from long time iMac user.

Thanks very much.

P.S.
Regardless of the fact how high or low is the percentage of faulty equipment today (of any brand), I miss days when you would read on the box: Made in USA, or even Taiwan or Singapore.
I know it is mostly about QC process, but still, I miss those days when just lifting something was enough to tell about its quality.