Which iMac and which Apps?

Hi guys, after 20+ years of being a Windows slave I am finally crossing over to Mac. I have in my sights 1 of 2 I-Macs and would be grateful for your advice on which to choose.

They are both the I-Mac 24" screen. However I am wondering if the more expensive model with 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo compared to the 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo model is worth the additional £241 ($350).

I am not a Power user and just need a good reliable desktop for everyday internet, research, music and TV - I am thinking the cheaper model will be the best option, unless someone has some complelling reason for me to spend the extra cash.

I know nothing about Macs - is their a tutorial somewhere?

Also, I hear that you dont need anti virus, firewalls etc as the OS is safe. Can somebody confirm this either way?

What (free) apps utilities should I also install?

Many thanks and I look forward to being part of this community.

Nick

Hello and welcome to the forums and to the Mac. By the way, the proper way to spell it is iMac.

For your needs I don't see any reason to spend the extra money. The 2.8 Ghz model should do everything you need it to with tons of power to spare.

As for a tutorial, the best thing I can recommend is to stick around these forums. There are lots of very knowledgeable people here who will be happy to help with any questions you have, without snottiness or attitude.

It is true that there are no viruses for Mac OS X in the wild, so an anti-virus is not really necessary. However it is a good idea to run a firewall of some kind, since it is never a good idea to leave your computer wide open to the entire net. If you are using a router than you are all set. If not, OS X comes with a built in firewall.

As for free apps, that all depends on your needs. OS X comes with a wide array of applications which can do everything from video editing to photo organizing and web design. I can probably recommend a few others based on what you need to do.

Good luck and, should you make the plunge, get ready for a great experience!

The first two things every new Mac user should install are Flip4Mac and Perian.

Flip4Mac takes care of playing Windows Media files you'll run into across the net, while Perian will take care of just about all other media files. You'll more than likely need Flash also.

After these three, then it's really a matter of what you want.

Read the stickies in the Switchers forum. Eric has a great one there.

Macintosh

Hi,
If I was you I would go for the better one if I had the money.
I use power needing software like logic and sibelius.
If the using it just for word processing a mac classic would do just fine!
If your using it for power demanding software then get the powerful one.
The powerful one will be faster on the internet by a fair bit.
I would never get a cheaper mac (apart from my good old iMac G3!)
Mac for dummies is a good starter book for you to learn from.
I have four computers,
2 macs and two windows (as you can see on my sig!)
If you like super super super fast internet get the powerful one.
If you just want microsoft office then anything would suite you!
The processor is for better on the powerful one and I even think that it has a better hard drive and more memory.
If you like moving about with computer get a MacBook but if not,
get an iMac!

p.s Apple do movies to help you on mac!

Welcome to the Good Side!
As others have said, you really don't need to spend an extra 250 quid on a (for you) menial processor upgrade. 2.8 ghz will do you just fine.
I'd also recommend sticking around the forums, especially in this section. Ask any question(s) you like
As for apps, OS X comes built-in with pretty much everything you'll need, aside from Office (Word, etc). If you don't want to spend the extra $100 or so, OpenOffice offers a free office suite for Mac (www.openoffice.org).
And yes, no viruses!

Welcome! There is a ton of free literature and videos all over the web to make your switching easy.
Apple - Find Out How - Mac Basics - Apples website
Also use the search function on the forums for other mac basics(chances are someone has asked it before) But you wont get humiliated for asking something here.

Flip4Mac was essential for me. A very good recommendation!

MacintoshMaster said:

Hi,
If I was you I would go for the better one if I had the money.
I use power needing software like logic and sibelius.
If the using it just for word processing a mac classic would do just fine!
If your using it for power demanding software then get the powerful one.
The powerful one will be faster on the internet by a fair bit.
I would never get a cheaper mac (apart from my good old iMac G3!)
Mac for dummies is a good starter book for you to learn from.
I have four computers,
2 macs and two windows (as you can see on my sig!)
If you like super super super fast internet get the powerful one.
If you just want microsoft office then anything would suite you!
The processor is for better on the powerful one and I even think that it has a better hard drive and more memory.
If you like moving about with computer get a MacBook but if not,
get an iMac!

p.s Apple do movies to help you on mac!

Click to expand...

I'm a bit confused by this advice to be honest - the speed of the processor has very little effect on internet browsing, and on either of these imacs almost none at all.

zongamin said:

I'm a bit confused by this advice to be honest - the speed of the processor has very little effect on internet browsing, and on either of these imacs almost none at all.

Click to expand...

No confusion, just disregard. Processor speed really has nothing to do with internet speed on any new computer today and will have no effect on browsing between these two processors.

If you are looking for a good book to pick up, there is only one option. Pick up The Missing Manual for Leopard. It will help you learn all the tips and tricks with your computer.

Stretch said:

If you are looking for a good book to pick up, there is only one option. Pick up The Missing Manual for Leopard. It will help you learn all the tips and tricks with your computer.

Click to expand...

+200000000! This is the best! Its very simple yet detailed.

One other item, you may as well install right off the bat is Stuffit - just the free version. You'll need it for something eventually.

And I'll 3rd the Missing Manual series of books.