I have now had my iMac for slightly over one week, but really have probably used it less than a week because it was in the Apple store having data transferred for 2 days and the first couple of days I didn't even have a chance to set it up. I thought I would give a little summary of my thoughts so far:
My system:
Refurbished iMac i7 2.8 ghz (Late 2009) w/ 4 gig of RAM and a 2TB hard drive. I also got the extended USB keyboard.
Impressions:
I had some reservations about screen size when I ordered the system, but the 27" turned out not to look too big at all and I adjusted to it very quickly. The potential for glare was also a concern, but so far it has turned out to be a non-issue in my work environment. Bottom line is I really like the screen.
I have been trying to use the Mac exclusively while at home even though my PC is still hooked up next to it for the moment. I am adjusting to the Mac but it is going to take some time to get comfortable with it. Using a PC feels like wearing an old shoe by comparison and I could just get things done more effortlessly when I used it. I have my moments when I feel like I would have been better off just getting a Windows 7 machine, but I think that will pass as I get more familiar with the Mac operating system and continue to discover all of the benefits of the Mac. This said, there are some things that do seem more intuitive and more fun to do on the Mac. For now, I do not want to put Windows on the Mac as I want to see if it is possible for me to be satisfied in a Mac-only environment.
I have only been using the software that came on the Mac so far -- the iLife suite plus iWork and really haven't done very much more than familiarizing myself with options and preferences, internet surfing, playing music on iTunes and casually looking through some of the other applications like iPhoto and Garage Band. It may be for this reason that I don't yet notice much performance benefit on the new Mac than from my 6+ year old Pentium 4 3 ghz PC, except that a few programs initially open up more quickly. This startled me at first and caused me to wonder if I really had needed to replace my computer and if I may have purchased much more computer than I really needed, as my needs are fairly moderate. I expect as I start recording audio, working with photo editing and ripping CDs/converting DVDs, for example I will see the performance benefits more. (honestly, the refurb i7 seemed too good of a deal to pass up when compared to buying, for example, a new i5 which would have cost more money.
The biggest concern I have is that, as I mentioned in another post, the hard drive is making some noise that I am not used to hearing and that I find a little annoying. I know there is nothing "wrong" with the drive and it really isn't very loud, but it is pretty quiet where I have my computer and I can hear the hard drive "working" when I open programs, scroll through web pages, etc. I have read about this in posts by others and some people have even returned their computers (in some cases multiple times) because they are trying to get a more quiet machine. I admit to having given this some consideration myself, but it would be a royal pain and I am otherwise very happy with the computer. One also never knows what I could get in exchange.
Anyway, that's sort of the state of the situation at this point. Sorry for the long post, but I thought maybe some other newbies might find something to relate to in my experience. Comments and encouragement are always welcome .
Now I'm off to learn some new tricks and tips from David Pogue's Mac OS X "The Missing Manual"
My system:
Refurbished iMac i7 2.8 ghz (Late 2009) w/ 4 gig of RAM and a 2TB hard drive. I also got the extended USB keyboard.
Impressions:
I had some reservations about screen size when I ordered the system, but the 27" turned out not to look too big at all and I adjusted to it very quickly. The potential for glare was also a concern, but so far it has turned out to be a non-issue in my work environment. Bottom line is I really like the screen.
I have been trying to use the Mac exclusively while at home even though my PC is still hooked up next to it for the moment. I am adjusting to the Mac but it is going to take some time to get comfortable with it. Using a PC feels like wearing an old shoe by comparison and I could just get things done more effortlessly when I used it. I have my moments when I feel like I would have been better off just getting a Windows 7 machine, but I think that will pass as I get more familiar with the Mac operating system and continue to discover all of the benefits of the Mac. This said, there are some things that do seem more intuitive and more fun to do on the Mac. For now, I do not want to put Windows on the Mac as I want to see if it is possible for me to be satisfied in a Mac-only environment.
I have only been using the software that came on the Mac so far -- the iLife suite plus iWork and really haven't done very much more than familiarizing myself with options and preferences, internet surfing, playing music on iTunes and casually looking through some of the other applications like iPhoto and Garage Band. It may be for this reason that I don't yet notice much performance benefit on the new Mac than from my 6+ year old Pentium 4 3 ghz PC, except that a few programs initially open up more quickly. This startled me at first and caused me to wonder if I really had needed to replace my computer and if I may have purchased much more computer than I really needed, as my needs are fairly moderate. I expect as I start recording audio, working with photo editing and ripping CDs/converting DVDs, for example I will see the performance benefits more. (honestly, the refurb i7 seemed too good of a deal to pass up when compared to buying, for example, a new i5 which would have cost more money.
The biggest concern I have is that, as I mentioned in another post, the hard drive is making some noise that I am not used to hearing and that I find a little annoying. I know there is nothing "wrong" with the drive and it really isn't very loud, but it is pretty quiet where I have my computer and I can hear the hard drive "working" when I open programs, scroll through web pages, etc. I have read about this in posts by others and some people have even returned their computers (in some cases multiple times) because they are trying to get a more quiet machine. I admit to having given this some consideration myself, but it would be a royal pain and I am otherwise very happy with the computer. One also never knows what I could get in exchange.
Anyway, that's sort of the state of the situation at this point. Sorry for the long post, but I thought maybe some other newbies might find something to relate to in my experience. Comments and encouragement are always welcome .
Now I'm off to learn some new tricks and tips from David Pogue's Mac OS X "The Missing Manual"