Thinking of making the switch to iMac

After only 2 1/2 years, my Dell notebook is on life support. I am seriously considering an iMac notebook.
I have NO experience with Apple computers.
How reliable are iMac books? How easy is it to learn the mac language? Where can I get more info?

Any problems connecting with my existing pc-based home network?

thanks!

pqspin said:

After only 2 1/2 years, my Dell notebook is on life support. I am seriously considering an iMac notebook.
I have NO experience with Apple computers.
How reliable are iMac books? How easy is it to learn the mac language? Where can I get more info?

Any problems connecting with my existing pc-based home network?

thanks!

Click to expand...

First off the iMac is a desktop machine and the MacBook is the notebook/laptop.

Secondly there isn't a "Mac language", Macs all run on Unix (BSD to be specific) but the GUI is very similar to others (like Gnome or Vista).

Macs, Win-boxes and Linux all behave pretty well nowadays on networks so you don't have to worry on that score.

Amen-Moses

An extensive search of this site and others will give you a wealth of information regarding Mac models, which are notebooks, which are desktops, etc., and how well they interact wih computers of other operating systems. You will see many different postings regarding their reliabilty. Remember that most people post when there is something wrong. The vast majority are using their Macs for productive work and play elsewhere. Or posting what hopefully will be interesting info here.

The one thing I can tell you is that if you purchase a Mac one of two things will happen:

1) You will find it the most rewarding computing experience ever. You will be pleased by its brilliant display, and fine lines. You will revel in the 'little things' that make using a Mac daily a pleasantry, and not a chore. You will cherish the design and exquisite detail put into this hardware. You might even be mildly amused that this Mac can also run Windows, whether that be via a dual-boot bootcamp partition, or Parallels workstation. By then you will say "why would I want to run Windows on a Mac? There is no application on Windows that I can't accomplish on my Mac!"

or

2) You will have a miserable time of it, wondering where everything is, how do you do these simple operations, why isn't there more documentation, how do I do XX, where the dickens is YY, where's the start menu, why is there only one button on the mouse/trackpad, it used to be the ctrl key and now it's this key with the weird symbol and Apple logo on it. You'll wonder how on earth could such a thing be designed? Why can I not 'cut' files out of this file manager thing, what is it called? Finder. It can't seem to 'find' anything much less how to 'cut' my files. I wish I was back in my old country, the Explorer. Yes, that's it. Exploring sounds a whole lot better than Finding. FOR SALE: 1 Apple MBP, Core2Duo 2GB RAM 160GB HDD 17" LCD Display L@@K!1 $3,000 starting bid (reserve not met)

Anyway, all of that was meant to be a bit tongue-in-cheek, but the point is that a transition from a PC to a Mac is really quite a smooth one, and should not really considered to be difficult. Most concepts of the Windows GUI are pretty much the same with the Mac GUI. At the high levels, there is no 'language' as such. Applications folder instead of start menu, dock instead of taskbar; there are a few differences, but Macs pretty much work as you would expect a computer to work in this day and age. If you do purchase a Mac and have any questions, however, feel free to post them here and we'll be happy to answer them. I think you will find that the number 1 item on my little list will be what actually happens.

They run Windows too...

I knew nothing about Macs either when I switched from Dell. Just messing around with OS X and finding answers on this forum made the switch extremely easy. Don't worry too much about a new OS. You'll find that most things are simpler on a Mac than on Windows.

I think walkerj put it perfectly - well done.

I am new to the Mac experience, and while I have sometimes struggled to do things, it has not been because of the machine, but rather my way of thinking. I must admit that XP posed as many questions to me when I first started using it than the Mac has. You will find after a couple of weeks that you love certain applications, and wonder why windows never had such things. When I first opened Safari, I thought.."this is strange....don't like it" and thoughts like that can prevent you from trying to get to know things. I now think it's great, and suits my needs down to the ground. There are lots of usefull programmes to tinker around with, and you will get the hang in no time. Please remember though that Macs do not come with any word processing packages....a thing I did not know until I made my choice of model. The machine I had a demo with, had Word installed on it, and I thought that it came as standard, but no. I use NeoOffice, which is free and suits my needs.
And don't forget, this forum is helpfull and friendly and there are numerous people here who can help you out with questions, as thay have done for me, on numerous occasions.

Good Luck

Philip

Well, not mentioning any names but there was someone here recently who was a little upset at his Mac. He seemed to have some genuine problems but also frustrated himself with issues such as "I hate the dock as it takes up part of my screen" which is much like the taskbar and can be a minimal amount at that. Basicly if you want OS X to be like Windows you will have a hard time and should just get a Thinkpad. If you're ready to learn things the Mac way then you're in for a treat.

Have a look at: http://www.apple.com/macosx/quicktours/

I use OS X 9-5 and XP (and now Vista) at home. OS X is definitely the better OS - Vista is just XP with some fancy graphics that lack thought. It's more a case of 'stick some translucent title bars in, just because it looks snazzy' rather than there being any thought to it all.

But I digress..

Welcome to Mac-Forums, pqspin!

I agree with the cool dude moss918!

If you are prepared to have a Mac only to see it behave like Windows, you won't be a happy camper. If you are ready to experience another type of logic in your computer, then you'll have a fun ride.

And if you don't need portability, an iMac is pretty hard to beat in terms of quality for the price.

MacHeadCase said:

Welcome to Mac-Forums, pqspin!

I agree with the cool dude moss918!

If you are prepared to have a Mac only to see it behave like Windows, you won't be a happy camper. If you are ready to experience another type of logic in your computer, then you'll have a fun ride.

And if you don't need portability, an iMac is pretty hard to beat in terms of quality for the price.

Click to expand...

and it looks a lot prettier on your desk than your old beast of a PC!

hi pqspin. I have owned my macbook for just under a week..its my first mac and ive got to say it was well worth the investment. ive had 2 win bzased laptops and neither of them compare to the macbook..bot in design quality and the operating system. Everything is just so readily accessible and the spotlight search feature is really useful for me.

Also, i miss the old MS DOS days so getting back to grips, so to speak, using the terminal window is somewhat of a good thing for me.

you wont regret it, infact..ive not put mine down since ive had it..ive been on it everyday..all day..even at work it streams my music

Thank you to everyone for the advice and help.

I purchased a notebook today. However, It wasn't a MacBook. After about 20 minutes with an Apple "rep" (some Gen X'er, or Y'er), I wasn't impressed with the tiny 13" notebook. While waiting for help, I noticed 2 women bringing in their MacBooks, both with problems. Actually, I was the only guy looking at the MacBook. They seem to be attractive to young women.
After showing me the web page creater and iPhoto stuff, I realized that this tiny notebook just doesn't appeal to me. I told the salesperson that the MacBook looks like a toy, and I just couldn't get past that.

Once again, thanks to everyone for their opinions and advice.

you should've got a macbook pro.

i agree w/ iRye...did you look at the mbp?? 15.4 & 17 inch models.. i assure you it can be much more than just a "toy". I've had my mbp less than 3 weeks and now when i (very, very, rarely) use my girlfriends XP notebook i can barely even handle it. It is a nice laptop too. I used it constantly before i got my mac and in only a little over two weeks time i feel really frustrated when trying to do any work on it. the only two real advantages that i can see in running windows are gaming and some (forced?) business environments...i guess it all comes down to what you consider to be a "toy".

believe me...the "wow" moments you've heard of are real.
good luck to you though, hope your new laptop works out!

Ah, yes. Looks like a toy. Well, sometimes when working it can be nice to at least feel like you're playing with a toy. A toy that can accomplish Real Work.

I'll tell you a little story (here at the MacForumsBlog) of my day with my Macbook:

My wife is currently in the hospital undergoing some surgeries. Yesterday morning I took her to the hospital for admittance and while we were waiting for the next step in the medical process we took out our Macbooks to while away the time. I started watching a DVD I had brought in anticipation of a lot of waiting. She checked some important medical documents emailed to her by the hospital staff to refresh her memory of what she would be going through. Then she watched a DVD (one of many) that she had brought in anticipation of a long hospital stay.

Shortly thereafter, we were called into pre-op so we closed our toys, which promptly went to sleep to be put into bags to tote to the next step. Since they are so lightweight, carrying them everywhere is little effort. She went off to surgery (and her Macbook went to the trunk of our car, asleep, to wait for her to wake it later to keep her company during her stay after recovery.)

Meanwhile

I went to the surgical waiting room and woke up my Macbook to continue watching the DVD I had started earlier. After awhile I decided to go out and see if I could get a WiFi connection since I knew there were some available in this section of the city. I went down to the second floor of the parking garage, was able to acquire a WiFi WAP, check my email, get some updates from some websites, and chat with my father to give him an update on his daughter-in-law. Then I launched Parallels workstation which booted into Windows XP so I could check what was happening at the office. I logged into the VPN, and launched Lotus Notes to catch up on the work email to make sure there were no emergencies. There weren't so I logged into the corporate Sametime connect IM client (on the Parallels VM.) I was able to converse with my co-workers to inform them that my wife was in surgery, and I was on the corner of XXth and YYYYYYth looking down on traffic while standing in a parking structure communicating with them on my Macbook (one of them covets my Macbook, so he asked "are you talking to me on MY laptop?) I'm taking vacation days for this surgery, but might as well see what's up in the office.

The rest of the day was spent showing my brother-in-law all of the really useful aspects of the MacOS on a Macbook (this was a 7+ hour surgery, so much waiting took place) because he had ordered one based on what I showed him the night before. He will be spending the time today looking to ambush the express carrier who will be delivering via overnight shipping. It's going to be a (toy) white Macbook Core2Duo, 80Gig HDD, 1Gig RAM, with a mighty mouse and he sprung for Parallels so he can also run Windows should he wish to run the odd Windows application. He is completely in love with Mac OS X, however, since this evening he observed me running all the standard applications a Mac user would use (Addressbook, Safari, Mail, iTunes, TextEdit, iCal, Dashboard, Photoshop CS1, DVD Player) and some that only a more intrepid user would run (Audacity, UT2004, PhotoBooth) without any lag while switching around the desktop. Exposé functioned beautifully while even the beta multiple desktop switcher I use, VirtueDesktops, rotated around to four different virtual desktops with their own applications with a 'cubic' effect. He is looking forward to taking possession of his new Macbook and getting some work done without the OS getting in his way.

He is also looking forward to having video-conferencing sessions with his sister and her husband as she recuperates in the hospital; later we will be able to video-conference from wherever we might be with an internet connection.

So the short version of this story is: The Macbook is no toy.

It is indeed too bad you could not get past that, but such is life. See my earlier post. Unfortunate that the number 2 point couldn't even get a chance since the Macbook is actually a quite useful, powerful, and capable machine despite their toylike disposition.

And they still run Windows....