Need help with decision to buy imac

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Hi everyone.

I am looking at buying an Apple iMac Intel Core 2 Duo 2.16GHz Computer With 20" Monitor (MA589LL/A).

Is this a good one for a fist time mac user? I have an old HP from 1998 with windows 98 and have not used any other type of computer.

Someone told me that if i have not used a mac before then I should not get one because they are hard to use and are "tricky" whatever that means. The person did not say what kind of tricks i would come up against.

Someone else told me that they can get me a better Dell computer for the same amount of money that I would spend for the imac. I am not convinced of this though and am skeptical.

Should i go ahead and get the imac? I was given an ipod for my birthday and I need to upgrade my computer very soon and am very confused as to what to get.

Can the imac burn cd's?

Looking forward to any opinions to help me make my decision as to what computer i will be using for the next decade or so.

Thanks for any help.
 
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Your Mac's Specs
20" iMac Core 2 Duo 2.16Ghz, 500GB HDD, 1GB RAM, 128MB ATI Radeon X1600
Hi everyone.

I am looking at buying an Apple iMac Intel Core 2 Duo 2.16GHz Computer With 20" Monitor (MA589LL/A).

Is this a good one for a fist time mac user? I have an old HP from 1998 with windows 98 and have not used any other type of computer.

Someone told me that if i have not used a mac before then I should not get one because they are hard to use and are "tricky" whatever that means. The person did not say what kind of tricks i would come up against.

Someone else told me that they can get me a better Dell computer for the same amount of money that I would spend for the imac. I am not convinced of this though and am skeptical.

Should i go ahead and get the imac? I was given an ipod for my birthday and I need to upgrade my computer very soon and am very confused as to what to get.

Can the imac burn cd's?

Looking forward to any opinions to help me make my decision as to what computer i will be using for the next decade or so.

Thanks for any help.

This is an excellent computer! I think you should go ahead and buy it, those specs are the same as mine, and I'm a first time Mac user.

I don't know if you realise this, but iMacs are built into the monitor, you won't have a computer, monitor, speakers and webcam, all these things are built into the iMac and ready to use out of the box.

As for burning CDs, yes, they can do that. Rest assured that Macs can do anything PCs can do with much less effort!

Most iMacs can burn DVDs as well. If your iMac has a 'combo drive' then it can only read DVDs, but if it has a 'SuperDrive' then it can burn them too!
 
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imac G3 450MHZ 512 RAM DVD
Its a giant jump to just dump that amount of money on a computer if you are used to 98

If you haven't the chance to explore a friends mac i'd say go into an apple store to try them out. A lot of people don't like the OS, a lot of people do - that way you can ask as many upfront questions as you want whilist have a primary exposure to the computer.

There are rumours that a new iMac will come out on the 11th of June. It is worth the wait.

You may be able to get a Dell that is more cost effective for what you would want to use a computer for but i'd say, get the chance to try both kinds of computer out
 
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MacBook
A Macintosh is simply a Personal Computer. It can do anything that other Personal Computers can do. The only difference is how those things are done. The only 'tricky' part is if you keep comparing the Mac OS to the Windows OS you are used to using. You have to forget all you know about Windows when you are using a Mac, especially if you have little to now prior experience with Macs... but years of Windows experience.

Don't think things like "when I was in Windows and I wanted to backup files I just used this program called ______ and did _______". Is there a Mac version that does the same thing? Instead, just realize that you are using a Mac and that you want to backup files. Focus your attention on backing up your files. How or what you used in Windows is irrelevant.

Don't think, "When I used Windows, I used this great program called _______ to organize and edit my photos. Is there an app for Mac that will do this just like I did in Windows?." Instead, understand that you want to organize and edit photos, and ask what you need or how you need to do it on a Mac. Windows ways have no meaning now, so don't bother thinking about it.

Again don't think things like, "in Windows, I just used/did ______ to make/do ________. Can't I just do it like that on a Mac?"

The bottom line is, there is no need to bring the Windows OS or any of its applications (Picassa, DVD Shrink, MS Paint, Winamp, etc.) into the conversation at all. I understand completely that while the concept of forgetting all that you know about computers is painfully simple, this can be a very difficult thing to do.
Look at it this way:
You know what your end result should be, so start there and work backwards.
Ask things and look for ways to get that end result, without mentioning or comparing the process you did in Windows. Many times, whatever you did in Windows to get a certain result will make absolutely no difference and have no relevance to the task at hand. If you approach the situation understanding that you may have absolutely no idea what you are doing, you start fresh and have an easier time learning something new.

So, Macs are only tricky if you can't forget the "Windows way" of doing things. :D


Go and try one out first. See if you like it. Maybe get an older model, so you aren't dropping a ton of money first, and if you like what you have then you can save up the cash and get the brand-spankin' new one.

The most important thing to ask yourself is:

"What do I want/need my computer to do for me?"

When you have answered that question, then look into a Mac and see if you like it and if it is going to suit your needs and meet your demands.
 
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I

There are rumours that a new iMac will come out on the 11th of June. It is worth the wait.

Thanks for this great tip. I looked into this further and found the following information. i will wait for a week or two and see what comes out and buy the latest design.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Apple's next-generation iMacs to add a touch of grace

By Kasper Jade

Published: 12:00 AM EST
AppleInsider has learned that Apple's popular line of iMac personal computers are about to undergo a substantial facelift that will showcase striking new industrial designs aimed at leaving both competitors and onlookers smitten.


People familiar with the matter say the Cupertino-based Mac maker has called upon its award-winning design chief Jonathan Ive and his team to cut the fat from the the current iMac line and outfit a pair of new Core 2 Duo-based models in a form factor that will be both slimmer and sleeker than today's offerings.

For Apple, the impending iMac makeover will represent the first major industrial design overhaul to hit its flagship all-in-one consumer desktop line in nearly three years. The last eye candy to accompany an iMac update came back in August of 2004, when the company retired its "sunflower" iMac G4 design while introducing the portrait-style iMac G5.

With the burden of a major architectural transition to Intel chips weighing on its shoulders, Apple in 2006 elected to reuse the the iMac G5 design for its first Intel-based iMac offerings. At the time, the objective was to push an Intel version of its top-selling desktop into market as quickly as possible and get the ball rolling on the next chapter in Apple computing.

As part of an industry-wide shift away from desktops and towards high-powered portables, Apple's industrial design prowess in 2006 was largely reserved for its notebook lines, which saw cutting-edge design revisions replace aging form factors at both the consumer and professional ends. In turn, those designs and compelling Intel-based underpinnings helped the firm sell nearly 3 million MacBook and MacBook Pros during the 2006 fiscal year, boosting its share of the U.S. notebook market to over 10 percent.

Apple has no plans to relent in its assault on the notebook sector in 2007 and has arranged to boost it 15-inch MacBook Pro models with more vivid L.E.D.-backlit display panels later this Spring and followup with a tiny flash-enabled ultra portable model sometime thereafter. But while 2006 was clearly the year of notebooks for the Mac maker, the electronics firm now has its sights set on high-definition digital media and plans to bring the iMac along for the ride.

It's likely for these reasons that the firm's entry-level 17-inch iMac model will reportedly become the subject of considerable neglect. People familiar with the matter are confident that the forthcoming iMac redesign will grace only the 20- and 24-inch models, which are outfitted with widescreen displays comparable to smaller living room television sets. The 17-inch iMac, those people say, will enter a state of limbo that could ultimately phase it out of the lineup entirely, condemning it to the same fate as the 12-inch PowerBook.


http://www.appleinsider.com/article...generation_imacs_to_add_a_touch_of_grace.html
 
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MacBook | Black | 2.16gHz | 2gb ram | 160 HDD
what ever you do, dont buy it till after wwdc
 
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Thanks to everyone who has offered advise, so far. Appreciate all input and looking forward to more advice, opinions, tips, and experiences.
 
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13" Macbook Pro 2.26Ghz Unibody 4G RAM 160G HDD Superdrive
The bottom line is, there is no need to bring the Windows OS or any of its applications (Picassa, DVD Shrink, MS Paint, Winamp, etc.) into the conversation at all. I understand completely that while the concept of forgetting all that you know about computers is painfully simple, this can be a very difficult thing to do.

Ironically enough, switching to a Mac of current incarnation has brought me back to the way of old. With its UNIX underpinnings, it works very much like the old but very powerful Sun Workstations (and later NeXT) machines that I used back in the mid-late '80s. Oh, there's some major innovations and such, but depending on the type of user you are it's kind of like going back to an old (but now much sexier) friend.

Also after about the first six months of getting comfortable with a Mac, you won't care about issues, versions, insecurity, or compatibility with anything having to do with Windows. You won't even care about the insults you see hurled virtually on other web sites. You'll view them with a mild, kind of omniscient amusement. Just take care to not become the stereotypical 'smug Mac user.'

Disclaimer: I still use Windows and Linux. Only when I (am getting paid to) have to.
 

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