[Finally] Switching to an iMac...however have a few questions

Hi all,

I've recently turned 18 and have decided to get myself an iMac. Currently I'm at college and qualify for a student discount which is great. However I do have a few questions that I would like to ask.

1) If I purchase a mac now, and leopard is released in a few weeks time, will I have to pay if I want to upgrade to it? If I do have to pay, how much would it cost?

2) I've been looking at the iMac base model (the 1.83Ghz model. If i was to go for that one, I would purchase a memory upgrade to 1GB. Would this be suitable for Web Design, internet surfing, voice chat and the occasional game?

3) I'll be going to my local Apple shop later today or tomorrow (Brent Cross, London). Is there anything I should specifically ask about?

4) Is it worth getting a subscription to .mac?

I've looked around for the answers to these questions but seem to have drawn little information, I would be very grateful if someone could help me out here

Thanks for you're time,

Rick

1) I don't believe Leopard will be released in the next few weeks. Often times if you purchase a computer so close to the release date, Apple will offer a free or significantly reduced upgrade to the next OS.

2) I am not a web designer so not much help. Although you may want to consider the next model iMac that has the 1MB of memory. The cost difference between purchasing the base model than adding memory, and student discount may off set just buying the next model.

3)Bring your student and other ID cards to the store.

4) I been using .Mac since it came out. For me, $99 dollars a year is not bad, although some people will argue you can get more for less from similar services. It really comes down to a personal preference.

I just recently purchased a new iMac. I have to say, I am impressed with the speed of the dual core. My opinion is consider the next model up from the base model. The base model has the shared video ram, personally I not a fan of that concept. :mac:

Thanks for you're help, powermacj7

Rick

1) It depends if it's released in the next couple of weeks, which by all accounts isn't very likely. End-June is widely slated for the launch, but even then it'll probably only cost about £80 (I think).

2) You mean the 17-inch, right? I'd consider the 20-inch if I were you. It's not necessarily the performance, but the extra screen size is invaluable. PHONE the Apple sales team and haggle. Sales are slow at this time of year.

3) You could ask about the Apple Youth Schemes - you might be too old – not sure – but they do courses in use of iMovie, iDVD and iPhoto. GarageBand as well, I think. Other than that just tinker with the Macs a bit.

4) I'd say no, unless you have two Macs – one at home and one you use on the road. .Mac enables you to sync the information on two Macs easily, but other than that I can't see it offers much value. The £70 could go towards a 20-inch Mac, or you might get peace of mind from AppleCare.

Again, I'd advise phoning the sales team and trying to knock them down. At 18 you're student age, right? Say you're in the sixth form and you qualify for student discount.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Martin

After reading the apple site I do qualify for the student discount as a college/sixth form student.

Do you think they would let me have a 20" for the price of the 2.0ghz 17"?

I dont think you would be that lucky but you will get money off

1: mac os x tiger retails at £89 so i asume leopard will be priced similar

2: my macbook 1GB ram does web design perfectly

3: ask about any deals they have going... you might get a free printer etc

4: Try the free trial to see what you think, i personally havnt signed up as i have no use for it

Hope this helps

I understand being on a budget. If I were in your situation, I would go for the high end 17" model. You will get dedicated video RAM, a DVD burner, a faster processor, and more RAM. It's worth the extra cost IMO. 17" isn't huge, but it's not small either. Don't think you're short changing yourself by getting a smaller screen size. We would all go for the 24" if we could justify the cost. Whatever way you decide to go, I'm sure you will be happy.

rmwebs said:

Do you think they would let me have a 20" for the price of the 2.0ghz 17"?

Click to expand...

I doubt it. But having said that, I got a great deal on stuff I bought a few weeks ago. Just see what you can get out of them. Brand loyalty is what they're after, and you're part of the prime demographic.

I remember when I was 18... I wouldn't go back, but what a great age that is. As Delboy Trotter would say, the world's your lobster, my son, the world's your lobster...

Yeah, that's a good point milkyman makes about the free .mac trial – I forgot about that.

Cherokee's right, too. But I'd still say go for the 20-inch if you can stretch to it.

Just got back from the apple shop and had a great chat with an Australian guy called James. It was a bit hectic as all the schools broke up at lunch time and they were all in there playing about with the hardware.

After speaking with him my parents are considering helping out with buying it...my mum took one look at the 24" imac and fell in love (although she wont admit it!).

I'm much more happy about it now though...they really help you and listen instead of giving you a load of bull that sounds like it came from one of those fact sheets hehe.

The .mac usually comes at a discount when you buy a new mac. I like .mac it's nice to one-click publish a webpage.

Not sure if I really need it though as I have several hosting accounts that I use for all my sites.