Buying first IMac, alot of questions

[wornslick]

My 5 year old Dell is starting to act up and after playing with my wife's new IPad Air I have decided to buy a Apple IMac. I do have a few questions and hopefully I can get some answers.....

I am looking at the 21" model, I believe the 27" would be to big for the room my current computer is in. How do I decide which one I should get? I mainly use my computer for web surfing, e-mail, no gaming really except for a Yahoo poker game. My wife has a lot of pictures on Picasa, we have some files and recipes saved. With everyting we have stored we still have 620GB free of 688GB. No need to buy more than I need is there?

We live 120 miles from the nearest Apple store and 25 miles from Best Buy which I understand sell Apple products. Would it be worth the trip to buy from the Apple Store?

I read a few posts before I decided to post these questions so does anyone have a problem buying a refurbished Apple IMac?

And the last one I can think of, right now, Do I have to continue with my virus protection?

Thanks in advance you can provide.

Wornslick

 

[pigoo3]

I am looking at the 21" model, I believe the 27" would be to big for the room my current computer is in. How do I decide which one I should get?

There are only three stock models. You probably don't need the top-end model…and I wouldn't recommend the low-end model. So I would say get the mid-model.

My wife has a lot of pictures on Picasa, we have some files and recipes saved. With everyting we have stored we still have 620GB free of 688GB. No need to buy more than I need is there?

This means you're only using 68gig of storage space. Not much by today's standards.

We live 120 miles from the nearest Apple store and 25 miles from Best Buy which I understand sell Apple products. Would it be worth the trip to buy from the Apple Store?

Buy via Apple.com…then you don't have to drive anywhere!

I read a few posts before I decided to post these questions so does anyone have a problem buying a refurbished Apple IMac?

Many of us highly recommend it.

Do I have to continue with my virus protection?

In my opinion…no.

- Nick

 

[lclev]

Hi Wornslick!

I agree with what Nick said. Refurbished fro Apple will give you a year of apple care - just like a new one would - and you can add more apple care later, if you wish.

And from a 30+ Windows user (still use it at work) - no, you do not need antivirus. Initially, I tried them all and if they found anything it was an email attachment that would only affect a Windows computer. We do recommend certain browser extension to prevent popup issues.

When you get your iMac post back and tell us what you got and we will give you some recommendations.

Lisa

 

[harryb2448]

Daniel, my iMac was purchased from Apple Refurbished and is the way to go. Depending on which 21.5" model you get, the memory installed may not be upgradeable so make sure you have ample. Most here recommend the 8GB but for me 16GB is much better. With a refurb you get a machine checked by apple, the latest operating system and twelve months warranty. For another couple of hundred dollars you can extend that warranty for a further two years, total cover is then three years.

Also most seniors users here do not use any Antivirus software as there are no viruses for Mac OS X. There is malware all round, so when you get it consider downloading and running AdwareMedic, AdBlockPlus and Ghostery to keep these nasties at bay.

Should you decide to also run Windows on your iMac, via BootCamp or other emulation software, of course anivirus software is critical.

 

[MacInWin]

What Harry meant to say was if you run Windows, then WINDOWS antivirus software is critical in that Windows system. No Windows virus can affect OS X, the Apple operating system.

 

[nickyr]

don't dismiss the 27" iMac

yes it's bigger but not hugely so, and you gain the ability to upgrade the RAM easily yourself

 

[ryeh20]

I agree with the 27" iMac, it's the desk you put it on that matters, and both the 21" and 27" have basically the same base that will touch the desk. 3 yrs of Apple Care is good choice as well.

 

[wornslick]

don't dismiss the 27" iMac

yes it's bigger but not hugely so, and you gain the ability to upgrade the RAM easily yourself

So I cannot upgrade the Ran on the 21"?

 

[bobtomay]

You can add memory - but there is no access to it without taking the screen off it - not something most computer users are willing to tackle. I've been building my own computers for 20 years and have no problem tackling notebooks either, but an iMac - think I'd have to read the take apart instructions quite a few times before that'd be something I'd be willing to tackle and maybe find a couple of videos talking about the things to watch out for while you're doing it. There's no way I'd do it just to add RAM to my wife's machine - her use practically mirrors what you've indicated you do with a computer. I bought her iMac with the 8 GB option.

Being your first Mac, I'd suggest buying online or make a day trip out of going to the Apple store and take the family to a new or favorite restaurant you haven't been to in awhile. If you can schedule an appointment for an hour ahead of time, you could get them to walk you through the system preferences, using the Menu bar, the Dock, where are all your apps located, the file structure and ask lots of questions and get real answers. The hour I spent there asking questions on the trip buying my first Mac was worth every minute of it.

 

[wornslick]

Thanks to all for the great advice. We are heading to Quincy Ill this morning to Best Buy so I can take a look at the screen sizes. Not planning on buying there though. Thinks seriously about a refurbished one, especially if I move up to the 27". Is the Apple Store the only online store that sells refurbished units? If there are others, which do you recommend?

 

[Slydude]

There are other online vendors which sell refurbished Macs such as Other World Computing. The selection at each vendor will vary considerably depending upon what they have gotten in trade from customers.

The length of warranty will also vary from one vendor to another. I'm not aware of any vendors that have one year warranties on refurbished Macs as Apple does but there may be one out there somewhere. Haven't been shopping for a new/used Mac since about mid 2008.

 

[bobtomay]

There are others, but you won't get Apple's own warranty. If you can afford a new Mac vs buying a second hand machine - and with your first Mac, highly advise go new or go with Apple's own refurbs which are for sure same as new and get the same as new warranty. With the 21" iMac on your target list, If the BB has the 27" 5k on display, I suggest you walk right past it.

 

[pigoo3]

If purchasing refurbished…definitely go with Apple. 12 months of included Applecare is very very nice to have. And Apple refurbished units are just like new!

- Nick

 

[wornslick]

Thanks all, just got back from Best Buy and they did not have a single IMac to look at. Did get to see a 27" monitor and it didn't seem to big.

 

[wornslick]

Been reading about the refurbished IMacs and came across this....

" As these refurbished products have been unpacked and manipulated, they might however exhibit some minor cosmetic imperfection, such as scratches, marks or discolorations. "

How many of you that have purchased refurbished units have had cosmetic imperfections?

 

[pigoo3]

Where did that quote come from?

- Nick

 

[bobtomay]

That's from the Apple page where provide the info on what it is they do to the refurb units.

I've not purchased a refurb myself, as of yet. I have seen a lot of posts from those that have purchased refurbs and I don't recall anyone stating they received anything other than what appeared to be a brand new machine.

 

[pigoo3]

Thanks Tom for verifying the quote.

And I'm with you 100%. If Apple refurbs. had cosmetic issues (even minor ones as the quote states)…we would have folks posting all the time about it. I can't remember the last time someone posted complaining about cosmetic issues with an Apple refurbished product.

So I'm going to say 99% of folks buying Apple refurbished units have no issues with anything cosmetic (there's always at least 1 person…so no 100%)!

- Nick

 

[bobtomay]

I would think any of them with cosmetic issues would have bigger discounts also. That could be a part of the reason there can be a higher spec'd machine at a lower price than a lower spec'd machine. But still, don't think I've ever seen anyone make a negative comment related to the appearance of a refurb Mac from Apple. I've been looking at the 5k in the store for a week now to see if one will pop up with what I want in it.

 

[pigoo3]

I've been looking at the 5k in the store for a week now to see if one will pop up with what I want in it.

If you're looking for a maxed-out refurbished 27" retina iMac…here it is (just $3739)…save about $660:

Refurbished 27-inch iMac 4.0GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7 with Retina display - Apple Store (U.S.)

- Nick