How many of you are Mac users? - Page 3 - Polyloop

Altered_Ego · 11th February 2007, 06:49

But the Mac Pro desktop doesn't have it.

medeamajic · 11th February 2007, 11:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by ApI

Which one did he get for $1700? The 24-inch? That'd make a great media center. Mount it on the wall, get a bluetooth keyboard and mouse set, run a TV signal to it, and you're good to go.

I think he paid a little over $1,800.00 at CompUSA and got the 20". It was about 6 months ago.I can connect dual 34" LCDs to my system but you can do that with a $900.00 Dell or Sony system. One thing my uncle likes about my system is the Dual 19" monitors. I told my unlce it will be hard to match his LCD 100% for contrast and image qulaity if he wants dual monitor out put. I admit they do not have to match 100% but it helps.

Paul Rego · 11th February 2007, 11:47

My machine of choice is the "iMac".

I started with the Apple ][+ in 1981. Around '83 or '84 I worked for a company which wrote radio station software for the Apple ///.

I've also owned an Apple //c, a MacPlus, a Macintosh Centris (or was it a Quadra), a few Macintosh Performas and I'm currently on my 4th iMac. Not because they keep breaking but because I own a Macintosh training, troubleshooting, consulting business and I have to keep up with the latest technologies. (I was also the local Apple Rep for several years.) Since I deal with beginners, they use iMacs.

I love the iMac line. From my experience, in dealing with Apple's "consumer-level" Macs (iMac, eMac, Mac mini, iBook, MacBook) and their "professional" line (MacPro, MacBook Pro, PowerMac, etc.), I have found the "consumer" line to have "relatively" fewer problems. They're all not perfect but by the time the leading-edge technologies filter their way down to the "consumer" line, "most" of those problems (if any) have usually been worked out.

I have a Revision "B" iMac G5, 2GHz with 2GB RAM. I added "name brand" RAM (not "generic" RAM) in "matched pairs" (2, 1GB modules which are identical). When matched pairs are used, the iMac uses a 128-bit data path, instead of the normal 64-bit data path -- which allows it to work with large files faster.

Altered_Ego... Since you're going to buy your iMac "later this year", you shouldn't have any problem. For anyone wanting to buy a new Mac in the near future, I would be sure it has Mac OS X 10.5, "Leopard", installed on the hard drive -- not just included in the box. This means the hardware should be fairly well optimized to work with ALL the features of Leopard and the included "iLife" suite of programs (if Apple continues to include them). Of course, the current iMacs offer Desktop-spanning (2 monitors). My current model does not.

I have seen some of the Macintosh "rumor" sites mention that the next iMacs "may" allow up to 4GB of RAM. (Right now, the 3 top-end iMac models only allow up to 3GB.) This will probably mean we'll be able to add matched pairs once again.

My iMac came with "Tiger", Mac OS X 10.4, and it is one sweet computer. I use these programs:
* Carrara 5 Pro,
* Macromedia Fireworks (now owned by Adobe) for raster / vector art,
* Photoshop Elements 4 (I don't use the full Photoshop because I simply don't want all the extra baggage it brings with it.),
* The Print Shop 2,
* Freeway Express 4 (by Softpress) for web page creation,
* FileMaker Pro 8,
* Macromedia Freehand,
* InDesign CS2 (by Adobe) for page-layout,
* iWork (by Apple) for presentations and page-layout,
* and of course, all the included "iLife" programs (iPhoto, iDVD, iMovie HD, GarageBand and iWeb (which I just started using to make blogs),
* (I do have other programs but you get the idea.)

I use my iMac to:
* Create and maintain web pages for 2 different organizations,
* Create and maintain my blog,
* Create 3D art,
* Create songs and record instruments, via MIDI, directly into my iMac,
* Edit photos for a PDF newsletter,
* I download old, public domain movies from "archive.org" and, with a $19 adapter, I connect my iMac to my TV so i can watch those movies in a different room,
* In September, I published my own Macintosh book.

Please don't take this as bragging. There are a lot of talented people on PolyLoop and many of you have done far more than I could dream of. I just want to show that the iMac is a very powerful and flexible computer -- and it is NOT a toy!

My iMac is fast and very stable. I can't remember ever having any real problems with it.

I also have an Epson printer which allows me to print directly onto CDs and DVDs -- very handy. (In my experience over the years, Epson has reliably proven to "be there' whenever Apple comes out with a new Operating System version. I have found that other companies, epecially HP, will issue a statement saying you won't be able to print until they create new Drivers.

From what "I" have seen over the years, the buying advice for PCs (and what works "best" for them) is sometimes different for Macs (and what works "best" for them) -- printers is one such example.

Anyway, just my 2-cents worth.

rickei · 11th February 2007, 17:04

Paul,

You are right about third party hardware for the Mac.
Epson and Logitech, are two very fine examples of companies that have developed Mac Specific products over the years. I am a very loyal customer of both. They have not just "ported" a "driver" but have made use of "extensions" and "control pannels", as well as other os specific things like Colorsync. I think a lot of that is in the past, since USB(no more ADB plugs) and OSX, but it is still an issue in some cases

rickei · 11th February 2007, 17:14

Hey Ron,

i did want to mention that you should checkout the refurbished Macs on Apple's site. You can save quite a bit, and you still get AppleCare and all that good stuff. Also consider taking a class or 2 at your local College or Tech School, to take advantage of Apples educational discount... as well as most any new software you need

medeamajic · 11th February 2007, 23:54

Paul Rego,

I could understand a person wanting to try a Mac system but I do not agree with comment about the PCs skimping on hardware. A $1999.99 dollar Dell or Sony will be a Class A system. The $1999.99 Imac only has a Nvidia 7300 GT and a 2.133 CPU. The Imac is a toy in my opinon because it can not be upgraded like a Generic ATX PC. The Imacs have no External SATA ports and you can not buy a PCI Express card to add them. You can not just buy a generic 8800 Nvida Card and pop it in. That is why I consider them a toy. I am not saying they do not work. The Imac is more expensive than a genric ATX PC becuase of the propritary parts. I think my unlce will opt for an Apple laptop next time. If your Imac gets a scratch on the screen you have to shell out some cash for repairs. I can just get a new monitor that same day. There are reasons why I consider the Imac a toy. You may not agree. The Mac Pro Tower is a different story.
On a side note. I consider my laptop a toy compared to the PC I custom built.

11th February 2007, 06:49	#41 (permalink)
Altered_Ego NURBS Booleans are your friend Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 135	But the Mac Pro desktop doesn't have it. __________________ My Site: http://www.ronknights.com/ My Forum: http://www.ronknights.com/forum/

11th February 2007, 11:47	#43 (permalink)
Paul Rego Vertex Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: USA Posts: 6	iMac My machine of choice is the "iMac". I started with the Apple ][+ in 1981. Around '83 or '84 I worked for a company which wrote radio station software for the Apple ///. I've also owned an Apple //c, a MacPlus, a Macintosh Centris (or was it a Quadra), a few Macintosh Performas and I'm currently on my 4th iMac. Not because they keep breaking but because I own a Macintosh training, troubleshooting, consulting business and I have to keep up with the latest technologies. (I was also the local Apple Rep for several years.) Since I deal with beginners, they use iMacs. I love the iMac line. From my experience, in dealing with Apple's "consumer-level" Macs (iMac, eMac, Mac mini, iBook, MacBook) and their "professional" line (MacPro, MacBook Pro, PowerMac, etc.), I have found the "consumer" line to have "relatively" fewer problems. They're all not perfect but by the time the leading-edge technologies filter their way down to the "consumer" line, "most" of those problems (if any) have usually been worked out. I have a Revision "B" iMac G5, 2GHz with 2GB RAM. I added "name brand" RAM (not "generic" RAM) in "matched pairs" (2, 1GB modules which are identical). When matched pairs are used, the iMac uses a 128-bit data path, instead of the normal 64-bit data path -- which allows it to work with large files faster. Altered_Ego... Since you're going to buy your iMac "later this year", you shouldn't have any problem. For anyone wanting to buy a new Mac in the near future, I would be sure it has Mac OS X 10.5, "Leopard", installed on the hard drive -- not just included in the box. This means the hardware should be fairly well optimized to work with ALL the features of Leopard and the included "iLife" suite of programs (if Apple continues to include them). Of course, the current iMacs offer Desktop-spanning (2 monitors). My current model does not. I have seen some of the Macintosh "rumor" sites mention that the next iMacs "may" allow up to 4GB of RAM. (Right now, the 3 top-end iMac models only allow up to 3GB.) This will probably mean we'll be able to add matched pairs once again. My iMac came with "Tiger", Mac OS X 10.4, and it is one sweet computer. I use these programs: * Carrara 5 Pro, * Macromedia Fireworks (now owned by Adobe) for raster / vector art, * Photoshop Elements 4 (I don't use the full Photoshop because I simply don't want all the extra baggage it brings with it.), * The Print Shop 2, * Freeway Express 4 (by Softpress) for web page creation, * FileMaker Pro 8, * Macromedia Freehand, * InDesign CS2 (by Adobe) for page-layout, * iWork (by Apple) for presentations and page-layout, * and of course, all the included "iLife" programs (iPhoto, iDVD, iMovie HD, GarageBand and iWeb (which I just started using to make blogs), * (I do have other programs but you get the idea.) I use my iMac to: * Create and maintain web pages for 2 different organizations, * Create and maintain my blog, * Create 3D art, * Create songs and record instruments, via MIDI, directly into my iMac, * Edit photos for a PDF newsletter, * I download old, public domain movies from "archive.org" and, with a $19 adapter, I connect my iMac to my TV so i can watch those movies in a different room, * In September, I published my own Macintosh book. Please don't take this as bragging. There are a lot of talented people on PolyLoop and many of you have done far more than I could dream of. I just want to show that the iMac is a very powerful and flexible computer -- and it is NOT a toy! My iMac is fast and very stable. I can't remember ever having any real problems with it. I also have an Epson printer which allows me to print directly onto CDs and DVDs -- very handy. (In my experience over the years, Epson has reliably proven to "be there' whenever Apple comes out with a new Operating System version. I have found that other companies, epecially HP, will issue a statement saying you won't be able to print until they create new Drivers. From what "I" have seen over the years, the buying advice for PCs (and what works "best" for them) is sometimes different for Macs (and what works "best" for them) -- printers is one such example. Anyway, just my 2-cents worth.

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11th February 2007, 17:04	#44 (permalink)
rickei Respect the Dawg! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: USA - Conway, South Carolina Posts: 791	Paul, You are right about third party hardware for the Mac. Epson and Logitech, are two very fine examples of companies that have developed Mac Specific products over the years. I am a very loyal customer of both. They have not just "ported" a "driver" but have made use of "extensions" and "control pannels", as well as other os specific things like Colorsync. I think a lot of that is in the past, since USB(no more ADB plugs) and OSX, but it is still an issue in some cases

11th February 2007, 17:14	#45 (permalink)
rickei Respect the Dawg! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: USA - Conway, South Carolina Posts: 791	Hey Ron, i did want to mention that you should checkout the refurbished Macs on Apple's site. You can save quite a bit, and you still get AppleCare and all that good stuff. Also consider taking a class or 2 at your local College or Tech School, to take advantage of Apples educational discount... as well as most any new software you need

11th February 2007, 23:54	#46 (permalink)
medeamajic Now, I learn animation Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,028	Paul Rego, I could understand a person wanting to try a Mac system but I do not agree with comment about the PCs skimping on hardware. A $1999.99 dollar Dell or Sony will be a Class A system. The $1999.99 Imac only has a Nvidia 7300 GT and a 2.133 CPU. The Imac is a toy in my opinon because it can not be upgraded like a Generic ATX PC. The Imacs have no External SATA ports and you can not buy a PCI Express card to add them. You can not just buy a generic 8800 Nvida Card and pop it in. That is why I consider them a toy. I am not saying they do not work. The Imac is more expensive than a genric ATX PC becuase of the propritary parts. I think my unlce will opt for an Apple laptop next time. If your Imac gets a scratch on the screen you have to shell out some cash for repairs. I can just get a new monitor that same day. There are reasons why I consider the Imac a toy. You may not agree. The Mac Pro Tower is a different story. On a side note. I consider my laptop a toy compared to the PC I custom built.