Almost bought a 17" iMac.. am I out of my mind? (**UPDATE**: Bought it today!)

[UCDznutz]

i was at Fry's yesterday and saw some nice Apple displays and comps. They really look pretty slick. Saw the HK Soundsticks too and thought those looked pretty sweet. Wish they'd come out with a PC version that doesn't use the USB port.

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

umm I was not owned at all. I never said these products were specific to the PC platform, notfred was drawing his own conclusions. Anyways I agree that most of the crap that Microsoft bundles is garbage, but there is a plethora of software available for PC's and you don't have to stick with using Microsoft only products, as you pretty much have to do with Apple (itunes, idvd, etc.). And the PC owns Mac in all Benches , video editing photo editing, you name it, the PC wins hands down across the board. It might lose the occasional test, but in the end it beats the Mac quite handily.

 

[Gunbuster]

Saw the HK Soundsticks too and thought those looked pretty sweet.

The Sound Dicks look sweet? are you a woman?

 

[UCDznutz]

Originally posted by: Gunbuster

Saw the HK Soundsticks too and thought those looked pretty sweet.

The Sound Dicks look sweet? are you a woman?

well i'm referring to the design and the clear casing and how they'd look on my desk. if all you see is phallic shaped speakers then hey that's your problem. Grow up kiddo.

 

[spanky]

Almost bought a 17" iMac.. am I out of my mind?

yes

 

[fatbaby]

Originally posted by: UCDznutz

Originally posted by: Gunbuster

Saw the HK Soundsticks too and thought those looked pretty sweet.

The Sound Dicks look sweet? are you a woman?

well i'm referring to the design and the clear casing and how they'd look on my desk. if all you see is phallic shaped speakers then hey that's your problem. Grow up kiddo.

yes they do look quite nice, but like nearly everything else applemakes, you can get a better product (z560s, 421s, klipsch 2.1s) for a lot cheaper

 

[UCDznutz]

Originally posted by: fatbaby

Originally posted by: UCDznutz

Originally posted by: Gunbuster

Saw the HK Soundsticks too and thought those looked pretty sweet.

The Sound Dicks look sweet? are you a woman?

well i'm referring to the design and the clear casing and how they'd look on my desk. if all you see is phallic shaped speakers then hey that's your problem. Grow up kiddo.

yes they do look quite nice, but like nearly everything else applemakes, you can get a better product (z560s, 421s, klipsch 2.1s) for a lot cheaper

yeah i've got a pair of the klipsch 2.1's sitting on my desk right now and love them. but from a design aspect the sound sticks look nice. not sure how they sound though.

 

[ViRGE]

No, you're not out of your mind. They're expensive machines, but they do what they're supposed to do very well. I think Nocmonkey put it best is his slightly illegible paragraph.😉

 

[SSP]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: Lucky

Originally posted by: GermyBoy
Yes. MacOSX will be ported (retail) for Intel soon enough. Get it then, I know I will.

thats a rumour, show me something to back that up and I'll believe it.

These whiney x86ers will get quite a kick int he gonads if it is released and the theory of proprietary Apple firmware based motherboards being required is true 😀

Get it, no better OS than Mac OS X. Dont get it. Think about getting it later. Realize that you can get an x86 based machine for 1/3 the price and get 30000fps in Quake 48. Realize you can get an x86 based machine at 1/3 the price, spend twice as much for a retail OS, put up with broken anti-piracy BS and half assed applications on an OS that doesnt look quite as good or have as usable an interface as the machine that costs 3x as much.

He can just install linux. Its free, and can Xine can play all the videos while XMMS can play the MP3's. That cost you.... $0 for software, and hardware is already covered by an above post.

 

[PowerMac4Ever]

Originally posted by: guapo337
sudheer anne was 0wned by notfred. just in case ya'll didnt notice.. 😉

He was also 0wnnnnnned by me in his last pathetic attempt at an anti-Mac thread. But he just keeps coming back for more...

I think Steve Jobs murdered his father or something...

 

[Kadarin]

Originally posted by: SSP

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: Lucky

Originally posted by: GermyBoy
Yes. MacOSX will be ported (retail) for Intel soon enough. Get it then, I know I will.

thats a rumour, show me something to back that up and I'll believe it.

These whiney x86ers will get quite a kick int he gonads if it is released and the theory of proprietary Apple firmware based motherboards being required is true 😀

Get it, no better OS than Mac OS X. Dont get it. Think about getting it later. Realize that you can get an x86 based machine for 1/3 the price and get 30000fps in Quake 48. Realize you can get an x86 based machine at 1/3 the price, spend twice as much for a retail OS, put up with broken anti-piracy BS and half assed applications on an OS that doesnt look quite as good or have as usable an interface as the machine that costs 3x as much.

He can just install linux. Its free, and can Xine can play all the videos while XMMS can play the MP3's. That cost you.... $0 for software, and hardware is already covered by an above post.

I'm aware of that; I'm familiar with Linux and its software, and know that I can come up with a far less expensive solution. My point is that the iMac is a very elegant solution to the idea of a digital hub, and would make for a better computer for the living room.

I'm also interested in knowing if anyone here has put a PC (or a Mac) in their living room as a digital interface with the Home Theater, and if so, what are your experiences? I know I could also go with the CoolerMaster HT case (micro-ATX form factor), and just output the video to the Sony XBR400 WEGA, but I wouldn't be able to watch tv simultaneously. I could also output the video to an LCD monitor on the coffee table, but so far I believe the iMac solution just looks better.

The iMac would not be running benchmarks or weird rendering software; it would merely be taking over everyday tasks for which I now sit in my home office: browsing the web, doing email, playing mp3s, displaying digital photos, posting on ATOT. So for that an 800Mhz G4 should work just fine (hell, for that my old 400Mhz PII did just fine).

 

[PowerMac4Ever]

Anyways I agree that most of the crap that Microsoft bundles is garbage, but there is a plethora of software available for PC's and you don't have to stick with using Microsoft only products, as you pretty much have to do with Apple (itunes, idvd, etc.).

What the hell kind of ignorant statement is this?? First, the flaw in your statement is that Apple's iSoftware is EXCELLENT. Waaaay better than the crap Microsoft bundles. And if you don't like Apple's software (you'd be alone, btw), there are PLENTY of 3rd part alternatives. I officially

at you. Biased slut.


That said, I'm a Windows XP user running a P4 1.6A rig. I dare anyone here to call me biased..

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: SSP

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: Lucky

Originally posted by: GermyBoy
Yes. MacOSX will be ported (retail) for Intel soon enough. Get it then, I know I will.

thats a rumour, show me something to back that up and I'll believe it.

These whiney x86ers will get quite a kick int he gonads if it is released and the theory of proprietary Apple firmware based motherboards being required is true 😀

Get it, no better OS than Mac OS X. Dont get it. Think about getting it later. Realize that you can get an x86 based machine for 1/3 the price and get 30000fps in Quake 48. Realize you can get an x86 based machine at 1/3 the price, spend twice as much for a retail OS, put up with broken anti-piracy BS and half assed applications on an OS that doesnt look quite as good or have as usable an interface as the machine that costs 3x as much.

He can just install linux. Its free, and can Xine can play all the videos while XMMS can play the MP3's. That cost you.... $0 for software, and hardware is already covered by an above post.

Linux sucks, but it sucks less than some alternatives.

 

[Gunnar]

I'd say you were one smart cookie...

But in reality, wait a bit. Later this year theyll make the entire line of iMacs 17in and the prices will come down (theyll introduce a gig model too).

The iMacs are definitely drool material. I bet if I had one that schwing arm would come in mighty handy.

But personally, Im waiting for a G4 iBook...

 

[SSP]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: SSP

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: Lucky

Originally posted by: GermyBoy
Yes. MacOSX will be ported (retail) for Intel soon enough. Get it then, I know I will.

thats a rumour, show me something to back that up and I'll believe it.

These whiney x86ers will get quite a kick int he gonads if it is released and the theory of proprietary Apple firmware based motherboards being required is true 😀

Get it, no better OS than Mac OS X. Dont get it. Think about getting it later. Realize that you can get an x86 based machine for 1/3 the price and get 30000fps in Quake 48. Realize you can get an x86 based machine at 1/3 the price, spend twice as much for a retail OS, put up with broken anti-piracy BS and half assed applications on an OS that doesnt look quite as good or have as usable an interface as the machine that costs 3x as much.

He can just install linux. Its free, and can Xine can play all the videos while XMMS can play the MP3's. That cost you.... $0 for software, and hardware is already covered by an above post.

Linux sucks, but it sucks less than some alternatives.

According to you, everything sucks. 😉 He?s just gona play videos or play MP3's. So it doesn?t matter if the software bundled with MS is crap cause he most likely won?t be using it. Anyway, the new imac I guess is good for people who worry about the looks rather then saving a buck or two (nothing wrong with that). I just don?t think it?s worth the price just for an entertainment box (which is what he?s thinking about).

Astaroth33, to answer your question. A friend of mine have a PC hooked up to her (yes she?s a geek) entertainment system. She watches movies or play music through that system. It?s networked so she just copies the movies from her main system over to P3 600 (I believe its something in that range). It works great, and she built it with spare parts.

 

[PowerMac4Ever]

Originally posted by: Gunnar
I'd say you were one smart cookie...

But in reality, wait a bit. Later this year theyll make the entire line of iMacs 17in and the prices will come down (theyll introduce a gig model too).

The iMacs are definitely drool material. I bet if I had one that schwing arm would come in mighty handy.

But personally, Im waiting for a G4 iBook...

You may be right on the future Macs, but don't pass those rumors as facts. Apple can be pretty unpredictable 😉. I personally would hold off on buying any Macs until the Seybold Expo happens sometime this month. Apple usually uses this Expo to introduce and/or update product lines. Can't hurt to wait two weeks or so, IMHO. I'm personally waiting for prices to come down on Quicksilver G4s with DVD-Burners. I just might go back to Mac if prices on these get low enough.

 

[Red Dawn]

That said, I'm a Windows XP user running a P4 1.6A rig. I dare anyone here to call me biased..

Oohh tuff guy huh? Biased, Biased Biased. What are you gonna do, blue screen of death me? Have Steve Jobs bite my ankle? Send Larry Ellison over to try and seduce my pet retriever? I'm really scared.I Fart apple Farts in your general direction. Your Father was a Napster and your Mother smelled of Granny Smiths!

 

[Geekbabe]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

That said, I'm a Windows XP user running a P4 1.6A rig. I dare anyone here to call me biased..

Oohh tuff guy huh? Biased, Biased Biased. What are you gonna do, blue screen of death me? Have Steve Jobs bite my ankle? Send Larry Ellison over to try and seduce my pet retriever? I'm really scared.I Fart apple Farts in your general direction. Your Father was a Napster and your Mother smelled of Granny Smiths!

OMG ! ROTFLMAO !!!!!!

you're on a roll tonight !! 😀

 

[Valinos]

I just might go back to Mac if prices on these get low enough.

The words Mac, prices, and low should never be in the same sentence...that is a major grammatical error 🙂

Aside from that though, if you got the money to blow go for it. Personally, I'm such a cheapskate I'd just build one of those little Shuttle cubes to go with my living room and get better performance to boot, but if I was feelin' lazy and had the extra $2500 to blow I'd just get the iMac. They are neat looking computers, especially if you just want it for basic stuff and HT.

I can give you my experiences on the HT setup. I have a 50" Toshiba 16x9 HDTV and an Athlon 1600+ with 256mb of SDRAM hooked up currently and its great for watching movies and playing music on my stereo. The screen is large enough that it is entirely possible to sit on the couch and surf the net and play some games on it as well. My next big purchase is going to be a All-In-Wonder Radeon 8500 DV so I can use my HDTV to its fullest capability and get a nice high resolution progressive scan image with better 16x9 resolution support. At the moment I'm just using a basic Radeon 32SDR PCI card with tv-out and while it does the job decently, I'd definately like to have the component outputs of the AIW 8500 to enhance the whole experience. I also plan on getting a nice soundcard like a Philips Acoustic Edge that will support Dolby Digital for full surround sound. Also, be sure to get yourself a nice cordless mouse/kb combo (the Logitech combo from Newegg has USB and should work on a Mac just fine). I highly recommend going with just a regular ball mouse if you go cordless otherwise you'll be changing batteries every month or more. The Logitech combo is great and extremely cheap on Newegg (about $50).

I really like my setup and plan to definately add to it and I recommend anyone with the passion to do it. It isn't very expensive to build your own box...mine was mostly spare parts...the case is in HORRIBLE shape, but I plan on rectifying that last...I'm a broke college kid that spent too much money during the summer - hence the TV 🙂

Once my mom and I move to a new place I plan on networking the entire house including the kitchen and my bathroom. I want to get a small flat panel display embedded into the wall in front of me with a little net surfing system for when I'm on the pot. I hate having to print out interesting articles or have subscriptions to 6 magazines so I don't get bored when I'm taking a crap! LOL!

Good luck to you and I think you'd enjoy the setup.

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

powermac u never owned anyone. you claimed that Apple was faster in benchmarks, then I completely ripped apart your argument with valid benchmarks and you had nothing to say. dont take credit for something you didnt do. I think some of apples bundled software sucks, just like you think some of ms software sucks. At the end of the day, your the one who paid 3/4 more for an overpriced fancy looking pos.

 

[Kadarin]

I bought it today, after taking a trip down to the Apple Store over at Valley Fair mall in San Jose (CA). With tax, the Airport card, and the Airport wireless base station, the total came to $2600 (yow!) I'll let you all know what I think of it once I get the chance to take it out of the box and get it set up.

😀

 

[Kadarin]

I just set it up with the Airport, and I'm posting this from my living room... It only took about 5 minutes to set up the wireless, and this is one very slick machine. 🙂

 

[notfred]

yeah, I spent significantly more time plugging in my airport card than I did setting up the networking software for the ibook 🙂

 

[LaBang]

congratulations. you should love OS X and for what you are using it for it should be great. if you need any *ahem* "help" with loading it up just PM me.

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: Astaroth33
I just set it up with the Airport, and I'm posting this from my living room... It only took about 5 minutes to set up the wireless, and this is one very slick machine. 🙂

PICS! 😀