The new Imac is really cool looking, but comes with some shameful specs.

[n0cmonkey]

CONS:

1. Price.

2. Driver support in OS X.

3. Mac zealots.

4. Lack of upgradability. This is not much of a problem for everyone. I dont do much more than buy new hard drives and ram. I dont need to upgrade much more.

5. Not a gaming platform. While I CONsider this a plus, there are plenty of people that still play games. I bought a ps2 so I could use my computer for more important things. But I will include this as a CON since most people around here are gamers. To each his own (which is also how I feel about which platform you choose).

6. Mac OS X is still slow. Much like the driver issues, this is a problem. Of course, this is almost a totally new OS, so these issues need to be worked out. 10.1 was an *INCREADIBLE* leap in speed inprovements and from the benchmarks 10.2 will be too. I look forward to it.

7. It still ships with ie but not Mozilla. I dont mind having ie on my system, but it would be much easier if I didnt have to use it to download my choice of browsers.

8. "Closed" hardware platform. While I dont think this is much of a problem, some people like a *HUGE* variety in what hardware they can purchase.

9. OS can be tough for Windows people to understand. I could not figure out OS < 10 for quite a while, but I figured it out once I had the time to play with it for 10 min.


I dont think anyone should buy just one platform. What fun is life if you dont have any variety? To me, owning a PC would be like only having blondes. Yeah, they're cheap, fast, and you can play with them all you want, but without brunettes (sparc maybe) or redheads (definitely Mac, cant say why ) they just arent all that special.

Mac PROS:

1. Network administration. And I dont mean that "ghey" (what a kiddiot word) Windows crap. I mean the hardcore UNIX network. Try adminning one of those from a Windows Machine without downloading third party tools or using software from your OS vendor that did not come with your OS.

2. Photo editting.

3. Movie editting.

4. You get away from the old POS backwards compatibility of x86.

5. Mac OS X makes sense. I cant say the same thing about Windows.

6. Mac users will like it better than a PC.

7. Plenty of good and free software.

8. Owning a Mac makes it easier to piss off stupid x86 zealots.

9. Beautiful cases.

10. Beautiful OS in both looks and usability. The speed will get much better with 10.2 (much like 10.1 was MUCH faster) because of gcc upgrades.

11. Mac OS X has been much more stable than Win2k was for me. The Win2k problem was a hardware one, but with the "closed" platform Apple uses, the stability is mch easier to obtain.

My Mac is much stabler than my Win2k machine *WAS*.

 

[Nefrodite]

<<

<< its a dumb comparison. frankly i see no pc's with that level of design with that level of capability. sure you can build a big towered pc with geforce 4's and cables and fans all over the place, but then you compare apples to oranges. >>



Examples? No seriously, I really want to see what people see in Macs. What justifies the massive price tag? >>




what justifys a sony pc's massive pricetag? ease of use, user friendly design, custom user friendly attractive cases, quiet fans, the small things basically. you can get a viao with a minidisc drive if u want, but it'll cost you. it goes both ways you know. sure you can compare everything to an emachine too if you want

and seriously, the imac isn't their "power user" line its for general use, for office appz, for neffing. do you need a monster pc to nef? i think not and if you can nef in style.. good for you.

 

[LaBang]

They charge more because:

apple keeps higher margains than some other companies so that they are assured that they won't go under.
apple has a better OS
R+D costs are a high portion of income
everyone is getting rich


If you need some good reasons, go check out a Mac forum. This has been greatly discused. There are good reasons that people like Macs.
Hardware is almost lame right now but I'm pretty sure it will change. Plus, I can't say that my computer is slow. It is very usable.

 

[LordMaul]

Hahaha! Goober, you pathetic little goat rectal tissue microbe. Give up already. I told you...YOU LOOSE.


Macs in general =! POS

 

[LaBang]

<<
They also try to advertise that they have the best gaming computers in the world with that lightning fast Geforce 2 MX! Yep, sounds like an iMac exclusive! Sure, it's been available on PC longer than my grandmother has been living, but IT'S AN IMAC EXCLUSIVE!

Not to mention that, but the iMac supports Quake3 engine games! Sure it's several years old, but IT'S AN IMAC EXCLUSIVE!

God I hate their marketing. >>



I think that Apple has gaming commercials not to show that they are the best at it in any way but just to show to the people that think "Macs can't run games well at all" are wrong. A mac can run the limited number of good OS X games very well.

I hate marketing too. But PC marketing is just as bad. "Blazing fast celeron 1.2 gigahertz?" I dont' think so. It is cheap but don't call it blazing.

 

[Viper GTS]

You've actually got to give Apple some credit, they put out some decent hardware.

You can't compare MHz speeds between a Mac & a PC, Macs have a MUCH shorter pipeline than Intel/AMD CPUs (Mac is 7, P3/Athlon = 12, P4 = 20).

I saw a Cinema Display today, & was duly impressed. Their PowerBooks are equally impressive.

I also like the fact that they are pushing LCD technology into the mainstream desktop - That's a good move, IMHO.

I would never own one, but I wouldn't exactly call the specs "shameful." They serve a purpose, & accomplish it well.

Viper GTS

 

[GooberPHX420]

<< Hahaha! Goober, you pathetic little goat rectal tissue microbe. Give up already. I told you...YOU LOOSE. >>



I loose? I think not, assrammer. Loose would be your fat chubby VD infested wife.

I may lose, but still I dont see how your comment is in the least bit relevant.

 

[GooberPHX420]

<< You've actually got to give Apple some credit, they put out some decent hardware.

You can't compare MHz speeds between a Mac & a PC, Macs have a MUCH shorter pipeline than Intel/AMD CPUs (Mac is 7, P3/Athlon = 12, P4 = 20).

I saw a Cinema Display today, & was duly impressed. Their PowerBooks are equally impressive.

I also like the fact that they are pushing LCD technology into the mainstream desktop - That's a good move, IMHO.

I would never own one, but I wouldn't exactly call the specs "shameful." They serve a purpose, & accomplish it well.

Viper GTS >>


Yeah man, I give them much respect for their displays. I think its a 22inch cinema screen they have, and it is so astonishingly gorgeous. The mac just seems so weak in comparison to PCs...

 

[BornStar]

Why do you say that the iMac has lame insides? That computer is up to whatever a basic user would throw at it which is exactly who it's marketed to. It's not built to run Q3 at 200fps at 1600x1200x32. It's built for the average consumer that wants to browse the web and use a word processor at a not so high price. The package is all inclusive which is a definite plus for people that don't know about computers. My grandparents first computer was a Mac and they need to buy a new one. My only question is, will they be able to figure out OS X? I think that moving them to a completely different platform would be a big mistake, so I'd say keep them with Mac. My first computer was a Mac and it was FAST. I've migrated to Windows PCs now (see sig) but I would still love to own a dual processor 1GHz G4 tower. I think that people around here are looking for the absolute best computer money can buy when most people just want a computer that will do basic functions that the user won't have to think about. There's a reason why the iMac brought Apple back from the dead, it's brilliantly packaged for the average user. I daresay very few people that post here consider themselves merely average.

 

[GooberPHX420]

Bornstar, I applaud you. No seriously, that was an excellent answer. As opposed to RGN who likes to resort in lame insults when someone doesnt like his precious mac.

 

[TheOmegaCode]

I have a simply question... How many people here, who are flaming macs, have used them? I don't mean your stupid teacher made you touch one for 10 minutes in class either... I mean actually sat down, and messed with them?

 

[Mill]

<< I loose? I think not, assrammer. Loose would be your fat chubby VD infested wife.

I may lose, but still I dont see how your comment is in the least bit relevant. >>




And your comment was?

 

[Mill]

<< I have a simply question... How many people here, who are flaming macs, have used them? I don't mean your stupid teacher made you touch one for 10 minutes in class either... I mean actually sat down, and messed with them? >>



I have. I don't really like them more than a PC, but they are not bad. It is astonishing how one from several years ago is still pretty damn fast. I haven't had a chance to use OS X yet. I am not really in the market for a MAC. All the work I do is on PCs.

 

[GooberPHX420]

<< I have a simply question... How many people here, who are flaming macs, have used them? I don't mean your stupid teacher made you touch one for 10 minutes in class either... I mean actually sat down, and messed with them? >>



I use one everyday at school, for probably just over an hour. So 4-5 hours a week on a mac, and I hate it thoroughly the whole time. It is slow, it certainly isnt a real multitasker, and its only positive point is the fact that it is able to run IE.

 

[BornStar]

You view being able to run IE as a pro? I think that if I owned a Mac, I wouldn't let any piece of MS software within 20 feet of it. That's the whole point behind having a Mac. What kind of Mac do you use at school? After all, schools aren't known for buying the best computers.

 

[n0cmonkey]

<< You view being able to run IE as a pro? I think that if I owned a Mac, I wouldn't let any piece of MS software within 20 feet of it. That's the whole point behind having a Mac. What kind of Mac do you use at school? After all, schools aren't known for buying the best computers. >>



Microsoft and Apple made a deal where Microsoft would write some programs for the Mac. ie is installed by default.

 

[GooberPHX420]

Its a 600mhz (I think) Ibook. It is DAMn close to a piece of junk. Unfortunately, we have 34 of these badboys in portable carts for teachers to let their kids use. Along with another 70 or so that belong to the teachers. They dont seem like they'd be all that bad, 256mb ram, DVD, 20gb HDD...

 

[n0cmonkey]

<< Its a 600mhz (I think) Ibook. It is DAMn close to a piece of junk. Unfortunately, we have 34 of these badboys in portable carts for teachers to let their kids use. Along with another 70 or so that belong to the teachers. They dont seem like they'd be all that bad, 256mb ram, DVD, 20gb HDD... >>



Its a notebook, its not supposed to be a speed demon.

 

[BornStar]

<< Microsoft and Apple made a deal where Microsoft would write some programs for the Mac. ie is installed by default. >>


Actually, MS owns part of Apple and, yes, it's installed by default but I think my first order of business on that computer would be to delete the IE folder.

 

[BornStar]

<< Its a notebook, its not supposed to be a speed demon. >>



They drop a lot of the speeds for their notebooks. I'm pretty sure it only runs on a 100MHz FSB.

 

[n0cmonkey]

<<

<< Its a notebook, its not supposed to be a speed demon. >>



They drop a lot of the speeds for their notebooks. I'm pretty sure it only runs on a 100MHz FSB. >>



Are there any g3s that are at 133?

 

[BornStar]

Ah, yes. That's right, I think they do all run 100MHz. Some of the iBooks are 66MHz. It's quite likely that's what you're looking at. Also, I don't know if you read one of the reviews on the laptops recently (don't remember which one) but they took I think a 1GHz PIII laptop and benchmarked it against a desktop system. The laptop compared pretty well to a 733 and sometimes all the way down to a 550. With that in mind, you're looking at about 2/3 the performance of the G3 tower even without the 33MHz drop in FSB. (I realize that PIIIs and G3s aren't the same, but I would guess that the properties hold true for the desktop to laptop transition.

 

[n0cmonkey]

<< Ah, yes. That's right, I think they do all run 100MHz. Some of the iBooks are 66MHz. It's quite likely that's what you're looking at. Also, I don't know if you read one of the reviews on the laptops recently (don't remember which one) but they took I think a 1GHz PIII laptop and benchmarked it against a desktop system. The laptop compared pretty well to a 733 and sometimes all the way down to a 550. With that in mind, you're looking at about 2/3 the performance of the G3 tower even without the 33MHz drop in FSB. (I realize that PIIIs and G3s aren't the same, but I would guess that the properties hold true for the desktop to laptop transition. >>



The 500mhz models had the 66mhz bus. The 600 mhz models all have the 100mhz bus, I think. I personally have a 66mhz bus on my iBook and its slow, but I bought it for portability. Im not disappointed at all (although I drool over TiBooks).

 

[BornStar]

<< The 500mhz models had the 66mhz bus. The 600 mhz models all have the 100mhz bus, I think. I personally have a 66mhz bus on my iBook and its slow, but I bought it for portability. Im not disappointed at all (although I drool over TiBooks). >>


Yeah, the only reason why I mentioned that is because he wasn't positive that it was a 600. I would love to get one of the G4 Tis but they're just too expensive and I'm a poor college student.

 

[d1abolic]

Anyone remember when a few years ago, at MacWorld, John Carmack spole to Steve Jobs about the aspects of their systems that need improvment to make games even playable on them? I remember hearing a lot of promises and high expectations. And the only thing that changed is the number of times gaming is mentioned on Apple's site. A large chunk of the new iMac page is about gaming. And after all that talk, this is what it comes down to. Make sure you check out the screenshot.

"There?s nothing quite like a tremendous burst of speed for blazing through threatening 3D environments. Such capabilities come in handy, for instance, when you plunge into a game of Otto Matic (screenshot, must see), the new 3D game that ships on your iMac."

Goddamn, i can't believe they can sell an 800-Mhz piece of scrap metal with a crappy LCD for $1,800. Their marketing truly deserves an award. I think they even have BOSE beat!