tempted to buy an Apple...

mk99 · 08-26-2003, 12:19 PM

I am way overdue for a new PC and am seriously looking at an I-Mac. (maybe a G5?)

I know nothing about Apples & know only one person who had one. (10 years ago... she said stick with the IBM PC)

Apple is also considerably more expensive... but I am very very tempted.

Suggestions?

Wise Young · 08-26-2003, 02:09 PM

Mike,

I have been a Mac user for nearly 20 years. The current crop of Macs and the OSX system are really superb. The G-5 dual processor is very fast and should be shipping soon. Apparently, Apple has already 10,000 of them on order.

Most of the main software that is available for Windows (particularly Microsoft Office) is as good or better on the Mac. One main benefit of the Mac which is seldom mentioned is the low level of viral infections and higher security afforded by a brand new operating system with few backdoors.

Wise.
Wise.

~Patrick~ · 08-26-2003, 03:55 PM

Yes a G5 would be great!! www.apple.com/powermac

SCI-Nurse · 08-26-2003, 04:47 PM

I have been looking at the G4 iMac (love that flat screen and small footprint) to replace my old G3 iMac. Should I be waiting until the Panther OS is out (replacing Jaguar soon). Will the iMac be available in G5 or only the Power Mac?

How hard was it for you "old" Mac users to learn OS X? Were you able to continue to use any of your old peripherals (scanner, printer, etc.) or did you have to purchase all new? What process did you use for converting documents, etc. that you did not have on removable media to your new computer? The last time I got a new computer everyone was using floppies, so this was easy. Now with no floppy drive (and no current CD-ROM writer) I am confused on what to do.

I have been to the Apple store nearby several times, but never can get anyone to talk to me...they are always way too busy.

(KLD)

Steven Edwards · 08-27-2003, 10:57 AM

For the Mac people... will Panther be a 64-bit capable OS?

-Steven

Brad_D · 08-27-2003, 03:20 PM

KLD,
Panther will run on a G4 iMac. When it comes out it will probably be an upgrade. I don't know exactly when it will be available and preloaded on new Macs, but it will be a while. Only the PowerMac will have a G5 for the near future.

If you use OS 8 or 9, OSX should be pretty easy to figure out. Most of your peripherals should work fine. You may need to download new drivers for X. Documents like word, jpg's, mp3's etc, will work just fine with no need to convert. You can transfer files from one Mac to another using a special Ethernet crossover cable or network a simple hub between the two machines. All G3 and later models have built in network ports.

What Apple store do you go to? The one down here in Wellington, Fl is not busy at all.

[This message was edited by Brad_D on 08-27-03 at 06:38 PM.]

Brad_D · 08-27-2003, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Steven Edwards:

For the Mac people... will Panther be a 64-bit capable OS?

-Steven

Nope...not yet. It's an upgrade of "Jaguar" which is still 32 bit. I believe that many Apps. will be 64 bit like Photoshop. OS X will be 64 bit sometime down the road. That's a whole new OS rebuild...It will take some time.

Steven Edwards · 08-27-2003, 03:54 PM

Thanks Brad. I was asking because the Athlon64's are coming out soon [September 23rd] and a 64-bit capable version of Windows will follow shortly after. Having such an OS/chip combination should prove to be quite a competitive advantage against the G5's. Especially since the AMD 2000+ XP [32-bit chip] recently performed very well against a single processor G5.

If mk is looking from a performance perspective, I would suggest for him to wait until the Athlon64's come out so we can see how they compete.

-Steven

-scott- · 08-27-2003, 07:05 PM

my $0.02:

Apple isn't all that expensive when you compare specs. OS X is one of the most stable & efficient OSs that I've ever seen, & it's built very well... very intuitive.

re: the 64-bit issue. Honestly, I'm not sure the end-user's needs are going to catch up anytime soon to the hardware's capabilities. I use Photoshop 7 heavily @ work, on a dual 1.25ghz G4 w/ 2GB of RAM ...& the machine flies. It rips through 300-500mb composited .psd files frequently without any problem.

I think, for some time at least, the new 64-bit age is going to be primarily for bragging rights (it's ok, you can admit it... I would). I can see Pixar & other similar companies having the need. The normal everyday user? Not so much.. even for gaming. Would you see a performance boost (from 64 vs. 32 bit, not processor/bus speed)? Maybe, maybe not. The software isn't there... yet.

I'd still love a new G5 though.. but for the tasks at hand, I doubt it'd make a huge preformance/time difference. We'll see about the future though.

~ scott

Steven Edwards · 08-28-2003, 05:34 AM

"I think, for some time at least, the new 64-bit age is going to be primarily for bragging rights (it's ok, you can admit it... I would)."

Don't worry, that's the next computer that I'm going to get. Bragging rights? Sure, but I love having the best hardware for math stuff.

Imagine, an Athlon64 with an SATA hard drive interface; I think DDR400 will be the early Athlon64 memory standard. Yummy!

The 64-bit software will be coming soon. I can't wait to see 32-bit Photoshop vs 64-bit Photoshop benchmarks, or pretty much any similar comparisons.

-Steven

08-26-2003, 12:19 PM	#1
mk99 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: toronto, canada Posts: 3,494	tempted to buy an Apple... I am way overdue for a new PC and am seriously looking at an I-Mac. (maybe a G5?) I know nothing about Apples & know only one person who had one. (10 years ago... she said stick with the IBM PC) Apple is also considerably more expensive... but I am very very tempted. Suggestions?

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08-26-2003, 02:09 PM	#2
Wise Young Administrator Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: New Brunswick, NJ, USA Posts: 37,975	Mike, I have been a Mac user for nearly 20 years. The current crop of Macs and the OSX system are really superb. The G-5 dual processor is very fast and should be shipping soon. Apparently, Apple has already 10,000 of them on order. Most of the main software that is available for Windows (particularly Microsoft Office) is as good or better on the Mac. One main benefit of the Mac which is seldom mentioned is the low level of viral infections and higher security afforded by a brand new operating system with few backdoors. Wise. Wise.

08-26-2003, 03:55 PM	#3
~Patrick~ Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Lewistown,Pennsylvania Posts: 1,517	Yes a G5 would be great!! www.apple.com/powermac

08-26-2003, 04:47 PM	#4
SCI-Nurse Moderator Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: USA Posts: 41,325	I have been looking at the G4 iMac (love that flat screen and small footprint) to replace my old G3 iMac. Should I be waiting until the Panther OS is out (replacing Jaguar soon). Will the iMac be available in G5 or only the Power Mac? How hard was it for you "old" Mac users to learn OS X? Were you able to continue to use any of your old peripherals (scanner, printer, etc.) or did you have to purchase all new? What process did you use for converting documents, etc. that you did not have on removable media to your new computer? The last time I got a new computer everyone was using floppies, so this was easy. Now with no floppy drive (and no current CD-ROM writer) I am confused on what to do. I have been to the Apple store nearby several times, but never can get anyone to talk to me...they are always way too busy. (KLD)

08-27-2003, 10:57 AM	#5
Steven Edwards Administrator Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Acme Labs Posts: 15,530	For the Mac people... will Panther be a 64-bit capable OS? -Steven

08-27-2003, 03:20 PM	#6
Brad_D Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Florida Posts: 558	KLD, Panther will run on a G4 iMac. When it comes out it will probably be an upgrade. I don't know exactly when it will be available and preloaded on new Macs, but it will be a while. Only the PowerMac will have a G5 for the near future. If you use OS 8 or 9, OSX should be pretty easy to figure out. Most of your peripherals should work fine. You may need to download new drivers for X. Documents like word, jpg's, mp3's etc, will work just fine with no need to convert. You can transfer files from one Mac to another using a special Ethernet crossover cable or network a simple hub between the two machines. All G3 and later models have built in network ports. What Apple store do you go to? The one down here in Wellington, Fl is not busy at all. [This message was edited by Brad_D on 08-27-03 at 06:38 PM.]

08-27-2003, 03:54 PM	#8
Steven Edwards Administrator Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Acme Labs Posts: 15,530	Thanks Brad. I was asking because the Athlon64's are coming out soon [September 23rd] and a 64-bit capable version of Windows will follow shortly after. Having such an OS/chip combination should prove to be quite a competitive advantage against the G5's. Especially since the AMD 2000+ XP [32-bit chip] recently performed very well against a single processor G5. If mk is looking from a performance perspective, I would suggest for him to wait until the Athlon64's come out so we can see how they compete. -Steven

08-27-2003, 07:05 PM	#9
-scott- Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Harrisonburg, VA Posts: 9,528	my $0.02: Apple isn't all that expensive when you compare specs. OS X is one of the most stable & efficient OSs that I've ever seen, & it's built very well... very intuitive. re: the 64-bit issue. Honestly, I'm not sure the end-user's needs are going to catch up anytime soon to the hardware's capabilities. I use Photoshop 7 heavily @ work, on a dual 1.25ghz G4 w/ 2GB of RAM ...& the machine flies. It rips through 300-500mb composited .psd files frequently without any problem. I think, for some time at least, the new 64-bit age is going to be primarily for bragging rights (it's ok, you can admit it... I would). I can see Pixar & other similar companies having the need. The normal everyday user? Not so much.. even for gaming. Would you see a performance boost (from 64 vs. 32 bit, not processor/bus speed)? Maybe, maybe not. The software isn't there... yet. I'd still love a new G5 though.. but for the tasks at hand, I doubt it'd make a huge preformance/time difference. We'll see about the future though. ~ scott

08-28-2003, 05:34 AM	#10
Steven Edwards Administrator Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Acme Labs Posts: 15,530	"I think, for some time at least, the new 64-bit age is going to be primarily for bragging rights (it's ok, you can admit it... I would)." Don't worry, that's the next computer that I'm going to get. Bragging rights? Sure, but I love having the best hardware for math stuff. Imagine, an Athlon64 with an SATA hard drive interface; I think DDR400 will be the early Athlon64 memory standard. Yummy! The 64-bit software will be coming soon. I can't wait to see 32-bit Photoshop vs 64-bit Photoshop benchmarks, or pretty much any similar comparisons. -Steven