# Advice on purchasing a new mac, IMAC VS G5.



## OSX-Devlinite (Sep 16, 2003)

Yes, that is correct, I am finally going to get a mac, me being a long time PC user. 

So I need advice from you guys, which one would suit me better, and give me a better experience from a worthy cost.

These are in Can$.

G5

Power Mac G5 1.6GHz Z07H 4-6 weeks 

ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 065-4449 

Apple Keyboard & Apple Mouse - U.S. English 065-4161 

1.6GHz PowerPC G5 065-4172 

Bluetooth Module 065-4292 

80GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm 065-4163 

SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW) 065-4168 

256MB DDR333 SDRAM (PC2700) - 2x128 065-4175 

AirPort Extreme Card 065-4293 

Mac OS X - U.S. English 065-4160 

Accessory kit 065-4159 

Apple Studio Display (17" flat panel) M7649ZM/B 

Total: 3,576.00

Tax: 4112.4



Imac

iMac 1.25GHz w/ 17" TFT Z087 3-5 bus.days 

Bluetooth Module 065-4085

GeforceFX 5200 64MB 

80GB Ultra ATA drive 065-4484 

SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW) 065-4483 

256MB DDR333 - 1 DIMM 065-4327 

AirPort Extreme Card 065-4006 

Accessory Kit 065-4481 

Keyboard/Mac OS X - U.S. English 065-4480 

Total: 2,614.00 (2-3 Business days)

Tax: 3006.1


I will use this computer for full multimedia applications, such as adobe photoshop, premier, illustrator, go live...bla bla bla..

I understand the G5 is faster, but the question is, is it worth giving 1100$ more for it? Or will the Imac G4 1.25 ghz get the job done, just a bit slower? 

How fast is the G5 compared to the G4? What about longterm, which will benefit me more? Which is better for a first time user? And also be used as a family home computer? Does the G5 make alot of noise? Is the Imac less noisy? 

Who has a better image quality? Apple flat panel or the IMAC TFT 17inch LCD?

Is the G5 upgradeable? Such as video card/HD replacement? What about the Imac? 

As a longtime PC user, this will be my first mac purchase... So I am expecting alot from apple. I don't want to get dissapointed with my purchase. So please be honest in your advice, and dont give me biased apple fanatisism. I just want honest opinions. I really love the Imac design, but I am also afraid of G4 performance since it's subpar to the x86 architectures. Thank you!


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## nb3004 (Sep 16, 2003)

will this be used for personal or professional stuff first of all?

second the imac really isnt upgradeable except ram and an airport card.  the G5 is fully upgradeable

unless your doing major 3D or video editing you shouldnt notice much loss in speed with the G4 (not so sure that the G4 is subpar to x86, but that is another thread and another time)

btw the apple fanatism comes from apple making great computers , 
youll love either one you pick, and welcome

check out http://www.apple.com/hardware for more info and try to go to an Apple Store or other dealer to check one out yourself


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## OSX-Devlinite (Sep 16, 2003)

I won't be doing alot of instensive stuff... more this computer will be for personal use. Home computer, for a few ppl in the house.

But I don't know which is really more advantageous to get, the Imac or the G5. While the Imac is not upgradeable and uses a G4, which restricts pretty much it's longevity, the G5 is much more expensive, but is upgradeable and can have a long life in usage.

But the cost, I think is simply too much  

I suppose I will go with the Imac, unless anyone thinks I shouldn't, since you say my needs can be fufilled with the Imac.


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## hulkaros (Sep 17, 2003)

Or you can go with a PowerMac G4/1.25 which has all the power of the iMac and almost the upgradeability of the G5 

One other thing to keep in mind is that you do not have to buy an Apple monitor... While it would be cool to buy an Apple Display to go with your PowerMac the truth is that you can ANY VGA/DVI monitor out there and not just an Apple one! 

Anyways, iMac is great too and for the foreseeable future is more than fine for the things you want to have fun with and not only 

G4 is subpar compared to x86 platform? I think that when someone decides to www.apple.com/switch/ he/she should know better by now that there are more things going on for Macs than meets the eye  Yeap! Including the eye of the beholder! ::ha::


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## Cat (Sep 17, 2003)

I agree with Hulkaros. If you do not use your machine professionally, a dual G4 will give you great performance and upgrade possibilities. An iMac is not so easily upgradeable. For professional use, get the Dual G5! 

The Dual G4 (1.25 or 1.42 GHz) surely is better than a single P4. OS X is very good in multitasking and dividing the workload among processors. BTW, you cannot even get a dual P4 config, only Xeons, which are more expensive.


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## edX (Sep 17, 2003)

Devlin - i normally don't answer these kinds of threads, but of course YOU wanting to get a mac caught my attention. 

i tend to agree with cat and hulk. knowing that you like to tinker and build and tweak your computers, i think you would eventually get frustrated with the imac faster than the powermac G4. in fact, i'm guessing that eventually somebody will come out with a G5 upgrade for the powermac just about the time you feel that way.

on the other hand, the imac is simply one of the coolest computers ever designed. what it offers in aesthetics, ergonomics and WOW factor are hard to measure in terms of speed of performance unless you really need a professional machine. let's face it, even you think it's cool or you wouldn't be looking at getting one. and we know you have time to spare. 

my one feeling about 'all in one' macs is that they really aren't for the abusive types. if this computer is going to be left sitting where it gets banged around, bumped plugging in peripherals, vibrated from the washing machine, moved from room to room regularly, etc, then an imac might not be the best idea. on the other hand, if you're finally ready for a computer that comes with almost everything you need and will let you work without having to twidle with it all the time, and it's going to have a safe place to live, then the imac should serve your purposes well. probably time for a leisurely trip to the nearest apple store and try them first hand. they normally have enough software on them that you can get a good feel for speed differences and decide for yourself what the difference is worth.

i'm sure you'll enjoy either one. and i'm sure you'll need to come back here for some switching tips.


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## fryke (Sep 17, 2003)

Right now, if price is a problem, I'd get a Dual 1.25 GHz G4 machine, if you still find one. (There are some around.) Its design also fits the 17" display better. ;-)

The PowerMac G4 clearly beats the iMac in speed, expandability and longevity. For example: In, say, 12 months, you'll be able to buy a new graphics card for the G4, while you can't upgrade this in your iMac.

And let's think even further: In a year or two, you might want to buy a new Mac. While the 17" isn't the largest display available, it'll still do its job just fine and you'll be able to connect it to a new G5 or G6 by then. You can still use your (then old) G4 as a file-/web-/mail-server without a display.


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## OSX-Devlinite (Sep 17, 2003)

You guys bring out good points... but it's very hard for me NOT to get an Imac since, i am in love with the design. Frankly, that is a big reason for me not to get a G5, since it's so PCish. Nothing interesting, other than it's performance vs the Imac. 

While I do agree with you guys, the Imac won't last longer than the duel G4 or the G5. Still both of them are expensive!


The Price of the Duel G4 at Apple site is this:


 Dual 1.25GHz w/ 2MB L3 Cache per processor
 256MB DDR333 SDRAM (PC2700) -1 DIMM
 80GB Ultra ATA drive
 Optical 1 - Apple SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
 Optical 2 - None
 ATI Radeon 9000 Pro dual-display w/64MB DDR
 Apple Studio Display (17" flat panel)
 AirPort Card
 Apple Pro Keyboard - U.S. English
 Mac OS - U.S. English
 Apple Pro Speakers


Subtotal $3,351.00 

Tax: 3853.85

That's ridiculous, it's the almost the same price as the G5, with crappier equipment!! I rather get new technology than old for that cost.

No thanx, if I am going to get a mac, its going to be between the Imac or the G5.

I am leaning on the Imac, since the bundle is not bad and I can always "lend" software from others, and it DOESNT look like a PC, which is the one of the factors I wanted to buy a Mac.

But I don't want to get screwed within a year, that apple site now sells Imacs with G5s in them.... that would totally piss me off.

Anyways I will be going to an apple store today or tomorrow, to check out the Imac and the G5 (if its in). If the performance of the imac vs G5 is negligable. I will get the Imac. 

If the Imac is totally slow as to run OSX itself, i will pay the premium price and get the G5.

I won't be doing alot of intensive work, unless you guys consider, school work, photo editing, flash and casual movie editing intensive?

BTW, is it worth getting apples superdrive, or am i better off getting a DVD-R for my pc computers, cause it would be cheaper and find faster drives.


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## OSX-Devlinite (Sep 18, 2003)

Well I finally placed the order...

Getting the new Imac 1.25ghz full equipped and bought additional 512MB memory from crucial.

Hopefully, I did the right choice.


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## edX (Sep 18, 2003)

well, obviously you've paid enough attention to the site or others to know to get your ram elsewhere. you should be quite pleased with your purchase as long as it doesn't drive you crazy not to have to constantly be fixing and upgrading your computer. welcome to our world Devlin!!


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## tsizKEIK (Sep 18, 2003)

id get a powerbook for that amount of money.
and then. if i gathered more money after a few months, id get a G5  
a powerbook is fast. it can get the job done and its amazing for on-the-road-work. 
and if u have extra money on the side, u can then buy a G5 to get the job done even faster, or get 10-things done faster in the same amount of time

btw. isnt this the guy that got banned a few days ago? what happened to his Dell?  did it die already ?


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## OSX-Devlinite (Sep 18, 2003)

I didn't get notebook, because as you pointed out, i got a dell laptop, which creams any mac notebook.

I don't want to argue about it, but that's my opinion. I also found it interesting that the members of spymac.com also agree with me on the performance issue with the PBs.

And no, my dell isn't crashing or anything... works fine.

But I am not really buying the apple computer for performance, because it simply stinks in it. Simply buying it to have something new to play with and that my brother is taking mac courses, and would be useful for him to do his homework on it.

I just want to find out, what the heck is so good about the macs...

If i like it alot, and get impressed by it... I will eventually buy everything from apple.

But for now, this Imac will be my test machine.


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## tsizKEIK (Sep 18, 2003)

_post removed for flaming - edx_


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## edX (Sep 18, 2003)

tsizKEIK - this is a nice friendly reminder  to follow the site rules. let's not dredge up old shite and let's not get into a chest beating contest about macs vs. pc's. as long as our new member plays by the rules, i expect everyone else to when responding to him. i also don't expect others to bait him - such actions will be punishable. 

I have a policy of occasionally allowing banned members to learn from their mistakes and many have. they just don't get to start over with warnings and all that. one mistake and they're gone again. Devlin is hardly the only one to come back. you just don't notice them because they play by the rules when they return. we watch them very carefully for this if we catch them. of course, some learn so well that even we don't know who they were before.


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## tsizKEIK (Sep 18, 2003)

i wasnt flamin

i actually ment what i said.

he just bought a notebook.
he just ordered an iMac (quoting: this Imac will be my test machine.)
he just opened a thread comparing G5 and iMac and asked if the G5 is worth the extra 1000bucks.

i adviced him to get the G5 since its the fastest p.c. around, and also adviced him to get a 17 alubook 1.33ghz since it is the best laptop around (in my opinion)... 

now if u didnt like my attitude, u can always comment, or send a pm. post removal is hardly the solution


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## fryke (Sep 18, 2003)

@OSX-Devlinite: Please stay away from restating your opinion about Dell over and over again. I'm sure there's a forum where members welcome such comments, but the (recent) past should show you that comments like this end in flame wars.
Flame wars are not what we want here, and thus it'd be best to discuss your Macintosh experiences etc. here and your Dell-loving posts elsewhere.

All said and done, I congratulate you on your purchase of the new iMac. Wish I had one, myself. It's really the best-designed Mac since the Cube.


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## baldprof (Sep 18, 2003)

> _Originally posted by OSX-Devlinite _
> *Well I finally placed the order...
> 
> Getting the new Imac 1.25ghz full equipped and bought additional 512MB memory from crucial.
> ...



A year ago I did essentially the same thing. Except then the speed was 1ghz. I also got the extra ram from crucial. I think you will be pleased.
The wide aspect display is nice. You can put all your palettes on one side and still have room for your document/ picture.

I don't know what others here may have against you. I just think you'll love that iMac.


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## OSX-Devlinite (Sep 18, 2003)

I hope so, I am anxiously waiting for it to arrive...

I had some little problems with my credit card, I called up apple, the agent was very nice with resolving the issue and processed my order pretty quickly, but the wait time to get an agent on the phone was amazingly long!

It will ship before or on Sept 23. I also getting a free CANON I450 COLOR BUBBEJET PRINTER after mail-in rebate, and got the apple care kit, which extends my warranty.

Hopefully, apple will take care of me for quite some time  

In the same time, I am hopefull, I wouldn't need to call apple care.


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## mkwan (Sep 18, 2003)

OSX-Devinite, I think it is ok that you think pc laptops are superior to mac laptops.  hell, I would get a PC to play the games and Windows Servers 2000 and 2003.  whatever I do I will never abandon Mac OS X...the OS just rocks!!!

it is nice that you bought a iMac, welcome to the mac world.


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## mkwan (Sep 18, 2003)

I just want to restate that I think everybody are entitled to their opinions and just have to show respect to other members.

I apologize if my last post insulted or annoyed anyone....

sorry


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## chevy (Sep 19, 2003)

my good old 400 MHz G3 B&W mac runs MacOS-X.1.5, Explorer, Office-X and anything else I need very softly... and I love the screen and efficiency of my iMac 17"... even if the new machines are faster, the old ones a still sweet for daily use.


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## Arden (Sep 19, 2003)

Well, you ordered the iMac before I could give my advice, but you'll love it still.

The iMac is a good introductory machine to the platform.  It is plenty powerful, but it doesn't get ahead of itself and it doesn't cost too much.  It comes with lots of stuff (including the built-in monitor), and it has the ultimate form factor.  It will suit you well for the tasks you mentioned (Photoshop, light video editing), and if you feel like it's starting to bog down, you can save up for a G5 for a later date.

It's nice to see you've reformed.  Welcome to the friendlier side of Macosx.com.


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## OSX-Devlinite (Sep 19, 2003)

Hopefully, apple will send a "Panther" coupon with my new Imac.

For buying a G5 in the future all rests on my impressions with the Imac, and since it's not here yet... I can't comment on it, but it's the only design i loved from apple. That's why I chose the Imac.


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## hulkaros (Sep 20, 2003)

Don't get your hopes too high about the Panther coupon!


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## OSX-Devlinite (Sep 23, 2003)

Well my imac has finally been shipped...Should be here in 2-3 business days with fedex. Hopefully, by thursday!


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## Ricky (Sep 23, 2003)

Let me just give my two cents about the whole G5 vs. iMac thing.  I use an iMac flat-panel at home, 800 MHz...  Got it before the new ones came out, but whatever.    Good choice, going with the extra RAM.  I will be putting at least another 512 MB in mine fairly soon (Another thing to put in my to-do list  ).  Now then.

The iMac works great with Photoshop.  I have actually neglected installing the updates for it yet (another thing on my to-do), but it's a great little machine and will take on all your Photoshop requests and keep up with you pretty well.  I consider myself a graphics professional, too; I use many of PS 7's more advanced features and my iMac keeps right up with me at the base configuration.  That extra 425 MHz difference, along with the extra RAM, will be plenty.  And I think that extra screen real-estate will be lovely as well.

You got a sweet little machine there.    The G5 would be nice, yes, but the iMac was a good choice for home.


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## Arden (Sep 24, 2003)

Remember, a good chunk of your proposed price for the G5's you were looking at is the monitor.  The computer itself is a good deal, but you have to get an external monitor (unless you use one you already own), so remember that this factors into the cost.


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## Ricky (Sep 25, 2003)

Well, it's Thursday buddy  .  What's the good word?


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## OSX-Devlinite (Sep 25, 2003)

No good news  

Checked Fedex tracking.... stuck at airport customs all day.

So it should definitely come friday... or Fedex will be late, which is almost impossible!


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## Arden (Sep 26, 2003)

Fedex?  Late?  What are they, UPS?


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## OSX-Devlinite (Sep 27, 2003)

Well it finally came today...

As I was confident of my timing calculations... Fedex came at the same time I went upstairs to open the door 

The box and everything inside was well done, nice and neatly packaged, without any waste of space. I frankly, couldn't believe they were able to cram the imac in there. 

The software that came with it was crap. Free app trials and Tony Hawk pro skating 4 full.

Anyways, after putting the power plug, mouse and keyboard I booted up to OSX. I must say Imac is very sexy and well designed, except for the mouse and speakers sometimes distorting from static (solutions for this?). I love the widescreen LCD though!

It asked me for registration stuff, i quickly entered and selected my way of connecting to the net. it right away found my cisco access  point and was already connected to OSX from boot. I also set up my networking for file sharing with my PCs, it found my network group, and everything, but asking for a pass. Neverthless, networking is really easy. Big bonus.

I must say I felt like a monkey while trying to get things done on OSX.

Couldn't find the CD eject button eventually noticing it was conveniently on the keyboard. Heheh, I even tried pressing on the Imac logo under the LCD screen on the Imac, thinking it probably had some kind of sensor like the G4 cube to open up. 

Another discovery was right click tasks which couldnt be done because of the 1 button mouse, that was a real pain in the ass. Then figured out, you can simply press and hold button to get the extra option for dock items, but not for files such as copy and paste. I really hate using ctrl + mouse button... I prefer PC style 2 button mouse configuration with scroller. The mouse doesnt feel right and is a dissapointment for me.

I also figured out the Finder, what I found neat was applications were all bundled into 1 icon. No hassles, very easy to manage.

The OS itself is fast and stable, but not as fast as my XP machine.

For instance, web browsing is slower on OSX... even if I use IE or Safari...its like going on half the speed of my DSL. That was a downside.

But multi-tasking was a breeze. I web browsed while I was watching a DVD... No lagging whatsoever. I will do more testing on this.

At this time, i forgot that I didnt isntall my extra 512MBs of ram, and realised even without it, OSX still ran quite smoothly.

I also installed WC3 TFT and tried that on max resolution with max settings. It peforming as well as a pc for such a high resolution with only a Geforce FX 5600. One problem was OSX nvidia drivers doesnt seem to let you modify options for OpenGL which is another dissapointment. What if I want to use anistropic filtering, AA or disable vertical sync?

On the net, I snooped around and found couple of free OSX apps which were nice. Such as Jedi Knight 2 Irc.

MSN messenger looks much nicer on OSX, but alot less features... MS should update it, but i guess they dont care...

I tried Office X and Appleworks, they seemed too messy and complicated... so I didnt bother trying them out extensively.

That was pretty much my day with my new Imac. Oh and no Panther coupon  

Didn't try Adobe yet... 

If I can summarize my first impressions... From scale to 1 to 10. I give the Imac for its cost an 8. It's a good machine but didnt excite me as I wanted. Maybe it was because I was getting frustrated in finding how things get done. I also felt restricted and limited. Was very hard to find free or pirated apps for OSX that were worthy.

My judgment will change as I use it more extensively, this is just first day impression.


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## fryke (Sep 27, 2003)

I'm glad you got your iMac now. Believe me: Coming from Windows there just _are_ some differences that you'll get used to over time. About the mouse: Just use your PC's USB mouse, if it's a USB. It'll work out of the box. Even the right-clicking.

If you want better instant messenging, use iChat AV. It's currently in beta, you can get it from Apple's site, if it isn't installed already.

The RAM will certainly speed things up further for you, so you might wanna include that in your further tests. ;-)

About pirated apps: We don't welcome that in here... If you _have_ to get your software illegally, just don't talk about it. Talk about software instead of pirated software.

You said: "But multi-tasking was a breeze. I web browsed while I was watching a DVD... No lagging whatsoever. I will do more testing on this."

That's what we're trying to say. ;-) You can also have Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign open in the background while watching a DVD and browsing the web. The only speed impact you will see from time to time is that large applications will take a bit to come back to the foreground if they're hidden, as Mac OS X puts their RAM usage onto the harddrive after a while.


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## baldprof (Sep 27, 2003)

May I suggest a book to help speed you on your way:

Mac OS X for Windows Users: A Switcher's Guide by David Coursey.

The mouse; the subject of countless flame wars on these and other forums. Some people actually like the one button approach.
 I selected a Logitech optical mouse. Works fine in OS X.

The browser: check out what you can find at http://www.mozilla.org  . I use Camino.

Office X: Well you must not have had to use Office XP. Talk about confusing. I find Office for the Mac easier to use and less confusing.

Adobe apps: these are available in 30 day trial versions. You will like being able to drag all those palletttes over to one side of the wide screen and have your document open on the other side.


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## fryke (Sep 27, 2003)

About Office v. X: If you're used to Office 2000 or XP on the PC, it shouldn't be too hard to find your way around. All features are found in quite similar places, I find. The new palettes, imho, rule... If I had a use for it, I'd buy it. But Panther's TextEdit opens and saves word files easily, so I use that.


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## Ricky (Sep 27, 2003)

I used to love Appleworks back in 5th grade, but honestly enough, I can't stand it now.  :\  There are programs that take over each one of its functions much better, mostly because they're separate and dedicated to that one task.


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## OSX-Devlinite (Sep 27, 2003)

I probably will never use Ichat, cause I need a .mac account (must pay for it) or AIM which I dont use. I'm a MSN guy.

I am in love with new office 11. Very well done and rich with features... 

I don't know if MS will release it for OSX, but it wont matter cause I have it on pc.

In the meantime, is there any cool free apps for OSX? I really got nothing to do on it... I just stare on the screen and play with the dock.  

I noticed a problem, I dunno if its OSX or the apple mouse but sometimes I have to click the mouse button 2-3 times to get a response. 

Oh and I accidently pull the power plug while logged in OSX. Does that harm the OS, in anyway?

Also, how do I make my icons look big? Not the dock ones, the one's i put on desktop. I usually see them real big in OSX screenshots.

Do i need a special app to burn isos or bins? Does Apple have a built in DVD/CD burner software? Or do I have to get one? Which is the best? I heard about roxio burn and toast...

How do I uninstall programs? I simply delete the icon or folder of the app from finder? Or is there a more proper way to do it?


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## hulkaros (Sep 27, 2003)

_Originally posted by OSX-Devlinite _
*I probably will never use Ichat, cause I need a .mac account (must pay for it) or AIM which I dont use. I'm a MSN guy.

I am in love with new office 11. Very well done and rich with features... 

I don't know if MS will release it for OSX, but it wont matter cause I have it on pc.*

New Office will be released for OS X maybe sometime next year, at least according to MBU @ MS...

*In the meantime, is there any cool free apps for OSX? I really got nothing to do on it... I just stare on the screen and play with the dock.  *

Browse here:
http://www.macupdate.com/index.php?os=macosx
and here:
http://www.versiontracker.com/macosx/
If you give us some examples of paid software personally I may have a similar free app to propose you...

*I noticed a problem, I dunno if its OSX or the apple mouse but sometimes I have to click the mouse button 2-3 times to get a response.* 

Check the bottom of the mouse... It has a sensitivity dial jog... Play with it 

*Oh and I accidently pull the power plug while logged in OSX. Does that harm the OS, in anyway?*

I would worry A LOT MORE for the hardware in general  Anyways, this is 50%-50%. Was the OS X doing anything while you pulled the plug? Be extra careful with cables and this is not only for your computers but with ALL electronic devices 

*Also, how do I make my icons look big? Not the dock ones, the one's i put on desktop. I usually see them real big in OSX screenshots.*

Click anywhere on Desktop or any open window and then select from the top menu the View and then the Show View Options (or press the Command-Apple key- & J)... Enjoy! 

*Do i need a special app to burn isos or bins? Does Apple have a built in DVD/CD burner software? Or do I have to get one? Which is the best? I heard about roxio burn and toast...*

Use Disk Copy in order to burn almost anything... If you are careful you will notice that you are able to burn multisession CDs too, contrary to common knowledge  As for other burning Apps: Roxio has ONLY Toast and different versions of it... I think someone confused you with the Roxio Burn! 2 other GREAT burning apps (to me) are Dragon Burn for OS X and FireStarterX... Still, in the two previous sites that I gave you, you can find others as well...

*How do I uninstall programs? I simply delete the icon or folder of the app from finder? Or is there a more proper way to do it? *

For example you want to delete Roxio Toast which has other folders and apps inside its main Folder:
You just Trash the main Toast folder
If it is an app that you want to remove, say Safari, you just Trash the Safari...
Nothing funky here!  Just Trash the app or its main folder and BOOM! The application is no more!


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## MikeXpop (Sep 27, 2003)

> _Originally posted by OSX-Devlinite _
> *In the meantime, is there any cool free apps for OSX? I really got nothing to do on it... I just stare on the screen and play with the dock. *



Yes, many!

MorphX, an application that allows you to make one picture morph into another picture in a quicktime movie. Very powerful, and extrememly cool. The fact that it's free and only half a meg big just adds to it's awesomeness.

VLC Media Player and mPlayer. Both for either watching .wmv's (WMP for mac is horrendous) and for watching divx movies. People here have different preferences about either one

OmniWeb, a great browser. It's missing some basic no brainer features (tabs, one click pop up blocking), but it's customizable beyond belief. For example, any url with a variable in it you can use to your advantage. If you want to search on google for puppies, you can configure your browser so you just have to type "google puppies". You can also set this up with sites like FedEx (tracking codes) and dictionary.com.


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## OSX-Devlinite (Sep 27, 2003)

Thank you for tell me about the apps. I will look into them soon enough. 

Well even though i wasn't that excited about the Imac, my mom seems to love it alot.

She loves the design and told me why i never bought a computer like this, cause she hated my pcs, with their wires and bulkiness.

She doesnt know how to use a computer, but she seems to be comfortable to understand OSX. I taught her how to get on the the .net, and I may say the google on safari browser was a key for newbie success. My mom loves it. I also showed her how to import her cds to Itunes library, even i was astounded how easy it was and I showed her how to use the Music radio. The OS seems to fit in harmony with Iapps. BTW, MS will be releasing WMP9 for OSX soon...

She on the Imac right now and she is very happy with it. So i guess one of us is getting a good deal out of it.

And as for me, I am downloading Halo final for PC. The irony of it all, since it was suppose to be an exclusive mac title!


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## hulkaros (Sep 27, 2003)

Halo for Mac is coming almost at the same time as the Windows version... Is the Windows version that you are "downloading" the final or a release canditate one?


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## hulkaros (Sep 27, 2003)

Edit those links out of your post or admins may as well edit it for you 

"Shared" software or links to it, is prohibited around here


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## Arden (Sep 28, 2003)

This is a bit long...



> _Originally posted by OSX-Devlinite_
> *Well it finally came today... *


 Yippee and yahooey!  Now time to experience the elation everyone getting a new Mac goes through.


> *As I was confident of my timing calculations... Fedex came at the same time I went upstairs to open the door  *


 Naturally.


> *The box and everything inside was well done, nice and neatly packaged, without any waste of space. I frankly, couldn't believe they were able to cram the imac in there. *


 Yup, its quite a feat.


> *The software that came with it was crap. Free app trials and Tony Hawk pro skating 4 full. *


 


> *Anyways, after putting the power plug, mouse and keyboard I booted up to OSX. I must say Imac is very sexy and well designed, except for the mouse and speakers sometimes distorting from static (solutions for this?). I love the widescreen LCD though!
> 
> It asked me for registration stuff, i quickly entered and selected my way of connecting to the net. it right away found my cisco access point and was already connected to OSX from boot. I also set up my networking for file sharing with my PCs, it found my network group, and everything, but asking for a pass. Neverthless, networking is really easy. Big bonus.
> 
> I must say I felt like a monkey while trying to get things done on OSX. *


 Yep, all typical of the Mac XPerience.  The entire Macintosh line and OS X are designed for ease of use and okay-I-get-it functioning.


> *Couldn't find the CD eject button eventually noticing it was conveniently on the keyboard. Heheh, I even tried pressing on the Imac logo under the LCD screen on the Imac, thinking it probably had some kind of sensor like the G4 cube to open up. *


 LOL... I can picture you frustratedly pushing the Apple logo on the front.  The keyboard button is nice, though its relevant more for Powermacs where you might not even be in the same _room_ as the computer.


> *Another discovery was right click tasks which couldnt be done because of the 1 button mouse, that was a real pain in the ass. Then figured out, you can simply press and hold button to get the extra option for dock items, but not for files such as copy and paste. I really hate using ctrl + mouse button... I prefer PC style 2 button mouse configuration with scroller. The mouse doesnt feel right and is a dissapointment for me. *


 You can get optical multibutton mice for as little as $20... Im sure you know this, though.  I, too, prefer right-clicking to Control-clicking.


> *I also figured out the Finder, what I found neat was applications were all bundled into 1 icon. No hassles, very easy to manage. *


 Again, back to the simplicity of the system as a whole... Steve Jobs was and is an easthetic perfectionist.  His machine popularized personal computing, after all.  Apple II + Visicalc = welcome to the era of modern computing... but that's a topic for a different thread.


> *The OS itself is fast and stable, but not as fast as my XP machine.
> 
> For instance, web browsing is slower on OSX... even if I use IE or Safari...its like going on half the speed of my DSL. That was a downside. *


 Another highly discussed topic... I'll leave this for the seething masses.


> *But multi-tasking was a breeze. I web browsed while I was watching a DVD... No lagging whatsoever. I will do more testing on this. *


 You gotta love the power that UNIX brings to an OS, like preemptive multitasking and protective memory.


> *At this time, i forgot that I didnt isntall my extra 512MBs of ram, and realised even without it, OSX still ran quite smoothly. *


 Definitely install it before using Photoshop.  It'll make quite the difference.


> *I also installed WC3 TFT and tried that on max resolution with max settings. It peforming as well as a pc for such a high resolution with only a Geforce FX 5600. One problem was OSX nvidia drivers doesnt seem to let you modify options for OpenGL which is another dissapointment. What if I want to use anistropic filtering, AA or disable vertical sync? *


 This sounds more like an issue with Nvidia than Apple... contact them and ask for these features in their drivers for the Mac.


> *On the net, I snooped around and found couple of free OSX apps which were nice. Such as Jedi Knight 2 Irc. *


 Careful... this has been mentioned several times already (in this thread, no less), but I'll put it here anyway:


> _Located on the Rules page..._
> *No w@r3z* - No asking for serialz, hackz, or warez, linking to them, discussing or anything related, including MP3z, Pr0n and related piracy items.





> *MSN messenger looks much nicer on OSX, but alot less features... MS should update it, but i guess they dont care... *


 Yep, this is also an issue with Microsoft, not Apple.  I suppose you could argue that the platform is hurt when developers favor one OS over another, but that's also another topic.


> *I tried Office X and Appleworks, they seemed too messy and complicated... so I didnt bother trying them out extensively. *


 I don't find these programs messy or complicated.  I think it's more intuitive to have your toolbars immediately available instead of having to click a small contextual menu to access the rest of them by default, as is the case in later versions of Office for Windows.


> *That was pretty much my day with my new Imac. Oh and no Panther coupon *


 LOL, figures...


> *Didn't try Adobe yet... *


 Well, what are you waiting for? 


> *If I can summarize my first impressions... From scale to 1 to 10. I give the Imac for its cost an 8. It's a good machine but didnt excite me as I wanted. Maybe it was because I was getting frustrated in finding how things get done. I also felt restricted and limited. Was very hard to find free or pirated apps for OSX that were worthy. *


 I'd say that's an excellent rating for a Windows Luvr.

I could name you a couple places to look for pirated software, but... well, you know why I don't.


> *My judgment will change as I use it more extensively, this is just first day impression. *


 For the better, I'm sure.


> *I probably will never use Ichat, cause I need a .mac account (must pay for it) or AIM which I dont use. I'm a MSN guy. *


 You really should check iChat out.  I don't know about you, but all my friends use AIM (even the PC users, which is most of them ), so I use AIM as well, which of course lets me access iChat users.  At least try it out, find a couple of your MSN friends who have AIM as well to talk to, and see how you like the program.  Or talk to some of us.


> *I am in love with new office 11. Very well done and rich with features...
> 
> I don't know if MS will release it for OSX, but it wont matter cause I have it on pc. *


 As is often the case, if MS does release a new version of Office (which I'm sure they will), it'll probably be better in a number of ways than Office 11.  But you can have your opinion, and eat it too. 


> *In the meantime, is there any cool free apps for OSX? I really got nothing to do on it... I just stare on the screen and play with the dock. *


 There is, look around.  Also, check out Ambrosia.  Though their stuff isn't free, it isn't time-limited, and they've got some awesome shareware games and applications that just might squeeze some dollars from your pocket.


> *I noticed a problem, I dunno if its OSX or the apple mouse but sometimes I have to click the mouse button 2-3 times to get a response. *


 Covered already...


> *Oh and I accidently pull the power plug while logged in OSX. Does that harm the OS, in anyway? *


 Not if you're not doing anything important, like mucking around in Terminal.  It's definitely safer than in Windows.


> *Also, how do I make my icons look big? Not the dock ones, the one's i put on desktop. I usually see them real big in OSX screenshots. *


 Covered...


> *Do i need a special app to burn isos or bins? Does Apple have a built in DVD/CD burner software? Or do I have to get one? Which is the best? I heard about roxio burn and toast... *


 I think Toast is probably among the elite of all OS X CD-burning applications, though it's also one of the costliest.


> *How do I uninstall programs? I simply delete the icon or folder of the app from finder? Or is there a more proper way to do it?*


 Click on the application or folder and push Cmd-Delete, then Cmd-Shift Delete.  Easy as, um, throwing away a moldy sandwich. 


> *Thank you for tell me about the apps. I will look into them soon enough. *


...


> *Well even though i wasn't that excited about the Imac, my mom seems to love it alot.
> 
> She loves the design and told me why i never bought a computer like this, cause she hated my pcs, with their wires and bulkiness.
> 
> She doesnt know how to use a computer, but she seems to be comfortable to understand OSX. I taught her how to get on the the .net, and I may say the google on safari browser was a key for newbie success. My mom loves it. I also showed her how to import her cds to Itunes library, even i was astounded how easy it was and I showed her how to use the Music radio. The OS seems to fit in harmony with Iapps. BTW, MS will be releasing WMP9 for OSX soon... *


 This is one of the real benefits of OS X:  It is incredibly easy to use and straightforward.  It is excellent for the elderly (sorry, I don't know how old your momor even youis/are) and young children to get used to computing with.  It's cool to hear that she likes it... and doesn't like your PC's... LOL!


> *She on the Imac right now and she is very happy with it. So i guess one of us is getting a good deal out of it. *


 Well, if for some strange, twisted reason you decide not to use the iMac, it'll have a good home without you having to sell it. 


> *And as for me, I am downloading Halo final for PC. The irony of it all, since it was suppose to be an exclusive mac title! *


 Yes, quite ironic... sT00pid Microsoft.


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## OSX-Devlinite (Sep 28, 2003)

OK here comes the bad side of OSX.

First problem...

I can't seem to connect to my pcs, even if OSX is finding my network group, i click on the pc i want to connect, it asks for SMB name and password, which I have none on my pcs. I tried everything, every username pass that i can think of that it could be asking... always in the end giving error that is not able to connect. Also, my pcs cant seem to see the Imac at all, while the imac can see my pcs, but unable to log onto them. I have appletalk enabled!

Solution?

Second problem...

Picture editing is soooo damn slow, even with my 512 extra memory. My god, I transfered bunch of photos from my dell laptop by bluetooth to the Imac, even if I wish to scroll the thumbnailed pictures, its so damn slow... XP does this in a breeze, even on the crappiest pc. Whats holding back my Mac??? 

Solution?

Third problem...

My Airport Extreme sometimes loses its signal! And isnt too far from my cisco high powered aironet 1200 access point.

My God, I can even go outside my backyard with my dell laptop with an excellent signal, while this Imac is at 50% signal reception and sometimes failing!! This is annoying while I am doing something on the net!

Solution?


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## fryke (Sep 28, 2003)

1.) Activate Windows File Sharing on the iMac. It's in 'Sharing' in your Sysprefs.

2.) Are you using iPhoto? That's slow, yes. Use Graphics Converter (Shareware) or Adobe Photoshop (Payware).

3.) WiFi is sometimes strange. Try moving the access point by only a few inches, and it may be better. Same for the iMac...

4.) Stop asking for warez or you'll be banned.


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## chevy (Sep 28, 2003)

1) I also have problem for sharing wioth the PC (running XP). Didn't find a solution.

2) ACDSee is also available for Mac and does something like Graphic Converter.


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## OSX-Devlinite (Sep 28, 2003)

Ok fix the network problem!!!

Plan A.
This is how you do it.

First enable Windows File sharing, from Shared in System Prefereces.

Then Create a new adminstrator account on your XP, with username and PASSWORD.

Then from the apple taskbar for finder...

Click on the Go tab, then Connect to Server, then to whatever your PC workgroup is, (it should be there)... Then enter user name and pass, voila! Connected to your from Imac.

Or B.

If you want to connect from your PC to the Imac.

First create a new account from Users Account in Sys preferences on OSX by checking only Windows File sharing in the user account options, and make username and pass.

Then on your PC...

Go to My Network Places, then click on View Network computers from Sidebar tasks, then  Under the Other places category, click on Microsoft Windows Network, and your imac should be there.

Fryke, who said I was talking about warez?


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## OSX-Devlinite (Sep 28, 2003)

-2 times Safari crashed.

-3 times Iphoto Crashed!

-Once OSX was unresponsive and had to make a Hard reboot.

-And 1 time Superdrive wasnt opening even I continually  pressed the eject button... Or if I trashed the CD icon. Eventually it did open...

How is this more stable than XP? I never have these problems when I am doing normal tasks on my PC!

Unacceptable!

Oh and I did an extensive play of WC3, I had lower resolution settings to 800x600 to play a smooth game. 

I am disappointed....


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## baldprof (Sep 28, 2003)

At first I thought that this thread was legit. Since I own an iMac similar to the one purchased by OSX-Devlinite I regretted that i didn't have the time to help and encourage; but the rest of you have.

Yet something about the last few posts, especially the one above this bothers me. 

The poster shouldn't be having all those problems. Maybe he has a bad machine, and should return it. or maybe he is a troll. If not, then I apologize to him and this whole community.

But I use both OS X and Windows XP. I have found them similar in stability.


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## RacerX (Sep 28, 2003)

> _Originally posted by baldprof _
> *... or maybe he is a troll. *



This person has been coming to this forum (and other Mac forums) for years and has been banned here more times than any other person (quite the distinction if you ask me). He is a known troll and has bad mouthed Macs and Mac users to degrees unparalleled by any one I've seen.

I don't know what is possessing Ed, fryke and the others to let this continue, but it is their choice. They know better, so it'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

The best suggestion is to sit back and watch the show. Grab some popcorn (heavy on the salt  ) and take it for the fiction that it is.


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## Ricky (Sep 28, 2003)

> _Originally posted by OSX-Devlinite _
> *Third problem...
> 
> My Airport Extreme sometimes loses its signal! And isnt too far from my cisco high powered aironet 1200 access point.
> ...


Check the actual signal strength using Konfabulator and my Widget (download Konfabulator first).  This should help you out with a more accurate reading of the signal strength...  It might help to move the display around as the AirPort antennae are located in it.


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## tsizKEIK (Sep 28, 2003)

> _Originally posted by OSX-Devlinite _
> *
> Solution? *



you can call apple and ask them anythin.

you can ask for help in the RIGHT forums in this site... eg. Mac OS X System & Misc. Software   or... Mac OS X Networking & Compatibility  etc...


or if none of these work. u can just leave (sorry if i sound hostile.. dont actually mean to)


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## edX (Sep 28, 2003)

devlin - try repairing your permissions with disk utility. you should probably do this regularly as long as you are installing new software. also pick up 'maintain your mac' at versiontracker. it'll also help you correct newbie messups and adjust a few extra settings.  

as for game frame rate, we've always conceded that games are more suited for the pc.


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## fryke (Sep 28, 2003)

Safari crashes: Happen sometimes. If you want less browser crashes, try using less windows/tabs at the same time, try finding out whether it's on 'special' sites (i.e. can you repeat the bug) and send a bug report to Apple.

SuperDrive: Was it empty when you tried the eject button? Was the volume (the CD or DVD) active at the time you wanted to eject it?

But tsizKEIK is right, post these questions to the right forum.


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## OSX-Devlinite (Sep 28, 2003)

Thank you for your responses...I appreciate it.

First, thank you Ricky for directing me to this real cool app... Reminds me of Desktop X by Stardock for PC.

I used your neat airport mini bar... My signal is at 68%. The best I got till now is 70%, at intensive usage times, it goes down to 50%. But today, it has not failed... So I am being optimistic and hoping for the best.

I did the permissions repair and downloaded Maintain your mac and did a clean up...

The CD was inactive while I pressed the eject button.

Btw, I made my first Imovie today! It's as easy as the windows movie maker, but I am really amazed on the compression that quicktime uses. Made my movie SO small in size. It is amazing... I meddled with Idvd too, but didn't get the hang of it yet. Looks a little more complicated, but I will manage.


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## Arden (Sep 29, 2003)

> _Originally posted by RacerX _
> *This person has been coming to this forum (and other Mac forums) for years and has been banned here more times than any other person (quite the distinction if you ask me). He is a known troll and has bad mouthed Macs and Mac users to degrees unparalleled by any one I've seen.
> 
> I don't know what is possessing Ed, fryke and the others to let this continue, but it is their choice. They know better, so it'll be interesting to see how this plays out.
> ...


 I think Ed's being lenient on Devlin right now since he just bought a Mac for once in his life, and he's actually finding ways it's better than his warehouse of PC's.  He was banned as Devlinite and, I guess, MacDevlin, so I think he's trying to play it safe now.


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## Giaguara (Sep 29, 2003)

> _Originally posted by OSX-Devlinite _
> *I probably will never use Ichat, cause I need a .mac account (must pay for it) or AIM which I dont use. I'm a MSN guy. *



you can register a .mac account trial for 650 days. after that you can still use it in ichat, not as mail if you don't pay.


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## Giaguara (Sep 29, 2003)

Use diskwarrior, or other means to repair permissions. 
If troubles continue, call Apple. And tell what they answer.
Now, good nights or morning, guys.


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## bobw (Sep 29, 2003)

A .mac.com trial account for almost two years 650 days) for free? Not even close 

The free 60-day .Mac trial account includes limited versions of many of the key features of a .Mac paid membership:              

HomePage for hosting web sites and publishing web pages and photo albums from iPhoto               
A .Mac Mail account with 5MB of storage (vs. 15MB for full membership)               
Trial version of Apple's new Backup software to back up files to iDisk (backup to CD or DVD requires full membership)               
20MB of iDisk storage (vs. 100MB with full membership)               
iDisk Utility software to set read/write access to and password protect the iDisk Public Folder (great for group sharing of files)               
Web-based access to email , your address book, and favorite bookmarks               
.Mac Slides Publisher for turning your photos into slideshow screensavers               
Additional .Mac-only functionality for Apple's iCal and iSync software               
Instant messaging with .Mac account name and iChat


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## Giaguara (Sep 30, 2003)

Sorry, I meant 60 days. Posting in a hurry, and i'm dylsexic, so ... even if you don't pay yyour .mac memebership, it remains for your free use as ichat (only) account. Thanx for noticing my typo bobw.


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