We're thinking about buying our first Mac... should we take the plunge?

[Luv2Scrap]

We're looking at the 24 inch iMac for $1499. We are looking for something that won't seem outdated the minute we get it home, as our lower end HP's have. We'd just get a more expensive HP but that doesn't seem to be any better, according to our friends. It seems like our computers are constantly freezing up, even when they're new. I'm VERY sick of that!!!!

We just came from Best Buy, and we fell in love with the 24 inch iMac. I am taking a Photoshop class right now and I am loving every minute of that, so I want the bigger/better screen and the 4gb ram, so we know the 24 inch is a better choice than the 20 inch.

I am looking for some feedback on the reliability of the macs. Are they really better than the "other brands"? And if so, do they stay better for longer? (as in, not outdated right away...)

 

[natenapril]

We just took the plunge a few months ago and bought the 24" IMAC. We had previously owned HPs and after failing a test (online class) becuase my HP laptop that was only 8 months old crashed.
It is a little different but If I can learn it quickly so can you! I know that we will be loyal Mac fans for quite awhile and are already planning on our next Apple purchase (laptop for traveling/school).

 

[mickeyboat]

We love our Mac.

It's so easy a caveman (I mean my DH) can do it!

 

[Luv2Scrap]

We just took the plunge a few months ago and bought the 24" IMAC. We had previously owned HPs and after failing a test (online class) becuase my HP laptop that was only 8 months old crashed.
It is a little different but If I can learn it quickly so can you! I know that we will be loyal Mac fans for quite awhile and are already planning on our next Apple purchase (laptop for traveling/school).

Funny you should mention that... I have an online class that has a test at the end, and... you guessed it - I only get one shot to log on for the test. I decided I would have to take the test at the school, because they just bought all new computers last month. well guess what - last night in my Photoshop class, their brand new, one month old computer, crashed over and over again!

 

[rwdavis2]

It seems like our computers are constantly freezing up, even when they're new. I'm VERY sick of that!!!!

...

I am looking for some feedback on the reliability of the macs. Are they really better than the "other brands"? And if so, do they stay better for longer? (as in, not outdated right away...)

A couple things. PCs freezing could have a lot to do with spyware, viruses, and other "malware". Do you have a firewall and virus scanning software? New PCs do not just freeze up without a reason.

Macs are now build on the same PC hardware as a windows PC. The difference is that you would be running Mac operating system instead of Windows. Macs do sometimes have a problem as all complex machines. You should do some google searches on Mac reliability and reviews.

Good luck,
BD

 

[DWGal210]

Go for it, you will not regret it. I have been a loyal Mac owner for as long as I have been buying computers and have never gone back. I use a PC at work and it just about kills me, with all its problems.

They do cost more up front, but in my eyes, it's worth it; they last longer, the components are better quality, and you can't beat working with the folks at Apple if you do have any issues. They are also on the cutting edge of technology which I like.

And you'll never have to buy virus software again - that is a MAJOR plus to me!!

 

[DisneyBlonde]

I've been working with PCs for 20 years and I got a Mac last fall. No regrets.

 

[Miller1412]

I Love mine! I bought a MacBook Pro 4 years ago and it's still going strong. My DH ditched our PC and bought a MAC. We will never go back.

 

[diznygirl]

Get the Mac.

 

[KristinBelle]

I have an eMac it's never given me any problems. I also has an ibook G4 but that only lasted 2 years.

Unfortunately, we're now looking to go back to a PC because the Macs are just too expensive. If you can afford it go for it, I just can't justify the cost for myself.

 

[RadioNate]

I love mine. We have had a few problems over the years. Our old iMac died a few months ago. It was only about 3.5 years old. It's problem IS fixable but we decided not too. I had a newer Mac and we had an old PC that DS could use.

DH has had nothing but issues with his HP laptop. We've had to do complete reinstalls at least 2x. My friends high end (several thousand $) HP has crashed 2x. They have spend hundreds trying to fix it. I think it is HP!

My DS uses a cheap eMachine that is ok. It has next to no RAM so that creates some problems but for Club Penguin and Lego World or whatever, it is ok. The machine was less than $300 with a printer so it has been worth the price. We've had to do one restore on it.

My dell before that needed at least 2 complete wipes and restores but it was a decent machine that lasted nearly 4 years.

I've had this Mac a year and it has been fine. One small issue that they fixed for free. Otherwise, it has been great.

 

[Golf4food]

You don't have to get a 24" to have 4 GB RAM. You can upgrade the RAM on a 20" just as easily. Changing RAM on an iMac is so easy a baby caveman could do it - you unscrew one small screw on the bottom, remove the plate, pull out the old RAM, push in the new RAM, screw the plate back on, and start it up. Done. I get my RAM from www.crucial.com - they will check your machine and tell you exactly what type of RAM you need. 4 GB pack for the newest iMac's is around $70 (vs. paying a few hundred if you buy from Apple!!!!!)

Do be aware that not all programs run on Mac directly and you may need something like VMWare Fushion to run Win XP in parallel to use certain programs. A little extra up-front cost, but nice to have. There are a few things I need to run on XP, but not much. (DO make sure you install Virus/Spyware, etc. on the XP side if you do buy it - it will run just like any other XP machine that is easily infected and crashes.)

I love our iMac and much prefer it to PCs now. Still use both (Win at work) and don't mind Windows - you know, once you get past the reliability issues, constant threat of malicious attack from viruses, etc.

 

[Luv2Scrap]

You don't have to get a 24" to have 4 GB RAM. You can upgrade the RAM on a 20" just as easily. Changing RAM on an iMac is so easy a baby caveman could do it - you unscrew one small screw on the bottom, remove the plate, pull out the old RAM, push in the new RAM, screw the plate back on, and start it up. Done. I get my RAM from www.crucial.com - they will check your machine and tell you exactly what type of RAM you need. 4 GB pack for the newest iMac's is around $70 (vs. paying a few hundred if you buy from Apple!!!!!)

Yeah, the sales person at Best Buy showed us how we could do that today, but when comparing the monitors side by side, he showed us how much better the quality is. I will be using Photoshop a lot, so combining the better quality with the bigger size, I do think we want the bigger monitor. (or maybe we're just being spoiled...? )

I just checked the Apple website and found out that we get a $100 discount because of the school we go to, plus a free ipod touch with the mac purchase! I think that makes it an even sweeter deal!

 

[whjoyjr]

from one design flaw or another. Improper cooling (Sony), defective power board (Compaq), failed florescent backlight (Dell).

I bought an Apple Mac iBook 4 years ago. Still going strong, and still on the out-of-the-box OS load.

The post was generated on a 9 month old MacBook Pro.

Go for it and do not look back...

 

[Melmac]

We're looking at the 24 inch iMac for $1499. We are looking for something that won't seem outdated the minute we get it home, as our lower end HP's have. We'd just get a more expensive HP but that doesn't seem to be any better, according to our friends. It seems like our computers are constantly freezing up, even when they're new. I'm VERY sick of that!!!!

We just came from Best Buy, and we fell in love with the 24 inch iMac. I am taking a Photoshop class right now and I am loving every minute of that, so I want the bigger/better screen and the 4gb ram, so we know the 24 inch is a better choice than the 20 inch.

I am looking for some feedback on the reliability of the macs. Are they really better than the "other brands"? And if so, do they stay better for longer? (as in, not outdated right away...)

I own an HP at home and use a Dell PC and a Mac at work.

I think that you will hear horror stories from any computer owner, whether they be PC or Mac. I do like the Macs - they take a bit to get used to but are great when you have the OS worked out. The reliability of the iMac vs. my Dell PC and HP laptop have been the same - all are two years old, no problems with any. However, my boss's MacBook needed two battery and a video card replacement (less than 1 year old). It was cheaper to get a "better" PC than the Mac - i.e. faster processor, more RAM, bigger hard drive so technically, my PC was not outdated as fast as the Mac.

However, for the photo processing and graphing programs I need for work, I like the Mac better. The graphics department at work only use Macs. Some of the software that I use I cannot get for Windows so having the Mac is great. As another poster suggested, get the software to run parallel Windows for the software that you can't get a Mac version for (or is cheaper to buy the Windows version).

Good luck with your decision!

 

[Luv2Scrap]

Hey, OP here...I'm typing this on my brand new 24 inch iMac!

Turns out Best Buy honors Apple's student discounts, so I was able to get $100 off, plus the free ipod touch (will sell that on Ebay to help offset the cost ), and a $15 gift card with the "purchase" of the ipod touch! WOO-HOO!

 

[DisneyBlonde]

Hey, OP here...I'm typing this on my brand new 24 inch iMac!

I have the 24 inch, Yer gonna love it!