[g_man]

I have to say, even with all the gripping about the updates, I am very excited to get my new 1ghz iMac. I ordered it yesterday, and am waiting patiently. And, by the looks of it, its a great machine to replace my Pentium 3 (800mhz).

I just thought it would be nice to start a thread dedicated to those who ordered a new iMac, so we can all enjoy the anticipation together. It got very depressing reading all of the negative posts. This thread is only for "happy, excited" people who want to enjoy the Apple experience.

[Viv Savage]

Have you ordered any extra DDR ram for it? The Apple site doesnt say what exactly is needed to fill up the user slot. The online ram dealers say 184 pin SO DIMM or a 200 pin SO DIMM.

[residentEvil]

ordered 'as is' middle iMac this morning (feb 05) as well (the $1799). no upgrades, no addtional anything.

kept the free shipping.

awaiting patiently.

[Superchicken]

I shake my fist at you lucky lucky people.

[newmanium]

congrats you guys, i was planning to get a PB 12" but opted for a 1ghz imac for the same price. hope to hear nothing but good news

[residentEvil]

as signature points out, i have QS 867 and Ti 800. my work machine died (w2k setup) so i took my QS to work. needed a new home computer and thought the iMac was the best bet. yeah, i could use the Ti 800 at home, and do, but for somethings, I just like doing on a desktop instead of laptop.

i guess i'm weird.

[mysterio]

I can positively say (no pun intended) that the new 17inch 1Ghz Imac is a stellar machine. I'm currently writing this message from one (I'm a recent switcher who bought it the day it came out). There is so much more to do and my experience with it vs. the 700mhz last generation imac is much much better. It's a machine you won't regret.

[g_man]

mysterio-

How did you get it so soon? I bought mine the morning they came out from Mac Warehouse (no tax saves quite a lot). However, it still is considered backordered.

Anyone else buy from a mail order company (MacMall, Mac Zone etc.)? And if so, when do they plan to ship yours?

[garetjax]

mysterio,
how much snappier is your 1Ghz compared to your 700Mhz? Window resizing, itunes framerates? 3D games?

[residentEvil]

it is on the fedex ground truck this morning for delivery

my iMac that is, just so the thread is still on topic. not talking about some sex toy or anything. on second though?

[mysterio]

I went straight to the Apple Store Feb 4th . I haven't used any heavy taxing apps but games seem to handle higher resolutions much easier and the 7,200 rpm hd and/or 1 ghz proc. seems to make programs launch quicker. Of course I'm only on 256mb of ram at the moment (I'm upgrading to 768 in about a week). To sum it up, coming from a 700mhz imac I exepected less and got more

[zorn]

I ordered a custom config 1 Gig 17" model: (1) 512 MB RAM Chip, Airport, Bluetooth and it's suppost to be shipped by Apple on or before 2/13. Very excited

[residentEvil]

it has arrived

ordered at 4pm on 2/5. stock $1799 model. free shipping.

got it at 1:40pm, hot off the fedex ground truck.

course, still two hours before i can take it home and play with it (had it delieverd to my work address).

[murbot]

Originally posted by Viv Savage:
Have you ordered any extra DDR ram for it? The Apple site doesnt say what exactly is needed to fill up the user slot. The online ram dealers say 184 pin SO DIMM or a 200 pin SO DIMM.

The empty RAM slot takes a 144 pin SO-DIMM. Same RAM as the 12.1" PowerBook takes (PC2100).


ERRRR WRONG.

See below.

[Viv Savage]

I hope your wrong, murbot! I just ordered a 512 200pin PC2100. I did a search on Ramseeker, and it appears that it uses the same SO DIMM as a "12 PowerBook, which appears to be a 200pin SO DIMM. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

[residentEvil]

page 20 of the user guide on the new iMac says the following:

if your iMac has a 15" display, you need a pc-133-compliant SO-DIMM SDRAM module

if your iMac has a 17" display, you need a pc-2100-compliant so-dimm DDR module

sorry, no pin size given.

[Viv Savage]

Originally posted by residentEvil:
page 20 of the user guide on the new iMac says the following:

if your iMac has a 15" display, you need a pc-133-compliant SO-DIMM SDRAM module

if your iMac has a 17" display, you need a pc-2100-compliant so-dimm DDR module

sorry, no pin size given.

That's all I could find from Apple, too. I guess it would be safe just to buy their ram.

[murbot]

Sorry!

The 144 pin SO-DIMM is for the 15" model (PC133).

The 1GHz model takes PC2100 DDR SDRAM, and it is a 200 pin SODIMM.

200-pin SODIMM

That of course is for the RAM slot that you can access - the internal one takes a 184-pin DIMM.

I'm really sorry if I freaked you a bit there Savage... my fault.

[Viv Savage]

No problem, murbot. I think the color has returned to my face.

[Lebodde]

I am puzzled by one thing: What is the advantage (if any) of ordering through the Apple Store if you are not doing a BTO?

I ordered mine from MacWarehouse this morning and got an extra 512MB of ram plus a free Epson printer and no sales tax. Only charges on top of the $1795 price were $40 for ram installation and $43 for FedexGround. (The ram chip and printer are reimbursed through a mail rebate). So it seems that for less than the Apple store price you can get a 768MB machine and a free printer.

Am I missing something?

[residentEvil]

when will you get it? last i checked, no online stores, besides apple, has them yet when i ordered on the 5th.

i ordered on the 5th, got it on the 7th, from apple...and i used the free shipping option. while i may have paid sales tax, i got before most online stores even had them in stock. and for me, it will be a tax write off for 2003's taxes anyway, so the sales tax makes no matter to me (in the long run).

another good point is if you have any issues with it, you will have to return it/call apple for help. macmall/macconnection can't help you, so why buy from a middle man? (same with a few other manufactures too, not unique to apple).

and personal preference? i avoided another hand opening it, playing with it and possible wrecking it/smudging it/etc. those online stores get the product just like we would from apple or apple store. however, for the free ram, they open the box, et al. i know, its a simple thing to remove 4 screws and place a chip in. however, you honostly think they handle with 'white gloves' like we would when we get it? don't kid yourself. the less hands that touch it before i get it, the better.

again, personal reasons. have i ordered things from macmall, etc before? all the time. but i limit those purchases to products they would never need to open or touch. like monitors, software, cables, etc...but never a new system.

[Viv Savage]

Originally posted by Lebodde:
I am puzzled by one thing: What is the advantage (if any) of ordering through the Apple Store if you are not doing a BTO?

I ordered mine from MacWarehouse this morning and got an extra 512MB of ram plus a free Epson printer and no sales tax. Only charges on top of the $1795 price were $40 for ram installation and $43 for FedexGround. (The ram chip and printer are reimbursed through a mail rebate). So it seems that for less than the Apple store price you can get a 768MB machine and a free printer.

Am I missing something?

I'm not sure what the advantage would be if you're not doing a BTO. I've never ordered hardware from the Apple Store.

The only disadvantages of ordering the way you did (which seems like a pretty good deal, BTW) is that you have to deal with the rebate process. I've find the rebate process very slow and sometimes problematic in the past. Your mileage may vary.

Personally, I've bought my last 3 macs through a local Apple reseller. That way I'm supporting a local business, and an Apple store that is in a relatively small market. They've always treated me well. Plus, if I ever have a problem, they're within a 15 minute drive from my house.

[Buck58]

I bought mine from ClubMac. Free 512MB. Should be here in a few days. Very excited to be upgrading from my old G3 iMac SE. I've been plugging away on it for just over three years now!

[Lebodde]

Viv, ResidentEvil,

You guys bring up good points. I guess there are good points for ordering through most of these channels.

It really boils down to personal preference. I did think about the "no one has toucehd it before I got it" issue but I figured that since they are so new and those places are shipping them out as fast as they can, I don't think they have time to do much screwing around with it.

Macwarehouse say they are in stock. The guys I dealt with seems very knowledgeable and pleasant so I trust him. But the ram wont come in until Monday. We'll see.

[pliny]

Originally posted by Buck58:
I bought mine from ClubMac. Free 512MB. Should be here in a few days. Very excited to be upgrading from my old G3 iMac SE. I've been plugging away on it for just over three years now!

Hey, do some comparisons between the two when you get it and have time, eh? This would be interesting.

These new 1ghz iMacs seem like really good machines.

[datathi3f]

I picked up the new iMac for a few reasons...

I figured, what more could be updated in the NEXT iMac that will come after this one? 19" LCD? 22" LCD? 512MB RAM standard? FW800? 120GB HD? all for the same $1799 -- all of which wouldn't bother me too much to loose out on... so I felt NOW is the time to upgrade from my 450mhz DV+

so then I went to MircoWarehouse!
which purchase of the new iMac, I got:

FREE* 512MB RAM
FREE** Epson Stylus C42ux Printer
FREE*** USB Floppy Drive

(*sure, the $39.99 "installation fee" is BS, but it's still cheaper than paying $129 at Ramjet)

(**sure, it's after waiting 6-8 weeks for two rebates, but I'm patient when it comes to getting stuff for FREE)

(***sure, it's pointless... but my father needs one for his iMac rev.A that he still peeters with, so why not)

and yeah, I had to pay for shipping, but it was only $27.29 so to "justify it" so to speak, I just added that cost to the price of the RAM installation, and figured the 512MB RAM cost me $68, which is still cheaper than buying it anywhere else. (like RamJet)

oh, and the price was $1794.95, which is $5 less than most sellers, and I also got an AirPort Extreme card for $95.95 which is $4 less than most... so all in all I think I got one hell of a deal!

[Simon]

Originally posted by datathi3f:
I picked up the new iMac...

Congratulations! Have fun.

I figured, what more could be updated in the NEXT iMac that will come after this one? 19" LCD? 22" LCD? 512MB RAM standard? FW800? 120GB HD? all for the same $1799 -- all of which wouldn't bother me too much to loose out on...

I think that's a very valid argument. At the moment the iMac seems to be a great buy. It has everything that you really need (FW800 is almost useless at the moment and L3 won't come until the PowerMacs leave the G4 behind) and it is affordable. If I would be an iMac buyer, I'd buy now. I think it's really a great machine.

[iChristopher]

Have you ever considered trying to hack your new 1 GHz iMac to do monitor spanning?

http://www.rutemoeller.com/mp/ibook/ibook_e.html

Please use the information there at your own risk! However, if you try and succeed - please let us know!!!!!!

[g_man]

Boy, sooner than I thought, but according to the Mac Warehouse website my 1ghz iMac is shipping, even with the 512 MB of RAM installed. As everyone else has commented, I got a great deal, too. I decided to get the free RAM, and decided to get the Epson C82, instead of the free printer. As it turned out, there is a $50 rebate on the C82. So I'm saving on tax, RAM and on the printer. Looks like a little patience saved quite a bit even though I'm not usually one to wait. (just a little longer...)

[zorn]

My own BTO is still "open" from Apple. The ship date still remains "on or before 2/13". So anxious!!

[rafaelperini]

Originally posted by residentEvil:
page 20 of the user guide on the new iMac says the following:

if your iMac has a 15" display, you need a pc-133-compliant SO-DIMM SDRAM module

if your iMac has a 17" display, you need a pc-2100-compliant so-dimm DDR module

sorry, no pin size given.

Do you guys know if this memory would fit into the new iBook (800Mhz)?

I just ordered a 1Ghz iMac and I plan to buy extra 512 for both iBook and iMac... but I will have to buy one at the time.. and maybe use it in both before deciding to buy the second memory.

[Lebodde]

Originally posted by g_man:
Boy, sooner than I thought, but according to the Mac Warehouse website my 1ghz iMac is shipping, even with the 512 MB of RAM installed. As everyone else has commented, I got a great deal, too. I decided to get the free RAM, and decided to get the Epson C82, instead of the free printer. As it turned out, there is a $50 rebate on the C82. So I'm saving on tax, RAM and on the printer. Looks like a little patience saved quite a bit even though I'm not usually one to wait. (just a little longer...)

Congrats g_man. I also got an email from Macwarehouse yesterday saying that my iMac had shipped on Monday with the full 768MB ram. This is quite a fast turnaround.

Good on you to upgrade for a C82. I asked if they had an upgrade path for it but the guy said no. I didn't think about simply asking what the current rebates on the C82 were...

[g_man]

According to FedEx, my iMac will be arriving on Friday!

Here's a little background (incase anyone cares):
I've been a designer, since college, and was given a PC while majoring in design. At the time, it was fine (this is way back when they were at 25mhz) My Step-dad got it for me since he was a PC fanatic. Since then, I've used PCs for some of my design work, while having to use the school Mac lab for the real stuff. Well, the thing is once you start down a particular road, and you have no money, you're basically stuck with what you got. So unfortunately I went down the PC road, even though all the computers I used at work were Macs. The thing was, that upgrading them was cheap (especially when going to those computer shows). However, the crap from those shows and mostly all PC stuff never work together. And after spending more time with my PC not working and all taken apart, than it actually working, I finally got myself one the original white dual usb iBooks. This was truly a blessing. I no longer had to touch my PC, no longer had to deal with incompatibility, blue screens, and my favorite... reinstalling Windows for 1000th time! The only problem was that my wife still used it for finances. It didn't take long for my wife to see the difference and... well, now my wife is hating the PC. I've come to the conclusion that the PC is possessed. Ever since I put the order in for the iMac, the PC has been acting up even more. The PC knows it is on the way out!

Anyway, for all you husbands out there, that spend more time trying to fix your PC, kicking it across the room, and getting in a bad mood because of it, seriously consider switching over. Your wife and kids will thank you for it.

[Centris650]

Boy I've enjoyed this thread! Hope everyone enjoys their new iMac. I'll either be buying an iMac or 1ghz powermac SOON. I just can't decide! The main reasons I like the pmac is #1) that I can easily and cheaply add hard drives and #2 comes with quickbooks pro. I really like the iMacs looks and not having to spend money on a monitor. (My wife BTW is pulling for the imac.)

Talk to me people. Convince me. Hopefully in the next week or so I'll be posting my own "Just Ordered" story!


EDIT: BTW it'll be used for graphics (freehand MX, photoshop) some web building (amature as it is), running VPC for my wife's Accounting Practice (She's a CPA and works for herself) and doing A LOT of home movies in iMovie and using iDVD. Any iDeas?

[Simon]

Originally posted by Centris650:
I'll either be buying an iMac or 1ghz powermac SOON. I just can't decide! The main reasons I like the pmac is #1) that I can easily and cheaply add hard drives and #2 comes with quickbooks pro. I really like the iMacs looks and not having to spend money on a monitor. (My wife BTW is pulling for the imac.)

Well, with this choice I'd say go for the iMac. I think the PowerMac really is only a good deal when you get a dual machine.

Some time ago I bought a dual also because of the hard drive thing. It's nice, but there are indeed cheap and nice FireWire cases for that. Today I would get an 1GHz 17" iMac. And with the saved cash I'd get an iBook.

But the iMac is so silent and in its newest incarnation it's just such a swell deal. The PowerMac won't give you a large benenfit over the iMac in terms of power. But the iMac is a perfect home machine - enough power for normal stuff (the things you mention don't sound like they're going to demand a dual PowerMac anyhow) and silent. It's beatiful and it's compact. It was made for homes. I'd get it if I were in your shoes even if I had to get a FireWire case for the drive. Have fun an good luck!

[g_man]

Centris650,

It sounds like you and I are on the same page (as far as what the computer will be used for.) I'm a designer and my wife does accounting. I ended up going to the Apple Store and threw some different tasks at the 1 ghz iMac, and it did a great job. For what I do, I use PhotoShop, Illustrator and Quark. For me the big plus of the iMac, is the size of the thing. Right now, I have a 19inch monitor that takes up half of my desk space. Obviously, the only draw back to the iMac is the upgradability. This doesn't bother me though; because you can buy external hard drives etc. Thinking about what I need it for, I can't think of anything else I would upgrade. Anyway, that is my 2cents.

>>Also, when your PC friends come over, they'll be jealous... deep down inside they all want one!

[Centris650]

Originally posted by Simon:
And with the saved cash I'd get an iBook.

That's an idea! My iBook SE (FW), though it's only 2 years old, is a sloth. (Plus iMovie 3 doesn't work on it. I could use another iBook. (Yeah, like my wife, the penny pincher, would let me do that! )

Originally posted by g_man:
Centris650,

It sounds like you and I are on the same page (as far as what the computer will be used for.) I'm a designer and my wife does accounting. I ended up going to the Apple Store and threw some different tasks at the 1 ghz iMac, and it did a great job. For what I do, I use PhotoShop, Illustrator and Quark. For me the big plus of the iMac, is the size of the thing. Right now, I have a 19inch monitor that takes up half of my desk space. Obviously, the only draw back to the iMac is the upgradability. This doesn't bother me though; because you can buy external hard drives etc. Thinking about what I need it for, I can't think of anything else I would upgrade. Anyway, that is my 2cents.

>>Also, when your PC friends come over, they'll be jealous... deep down inside they all want one!

Have you done a lot of designing on the iMac? How does it handle Photoshop and multiple opened programs? How were the colors on the LCD? I guess you all have just about swayed me. Now I just need to find a large and fast HD. Any suggestions anyone?

[scottiB]

Originally posted by rafaelperini:
Do you guys know if this memory would fit into the new iBook (800Mhz)?

I just ordered a 1Ghz iMac and I plan to buy extra 512 for both iBook and iMac... but I will have to buy one at the time.. and maybe use it in both before deciding to buy the second memory.

Sorry, the new iMac 17" takes DDR memory, and the iBook takes SDR.

[murbot]

Mine should be here by noon on Friday too... can't wait.

I had a 15" SuperDrive PowerBook before MWSF, when they were selling for $4799 CDN. I knew those were being updated, so I sold it (broke even on it).

Now I'll have a 17" 1 GHz iMac and a 12.1" 800 MHz iBook. Much better setup for the same price if you ask me.

[snowball]

Got my imac (17" 1Ghz) yesterday. I love how easy macs are to set up. 15 minutes later I am online, and editing video from my superbowl party. Just took 4 days for delivery from Macmall! Beatiful machine.

[zorn]

Originally posted by zorn:
I ordered a custom config 1 Gig 17" model: (1) 512 MB RAM Chip, Airport, Bluetooth and it's suppost to be shipped by Apple on or before 2/13. Very excited

AHH!!!

My BTO 17-inch iMac, which was suppose to ship today (2/13) now is scheduled "On or before 02/28/2003"

I hope they mean the before part!

EDIT: More info now on my blog: See
Frustration

[cnarayan]

I was to order a BTO Powerbook as follows:
Summary
� 1GHz PowerPC G4
� 1GB DDR SDRAM - 2 DIMMs
� 60GB Ultra ATA drive
� SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
� AirPort Extreme Card
� Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
� .Mac Promotional Bundle
� 17-inch TFT XGA Display
PRICE: $3,668.00

INSTEAD I got the BTO iMac as follows:
Summary
� 1GB DDR266 - 2 DIMMs
� AirPort Extreme Card
� Bluetooth Module
� iPod - 20GB (Mac)
� AirPort Extreme Base Station (with modem and antenna port)
� .Mac Promotional Bundle
� Keyboard/Mac OS X - U.S. English
� APP for iMac/eMac - Enrollment Kit
� 17-inch widescreen LCD flat
� 1GHz PowerPC G4
� 80GB Ultra ATA drive
� 4x SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
� NVIDIA GeForce4 MX
w/ 64MB video memory
� Apple Keyboard
� Apple Pro Mouse
� Apple Pro Speakers
PRICE: $3,335

I am getting the iPod, Airport Extreme BaseStation, APP in addition to the iMac for $330 less than the powerbook. So instead of taking my powerbook to the neighbourhood coffee shop, I will be taking my way cooler iPod !!

I am a switcher and I have saved up for this moment for the last 2 years !!

My iMac is scheduled to ship tomorrow, but based on the last post, looks like it might be delayed.

But it is OK

[zorn]

Originally posted by cnarayan:
I am a switcher and I have saved up for this moment for the last 2 years !!

My iMac is scheduled to ship tomorrow, but based on the last post, looks like it might be delayed.

But it is OK

Cool. That's a nice set of toys you have comming in. Best of luck.

If it is delayed, post your new date. I'm curious. Furthermore, if they delay it, you can call and complain .. they gave me free 2 day shipping ( i was paying for this before) and offered blank DVDs and such.

[cnarayan]

My iMac is now scheduled to ship on or before March 3rd, I was expecting it to ship today. This really burns me. I have to call and see if they sweeten the deal somehow.

[PTCooki]

I just purchased a new 1ghz imac to replace my power mac 450. It's a beautiful machine. I added an extra 256 mb of ram. I purchased it from the local Apple store. I got really good service. All I need to do now is buy a keyboard cover to cover these white keys.

[Cory Bauer]

Originally posted by Lebodde:
I am puzzled by one thing: What is the advantage (if any) of ordering through the Apple Store if you are not doing a BTO?

I ordered mine from MacWarehouse this morning and got an extra 512MB of ram plus a free Epson printer and no sales tax. Only charges on top of the $1795 price were $40 for ram installation and $43 for FedexGround. (The ram chip and printer are reimbursed through a mail rebate). So it seems that for less than the Apple store price you can get a 768MB machine and a free printer.

Am I missing something?

Getting back to why order from Apple, here's a couple reasons to go straight from Apple, or at least refuse the *free* stuff you get from Macmall and their ilk:

- The *free* memory these places give has been known to cause stability problems in computers; if you're the lucky winner of crappy ram, your $40 installation fee will have gone to waste as your RAM sits in the cupboard collecting dust and you go to Crucial and order some decent stuff. This isn't always the case, but it happens all too often.

- The printers they give for free are generally junk. I believe they are getting better, but remember a year or two ago when they (including Apple) were giving away Lexmark Z32's? Ugh. I pity the poor people who struggled for weeks trying to get this thing to work, or put up with it's incredibly slow printing speeds.

- I saw that Macmall is giving away a free USB floppy drive now. *Does Double-take* Wha?! What purpose wil this serve other than to confuse the newbie buyer and have one more USB perhipheral sitting on the desk taking up a USB port and causing system problems. Do you all remember when the original iMac came out, and Macmall was including a free "Superdrive" (floppy and superdrive disk in on fat ugly drive, not the superdrive as we know it today); Oh, I can still remember the tears I cried as the owners of their new iMacs screamed and swore because their iMac would freeze every time they tried to save something to a floppy disk with this P.O.S. drive.

Obviously the more informed folks, like those at this board, would know enough stop using a Printer that sucked big time, and would stop trying to use some free perhipheral if it locked up their computer everytime they tried to use it, but for the average Joe-consumer, this cheap junk that the Apple resellers have been including for years does more harm than good.

Anyway, y'all enjoy your new 1Ghz iMac's. I helped a friend pick one up and install all her software the other day, and as it sat there on my desk next to my one year old 800Mhz 15" iMac, I seriously debated whether she would notice if I switched the two around...

"Isn't mine supposed to be a 17" screen?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. It is, but you have to measure the frame of the screen, not the screen itself..."

"Really?"

"Sure."

[Centris650]

Originally posted by Cory Bauer:
Getting back to why order from Apple, here's a couple reasons to go straight from Apple, or at least refuse the *free* stuff you get from Macmall and their ilk:

- The *free* memory these places give has been known to cause stability problems in computers; if you're the lucky winner of crappy ram, your $40 installation fee will have gone to waste as your RAM sits in the cupboard collecting dust and you go to Crucial and order some decent stuff. This isn't always the case, but it happens all too often.

- The printers they give for free are generally junk. I believe they are getting better, but remember a year or two ago when they (including Apple) were giving away Lexmark Z32's? Ugh. I pity the poor people who struggled for weeks trying to get this thing to work, or put up with it's incredibly slow printing speeds.

- I saw that Macmall is giving away a free USB floppy drive now. *Does Double-take* Wha?! What purpose wil this serve other than to confuse the newbie buyer and have one more USB perhipheral sitting on the desk taking up a USB port and causing system problems. Do you all remember when the original iMac came out, and Macmall was including a free "Superdrive" (floppy and superdrive disk in on fat ugly drive, not the superdrive as we know it today); Oh, I can still remember the tears I cried as the owners of their new iMacs screamed and swore because their iMac would freeze every time they tried to save something to a floppy disk with this P.O.S. drive.

Obviously the more informed folks, like those at this board, would know enough stop using a Printer that sucked big time, and would stop trying to use some free perhipheral if it locked up their computer everytime they tried to use it, but for the average Joe-consumer, this cheap junk that the Apple resellers have been including for years does more harm than good.

Anyway, y'all enjoy your new 1Ghz iMac's. I helped a friend pick one up and install all her software the other day, and as it sat there on my desk next to my one year old 800Mhz 15" iMac, I seriously debated whether she would notice if I switched the two around...

"Isn't mine supposed to be a 17" screen?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. It is, but you have to measure the frame of the screen, not the screen itself..."

"Really?"

"Sure."

First, I want to say this is not a flame. Second, I want to repeat, this is not a flame. Ok.

Your arguement is quite one sided and gives me no reason to purchase straight from Apple. I too have heard about people getting bad ram from Mac/Zone/warehouse/Mall. (Though I've bought 3 machines from mailorder outside of apple all with "free" ram and never had a problem...) But you have to admit, free stuff, no matter the quality (for the most part) has a great psychological advantage. Sure it's junk but it's FREE junk...after the rebate and shipping.

Give me reasons to purchase straight from apple. The only ones I can think of are...

1) Support Apple.

2) If you are an educator or student you can usually swing a good deal with them.

3) If you have an Apple Store near by you can buy a Mac that day, take it home and plug it up. Ahhh the rush of instant gratification.

I STILL haven't placed my order yet. (My wife, a CPA, just did our taxes and we'll probably owe $1000! That cuts into a mac purchase REAL quick like. Darn that Self Employment Tax.)

[Cory Bauer]

Your arguement is quite one sided and gives me no reason to purchase straight from Apple.[/B]

It doesn't bother me that someone wouldn't order straight from Apple. Going thru Macmall or another reseller is still cheaper because they don't charge tax and Apple does, but I just kind of feel sorry for the computer illiterate people who end up with Macmall's free junk and go through headache after headache struggling with their half-ass printer, or their crash-prone floppy drive, or their nasty RAM-related computer issues. That's all.

I guess it wasn't as much an argument for ordering from Apple as it was an anti-junk statement

Anyway, the three reasons you listed are the most realistic and biggest reasons for buying directly from Apple. The other reason being BTO options, of course.

[Centris650]

Originally posted by Cory Bauer:
The other reason being BTO options, of course.

Doh! Forgot that one! Personally I'll probably order from Apple because I can 1) get the teachers discount and 2) drive to Atlanta and pick it up! I considered Macmall but I really don't need the printer/floppy drive and the savings should cover the tax. Plus I can get it the same day! Woo Hoo. Now...just to pay off those taxes.

[Simon]

Could somebody with a new 1Ghz DDR iMac post some xBench scores? And can anybody here with a new 1GHz DDR iMac compare it to a dual G4 DDR PowerMac? I'd really appreciate some numbers or impressions.

I have a dual 867 DDR G4 that I am selling right now because the high-pitched whine from the power supply fans is driving me nuts. Originally I was planning on replacing it with a new dual 1.25Ghz PowerMac (new FW800 model) because they were supposedly more quiet and Apple claimed they had worked on the noise. Now, recently reports have surfaced the net that the new MDDs are not much more quiet than the previous models and that they would still be pretty loud. I can of course go and compare the machines at the store, hut hey, I bought my last MDD because it didn't sound that bad at the store - as soon as I came home, I realized that you can't test noise at a shop when your home is perfectly quiet.

If somebody here can convince me that I won't miss much CPU power when I buy the new iMac I'll get it and won't think back one second about noise.

I have a 17" Studio display so going from 1280x1024 to 1440x900 won't be a large difference. And I can hook my additional ATA HD to a external FW enclosure. That would all be very easy, but I'm just afraid that I'll really miss the second CPU and the L3 cache.

Can anybody here give me some insight?