[mbryda]

Originally posted by Anand:
Originally posted by meducus:
those 80 gigs start going fast. An 80 gig hard drive is not enough now adays. The iMac should have had a 120 GB hard drive and an ATA 133 controler.

Boy, and I get by on only a 60GB drive.

Actually, ATA/133 is overkill. Current drives don't even reach ATA/66 speeds (platter transfer is ~ 40MB/sec, far from 66 MB/Sec), and the iMac is not designed to be upgraded (like the towers), so ATA/133 is a waste.

[mbryda]

Originally posted by gwyn ap nudd:
went to an apple retailer today and asked about Dual Macs and the new IMAC; he says i shouldn't be considering 24hrs power on and internet on the IMAC, since the machine is not built for that intensive use, and something is bound to to fail sooner or later; then again, it's pretty obvious, isn't it ?

BS, plain and simple. I have one of the original 15" iMacs, bought in March, 2002. Been running pretty much 24x7 since then. The only time it has been turned off was when we went on vacation for 2 weeks (didn't want to take any chances). I've run Distributed.net client on it (which pegs the CPU @ 100%) for weeks at a time, and otherwise used this thinkg like crazy (a typical usage session for me has something like close to 300 threads running) for the past year. No troubles at all. I have noticed the HD is getting a tad noisier, but that's always the case with hard drives (and I have Applecare!).

The only thing I could see a problem with the iMac is the fan may go quicker. They are the parts of computers (besides CD-ROM's) that fail the most frequently (you just can't build a quality fan @ $1)

Actually, barring power issues, it's much better for computers to stay running. That way they are at a constant temperature, which is best. The heating/cooling cycles take their toll on the solder joints and hard drives.

By day I'm a network admin, and it's not uncommon for us to loose a hard drive after a power outage takes a server/drive array down. It's strange - as long as they are spinning they can go for YEARS without incident, but spin them down and you have problems.

[mbryda]

Originally posted by rotomas:
Hi Simon,

I am a newbie switcher, I have my iMac 1 GHz on the way and I can't wait to get my hands on this beautiful machine. I am a little confused about partitioning my disk. I am getting the stock 80 GB hard drive and I was wondering if you had any advice on how to go about doing this or any links that explain how to partition. I've read through this report: hard drive partitioning, but it doesn't really go into how exactely to do it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Think long and hard before you partition, as IIRC, the only way to change it is a wipe of the whole disk.

I've never been a fan of partitioning, as you usually fill up a partition first and then have room on the other partitions that you cannot use...

For example, say you have your 80 GB split up this way:
40 GB for movies
40 GB for the OS/apps.

Say you want to put a big movie (or multiple projects) on your computer for editing. It's 45 GB. Where does it go? You have plenty of free space (40 GB movies and a lot on the Apps partition). Yet you have to split it up among various drives. Whoops.

Same with Apps. Say, you fill up that 40GB with stuff and want to use the other space for apps. Oops, you can't without a reformat.

So, think long and hard about that. I've always been a fan of one huge partition. That way you are very flexibile with your storage allocations.

[Johnnyboysmac]

Heheh, Simon, I'm really pleased to hear that you are so impressed with your new Imac, now that you finally have it!

I've been trying to stay calm, and keeping my head clear of computers/macs etc, whilst waiting for the machines to arrive here so I can evaluate one - hopefully later this week!

I'm especially impressed re your comments as regards to the speed/snappiness of it. Great stuff.

Yeah, funny that Apple should release a 'fix' for the earlier G4 MDD's noise issue, I daresay the same 'mod' that they've made to the very latest release of the MDD's - but as you've noted more of an improvement than something that would give the sort of near total silence that one gets from an Imac.

Still, that at least goes some way to showing that Apple recognise there is an annoyance/problem with the towers, and is endeavouring to do something about it - which is a feather in their cap as far as I'm concerned, re listening to their customers.

I've noticed that the angle of view of the Imac screen is not as great as the 17" LCD studio display either; on specs, the 17" Studio display claimed a 160x160 angle of view, and I note the latest iteration is claiming 170x170. This versus the Imacs 120x90.

Also the contrast ratio for the 17" LCD display is 350:1, v's 300:1 for the Imac. Brightness is similar at 200cd/m2 for both.

Essentially, as I understand it, one of the limitations for critical colour work of an LCD dislay, is the angle of view, as the colour saturation and contrast levels change, as one's eyes move away from a straight ahead/right angle view of the screen.

Hence the greater angle of view of the standalone 17 incher, re it's intended market use, and naturally it's greater cost - as I understand it this is achieved by extra filtering and polarisation layers in the LCD panel.

Personally, from what I've seen so of them so far, I don't find this a limitation in the Imac, as the almost infinitely adjustable display, re it's viewing angle relative to ones sitting position, largely negates that shortfall in view/angle performance re the standalone display.

Also, if one is adopting an ergonomically correct, or at least near correct (!) posture, and I assume sitting, then as the vertical angle of the Imac is 90 degrees, but the horizontal is 120 degrees, I doubt that there would be a lot of difference in real world use, once everything was set up and adjusted correctly re placement etc, UNLESS one was doing a lot of colour critical work, in which case the standalone 17" would have an advantage.

Interestingly, the orginal 15" studio display, now discontinued, also had the same 120x90 angle of view as the Imac.

I'm guessing, but figure it's a matter of Apple marketing/pricing the display re specs etc, that most closely match the likely target users requirements, IMHO.

BTW, loved your mini review, and really appreciate it, and the time obviously taken to write it.

Hope to hear more from you, once the intial delight has worn off/honeymoon period has cooled off a little, and you settle more into the day to day stuff of using it.

Trying hard here to avoid going an intense shade of green,

Peace to All,

Johnboi...

[cnarayan]

My 17", 1GHz, 1GB iMac finally shipped. It think it was delayed as it was a custom BTO iMac. I ordered it Feb 3rd, they posponed the ship date to on-or-before March 3rd. They obviously meant the "before" !! Some of you waiting for your iMacs to ship should find this encouraging. I have attached the config I ordered. I should get it by the end of the week. I have learned a lot by reading the posts here. One thing I was wondering, some of you are re-installing OS X. I suppose it is because you are re-partitioning your hard drive ??

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

ps. I already have my iPod and I love it !!

[troymurray]

On Saturday (2/22/2003) I ordered myself an iMac from Amazon.com with the following configuration:

Summary
� 256MB DDR266 - 1 DIMM
� 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

I owned a iMac DV+ about two years ago for only 8 months then sold it. I've been keeping up on the latest developments, or trying to, and am still very interested in trying the Mac platform once again. I'm currently saving for a nice PowerBook (17" maybe, need to see it first) to replace my PC laptop. The iMac will be for *work*.

In buying it from Amazon they provided me a $100 certificate towards my next purchase (within 90 days) from them. I'm planning on picking up a digital camcorder in about two months so this will knock the price off the Canon ZR60 that I'm looking at.

Unit is expected on 2/28/2003

[Simon]

Congrats on your orders guys!

Originally posted by troymurray:

� 256MB DDR266 - 1 DIMM

This iMac will only boot Mac OS X. Please do yourself a favor and get at least another 256 MB of RAM. Even though it's DDR SO-DIMM it's pretty cheap and your user experience will be so much better. Running OS X with just 256 on this machine is really choking off quite some power...

[troymurray]

I ordered another 256MB module from 18004memory.com for $41. I would have liked to have purchased the 512MB (768MB total), but it was around $110 and more then I can spend right now.

[troymurray]

I finally received notice from Amazon that my order shipped. I went to the web site and entered my account information to get the tracking number. According to the UPS site it's on the truck to be delivered TODAY!!!!!

I'm so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[reip]

I also received the shipping confirmation from Apple Store today.

Great thread, btw.

EDIT: Alright, got the tracking number now. Not trackable yet, but it's a start.

[troymurray]

It's here, it's here, it's here!!!!!!

[troymurray]

and now I am typing on it!

[Simon]

Originally posted by troymurray:
and now I am typing on it!

Well congrats! Spill the beans, how is it? What are your first impressions? Give us a little revue...

[g_man]

Sorry it took me so long to actually write a review about my new iMac 1ghz, but I wanted to actually use it awhile and make sure everything worked properly. With my order, I also purchased the Epson C82 printer and the CanoScan LiDe30 scanner.

All I can say is: The experience was GREAT
It didn't take me long to set it up after I dismantled my PC. My PC and I had a very bittersweet relationship. Finally time to break up! My wife is much happier too! Anyway, the first thing I noticed was how much desk space I had, after getting rid of that big honking 19in monitor. Secondly, the quiet factor was amazing. (My PC sounded like a lawn mower... I could hear it all the way downstairs) The tricky part began when I started moving my wife�s files over from the PC. (Mainly Quicken and Membership Plus files) I was using a very old version of Quicken on the PC so there were some issues in exporting the info over to the iMac. For some reason a few random entries were deleted in the process. So we had to go back and figure out which ones were missing. Then I installed Virtual PC 6 for my wife�s Membership Plus program. That worked great, except for some printer issues. For some reason when I tried to print with Virtual PC I would get an error. This was fixed, however with the use of the virtual printer. Once I got my wife happy, it was time to get PhotoShop, Illustrator and Quark installed. Everything worked beautifully. In order to get Quark to work properly I had to install ATM for OS9 and the Epson printer software for OS9. It works great... but it would be nice to get a native version! Quark c'mon already! Keep in mind all of these issues were software issues. I'm still getting use to OSX. (I use OS9 at work)

As far as the computer itself, all I can say is that it is a wonderful experience and its beautiful to look at. It's fast! You wouldn't think so because of the price, but it easily handles my design programs without a hitch. As far as sound goes, I used a splitter for my surround speakers that I used with my PC. It sounds great even though its not true surround sound... but for music its perfect. I have a Canon ZR40 digital video camera that works perfectly with iMovie. You can even control the camera directly from iMovie!

So for me, it�s the perfect machine! It does everything I want it to do, and more... I'm starting to sound like a sales person. Oh well, I�ll say it anyway: For all of you who are thinking about switching or upgrading, Buy this computer, you wont regret it!

[bobmrph]

After too many years with Windows (3.1 --->XP), I finally jumped to the Mac. My new 17" FP was waiting, when I got home from work today . Thank you MacMall and FedEx.

Since I had already cleared the space by giving my old PC to my mother-in-law , set up only took about 10 minutes. (I love how well thought out the package was). I use a router with a cable modem, so I was on line as soon as I powered up the first time.

Now for the fun of getting familiar with my new operating system!

bob

[troymurray]

This is my second iMac and I want to make it a go with this one. The first one (450 DV+) I needed to sell at the time and I was disappointed with 10.0 on it (G3).

I work as a network consultant (Windows) as well as a web application developer (ColdFusion) and I'm just sick of Windows. My brother-in-law has a Mac (graphic artist) and we've been converting some old 8mm reel-to-reel video to DVD for a surprise to the MIL. I'm just in awe how easy Apple makes all of this. The "Gigabook" has my complete attention and I'm saving for a Powerbook right now.

Until then I have this iMac to use and learn on.

[gwyn ap nudd]

thanks to all of you switchers and welcome to the family; i feel grateful and priviledged to witness your enthusiasm and happyness.

now a question for ZORN or any other IMAC 1ghz buyer who had to fit a 1Gb RAM himself into the machine:

what kind of RAM should i buy ?
are there different kind of RAM that fit ?
is that two 512Mb RAM chips or other ?
where could i go wrong when i buy it ?
...i'm sorry but i'm scared i'll buy the wrong type of RAM so...

...i'd love to buy the IMAC 1Ghz/1Gb/... directly from apple; only it would take a month to ship, and it seems there are no resellers i trust that sell that particular model here in Paris/France.

i think i'm doing like ZORN and fit a couple of 512Mb RAM chips in the baby myself following the beautiful pictures he courtoisely provided on his thread.

should i consult a specific link for procedure on how to do so?
should i be careful about any specific passage in going through it ?
did everything went smooth for you ?

thx for your help and lovely threads.

[escher]

Originally posted by troymurray:
I work as a network consultant (Windows) as well as a web application developer (ColdFusion) and I'm just sick of Windows.

troymurray: Are you (planning on) using ColdFusion in Virtual PC on the iMac? I'm currently learning Macromedia Fireworks, Dreamweaver and Flash. I want to learn ColdFusion later on, but was under the impression that is was Windows-only.

Escher

PS: I'm considering a Ghz iMac to replace my original Rev.A iMac/233, which I bought upon its introduction in August 1998.

[Centris650]

Originally posted by escher:
PS: I'm considering a Ghz iMac to replace my original Rev.A iMac/233, which I bought upon its introduction in August 1998.

Great computer isn't it? I drooled over the iMac when it was first introduced at MW. I still have it and it's still a great computer!

[troymurray]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by escher:
[B]Are you (planning on) using ColdFusion in Virtual PC on the iMac? I'm currently learning Macromedia Fireworks, Dreamweaver and Flash. I want to learn ColdFusion later on, but was under the impression that is was Windows-only.

Escher,

Actually Macromedia released a version of JRun Server that will run on the Mac OS X platform. You can then install a ColdFusion component that will run the Coldfusion pages through it, so no, it's not Window only anymore. Actually they also have it for Linux and I think Solaris.

I still have a PC laptop that I run my web server and ColdFusion server on in a virtual machine (VMWare). I want to purchase a new PowerBook in Nov/Dec after the next refresh, not sure if a 17" or a 15.2" yet

Anyway, I will probably do the same just because I don't want my system to have all of that running in the background so I keep it in a virtual machine. The only virtual machine software that I have heard of, for the Mac, is Virtual PC until today I heard about a product called OpenOSX WinTel 1.0 which is $30.

My brother-in-law (bil) told me that he heard it doesn't perform very well, but for that price I'd be willing to try it vs. the $200+ for VPC and paying M$. Besides, it's just going to run in the background and serve pages so I don't need anything super fast.

Enough ranting on. Does that answer your questions?

[S S]

I canceled my PowerBook 17" and got a 1GHz iMac. A week ago I bought one right from the store no waiting. Gotta love that. I want it, I buy it, I have it. That is the way to do business. It is quiet. And the 4X DVD-R/16X CD-R is awsome fast and quiet. The screen is big and bright. Works with everything. PhotoShop, Illustrator. Plays MP3's while you edit movies without breaking a sweat. More memory is a must for OSX. They should be ashamed to ship with 256. It makes it so slow. OSX burns at 768 MB. Fit and finish is top notch. I love this machine. No light up keyboard tho How cool would it be to have a LED desktop keybord! Impractical, but cool. Anyway, I'm happy I switched to the world of the desktop. People seem nicer over here then in PowerBook world.

[troymurray]

I remember reading, I think it was in the Powerbook forum, about a suggestion to erase the hard drive on the system and then re-install it from the OS disc to make it "clean" w/o all of the "extras" that may reduce performance. Curious if that is a common thought/action with a new machine?

With my iMac I received just the one restore disc, not seperate ones (OS, apps, etc). Can I use that one disc to just load the OS or will it "refresh" the machine to the state it was when it shipped? Something like OS 9 I don't think I'll ever use so I don't think I'll need it. Just thoughts, looking for opinions.

[Simon]

Originally posted by troymurray:
I remember reading, I think it was in the Powerbook forum, about a suggestion to erase the hard drive on the system and then re-install it from the OS disc to make it "clean" w/o all of the "extras" that may reduce performance. Curious if that is a common thought/action with a new machine?

I don't know about performance issues, but I prefer to know exactly what is installed and how. Apart from that I partitioned and I don't need stuff like Classic so re-installing a fresh Jag was a must for me. It's really easy and is done very quickly eith this new iMac (darn, it's so fast! ) that I think it's really not a problem.

With my iMac I received just the one restore disc, not seperate ones (OS, apps, etc). Can I use that one disc to just load the OS or will it "refresh" the machine to the state it was when it shipped? Something like OS 9 I don't think I'll ever use so I don't think I'll need it. Just thoughts, looking for opinions.

You can install only Jag without Classic or any third-party apps if you want. The DVD that comes with the iMac does a system restore but also has installers for the components. To see all the available packages just do a

Code:
% cd /Volumes/Restore\ Disk/.images
% ls -l

and if you want to look at one of those disk images just do a

Code:
% open OS9General.dmg

That's it - you'll get the image window in the Finder.

HTH. Good luck.

[cnarayan]

http://homepage.mac.com/cnarayan/

[zorn]

Originally posted by cnarayan:
http://homepage.mac.com/cnarayan/

Congrads! Nice pics!

I've had my iMac about 2 weeks now .. and it's great.

[macmad]

OK, I just got a new 17" - one dead pixel right in the middle of the display, but otherwise I'm happy! It is lots snappier(tm) than the 800Mhz 15" in all respects.

Thank god for Target Disk mode! I was able to copy all users/librarys/apps over to the new machine without too many problems. I originally copied the lot over using Carbon Copy Cloner, only to be greeted by a flashing "where's the system folder" icon (yes, did check 'make bootable'). Did a fresh install from the OS X CD, then booted in Target Disk mode, and manually copied the files over.

[Simon]

Originally posted by macmad:
Thank god for Target Disk mode! I was able to copy all users/librarys/apps over to the new machine without too many problems. I originally copied the lot over using Carbon Copy Cloner, only to be greeted by a flashing "where's the system folder" icon (yes, did check 'make bootable'). Did a fresh install from the OS X CD, then booted in Target Disk mode, and manually copied the files over.

Strange. Did you try to boot from the clone on the old iMac? What system was that?

I use CCC all the time to clone my internal HD to an external FireWire drive and I sometimes check to see if I can actually boot from the clone. It has worked everytime since.

[macmad]

Strange. Did you try to boot from the clone on the old iMac? What system was that?

No. I think the difference is the old mac (10.2.4) would boot into 9, the new won't. I often use CCC to backup to a Firewire HD, and its always bootable.

First, I used CCC with the new Mac in Target mode - it wouldn't boot after the copy. Then, did a fresh install on new mac, set it to Target mode, and moved librarys/users/apps/etc over from the old with no problems.

Also, there is no classic - the new mac has no System 9 folder. Why?

[Simon]

Originally posted by macmad:
No. I think the difference is the old mac (10.2.4) would boot into 9, the new won't. I often use CCC to backup to a Firewire HD, and its always bootable.

The new iMac doesn't boot into 9. But if you cloned a 10.2.4 on the old iMac to a disk the new iMac should be able to boot from that disk.

Also, there is no classic - the new mac has no System 9 folder. Why?

Because it needs to be installed first. If you just install Jag from the new iMac's DVD you won't get Classic. If you do a full Software Restore from the new iMac's DVD, you'll get Classic. If you don't want the full restore, but you still want Classic, get it from the hidden disk image on the new iMac's DVD. I described how to do that a few posts above. I did it that way and it worked fine.

[macmad]

Because it needs to be installed first. If you just install Jag from the new iMac's DVD you won't get Classic. If you do a full Software Restore from the new iMac's DVD, you'll get Classic. If you don't want the full restore, but you still want Classic, get it from the hidden disk image on the new iMac's DVD. I described how to do that a few posts above. I did it that way and it worked fine.

Thanks Simon! I just did an install, booting from the DVD.... I think I may have missed several 'bits' doing it this way, so I'll go through the DVD packages as you describe above - or use pacifier - and make sure that everything is installed.

The new iMac doesn't boot into 9. But if you cloned a 10.2.4 on the old iMac to a disk the new iMac should be able to boot from that disk.

It didn't/wouldn't - thats what I tried first.

[Simon]

Originally posted by macmad:
Thanks Simon! I just did an install, booting from the DVD.... I think I may have missed several 'bits' doing it this way, so I'll go through the DVD packages as you describe above - or use pacifier - and make sure that everything is installed.

Great, hope it all works out. Keep us updated.

[macmad]

Great, hope it all works out. Keep us updated.

Found:
OS 9 - classic works now!
iDVD3 - how could I miss this?

Thanks Simon! Testiment: the instructions about .images above work! Anybody think they're missing stuff, give it a go!

[Simon]

Originally posted by macmad:
Thanks Simon! Testiment: the instructions about .images above work! Anybody think they're missing stuff, give it a go!

No problem. Glad it works. Have fun!

[Johnnyboysmac]

Hi All,

Well, I'm just catching my breath..

FINALLY, late last week, one of the Apple Resellers in the city had some new floor demo stock, so I got to have a little play on/with the new 1ghz Imac, and they also had the new 1ghz tower/20" LCD on display.

Now, I'll try to be reasonably brief, otherwise if I 'switch' into enthusiastic switcheroo mode, this'll turn into a mini rave...

Unfortunately for me, the store was really busy, so judging the noise aspect was a little on the hard side. However, as there were also 800mhz Imacs on the floor, it seemed that there was little, if any difference between the 800 & 1ghz models re noise, ie as quiet as it gets for a fan cooled computer IMHO.

The 1ghz tower is a definite improvement over the earlier 867mhz dualies re noise, however I did think the quality of the noise was somewhat similar, but less of it; ie there was still an intrinsic whine from the power supply fans. When the case was open, it was clearly heard as a low level whine coming from the power supply.

Closed, there was a 'whooshing' of air as one would expect, and this subdued whine. Definitely a lot better than the previous models, but still noisier than the Imac.

Bearing in mind that the store was on the busy/noisy side it was hard to judge, but I'd say that in an office, all would be well with the tower re noise, and probably in the home as well. It is definitely noisier than my P11 266mhz windoze box, but probably on about a par with the likes of a new P4 windows machine.

But for the ultimate in stylish unobtrusiveness for the home, both in looks, space requirements, and noise, the Imac still rules.

OK, now for the speed etc. Bear in mind that I know nothing about X bench tests etc so all I could do was run back and forth, like a demented switcher, between the 1ghz tower, and the 1ghz Imac, opening and closing apps etc, and judging the speed by the pseudo scientific method of counting icon bounces, and looking at the second hand of my watch! Hehe, I'm only a 'consumer' here, not a computer geek, even if it seems I'm maybe fast becomming one..

Annoyingly, non were connected to the net, so couldn't judge that side of it, however, the 1ghz Imac was never more than about 1/2 bounce, or less than a second behind the 1ghz tower on initial launching of apps. Once the apps were launched, and then the windows closed, and app left running, re opening it was virtually identical twixt tower and Imac. Ditto window resizing etc.

About the hardest test I could (knew how!) hehe, to put it through, was opening Iphoto, which had quite a few demo photos etc. Here, the tower was a wee bit quicker, like about 1 icon bounce ahead, with the Imac having a momentary spinning coloured ball, for like about a second whilst opening the app. By contrast, the 800 mhz Imac took around 6 - 7 seconds longer to do the same thing.

Subjectively, it felt fine, although I thought that for the more demanding tasks, the tower would have a SLIGHT edge.

But yes, snappy and responsive, and I was very impressed...

Here's where things got/are a little 'sticky' at the moment.

The store was busy/noisy, and service understandably a bit lacking, and I left without making a buying decision.

I feel a bit annoyed with myself really, as I've been phsyching myself up for this, re getting a Mac for a long time.

I'm very enthusiastic, and want one with a passion, but at the last moment got slightly cold feet I guess, which is something I'm having a bit of trouble dealing with. I think I'd like to evaluate it a bit more in depth, re net surfing etc, in a quieter environment, which I should be able to do now that stock is coming through to all the city stores.

I guess I also recognise that it's a lot of money for anyone, and for myself at the moment, as there have been some work/health issues for me, re $$, and one needs to be very careful re spending etc, as it is for all of us.

I think I've suddenly discovered why a lot of windows users don't actually switch, even if they want to - almost a better the devil you know than the one you don't kind of thing. It's a lot of money to spend on something that once you get it, and REALLY get to know it, you may either like, or not as the case may be. And I guess, $$ being a fairly major factor, one that scares me a bit.

The other being that all the stories about the non - upgradeable, disposable Imac scare me a bit as well, - being on my first computer, a windoze box, the concept of the 'throwaway' computer concerns me re the costs involved, and hence the tower appeals a bit more, even though I realise that it doesn't offer a lot more re lifetime in the REAL world, as upgrading video cards, and CPU etc only prolongs it's life for a little longer than the Imac, and is not really cost effective against buying a new box.

And then there's the latest stuff about 'fuzzy font's', albeit it appears to be users faults, and I've made a post on that elsewhere, and the tilting displays, and drooping arms etc. I'd really be mega disappointed to buy one, and then find myself having to deal with those sort of issues.

So yeah, I'm a bit hesitant to jump in so to speak..

Like I said, a bit annoyed with myself as well over my cold feet. Still, I haven't given up, and I'm going to set aside some more time, to go to a store again, hopefully quieter, and also do some net surfing this time as well.

As a last resort, I could always pull back $$$ wise to just the 1ghz tower, and stick with my existing clapped out 17"CRT for a while, and do the whole thing a piece at a time, which would conserve funds. But, then I'd have the noise, and not the 17" widescreen display.... not the most desirable combination, and $$ being what they are, it could take quite some many months before being able to go with a LCD panel for the tower, not quite what I would really like.

Anyway, I'm agonising, and procrastinating,,,,, sigh,,,,

Thanks so much for listening. I probably haven't been very constructive, but you all seem such a great bunch of people, and at least it's helped me to unburden myself a little by sharing my thoughts here, as I don't have any immediate friends with Macs at all, so I'm a bit 'on my own' with this one, and appreciate my online Mac friends, and the thoughts we can share about the Mac, life, the universe and everything

Peace to All,

Johnboi...

[deeper]

I got a 17 inch imac today! I bought it at Smalldog Electronics, had it loaded with full memory. I've been using a g3 266 desktop for the last (almost) five years, so this is quite a move up.

Connecting to the internet was no big deal, but I definitely need to move up to DSL.

Thanks to all of you for your great information. (I've been lurking on these forums for quite some time.)

David

[macmad]

Johnboi... I totally understand your concerns, but you will NOT be dissapointed! The 17" iMac is an excellent machine, snappy, awsome display, great looks, and very quiet! It have mine sitting in the living room and also use it as the hi-fi. As for upgrades - this is not an issue. The package works as is, you don't need to be messing with it - a difficult concept for DIY PC folk! The only recommendation is add 256/512meg Ram.

[Simon]

Johnboi, Macmad is right there.

Performance-wise you won't be disappointed by the iMac - and I say this as a former owner of a dual 867 G4. The new iMac is fast and very responsive if you just give it enough RAM.

That said, there are two things you should really be concerned about before you make a buying decision.

1. Often stores have Macs with base RAM. That is terrible. At the store I realized that the iMac wouldn't be much slower than my PowerMac in everyday home use, but only when I got home and installed an additional 512MB RAM I realized how fast and responsive the iMac really is. Of course you can compare the PowerMac and the iMac when they both only have base RAM, but don't think you can judge their real performance for your use with the crappy 256MB RAM. Give these machines plenty of RAM and they'll fly under Jaguar.

2. Don't make the try-to-judge-percieved-noise-level-in-the-store-mistake. That mistake made me buy a PowerMac and then later sell it to get the iMac, thus ending me up with a 1000 dollars less on the bank. I could still hit my back head with a baseball bat five times a day for that mistake. Stores are probably much louder than your room at home and if in the store the noise sounds OK, it could still be a real nuisance at home. Either judge a Mac at a more quiet environment (ask the dealer about a quiet back office - maybe they have something) or go visit somebody who has a new Mac at home, but don't be decieved by the store noise. The PowerMac PS whine is a lot less bad when there is a constant level of background noise in a store than when it's standing under your desk at home in an absolutely quiet room.

I know I'm always giving the same rants here, but I really don't want anybody to have to waste a 1000$ and about five years of their life expectancy the way I did.

[MariusUmlius]

Johnnyboy- go get it! Your already in love, so don't hesitate: GRAB THE ALIEN LOVE OF YOUR LIFE. It has nuf power for a long time, and I can tell you this:

Every single Mac is unique, with its original behavior. It will eventually adopt your personality, 'cause it's your creation- your child. Later, 'tis child will become one of your closest friends. Play on the same theme and learn from each other. If you think so hard about 'tis, its 'cause you really want one. Get the one your heart bangs for, you get more than just a computer. Am I over the top now? Not at all,

MariusUmulius

[mbryda]

I think I've suddenly discovered why a lot of windows users don't actually switch, even if they want to - almost a better the devil you know than the one you don't kind of thing. It's a lot of money to spend on something that once you get it, and REALLY get to know it, you may either like, or not as the case may be. And I guess, $$ being a fairly major factor, one that scares me a bit.

As a switcher last year, actually, March 2002, I can tell you just do it - you won't be sorry at all.

It may seem like a lot of money, but if you don't like it, you can always sell it on Ebay and get most of your money back (look at what they are fetching on there - it's a whole different ball game than the PC world)...

As a PC user since DOS (and then Win 3.1, 95/98/NT/2k/XP), it was quite a change. The first week or so I was so close to returning the thing and biting the bullet on the $180 restocking fee (15" with SD). But after using it and using it, it grew on me and things are right at home now. Now you can't pry it out of my cold, dead hands. Even ended up buying the wife an iBook in November as her PC was startig to die...

Just try it - chances are you will love it as well. And if not there's always Ebay to recoup most of your $$.

[Commodus]

As an 'adder,' I found that the main challenge was just getting used to the different logic behind navigating the OS. You have to remember that closing a window doesn't quit most programs, that installs/uninstalls are done just by manipulating folders, things like that.

Learning the keyboard shortcuts can be a big help, though if you still hold on to a Windows system it can be a bit amusing to absent-mindedly reach for Command-Q before you realize you're on your Windows system.

[WJMoore]

I just ordered me a 1Ghz iMac with 512Mb RAM (1 DIMM) education pricing from the AU Apple Store. Estimated build time 8 days plus it is Friday night and a long weekend here so I don't expect much to happen until Tuesday. The wait begins...

Wesley

[fg]

I was wondering if anyone know if it is possible to add the bluetooth module afterwards?

I bought a 1 ghz iMac but did not want to wait 2-4 weeks just to get the internal bluetooth module, so is it possible for me to add it now afterwards?

Thanks,

/F

[Centris650]

Sorry, no. But you can get an external module that hooks to your usb port. I think they cost about the same ~$50.

[PTCooki]

If you buy from an Apple store, they will add module. They said all they have to do is order the part from Apple. I'm ordering mine today. Otherwise you have to buy the ther one that sticks out of the back of your computer.

[pamelah]

I have an interesting thought. I am currently waiting for a 17" alPB and a 23" cinema display which is besides the point other than the fact that I don't want to wait to get my first mac so I thought I might invest in the 17" imac in the meantime which I could then sell or give to my parents once I got the 17" PB (*if* I wanted to infact get rid of it...lol.)

Here was my major issue with the 17" imac...it's "one" piece and unchangable (other than ram). That is a major issue for me because I am used to being able to swap parts to upgrade or when parts fail because I'm on a pc desktop.

Basically you are "stuck" with this one configuration which might be fine for most people but I do heavy graphics work and wouldn't want to be "stuck" with a machine that I couldn't change (upgrade to match current technologies/programs) or fix if it was "broken". (we all know how fast technology changes and can't predict it or when it will die on you!)

BUT! Having said that. I just realized something! If I get the applecare protection plan for it that makes my warranty last for 3 years total...THEREFORE...If anything goes wrong (which within 3 years it's bloody likey) like a noisey hard drive or fan or dead pixels or bad video card...then they HAVE to fix it right? Which either means replacing that broken part OR if then can't REPLACE the broken part (because it's an all in one thing) then wouldn't they have to just give you a new machine?!?! If your machine goes down after say a year or two...that means you'll get the latest version/technology doesn't it?!?!??!

I THINK I'M ONTO SOMETHING HERE!! SOMEONE PROVE ME RIGHT OR WRONG!!! Is this too good to be true?!

[WJMoore]

No they would just fix it, it would be very unlikely that you would get a whole new machine. They carry parts for the machines. For example I had an iMac 400 DV that developed an issue with the video hardware. I didn't get a new machine, instead I got 2 new logic (mother) boards. The warranty will guarantee that the machine will be repaired within the 3 years, not replaced. Also 1 or 2 dead pixels isn't covered by warranty as far a I know as 1 or 2 is considered acceptable within current LCD manufacturing standards.

Wesley

[troymurray]

Here was my major issue with the 17" imac...it's "one" piece and unchangable (other than ram). That is a major issue for me because I am used to being able to swap parts to upgrade or when parts fail because I'm on a pc desktop.

How is the PowerBook going to be different?

[pamelah]

it's portable. which is my main concern.

[AleroLeanne]

Originally posted by Centris650:
Great computer isn't it? I drooled over the iMac when it was first introduced at MW. I still have it and it's still a great computer!

I still have mine too...I bought it in September '98. It still works great...I love it. I really want to buy a new iBook too though, to complement it. My Mac needs a friend.

[ToXic0]

Well let me jump into the fray here. I am expecting my 1Ghz iMac to arrive any time now. I ordered it through an authorized Mac dealer, opting to go for the base RAM to bleed every penny I could dry, plus getting it faster. It is my intent to buy a 512 stick to add to it very soon. In a nutshell, I am (almost dangerously) filled with
gleeful anticipation. Childhood Christmas Eve has got nothing on this. Ever since I ordered the thing, my surfing habbits have dominantly turned to all-things-Mac.

'Gather round the fire wee'uns, and I'll relay my iminent "Switch" tale. It is a "switch" tale because my parents want my old 550 Mhz PC for internet and Word. I just couldn't say no to those puppy dog eyes. Maybe when they see my mac in action, I can suggest an eMac to them, and take back the old beast for web design testing and color matching. Anyway, I've thought "you know, I wouldn't mind having a Mac." since using them in school back in 99. But as a student I was so broke I couldn't even pay attention. Long story shorter, I stayed with PC's because the Greasy Spoon Everyone Eats At Doesn't Serve Lobster Tail (if you get my analogy). With the
advent of the newly designed iMac, OSX, dual processor Powermacs, and the Soil-Yourself-Cool iPod, Apple has seduced me. I am right now not altogether dismissing the use of PC's, XP is a fine step in the right direction. What I am ready for now is an computing experience that makes it fun again and invites creativity. Concepts I was priorly excited about on PC such as; purchasing firewire cards and a dvd burner ($ouch) for digital video experimentation and using apps to export amateur flash animation, digital artwork and music
to a VCD that will play on DVD players; the iMac is ready to do out of the box - built in firewire and why labor to make a VCD with DVD-like properties when I could make a proper DVD.

Let me say that this thread has been a very pleasing read compared to the skull and crossbones threads on other forums. For every problem I have read multiple solutions therein or elsewhere. The whole "BLURRY TEXT!!1 GRR!" fiasco had me scared, but then I read the thread linked on this forum on how to solve it, among suggestions from others. Laughable are the folks who return their iMacs in a stampy foot, crossed arms manner the day they get it, without bothering to tinker with display settings and gamma or seeking solutions in forums like this. I'm aware such considerations come in to play when you go LCD from CRT. I'm tired of coming home from work with eye strain, but still needing to go online. Has anyone here had troubles with
eye strain before, now reduced using the iMac? Another thing the people who repeat popularly used consumer warnings (without owning said product) say about the iMac screen is the viewing angle sucks. I know this one can be true with flat-screen projection tv's, you stand right beside it and of course it looks funky. But don't people generally try to FACE what they're viewing? Are these same people spinning hula-hoops around their necks and shuffling from side to side when they use the iMac? Blahh.

Yeesh, look at all of that text and I don't even have it yet. I'd better cut this short. Later.