Need help on a purchase.

mclixmclix
Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
Ok, I currently have the iMac DVD 400 mhz.



And well, I am giving that one away to my cousin and will be upgrading.



I had my mind set on getting the FP iMac, but then changed my mind towards the ibook 14 inch screen 700 mhz.



It looked pretty sweet.



I mainly use a computer to write, surf the web, burn cd's and to play games and some graphics and editing software. From time to time I will also use various other applications.



But now I am torn.



On one hand, there is the ibook which provides portability and since i would get the 14 inch screen, i would also replace my desktop computer.



But then on the other hand, my girlfriend says it seems like a waste of money to get an 1,800 dollar notebook when I could get an eMac or even the lower end FP iMac which would be faster and more powerful and much cheaper and could use that extra cash i would save to get other things. She also says that as a college student, it is pointless because there is a huge computer lab that is all Mac at the school and since i don't live in dorms, but rent my own place by myself, I don't have to worry about others touching a desktop.



So i don't know now.



I am so confused. I am definately getting a new computer this summer, but which i don't know yet.



I need some advice and opinions here. I am so damn torn.



eMac

FP iMac

iBook



Question, will iBook be able run Jaguar?



And will I be able to say, play games such as The Sims on iBook?



Anyway, I am torn.



3 options.



Help?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    Yes the ibook will run Jag...



    Yes you can play the sims on the iBook..



    I am in the same situation as you (only i have the CD rom version that is blue, not the DVD SE...) anyways, it is really a personal preference... #1 i would get the 12" iBook not the 14" if you want to get a laptop, you may as well get one that you can take everywhere... 5lbs is much lighter then 6... (its a psycological thing) plus they have the same real-estate so whats the difference...

    the iBook will be plenty fast for your needs...

    but, if you are as sick as the iMacs smal res as I am I would get a bigger screened computer like the eMac or a Pro computer... i think it will really make a difference... but most of all it is up to personal preference... do you stay up all hours of the night typing papers? do you really want to do that in a computer lab? are you going to type your notes in class? have you thought about the major advantategs of wireless internet?



    there are many things to consider...



    but ultimately it is up to you...



    I would get the iBook because I know I would use the mobility it offers... get the 12" combo and an airport card (does your university have wireless network in the classrooms?) and jack up the ram to 640.... you will not have a problem for 2 years



    hth



    -Paul
  • Reply 2 of 10
    mandricardmandricard Posts: 486member
    I have never had much use for the iBook, though others swear by them. If I were you, I would buy the most powerful thing you can get your hands on (or nearly) within the budget. The iMac or eMac will be a viable machine for probably a year longer than the iBook because it is more powerful.



    If I were a student again, I would buy the eMac, and get a cool toy or two to go with it, rather than the iMac, but the iMac certainly looks cooler.



    Mandricard

    AppleOutsider
  • Reply 3 of 10
    mclixmclix Posts: 3member
    Hmm, i don't know what type of networking my school offers. I live in an apartment in West Philly. So I don't use the labs unless I am already in school, which is in Center City Philly.



    And I also use the labs because my printer broke so I e-mail my work to the school and print it out there. Well, my printer didn't break, I ran out of paper and ink, and I am too damn lazy to buy paper and ink, so I just use the school printers for free heh



    All 3 options are nice though.



    I mainly write on a computer, since my major is "Writing for Film and Television".



    So I am kind of stuck. One thing my girl said was that I will take the iBook everywhere with me and then after a few months after the novelty wears off, I won't do that anymore. She says she has seen it before in other people.



    I have no idea what I would do. So it's tricky.



    Hmm, well, 12 inch is a tad too small for me. I like a big screen. I don't mind the extra pound if I do get the 14 inch iBook. But yeah, 12 inch is too small for me.



    About the eMac, it has the same specs as the iMac, unless you consider the high end super drive which has 800 mhz. But I have a DVD player and HT set-up, so I can care less about the DVD player in a desktop. It's a nice bonus, but not needed.



    My mom got the FP iMac and the only advantage I see on it against the eMac is that it looks so damn cool and it has a cool LCD screen. But aside from the coolness factor, I know the eMac is a more sensible buy because I would get the same specs for less.



    But hey, sometimes I can be very vain and I find my mom's FP iMac so cool!



    Now, here is a question. I know you can run Jaguar, but I saw that it saws 32 is recommened to run it, but the iBook has 16. So, what would that entail if I run jaguar on the iBook?
  • Reply 4 of 10
    mcqmcq Posts: 1,543member
    If you think that you may not take the iBook around too much and still want a bigger screen for use in the apartment, another option would be to buy the 12 inch, take the $300 difference between the 12"/14", and go buy a 15" LCD, or get a 17" CRT and pocket some money. That way, you can use the VGA mirroring while you're at the apartment and have your bigger display, and while you're on the run you can still use the iBook (and 12" is perfectly fine).



    If price is an issue, than the eMac is certainly a great choice, and you'd save a bit over an iBook or iMac.



    As far as Quartz Extreme, if the iBook will support QE (which it sounds like it will, it has a Radeon, 16MB won't get optimal performance but it should do fine), then it'll just work... I don't think there's anything special you have to do.
  • Reply 5 of 10
    the all knowing 1the all knowing 1 Posts: 130member
    [quote]Originally posted by mclix:

    <strong>And I also use the labs because my printer broke so I e-mail my work to the school and print it out there. Well, my printer didn't break, I ran out of paper and ink, and I am too damn lazy to buy paper and ink, so I just use the school printers for free heh



    I mainly write on a computer, since my major is "Writing for Film and Television".



    So I am kind of stuck. One thing my girl said was that I will take the iBook everywhere with me and then after a few months after the novelty wears off, I won't do that anymore. She says she has seen it before in other people.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    I will agree with your girl on this one (she sounds smart--hang onto her ). You will carry the iBook around for a while and get tired of it--you will begin to use it more as a desktop you can move. If you are looking to spend 1800 bucks on a laptop anyway you have a lot of options for a desktop. If you get a desktop, I highly recommend getting a USB DiskOnKey (http://www.diskonkey.com/) to transport data with. So if you need to use the lab printers, you can just plug in.



    [quote]Originally posted by mclix:

    <strong>Hmm, well, 12 inch is a tad too small for me. I like a big screen. I don't mind the extra pound if I do get the 14 inch iBook. But yeah, 12 inch is too small for me.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    The 12 and 14 inch iBooks have the same screen resolution. That means you'll have the same number of pixels no matter which 'book you pick. You won't get any more space on the screen, it'll just be bigger and easier to read. I too recommend the 12 inch iBook over the 14. Its VERY nice and you feel like you are toting almost nothing.



    [quote]Originally posted by mclix:

    <strong>About the eMac, it has the same specs as the iMac, unless you consider the high end super drive which has 800 mhz. But I have a DVD player and HT set-up, so I can care less about the DVD player in a desktop. It's a nice bonus, but not needed.



    My mom got the FP iMac and the only advantage I see on it against the eMac is that it looks so damn cool and it has a cool LCD screen. But aside from the coolness factor, I know the eMac is a more sensible buy because I would get the same specs for less.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Well it depends on what you need. The iMac is available with a Superdrive to BURN DVDs which you probably don't have anywhere else. If this is important to you, get an iMac.



    If you need the machine NOW, I'd get an eMac. The Apple Store for education (you are an edu customer) has the Combo drive model available which is nice (even if you already have a DVD player) with 512MB Ram, etc for $1516 last I checked. Combine this with a DiskOnKey (see above) and you've not an awesome setup with document transportation.



    If you are willing to wait a few weeks, wait and see what MWNY brings. The iMac may get updated to new speeds, while the eMac may not. In other words, in a month's time you might get more for your money with an iMac.



    [quote]Originally posted by mclix:

    <strong>Now, here is a question. I know you can run Jaguar, but I saw that it saws 32 is recommened to run it, but the iBook has 16. So, what would that entail if I run jaguar on the iBook?</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Quartz Extreme, the technology in Jaguar that uses the graphics processor to draw the GUI, *recommends* 32MB or more of VRAM, but only *requires* 16MB. I checked into this, as I have a TiBook 667 with 16MB Radeon. So you'll be able to run Jaguar just fine on anything you'll buy, but I'll still recommend the following to you:



    eMac or iMac (wait until MWNY for iMac)

    700 (at least) G4 (who knows what new iMac will have)

    256 or 512MB Ram (will last you a long time)

    Combo Drive or Superdrive

    64-128MB DiskOnKey for documents



    Hope this helps! Message me individually with questions.
  • Reply 6 of 10
    mclixmclix Posts: 3member
    Thanks, that was great help.



    I don't need the computer now. I am no vacation in Florida and enjoying my mom's FP.



    So yes, I would wait after MWNY before I buy anything either way.



    Here is a question, I have been told that after MWNY, prices drops on certain models when the new updates come.



    Now, if the FP iMac line gets updates, will that mean that the 800 mhz superdrive will lower in price?



    And will that mean that whatever new updated iMacs they have will carry the prices the iMacs had when they came out a few months ago?



    Example, lets say the FP iMac gets either a Mhz or screen size update, will it most likely be at 1,800 dollars while the current high end model lowers in price?
  • Reply 7 of 10
    lucaluca Posts: 3,833member
    As far as the iMac update, I think the current high end model will be knocked to the low end, but with a CD-RW drive instead of a Super drive. That's what happened with the iBook. They took the top of the line 600/Combo, and moved it down to bottom of the line 600/CD.



    I'm in the same boat as you. I have a PowerBook G3/233 and it works fine for a lot of things, but I want FireWire, USB, DVD, CD-RW, more than 160 MB of RAM, more than a 2 GB hard drive, etc. I'm looking at used PowerMac G4s because they're expandable, powerful, and inexpensive. I was thinking about the iBooks, since I'm going to college too, but I couldn't imagine myself sitting down in a lecture hall and typing away at my keyboard. And I use too much shorthand when taking notes. A keyboard isn't a suitable note-taking device for me.
  • Reply 8 of 10
    the all knowing 1the all knowing 1 Posts: 130member
    [quote]Originally posted by mclix:

    <strong>Here is a question, I have been told that after MWNY, prices drops on certain models when the new updates come.



    Now, if the FP iMac line gets updates, will that mean that the 800 mhz superdrive will lower in price?



    And will that mean that whatever new updated iMacs they have will carry the prices the iMacs had when they came out a few months ago?



    Example, lets say the FP iMac gets either a Mhz or screen size update, will it most likely be at 1,800 dollars while the current high end model lowers in price?</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Well unlike Luca, you should not assume that the current high-end iMac will become the low-end. I can assure you that Apple is not prepared to ship a Superdrive computer for 1399. However, it is true that after updated machines are introduced, remaining stock of the old machines is price cut. So if the iMac FP saw a raise to say 900 Mhz, at 1899...the current 800 Superdrive model could probably be found in reseller channels (www.macmall.com etc) for a couple hundred dollars cheaper--to clear inventory.



    Good plan on waiting, and again, I'm here for questions.
  • Reply 9 of 10
    lucaluca Posts: 3,833member
    Didn't you read my post? I clearly said that the current high end iMac would be bumped to the low end, but they would replace the super drive with a CD-RW drive. That's what happened to the iBook: the 600/Combo model got bumped to the low end, but they replaced the Combo drive with a CD-ROM. Another way to think of it is that the current low end model will remain essentially the same but with a clock speed equal to the current high end model.



    I don't think Apple will be including standard super drives (that is, as part of the price of the computer) on their low end PowerMac or iMac for a long time. Maybe never, but I don't know... it definitely won't happen until digital video cameras become inexpensive and mainstream, which may be never (considering how few people own any sort of camcorder, even a full-size VHS).



    [ 07-02-2002: Message edited by: Luca Rescigno ]</p>
  • Reply 10 of 10
    the all knowing 1the all knowing 1 Posts: 130member
    [quote]Originally posted by Luca Rescigno:

    <strong>Didn't you read my post? I clearly said that the current high end iMac would be bumped to the low end, but they would replace the super drive with a CD-RW drive. [ 07-02-2002: Message edited by: Luca Rescigno ]</strong><hr></blockquote>







    Oops. Sorry bout that. I read your post in a hurry as I was going out the door and just wanted to write a reply of some sort. But what I said still sorta stands. Don't assume that the current top-end clock speed will be lowend next month. Might not turn out like that
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