Any comments on making the switch from PC?

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Just wonder if anybody here made the switch and went back or if they are now happy. I've said for the last three upgrades that I was going to go Apple... Seems like every time I go to upgrade, I see the price difference ($1000 vs $2000) and chicken out.



I'm a musician, so I can see a benefit for recording my music. And the interface looks really nice. I'm a professional Java developer as well, so how is the platform for Java?



Anybody know of any statistics on if/how many PC users are making the switch. How many are satisfied? How many switch back?
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 24
    The other question is, if I decide to abandon all my high end audio cards (PCI bus) and decide to go for the iMac 17 inch to save a little money, will I then be able to take that 17 inch LCD with me to my next upgrade, or am I stuck with an expensive paper-weight?
  • Reply 2 of 24
    gargoylegargoyle Posts: 660member
    1. Who says you have to abandon your high end PCI cards ? I have a friend that uses pro tools. He started on a PC but was getting pauses and pops in his sound so he switched to a dual 1Ghz PowerMac using the same sound input hardware.



    2. As far as I know, the iMac has no video in. The only way to know if you can use the screen with another computer would be to open it up and see about some sort of adapter for the wires inside. Mine is only 5 months old, and I am not ready to pop the lit yet.
  • Reply 3 of 24
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    its a paperweight... look for a used dual 867 MDD, probably the best bet right now, if you can find it cheap... ($1000 or so)



    have you seen the 1.25 GHz machines on apple's website? they are near the bottom of the store, starting at $1300 for a single. not too bad...
  • Reply 4 of 24
    I would have to abandon PCI IF I went to iMac because there is no PCI slot.



    Yeah... The tower is the other option. $1299 for a 1.25 Ghz G4. Then I would have to buy a monitor... I'm in love with the apple displays... but $699!!!!!!!! thats an even $2000 for the basic system. Then I've got software to buy.



    To go cheap, you're talking $1299 for system, $400 for some 3rd rate offbrand LCD display (remember that CRT make guitars hum.. so this is necessity), plus another $300+ for the recording software. I would go without office or the PC emulator, etc, until I hade more money...
  • Reply 5 of 24
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    Foreigner. Rockin'
  • Reply 6 of 24
    Quote:

    Originally posted by groverat

    Foreigner. Rockin'



    With stars in his eyes...
  • Reply 7 of 24
    Well, as cool as the Mac is, I just don't think I can justify spending that much additional money. Everything, right down to the 3 year onsite warrenty, is significantly more money. At first I got excited because I thought my job might qualify me for developer discounts, but it appears that I do not qualify for this.



    I'm going to wait a few months and see if the prices of G4s come down significantly. But this just looks like a loosing battle.
  • Reply 8 of 24
    The stupid thing is that I might actually have sprung for the iMac if they provided a means of disconnecting that beautiful monitor from the system... But who throws out their monitor with their old computers?
  • Reply 9 of 24
    thuh freakthuh freak Posts: 2,664member
    since you're switching, you probably already have a monitor. and that should work with just about any powermac out there. and by the by, the platform is pretty great for java (imo).
  • Reply 10 of 24
    macusersmacusers Posts: 840member
    If you join my Mac User Group you can get a 03 Power Mac G4 1 Ghz, 256 RAM, 60 GB HD, Combo, FW800, 56K Modem

    Total is $1149



    There is also a 17" iMac 1Ghz



    256 RAM, 80GB HD, SuperDrive for $1745



    Not that much differences in price but it is still like $55 just for joining a no-cost group



    Also if anyone else is intrested, All PowerBooks through the User Group Store have a $50 discount and free (no rebate, no install fee) 256MB memory ($100 discount in all)



    There is much more at the store so email me if you want to check if there is a discount on something you want



    To join my group email me [email protected]



    oh and make sure to visit my website for more info: right now it is http://macusers.home.comcast.net but i will soon have a .com domain
  • Reply 11 of 24
    If you get a tower you can still use your old monitor.

    If you must get a flat panel, then formac offer the next best thing for less.



    i switched last december for a dual 867 MDD and havent looked back.

    All in all you get what you pay for.
  • Reply 12 of 24
    majormattmajormatt Posts: 1,077member
    I would bite the bullet on the price and get the G5 (if you can), you'll appreciate the extra money spent later on.



    I would get a low end one sans the superdrive, so it would be $1799 + 17'' VGA Monitor = about $2000
  • Reply 13 of 24
    Wow. Thanks for all the great replies. And Thanks for the offer, MacUser. $50 is $50!!! Plus its nice to see people that actually like their computer... To be honest I've had great luck with my Dell (knock on wood, and yes I know I'm not the norm) other than the poor performance which seems to deteriorate with age (Windows XP).



    As for the upgrade, I'm also in dire need of a good monitor. My bill paying/general purpose machine (my wife's computer) has a 17" CRT. I have an old, ratty 14" svga and a broken Pentium 300 box, and I have a Dell Celeron 600 Laptop (with a 12.1 inch display) that I writing this on....



    I sent Apple an email asking if the iMac display was toast when the machine was toast but they have yet to respond. It would be cool to just be able to open the case and see the standard monitor plug... Then you could just grab that sucker and run it to whatever computer you wanted if you later upgraded. Of course then theres a big ugly, useless base thing. But better than nothing...



    G5 really does sound the best option. I also sent an email to the Apple Developers Club (ADC) to see if I qualify for any Developers discounts. We will see.
  • Reply 14 of 24
    Quote:

    Originally posted by MajorMatt

    I would bite the bullet on the price and get the G5 (if you can), you'll appreciate the extra money spent later on.



    I would get a low end one sans the superdrive, so it would be $1799 + 17'' VGA Monitor = about $2000




    You lost me. G5 starts at $1999. Do you mean theres going to be a $1799 one coming shortly?
  • Reply 15 of 24
    Quote:

    Originally posted by MajorMatt

    I would bite the bullet on the price and get the G5 (if you can), you'll appreciate the extra money spent later on.



    I would get a low end one sans the superdrive, so it would be $1799 + 17'' VGA Monitor = about $2000








    I got it. Very clever. Now I'm wit-cha.
  • Reply 16 of 24
    lucaluca Posts: 3,833member
    iMacs can't have their monitors removed. Once the macine dies, the monitor dies with it (no matter how wonderful it is). That, combined with the need for PCI cards, really means you should get a PowerMac. You could always get a new one, the single 1.25 GHz for $1300. And as others have stated, you can get older ones as well, for less. Dual 867 MHz PowerMacs are awesome for the price, and always have been. Single processor PowerMacs at 733 MHz and up are all fairly good performers, and if you're on a budget you should consider one of those. Don't go under 733 MHz, even if it's a dual... it might be adequate for now, but it certainly won't hold up as well over the years. You should be able to find a single processor 733-1000 MHz PowerMac between $750 and $1000, which is a pretty good price. Expect prices to drop somewhat until the G5 is released, after which they should plummet. So if you can live with it for a couple months, do so and you'll save yourself quite a bit of money. But if you need it now, just do it. Macs really are quite good and I'm sure a good PowerMac will suit you well.
  • Reply 17 of 24
    sport73sport73 Posts: 438member
    I recently made the switch, and I can say wthout a doubt that it is the best 'computing' decision I ever made.



    I ended up getting the 17" iMac, because for the same amount of cash (compared to PowerMac alternatives) you walk out with everything INCLUDING the beautiful 17" display...Using that logic, the display is almost 'free', so who cares if it's worthless in 5 years? I'll gladly plunk down another $2,000 in 4 years for the next iMac with whatever wonderful display it includes and relegate my existing unit to "server" duty.



    The iMac has plenty of power for my needs (and it sounds like it would suit yours as well).



    As for the $1,000 PC vs. the $2,000 Mac; it's cliched but you get what you pay for!
  • Reply 18 of 24
    macusersmacusers Posts: 840member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Sport73



    As for the $1,000 PC vs. the $2,000 Mac; it's cliched but you get what you pay for!




    You get what you pay for, I say that to all Windows users, lol
  • Reply 19 of 24
    progmacprogmac Posts: 1,850member
    well, i keep reading "throw out the display when i'm done with the imac" kind of thing. that is mostly true since the display can't be detached from the computer, but the mac community doesn't regard old computers as garbage, so nothing is really "thrown out." the benefit of this is of course high resale value. the original bondi imac from 5 years ago regularly goes for about $230 on ebay, this is about 18% of its original selling price of $1299



    here is a completed auction from a Pentium II 266 gateway machine, released around the same time as the original iMac. It went for $16.50. I can't say the original selling price of a Gateway 266 tower, but at the time, i would guess around $1000 (can anyone confirm or disconfirm this). $16.50 is of course 1.6% of the original value, essentially worthless.



    so, coming from the PC world, you may not be used to computers having resale, but the 17" iMac will when you are done with it. I wouldn't let the attached display keep your from the computer you want.
  • Reply 20 of 24
    longhornlonghorn Posts: 147member
    useful lifespand and resell are two huge areas where Macs have an advantage.



    the real difference is that Macs make using your computer enjoyable. you forget you're working on a computer. it actually works as an extension of yourself, and you find yourself forgetting that you're working on a computer.



    granted it'll take at least 6 months before you reach this point, takes a while to unlearn Windows think. but one day you'll realize that your computer actually does what you think it should when it should, how it should. rather than fighting it, it will be helping you along your way.



    it's hard to describe the difference between feeling that your computer is ready to screw you over at a moments notice vs. being something you can count on, but that's what it boils down to.



    of course, people can have terrible experiences on either platform, so take what i wrote with a grain of salt, but this is the path that most switchers take. it's a wonderful road to walk down.
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