Anytime is a good time to buy an iMac. But seriously, sure. They've just been updated, the price is good (with the MacMall cut), and they're capable computers.
While I agree that proper grammar helps, some people do not know the English language very well, either by laziness or not having enough schooling (immigrants, etc).
I generally ignore spelling and grammatical errors, as such...
Anyway, I was in the same boat between WWDC and Macworld this summer. I needed a laptop, but didn't want the "old" Titanium, although the form factor is perfect for me. Tried a 12" PB at a store and while the keyboard size was fine, the screen size was not. Tried the 17" and while it was larger than I had previously thought "comfortable", I decided what the hell and bought it.
I tend to buy out of need, more than anything else. I needed a Superdrive for videos I have been amassing; I needed a laptop to take to work and back home; I needed wireless networking; etc...
I always keep an eye on Apple's Promo page, just to see what is coming. As a result, I got a free copy of Final Cut Express because I had an old copy (4.something) of Adobe Premiere for Winblows.
As said somewhere above, get the most RAM and throw-ins you can with the purchase. Probably wait until Tuesday though, as you may get a discount on Panther when released.
Welcome to the "real" world of computing, as well!
i personally am gonna wait until jan.to get my dual g5... and i think you should wait too... prices cant do anything but go down, and panther will have a little time to be debugged...
The word "I", used when one refers to themselves should always be capitalized.
What sort of monkeyshines is this? I thought that a grammar expert (like you so obviously are!) should know that "one refers to themselves" is an utterly wrong English construction.
Proper English does not participate in the cult of taking out the gender-neutral default forms of "he."
The correct reading should be, "... used when one refers to himself."
Anyway, you also missed a comma after the appositive, following the word "themselves." Was I supposed to say to myself, "To themselves should always be?" Without a comma, I just could not tell.
(By the way, if I were kind, I should be using "thou," because according to True English, it is a mean action against someone to treat them like an impersonal audience by using the plural pronoun "you" for impersonally addressing them.)
Sorry, I really should not have said that. To tell the truth, both of us were more wrong than STL1025. He was merely using the vernacular of the forum, which is always acceptable. English is flexible that way.
Do NOT buy any iMac untill the prices get in line with the rest of the industry, or the performance comes up to match it's price. Otherwise, look elsewhere. So long as you're giving up expansion you might as well get a portable machine. Powerbooks are a better value.
If I were you, I would buy it now. Apple just updated it. The earliest update you're going to see if going to be MWSF if we're lucky. prices aren't going to drop for a while...
Yeah, and don't buy any cars from Honda until they're in-line with Hugo prices....
If you're going to insist on silly automotive terms, then buying an iMac now (with or without the update) is more like buying a Civic for the price of a 540i. Competent, but well overpriced, even with the update.
Yeah, about as "silly" as your incessant "Don't buy Apple products they cost too much"; instead you should buy some POS cheap computer that will have a resale value of $10 after you buy it.
I'd just buy one of the new upgraded models now.. I mean christmas is more then 3 months away, it's not worth waiting that long You might save a few bucks, but I don't think we'll have to expect any new systems.
I've been waiting for an iMac myself for a while. I was a bit surprised that the recent update didn't wait until Paris. Since Jobs talk at Paris is coming so soon, I'd wait to see what happens then. It probably won't affect my iMac decision (unless there is a great Powerbook update), but I'm interested to see if they set a date for Panther. Hang in there - only a few days left until Paris!
Where did you see me write, "Don't buy Apple products" ???
I said, don't buy iMacs (or eMacs) as they're overpriced for what you get. In the very same post I wrote that the powerbooks are a much better deal, and I recommend them. For less money than the 17" iMac you can get a G4 based laptop wit the advantage of being portable and that has monitor spanning capability.
If you can wait a bit, I say wait for the PB updates. The iMac update was VERY quiet, possibly the quietest update ever to the iMac. While it may be a long time before another update, pretty much every time a model goes through such a quiet bump, the next one is much more substantial. Who knows where low power G5's or 7457's might be by then? Powerbooks, at the current prices will hold their value better than the AIO's.
Almost anything in the lineup is a better deal than the iMac, ATM. Apple is forgetting that the iMac needs to be a consumer machine at a consumer price. It's actually quite funny that they can deliver reasonable laptops (and G5 workstations) but not a reasonably priced consumer machine. Sorry, but that's just the truth. Compared to consumer X86, Apple's AIO's cost too much and go too slow.
I often write don't buy the Apple products that cost too much, and I mean it. Why would you when there are better deals within the Apple line itself?
If you like AIO simplicity, then Apple has better AIO's to sell you than the e/iMac. They have the their very nice laptops for similar money -- AIO's that travel!
And, for you Canadian customers, iMac? No friggin way. Take one iMac 1.25Ghz with Superdrive. 2499 Canadian. A single 1.25Ghz Powermac G4 costs 1799. A savings of 700 dollars!
If you shop dilligently you can pick up a 4X superdrive for 230 Canadian, and a 17" LCD for 500. You're right there, only you have room for 4HDD's, PCI cards, and more and less expensive RAM.
If you have any sort of decent monitor and don't want or don't need a superdrive, well then, you've got a much better deal than any iMac, and you didn't have to leave the Apple Store to get it!
And, for you Canadian customers, iMac? No friggin way. Take one iMac 1.25Ghz with Superdrive. 2499 Canadian. A single 1.25Ghz Powermac G4 costs 1799. A savings of 700 dollars!
If you shop dilligently you can pick up a 4X superdrive for 230 Canadian, and a 17" LCD for 500. You're right there, only you have room for 4HDD's, PCI cards, and more and less expensive RAM.
And, you'll have the added bonus of the sound of a vacuum cleaner under your desk along with a sturdy non-adjustable display.
There are advantages to the iMac if you don't need things like four HDDs, monitor spanning, portability and a tiny display like the "cheaper" PowerBook mentioned.
The noise problem wa fixed in subsequet MDD revisions, and Apple even offered a retrofit for the earlier MDD's. The sound should be fine now. It takes much more RAM than the iMac, more hard drives, PCI cards will allow you to very inexpensively update the I/O, you have your choice of display[s], you can upgrade the video card (very inexpensively) when something faster drops down to a reasonable level, and you can easily swap out for (CHEAP INTERNAL!) faster opticals. These advantages are reflected in the resale value of PM's, with even fairly old PM's getting good returns on eBay. iMacs also have good resale, but not as good.
The Powerbook does have a smaller display, yes, but it offers much greater potential screen real estate as it will span a second external display up to 1600x1200 (though I have seen it drive up to 1920x1200 aswell). The Mac only mirrors, so while the PB has a smaller screen to start, it actually has more expansion potential than the iMac, and seriously, who doesn't have at least a good flat screen CRT lying around the house these days? The portables also hold their value quite well if you stay away from the high end, the 12" should do quite well there too.
Unless you're so computer-phobic that you're scared off by an additional power cable, there are better options for you than the e/iMac -- better options that come from Apple!
The noise problem wa fixed in subsequet MDD revisions, and Apple even offered a retrofit for the earlier MDD's. The sound should be fine now. It takes much more RAM than the iMac, more hard drives, PCI cards will allow you to very inexpensively update the I/O, you have your choice of display[s], you can upgrade the video card (very inexpensively) when something faster drops down to a reasonable level, and you can easily swap out for (CHEAP INTERNAL!) faster opticals.
I'd like to know the percentage of computer users who actually do all that stuff. I for one, had a G4 466 tower and sold it because it was too noisy and I didn't need the expansion. I bought a PowerBook instead. I have an iMac at my office and I love how it's quiet, all-in-one and the display is fully adjustable to any angle. I'll never buy a tower again. After all, the topic here is when best to buy an iMac, not a tower.
As for the topic, I wouldn't expect any upgrades or price drops on the iMacs before January, so now's the time.
Everyone's different, of course. I, for one, have never been into towers and I can't think of a reason on earth why I'd ever buy one. Knowing me and how I work and what I do, I'd never use the slots, expansion bays, etc.
But more than all of that, I'm a bit of a neat freak and it's simply in my nature (hardwired from the embryo) to prefer a more clean, tight AIO solution (be it an iMac, eMac or - at this point in my life - an Apple laptop) than the whole tower + display thing. They simply aren't a "luggable" type of product.
That's probably why, from the moment I first saw it, was immediately taken with the iMac. I could've easily bought any number of G4 towers and Studio/Cinema Displays over the years. But I've gone the AIO route twice in three years and - with my upcoming laptop purchase - will again.
I think the G5 is simply gorgeous and cool as can be, in every way. But I have no desire whatsoever to own one. It's simply overkill for my needs and I'd never put 4 or 8GB of RAM into it or add extra drives or PCI cards...I KNOW me. It would be a big, cute hunk of aluminum sitting under my desk, wasting space and getting horribly underused.
Even if I won one in a contest, I'd sell it immediately to one of you torqued-up saps and buy a tricked-out PowerBook and maybe some cool accessories. Any money left over, I'd buy myself some music from Apple's online music thing. TONS of it!
Comments
I generally ignore spelling and grammatical errors, as such...
Anyway, I was in the same boat between WWDC and Macworld this summer. I needed a laptop, but didn't want the "old" Titanium, although the form factor is perfect for me. Tried a 12" PB at a store and while the keyboard size was fine, the screen size was not. Tried the 17" and while it was larger than I had previously thought "comfortable", I decided what the hell and bought it.
I tend to buy out of need, more than anything else. I needed a Superdrive for videos I have been amassing; I needed a laptop to take to work and back home; I needed wireless networking; etc...
I always keep an eye on Apple's Promo page, just to see what is coming. As a result, I got a free copy of Final Cut Express because I had an old copy (4.something) of Adobe Premiere for Winblows.
As said somewhere above, get the most RAM and throw-ins you can with the purchase. Probably wait until Tuesday though, as you may get a discount on Panther when released.
Welcome to the "real" world of computing, as well!
Originally posted by Snof
I do believe that 'please' has 2 e's, they're not that hard to count.
How dare you, sir. I was clearly talking about the final "e." Why do you mock serious things?
Originally posted by NerV
It's "please" with only one "e" at the end.
The word "I", used when one refers to themselves should always be capitalized.
What sort of monkeyshines is this? I thought that a grammar expert (like you so obviously are!) should know that "one refers to themselves" is an utterly wrong English construction.
Proper English does not participate in the cult of taking out the gender-neutral default forms of "he."
The correct reading should be, "... used when one refers to himself."
Anyway, you also missed a comma after the appositive, following the word "themselves." Was I supposed to say to myself, "To themselves should always be?" Without a comma, I just could not tell.
(By the way, if I were kind, I should be using "thou," because according to True English, it is a mean action against someone to treat them like an impersonal audience by using the plural pronoun "you" for impersonally addressing them.)
Originally posted by cookies
What sort of monkeyshines is this?
Sorry, I really should not have said that. To tell the truth, both of us were more wrong than STL1025. He was merely using the vernacular of the forum, which is always acceptable. English is flexible that way.
Do NOT buy any iMac untill the prices get in line with the rest of the industry, or the performance comes up to match it's price. Otherwise, look elsewhere. So long as you're giving up expansion you might as well get a portable machine. Powerbooks are a better value.
Originally posted by Bigc
Yeah, and don't buy any cars from Honda until they're in-line with Hugo prices....
If you're going to insist on silly automotive terms, then buying an iMac now (with or without the update) is more like buying a Civic for the price of a 540i. Competent, but well overpriced, even with the update.
I said, don't buy iMacs (or eMacs) as they're overpriced for what you get. In the very same post I wrote that the powerbooks are a much better deal, and I recommend them. For less money than the 17" iMac you can get a G4 based laptop wit the advantage of being portable and that has monitor spanning capability.
If you can wait a bit, I say wait for the PB updates. The iMac update was VERY quiet, possibly the quietest update ever to the iMac. While it may be a long time before another update, pretty much every time a model goes through such a quiet bump, the next one is much more substantial. Who knows where low power G5's or 7457's might be by then? Powerbooks, at the current prices will hold their value better than the AIO's.
Almost anything in the lineup is a better deal than the iMac, ATM. Apple is forgetting that the iMac needs to be a consumer machine at a consumer price. It's actually quite funny that they can deliver reasonable laptops (and G5 workstations) but not a reasonably priced consumer machine. Sorry, but that's just the truth. Compared to consumer X86, Apple's AIO's cost too much and go too slow.
I often write don't buy the Apple products that cost too much, and I mean it. Why would you when there are better deals within the Apple line itself?
If you like AIO simplicity, then Apple has better AIO's to sell you than the e/iMac. They have the their very nice laptops for similar money -- AIO's that travel!
And, for you Canadian customers, iMac? No friggin way. Take one iMac 1.25Ghz with Superdrive. 2499 Canadian. A single 1.25Ghz Powermac G4 costs 1799. A savings of 700 dollars!
If you shop dilligently you can pick up a 4X superdrive for 230 Canadian, and a 17" LCD for 500. You're right there, only you have room for 4HDD's, PCI cards, and more and less expensive RAM.
If you have any sort of decent monitor and don't want or don't need a superdrive, well then, you've got a much better deal than any iMac, and you didn't have to leave the Apple Store to get it!
Originally posted by Matsu
And, for you Canadian customers, iMac? No friggin way. Take one iMac 1.25Ghz with Superdrive. 2499 Canadian. A single 1.25Ghz Powermac G4 costs 1799. A savings of 700 dollars!
If you shop dilligently you can pick up a 4X superdrive for 230 Canadian, and a 17" LCD for 500. You're right there, only you have room for 4HDD's, PCI cards, and more and less expensive RAM.
And, you'll have the added bonus of the sound of a vacuum cleaner under your desk along with a sturdy non-adjustable display.
There are advantages to the iMac if you don't need things like four HDDs, monitor spanning, portability and a tiny display like the "cheaper" PowerBook mentioned.
The Powerbook does have a smaller display, yes, but it offers much greater potential screen real estate as it will span a second external display up to 1600x1200 (though I have seen it drive up to 1920x1200 aswell). The Mac only mirrors, so while the PB has a smaller screen to start, it actually has more expansion potential than the iMac, and seriously, who doesn't have at least a good flat screen CRT lying around the house these days? The portables also hold their value quite well if you stay away from the high end, the 12" should do quite well there too.
Unless you're so computer-phobic that you're scared off by an additional power cable, there are better options for you than the e/iMac -- better options that come from Apple!
Originally posted by Matsu
The noise problem wa fixed in subsequet MDD revisions, and Apple even offered a retrofit for the earlier MDD's. The sound should be fine now. It takes much more RAM than the iMac, more hard drives, PCI cards will allow you to very inexpensively update the I/O, you have your choice of display[s], you can upgrade the video card (very inexpensively) when something faster drops down to a reasonable level, and you can easily swap out for (CHEAP INTERNAL!) faster opticals.
I'd like to know the percentage of computer users who actually do all that stuff. I for one, had a G4 466 tower and sold it because it was too noisy and I didn't need the expansion. I bought a PowerBook instead. I have an iMac at my office and I love how it's quiet, all-in-one and the display is fully adjustable to any angle. I'll never buy a tower again. After all, the topic here is when best to buy an iMac, not a tower.
As for the topic, I wouldn't expect any upgrades or price drops on the iMacs before January, so now's the time.
But more than all of that, I'm a bit of a neat freak and it's simply in my nature (hardwired from the embryo) to prefer a more clean, tight AIO solution (be it an iMac, eMac or - at this point in my life - an Apple laptop) than the whole tower + display thing. They simply aren't a "luggable" type of product.
That's probably why, from the moment I first saw it, was immediately taken with the iMac. I could've easily bought any number of G4 towers and Studio/Cinema Displays over the years. But I've gone the AIO route twice in three years and - with my upcoming laptop purchase - will again.
I think the G5 is simply gorgeous and cool as can be, in every way. But I have no desire whatsoever to own one. It's simply overkill for my needs and I'd never put 4 or 8GB of RAM into it or add extra drives or PCI cards...I KNOW me. It would be a big, cute hunk of aluminum sitting under my desk, wasting space and getting horribly underused.
Even if I won one in a contest, I'd sell it immediately to one of you torqued-up saps and buy a tricked-out PowerBook and maybe some cool accessories. Any money left over, I'd buy myself some music from Apple's online music thing. TONS of it!