Apple iMac G5

[gibbons]

I looked into this about a year ago but I'm afraid the time has come.

My family room Dell computer is on its last breath. I'm going to have to replace it and have been looking at the G5 from Apple. I love the look of it and the small footprint. I'm not sure what effect the move to Intel will have on these computers however.

The family applications are:
Word
Excel
Powerpoint
iTunes
MovieMaker
IM
and Email (Outlook)

Seems to me the G5 would do that at least as well as the Dell. Anyone have experience with the G5?

 

[judypilot]

I looked into this about a year ago but I'm afraid the time has come.

My family room Dell computer is on its last breath. I'm going to have to replace it and have been looking at the G5 from Apple. I love the look of it and the small footprint. I'm not sure what effect the move to Intel will have on these computers however.

The family applications are:
Word
Excel
Powerpoint
iTunes
MovieMaker
IM
and Email (Outlook)

Seems to me the G5 would do that at least as well as the Dell. Anyone have experience with the G5?

I think my Powerbook is a G5, but it might be a G4. Whatever, it's a heck of a lot better than a Dell. The G5 is a little faster and smoother, not that I would be able to tell.

The only program I don't use that you listed is Moviemaker. All the others have Mac versions that are just fine. I've used nothing but Macs. They are extremely stable, reliable, and highly, highly resistant to viruses and spyware. Once you get used to the slight different platform, I think you'll probably love it. One of my IT guys, who was dyed in the wool UNIX, groused at me when I got a Mac (hey, the boss gets what she wants!), and now he definitely understands why someone like me (a non-techie) would like them. They are so user friendly, they crawl in your lap and smootch you on the cheek.

Judy

 

[Frank Browne]

I've been using Macs for a number of years. I currently am using a G4 running OSX and Classic. (9.2). I will be getting a duel processor G5 within a month. We use mostly graphics and publishing applications.

Photoshop
Quark Xpress
InDesign

Have a PC at the house. Much prefer Macs.

 

[terzap]

In my opinion, you can't go wrong. I don't know about "Movie Maker" but iMovie and iDVD have to be similar. And come with the operating system, as does iTunes and a lot of other good things. Microsoft Office for Macintosh of course will seamlessly handle all your windoze files. You won't regret switching to a Mac with maybe one exception I can think of--they don't make Flight Simulator for Macintosh. But then again, they do make Virtual PC so you can run those things on Mac if you have to.

As for surfing the Internet and email, it's the safest way to go. You're going to love being safe from all those icky things out there that attack.

I am forced to use a PC at work since we create software that runs on both PCs and Macs, but I mostly create things on the Mac and then move it over to the PC for any adjustments. At home I would not have anything else but a Mac.

Good luck in your choice. It might be a more expensive decision, but your Mac will be with you a lot longer and give you less frustration. Not saying you won't have problems, just less of them. Hey, be sure to get the three year Apple protection plan, it is worth it!

terry

 

[sierra]

Our entire research lab of 45+ people is Mac based and we haven't suffered a bit.

And we can have fifteen windows open and working and nothing crashes

 

[corjulo]

I think my Powerbook is a G5, but it might be a G4. Whatever, it's a heck of a lot better than a Dell. The G5 is a little faster and smoother, not that I would be able to tell.

The only program I don't use that you listed is Moviemaker. All the others have Mac versions that are just fine. I've used nothing but Macs. They are extremely stable, reliable, and highly, highly resistant to viruses and spyware. Once you get used to the slight different platform, I think you'll probably love it. One of my IT guys, who was dyed in the wool UNIX, groused at me when I got a Mac (hey, the boss gets what she wants!), and now he definitely understands why someone like me (a non-techie) would like them. They are so user friendly, they crawl in your lap and smootch you on the cheek.

Judy

All powerbooks are G4. This is a big reason Apple is moving to Intel. It will be damn near impossible to get a powerPC chip into a laptop

 

[corjulo]

I looked into this about a year ago but I'm afraid the time has come.

My family room Dell computer is on its last breath. I'm going to have to replace it and have been looking at the G5 from Apple. I love the look of it and the small footprint. I'm not sure what effect the move to Intel will have on these computers however.

The family applications are:
Word
Excel
Powerpoint
iTunes
MovieMaker
IM
and Email (Outlook)

Seems to me the G5 would do that at least as well as the Dell. Anyone have experience with the G5?

Go for it. I have 5 Macs at home and babysit 170 at work, along with 1000 PC's. Once you go Mac you'll never go back. Of course there is a lot of software that will not run on a Mac, Like 33,000 viruses, ANY and all Spyware, 10,000 plus trojan horses and worm...

But don't even think of trying to run a G5 on less then 1 gig of memory.

 

[gkainz]

One of my IT guys, who was dyed in the wool UNIX, groused at me when I got a Mac

Tell your IT guy he had better catch up... Mac O/S X is Unix-based ...

 

[bbchien]

Seems to me the G5 would do that at least as well as the Dell. Anyone have experience with the G5?

Am writing this off a Dual processor G5. I find it a struggle. The ONLY advantage to Mac is that you don't need to pay Norton.

There's no manual for Tiger, so I still can't figgur out what the heck the home, end page up and page down keys do. Far as I can tell, nutting.

Dell is plainly a superior business computer. My business is staying on them.
I'll tell you more after I have some HD video to edit.

 

[PoAdeleted5]

Been living on Macs for years and years. Do everything on them except update my GPS.

MS Office comes on the Mac too, works as good or better than it does on XP.

Not sure what the problem is with Bruce's cursor keys - mine are working.

Video editing works great on the Mac, way better than XP.

 

[Big Bird]

Been living on Macs for years and years. Do everything on them except update my GPS.

MS Office comes on the Mac too, works as good or better than it does on XP.

Not sure what the problem is with Bruce's cursor keys - mine are working.

Video editing works great on the Mac, way better than XP.

Ditto, since 1984. I'm on my second Windows machine in two years (the first committed suicide) 'cause I need to update GPS databases and FlightStar. Big bad on King and Jepp.

Go with the G5

 

[Paul Allen]

I've been using Mac's since day one (1982). I have three of them and one Dell hooked up at home. I was forced to buy a Dell for flight planning and updating my GPS. The only problem I ever have is I can't open some window's files.

 

[Carol]

I've been using Mac's since day one (1982). I have three of them and one Dell hooked up at home. I was forced to buy a Dell for flight planning and updating my GPS. The only problem I ever have is I can't open some window's files.

So, what does one do if all one's *stuff* is in Windows based applications and one wants to convert to Mac?

 

[rpadula]

The family applications are:
Word
Excel
Powerpoint
iTunes
MovieMaker
IM
and Email (Outlook)

Seems to me the G5 would do that at least as well as the Dell. Anyone have experience with the G5?

Chip, as others have pointed out, the iMac G5 would handle all of the above with grace. Office 2004 is available for OS X, so that'd cover the first three, and with that you'd also get Entourage instead of Outlook for e-mail. Apple's own Mail app will also handle e-mail chores. iTunes is fantastic (watch your wallet while browsing the store ) and iMovie and iDVD are so incredibly easy to use to edit video and burn DVDs! IM can be done with iChatAV, which is included with OS X.

As always, check out www.apple.com for an overview of all the goodies that come with Tiger (click on the "Software" tab). One of these days when I get some free time, I'll have to upgrade to Tiger myself.

Also, check the Store at the Apple web site. They often have deals on "Apple Certified" refurbed machines (click on the Store tab and then "special deals" on the lower right column). I've bought two powerbooks that way and have been pleased. Right now, they've got a 1.8GHz, 256/80/Superdrive/17" iMac G5 for $999. As Dan pointed out, though, more RAM is key, but you can get that cheaper from other reputable sources.

I check this page often for good Mac prices, too: www.dealmac.com

Go get one. You'll love it.

-Rich

 

[rpadula]

Am writing this off a Dual processor G5. I find it a struggle. The ONLY advantage to Mac is that you don't need to pay Norton.

There's no manual for Tiger, so I still can't figgur out what the heck the home, end page up and page down keys do. Far as I can tell, nutting.

Dell is plainly a superior business computer. My business is staying on them.
I'll tell you more after I have some HD video to edit.

Bruce,

AFAIK, the home and end keys work different than on Windows. For example, in a text document in Windows, home will take you to the start of the line you're on, whereas in the Mac it'll take you to the top (home) of the whole document! Same with end. I think these keys are non-standard in OS X-land unfortunately.

For a manual, I hear "The Missing Manual" is the best. Here's the link to the Tiger version, due out in July (probably cheaper on Amazon, too):

http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/macxtigermm/


-Rich

 

[mikea]

I set up Jann's iMac and that realized in about 20 minutes it was working - 100% wireless, no less - and there wasn't a THING I had to do after the system updates.

Wait! The printer! I didn't install that. I just plugged it in. Let's try printing. Oh. It works. "Do you want to see the ink level in your Canon S330 printer?" Wise guy.

The features of Tiger like Spotlight will prove to very useful. Dashboard can turn into a Ho-hum and it might forget it's there. There's a program called Amnesty that let's the Dashboard widgets run on the desktop which make it more useful.

I've been supporting computers and networks for pay for over 20 years. What I've found is there's so much on a Mac you can't expect to just jump in and noodle around and become a master in minutes. The mac is much easier and less aggrvating than windows to get cooking, but in my case I've had to make use of my Unix skills to get it done underneath a couple of times. I think mere civilians should be OK. The complications come when you're trying to get your Mac to get along with your exiting Windows boxes. Windows will continue to plaque you becuase of the the way was designed for lock in over standards for interoperability.

It does help to have some pointers and instruction to get more out of it. I sat through a "Switch at 6" at the local Apple store and learned a few things. We found a great book, Jim Heid's The Macintosh iLife05 which comes with over 2 hours of instruction on an included DVD.

I've also gotten a lot out of the Take Control books Take Control Books particularly "Take Control of Customizing Tiger"

You should know a couple of things about the iMac: 1) There have been many reports about iMac G5s having failed capacitors that make the power supply quietly burn up.
http://macintouch.com/imacg5part10.html#jun09
Alhought it usually onl makes sense for laptops, you may want to get the AppleCare 3 year extended warranty. But DON'T buy it along with the Mac. You have the entire first year under the the original warranty to get it covered, and AppleCare often shows up on sale at the Apple store refurb area and at http://www.smalldog.com

2) Apple will be switching to Intel processors in 2 years. The wisdom is this means that your PowerPC powered Mac will be obsolete in 6-7 years - like it would have been anyway. In the meantime new software will be released for both PPC and Intel processors.

The concensus is if you need a new computer buy a Mac now.

I just bought a Mac mini. I would have gotten myself an iMac in light of all of the above, but the mini met the current mission requirements the best. I had just built a killer AMD 64 Windows system, which will be my last.

I'm planning on moving all of my personal day-to-day stuff to OS X Tiger on the Mac mini. The Windows machine will be a file server and where I work when forced to use Windows.

Buying a refurbed iMac from the Apple store is not a bad deal if you can't qualify for the educational store. The refurbs are actually better because they get burned in for a week. The new ones off the line don't get tested as well. Click on the Red Sale tag at http://store.apple.com. Check the page often. iMacs and Applecare for iMacs show up fairly often.

Amazon has a $150 rebate on all Macs until June 28th Here's the 20" Imac G5 with Double Layer DVD Superdrive

Enjoy!

 

[judypilot]

Tell your IT guy he had better catch up... Mac O/S X is Unix-based ...

Yeah, he figured that out pretty quick.

Judy

 

[judypilot]

So, what does one do if all one's *stuff* is in Windows based applications and one wants to convert to Mac?

If it's documents and there is a corresponding program for the Mac, it's completely seamless. I can read most files generated on Windows machines, even if they were generated in a different program (e.g., the Moviemaker files read by iMovie, mentioned elsewhere here). It's the programs that are written ONLY for Windows that are the problem, like most flight planning software. But this particular example has never been an issue for me, because there is online flight planning software (I actually like the simple, clean system that you can get in DUATS).

There is a program called "Virtual PC" that a lot of Mac users have that will simulate Windows for the purposes of those programs, but I have yet to find a piece of software that I have to have so badly to bother. In fact, I bought an early version of Virtual PC and never even opened the box!

Judy

 

[corjulo]

Am writing this off a Dual processor G5. I find it a struggle. The ONLY advantage to Mac is that you don't need to pay Norton.

There's no manual for Tiger, so I still can't figgur out what the heck the home, end page up and page down keys do. Far as I can tell, nutting.

Dell is plainly a superior business computer. My business is staying on them.
I'll tell you more after I have some HD video to edit.

According to the Apple user interface guidelines.

Home, Takes you to the top of the page.
end, the end of the page
page up ...Page Up
Page Down, ....Page Down


Remember, every thing in a Mac is intuitive. Don't try to think of it in a Windows modality.

If you're using Final Cut Pro for HD editing then those keys mean different things in different screens

There is an onscreen help section with about 2000 pages of manual.

Keep in mind, editing HD takes tons and tons of disk space. We run fiber channels to raid 2 stripped terabyte XServe and we still run out of space.

As for using Mac in the office. Unfortunately, without the tax tables for Quickbooks Pro its tough. But I have seen dozens of small business's save a lots on support cost by going Mac. It really depends on the business and the software needed to support it.

But if you want to see what Dell and Microsoft will be building into systems in two years, look at a Mac today. They are getting better, Apple used to be 7 years ahead

 

[judypilot]

For a manual, I hear "The Missing Manual" is the best.

I got this when I transitioned to OSX from OS9.2. It's OK, but for long-time Mac users like me, written at slightly too low a level. I had one question that it couldn't answer, but it did provide some useful advice because OSX is quite different from OS9.2. Fortunately, I have a couple of friends who are Mac gurus and they straightened me out. But I want to emphasize that over the umpty-ump years I've been using Macs, I have very, very rarely had to do this, or even open the manual.

Probably the biggest frustration for me was that I had a bunch of OS9.2-based graphics programs. Of course, OSX does allow you to run in the OS9.2 environment, but it's kind of clunky. On the other hand, when I finally broke down and bought OSX-compatible software, I was amazed at how much the prices had dropped.

Now that I've been completely OSX based for awhile, I'm happy with it. It is a bit more stable even than OS9.2, which was pretty darn stable. I gotta tell you, with all the problems my Windows-based friends have, my minor issues have paled in comparison. I spend a good deal of time feeling smug as I see others struggling to stay ahead of viruses, etc.

Judy

 

[corjulo]

I got this when I transitioned to OSX from OS9.2. It's OK, but for long-time Mac users like me, written at slightly too low a level. I had one question that it couldn't answer, but it did provide some useful advice because OSX is quite different from OS9.2. Fortunately, I have a couple of friends who are Mac gurus and they straightened me out. But I want to emphasize that over the umpty-ump years I've been using Macs, I have very, very rarely had to do this, or even open the manual.

Probably the biggest frustration for me was that I had a bunch of OS9.2-based graphics programs. Of course, OSX does allow you to run in the OS9.2 environment, but it's kind of clunky. On the other hand, when I finally broke down and bought OSX-compatible software, I was amazed at how much the prices had dropped.

Now that I've been completely OSX based for awhile, I'm happy with it. It is a bit more stable even than OS9.2, which was pretty darn stable. I gotta tell you, with all the problems my Windows-based friends have, my minor issues have paled in comparison. I spend a good deal of time feeling smug as I see others struggling to stay ahead of viruses, etc.

Judy

Adobe CS Suite is the best deal in software today. I have spent the last year killing off Quark, like many publishing and Design operations in favor of Indesign. Now with Adobe buying Macromedia it really is one stop shopping. Of course that has its own risks

And don't let your guard down with viruses. It is far more difficult to write and spread a virus on a Mac. There are a lot of technical reason for this but its not impossible.

 

[corjulo]

Ditto, since 1984. I'm on my second Windows machine in two years (the first committed suicide) 'cause I need to update GPS databases and FlightStar. Big bad on King and Jepp.

Go with the G5

\

AUUUG, I forgot about Garmins. Thats the only reason I still own a PC. Damn you garmin

 

[gibbons]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I took the plunge and purchased an iMac G5. I bumped the memory to 1.5 gig, added 160 gig external hard drive, bluetooth, a bit of software.......

Setup was easy and the kids LOVE IT. It took a couple of evenings to figure out the basics, but it's not too difficult to get a handle on. Instead of moving about 50 gig of music over from the PC, I dropped $12.99 on "iPod Access", shareware software that takes songs off the iPod and puts them on the Mac. Beautiful. Worked great and took about 30 minutes to load songs from 3 iPods. The .jpg images, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets came right over on a CD. Cool.

So far, so good. I wish I could run IIS and Delphi on it. I'd buy one for myself. My family's only complaint is that the on-button mouse is pretty sorry. As small as the icons are the mouse needs to be more accurate.

 

[PoAdeleted5]

My family's only complaint is that the on-button mouse is pretty sorry. As small as the icons are the mouse needs to be more accurate.

Just go down to the store and pick whatever mouse you like, USB or Bluetooth.

I've been using a logitech wireless scroll wheel mouse for years. For some reason or another, I like the mouse with a marble in it vs. the optical ones. Hard to find anymore.

 

[gibbons]

Just go down to the store and pick whatever mouse you like, USB or Bluetooth.

Really? I thought it had to be a Mac-Mouse - blessed by Steve or whatever. A standard Bluetooth mouse from Office Depot will work?

 

[corjulo]

Really? I thought it had to be a Mac-Mouse - blessed by Steve or whatever. A standard Bluetooth mouse from Office Depot will work?

Any bluetooth mouse will work, both buttons

 

[SCCutler]

I'd love to go Mac, but Corel stopped updating WordPerfect for Mac, and I'd rather pull teeth with rusty pliers than change over to using Word. Junk software.

Am going to have to buy a Mac for my son, though... school requirement at his new school; waiting to see what educational discounts exist. Assuming a Mac Mini.

 

[PoAdeleted5]

Really? I thought it had to be a Mac-Mouse - blessed by Steve or whatever. A standard Bluetooth mouse from Office Depot will work?

Yup.

I'm not real crazy about Bluetooth periph's, they kind of eat up batteries.

The regular old non-optical, pre-bluetooth wireless mice run a long time on a set of batteries. But I don't know if you can even get them anymore.