Windows User Loves IMac
Written: Mar 20 '02 (Updated Apr 01 '02)
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Pros: Fast, Stable, Great Looking
Cons: Long Term Upgrades
The Bottom Line: A great system with good looks and software. By the time you run out of upgradability you will want a new system anyway.
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| tomstan's Full Review: Apple Flat Panel iMac 700MHz G4 / 15-in. TFT / 40G... |
THE WINDOWS TO MAC CONVERSION
I am a converted Windows user. I got tired of driver problems and system crashes. Last week I cleared off my desk (removing the 1.6 Gig Windows XP system) and went to the local Apple Store. After settling on the mid range iMac G4 I came home to open the box.
Set up is amazingly simple. Take the unit out of the box, plug in the keyboard, mouse, power cord (with no transformer brick!), and phone cord which were all supplied and that's it! Turn on the power switch and you are on the way. The iMac works as good as it looks. The screen moves with a fingertip and stays where you put it. It is bright and sharp. The speakers produce great stereo sound (better than some surround systems).
To convert from Windows to MAC requires a mental leap. Windows is a system to buffer the user from DOS and make it easier to use. The MAC OS is a real top to bottom operating system. Everything works together in a standard way. There is a learning process required to move between the two systems. It is not difficult, just a change of pace.
Another part of the conversion is taking a hard look at the applications you currently use and how they convert to MAC. You may find some of the old programs have MAC on the same disk although this is unlikely. You can run Windows apps on a MAC but only through the use of an emulator that costs about $200. Some programs you are used to (like Quicken 2002 included with the iMac) work differently in MAC OS X than in Windows. You are the only one who can judge what programs you need to move to the new machine. The cost must be factored in. I also learned data doesn’t always transfer. My Quicken data did not directly transfer and it required about two days to get everything up and running on the MAC. If you use Quicken Bill Pay it reacts with MAC over a different server which is not advertised and requires a phone call to Quicken to fix. Once you convert your data you really can’t switch back. If you have a lot of Office files you can read most of them in Apple Works or you can buy Office for MAC which directly reads the files.
I found the online help and printed manual included with the iMac to be somewhat incomplete. I wound up buying a MAC “bible” from my local bookstore to answer my questions. The best way to answer many questions is through the discussion boards on the Apple support web site. I found out here that hotmail is proprietary and requires a Microsoft product to download (or use of the online site). Outlook Express is included with the iMac but it is not OSX native (see discussion on OSX).
In short, if you are not used to the MAC way of doing things be ready for a little culture shock.
THE HARDWARE
The iMac is a great looking machine! It comes out of the box ready to use after making some very simple connections. My sound appeared to not work initially but I found the answer in the troubleshooting section of the quick setup. Make sure the speaker plug is firmly set and it clicks twice. After this small hitch I had no problems. Be ready for the extra desk space you will get.
The CPU base of the iMac is 10.6” wide and dome shaped. The arm for the flat screen monitor attaches to the base. That’s all there is to the computer. It is designed to be on all the time so the power switch is flush and located on the back of the unit. The good news is this unit is very clean looking. The bad news is the lack of upgrade potential. The user is allowed to access the base of the unit by unscrewing four screws. Inside this area you can add the air port interface or up to 512 Meg of RAM. If you do the math this would give the unit 768 Meg instead of the 1 Gig advertised. The extra 256 Meg comes ONLY by having an Apple authorized dealer place a larger memory chip in the “upper” memory slot. If you access this as a user, you void the warranty. Figure the installation price into your equation if you need the max memory.
The video screen is great. It really does have as much viewable space as my old 17” monitor. The screen is crisp and clear in all light. Apple includes a screen cleaning cloth.
It would be nice if Apple included a scroll mouse with the computer. This may just be a complaint from someone used to the Windows scroll environment.
THE SOFTWARE
Apple does something Windows systems stopped doing a long time ago. They include the software preinstalled on the machine in CD form! This is great if you ever crash AND it does not take up disk space like the preinstalled drive found on a Compaq system.
MAC OSX – The new OS is great! One thing I did not realize is the need to have OS 9 and X on the same platform, as some programs are not OSX native. This becomes important if you need to switch between the two systems. If you click on an OS 9 application it takes time for the new desktop to come up. The interface is also slightly different between OS 9 and OSX. I found myself stuck in an OS 9 boot until I found how to switch the starting OS. Some of the applications included with the iMac are not OSX native (specifically Outlook Express which makes checking a Hotmail account a pain on the iMac unless you are on the Internet site).
IPHOTO – This application is very young! It was released 2 Jan 02 and is definitely in the growing phase! First of all, it does not do any real editing of photos beyond cropping and red eye reduction. Second, iPHOTO uses a very confusing storage system to store your photos. They are easy to see from the program interface but not easy to find in a directory if you are trying to attach them to another file. Part of the problem comes in naming the photo. iPHOTO will not actually tag the FILE with the name shown in the interface until you export the picture somewhere. You are supposed to be able to use your favorite editing program to manipulate photos from within the iPHOTO interface. You can as long the editor is OSX native (this is not advertised or actually known to many outside Apple technical support). If you use Photoshop be aware of this fact.
IMOVIE – This seems to be a great program BUT it does not import .mov files directly. You have to upgrade to Quicktime Pro and convert the file to a useable stream for iMOVIE to process.
OVERALL
I cannot say enough good about this machine. The technology is a good value for the price point. There are glitches in some of the new software and transition issues for a Windows user. None of these have changed my opinion about the new machine. Apple must be selling a bunch. They recently raised the base price $100 and many distributors are out of stock. I still have my XP PC working in the house but I try not to use it. Buy the iMac and you will not be sorry!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1499
Operating System: Macintosh
Processor: PowerPC G4
Processor speed: 601-700
RAM: 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 31-40
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Epinions.com ID:
tomstan
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Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
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