[Wraven]

Hello All,
This is my first post so I thought I should just say hello to everyone. I've been reading for a while, and have been a Mac fan for about a year. For 10 years I have been a PC-Only guy (Windows, Linux, and Unix). Then Apple announced the iPod mini at MWSF '04 and I fell in love withi it. I ordered it the day it was announced, and once I got it I was in awe of its ease of use and closed-system perfection (i.e. iTunes integration, click wheel, clean interface, etc...). So I have started to look at other Mac products a lot closer and think I will be buying some iteration of an iMac AND an iBook in 2005. I've been on many Apple Store drooling / windowshopping trips and have all of my computers decked out with iTunes and my 2000-3000 songs on each (I've created a few scripts that update and back up my songs from a central server in my office).

I can't wait to get my new computers, and perhaps an iPod Photo sometime in 2005. Well, I am starting to ramble so I will just conclude with a "Hello Everyone!"

Greetings from a soon-to-be switcher!

Cheers,
Wraven

[Kickaha]

Welcome!

If you're a long time Unix head, you're going to love MacOS X.

[Wraven]

I've used Linux and Unix for almost 8 years, so yes I am a Unix-head I suppose. Command lines do not scare me, but I also really appreciate how beautiful the Aqua interface looks.

Thanks for welcoming me!

Cheers,
Wraven

[Kickaha]

It's not just the eye candy - the entire OS is built around the philosophies of Unix - small crafted tools that work in concert to produce powerful abilities. Some people hate it, feeling like they have to dig a bit to find that power, other people (usually Unix folks) love the flexibility and power it provides easily.

Most Linux/Unix GUIs I've seen try and model themselves after the monolithic philosophy of Windows, and miss the point pretty badly... Apple actually got it right, IMNSHO. Well, okay, NeXT did. (shhhhhh... )

There are some exceptions (iTunes = music catalog organizer, music player, music storefront, iPod sync, etc) but even then they manage to keep it clean and minimalist while providing a plethora of power and necessary features.

Wait until you see 10.4's Automator.

[Luca]

HI!!!!!



^_^

[Kickaha]

...and then you have the wackos.

[Wraven]

Kickaha,
I figure by the time I get my computers they will be loaded with 10.4 (probably Q2 / Q3 2004). I have heard good things about Automater.

I am still not sure if I should get a decent 20" iMac and a 12" iBook, or a decked out 17" Powerbook instead (and a Dually G5 PowerMac later). I think I will be doing a lot of DV and music editing for my family (just got a really nice Canon Optura DV camcorder).

Obviously if I went the Power route, the purchase of the Powerbook would take place at the time it took me to save up for both i models, and the second Power purchase (the PowerMac G5) would take place in 2006.

What do you think would better fit my needs? FYI - I would like to get the portable computer first because I tend to travel enough to warrant one.

Cheers,
Wraven

[Wraven]

Originally Posted by Kickaha ...and then you have the wackos.

HAHAHA!!!

Cheers,
Wraven

[FFL]

Originally Posted by Wraven I am still not sure if I should get a decent 20" iMac and a 12" iBook, or a decked out 17" Powerbook instead (and a Dually G5 PowerMac later). I think I will be doing a lot of DV and music editing for my family (just got a really nice Canon Optura DV camcorder). Obviously if I went the Power route, the purchase of the Powerbook would take place at the time it took me to save up for both i models, and the second Power purchase (the PowerMac G5) would take place in 2006. What do you think would better fit my needs? FYI - I would like to get the portable computer first because I tend to travel enough to warrant one. Cheers, Wraven

Welcome, Wraven!
I'd go with the iBook and iMac. For the DV usage, you will make immediate use of the power/speed advantages of the iMac vs. the PowerBook. Then, around the time you were going to consider the second Power purchase, you can trade up either the iBook or the iMac (depending on which one you use more for the most demanding tasks). I'd imagine that you'd elect to go for the PowerMac upgrade at that time, and then upgrade your notebook on the next round.

This gets you the most bang for the buck initially, and lets you leverage the sweet, sweet resale value of Macs to upgrade eventually to top-of-the-line on both ends.

Ask youself -
What Would Murbot Do?

[curiousuburb]

Originally Posted by FFL Ask youself - What Would Murbot Do?

His animated animé avatar would certainly differ...
*peers at Luca*

Welcome to the board.

[Maciej]

Ayy, WWMD is powerful determinant in my daily decisions...

Anyway, welcome to the boards, hopefully you will find this an informative place, if not... I'm sure you'll find it to be a good place to chill, and laugh if not get any work done.

[chipz]

Welcome aboard!

The iMac 20" would be the best way to go. The screen is just gorgeous and you get a biffer HD to boot! I say this even though I have the 17" 1.8 iMac. I've seen the 20" unit and it is great! On the laptop side, I lean towards the 12" PB. I have one and I love it. It is easy to carry around and can do almost anything the 17" PB can do. After lugging the 17" PB around for a while you might find it a little cumbersome. You would probably use you iMac for your major work and your PB for updating while on the road, etc.

Let us know what you decide.

[Wraven]

Hey Everyone,
Thank you for all of your input. I think I will go with the "i" models (again this will probably be Q2/Q3 next year at the latest, maybe earlier). I think that gives me the most flexibility and utility for my money. I hadn't thought of the resale value aspect of Macs - I am still thinking as a PC guy (and my old PCs make good servers or doorstops, and not much resale value).

The price of the 12" iBook is very attractive, and I can still do my DV editing and gaming on the 20" iMac if I get a good amount of RAM (right)?

I will probably get the 12" iBook first, just because it is SO darn inexpensive and will allow me to get my feet wet the earliest. Plus it is mobile, and I would get the biggest harddrive, the extra GB of RAM, and bluetooth adapter plus bluetooth mouse, a nice sleeve case, and the AppleCare package (all for around $2000). I figure with the RAM, HD, bluetooth, and integrated 802.11b/g that is a pretty decent value.

The only other question I have is can I get away with getting the 12" iBook and ONLY the hard drive upgrade and the bluetooth module initially, and then get the extra GB of RAM, the bluetooth mouse, the case, and the AppleCare package as I get more funds? Obvious upside to that is getting the actual computer sooner than I would otherwise. Any downsides you can see with that approach?

Anywho, I can't wait to get my first Mac. Thanks for all of your input!

[Messiahtosh]

Congratulations on leaving the burndens of the Windows world, you'll enjoy your Macs, I'm sure.

Welcome aboard!

[Moogs]

Welcome indeed. Soon you will be a member of that most righteous of computing fraternities, and you will wonder why you waited so long to join in the fun. Sure we have our share of ups and downs but I think you'll find the number of positives that come with using OS X (Tiger by the time you get your first Mac most likely) far outweigh any of the negatives.

Especially negatives of the calibre frequently experienced by Windows users, fed up with all the incompatibilities, virii, hardware hangups, pain-in-the-butt upgrades, etc. Yes, I think it's safe to say you'll like it here...

:smokey:

[Brad]

Originally Posted by Wraven ...and then get the extra GB of RAM, the bluetooth mouse, the case, and the AppleCare package as I get more funds?

Case? Like a carrying bag/case?

Yes to all of the above. Most people "in the know" would advice any buyer to wait until the end of the first year of ownership before buying the AppleCare plan. Apple's products already have a factory warranty. The AppleCare plan takes effect from the day you buy it. So, you get the most of your money by waiting until your factory warranty has almost expired before buying AppleCare.

[LoCash]

I'd recommend one of these cases for your laptop. They can be a tad pricey, but they're worth it.

[torifile]

Originally Posted by Brad Case? Like a carrying bag/case? Yes to all of the above. Most people "in the know" would advice any buyer to wait until the end of the first year of ownership before buying the AppleCare plan. Apple's products already have a factory warranty. The AppleCare plan takes effect from the day you buy it. So, you get the most of your money by waiting until your factory warranty has almost expired before buying AppleCare.

Actually AppleCare will extend your warranty to a full 3 years. You don't lose anything by buying at the front end of your year but you don't lose anything either. Basically it tacks an extra 2 years onto the standard warranty.

[Maciej]

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned, in quick glance I don't believe so. But I would suggest buying your ram, seeing as you want an extra gig, from ... not Apple. I would suggest Crucial, or Other World Computing, people have had good luck with them. As you might have heard Apples are pretty picky about ram, as I have learned the hard way, so if you cheap out on something, don't let it be ram.

my $0.02

[Luca]

You could also go to NewEgg and look up the RAM prices there. They tend to be quite reasonable and I've never had a problem with RAM I've ordered from NewEgg, in either a Mac or a PC. "Value series" RAM from well-known companies is generally good enough - Kingston ValueRam, Corsair Value Select, and so on. Macs are pickier about RAM so you should get something from a well known company. But don't feel you have to spend extra on "high end" RAM, as it's generally intended to run faster and allow for overclocking.

EDIT: If you do want some more RAM, you can get a 512 MB for $85 or a 1 GB for $193. Crucial's prices are about $95 for a 512 MB and over $300 for a 1 GB. So if you want a 1 GB, I'd stay away... they're overcharging. But if you just want a 512 MB I'd say spend the extra few bucks to buy it directly from Crucial.com.

[Wraven]

Thanks everyone from the suggestions. Yeah, I figured I'd only get the bare minimum of RAM from Apple and upgrade the RAM through Newegg or an equivalent. LoCash, I will take a look at that case recommendation. Thanks again!

[Zodiac]

Good! You'll love Mac OSX!

[Maciej]

Yeah, I got that exact piece of ram from NewEgg, the 1 gig stick for 193, and it didn't work, but that is probably just an obscure event. However, that might have just been a faulty piece, I didn't bother having them replace it, just refund me.

EDIT: I guess the biggest gripe I have with NewEgg is that they remove negative ratings of their products from their site. This seems... hardly ethical to me.

[Luca]

Well, you might want to just avoid the cheaper RAM. That's Kingmax, not to be confused with Kingston, a major brand. I probably shouldn't have recommended it, sorry. If you stick to the good brands, you'll notice that even their value ones are a lot more than $200. The Crucial for $330 or something seems pretty high, but Kingston and Corsair aren't really much cheaper.

You might be better off getting a 512 MB module. That's enough for most things in OS X these days. If you ever need to upgrade your RAM, 1 GB modules should be much cheaper in the future.

As far as removing negative ratings... yes, it's stupid, but the lesson is to NEVER trust a site's official ratings since they have control of what gets posted and what doesn't. NewEgg is a good example but it's by no means a special case. It probably happens with just about any site that allows you to rate products.

[MCQ]

Just as an FYI, while I haven't used Kingmax's sodimms, I have a Kingmax PC3200 stick in my Shuttle cube that works just fine. Maybe Sh0eWax just got a bad stick.

[Luca]

That's the thing... Macs are just pickier about RAM. It's probably likely that Sh0eWax's RAM was simply bad, but it's also entirely possible that it would have worked in a PC if he tried that out. I think that actually holds true for a lot of pre-built PCs as well. If you build your own system using a commercially available motherboard, I think it's a bit more accepting than if you try to upgrade a Dell's memory.

[Chinney]

Originally Posted by Wraven Thanks everyone from the suggestions. Yeah, I figured I'd only get the bare minimum of RAM from Apple and upgrade the RAM through Newegg or an equivalent. LoCash, I will take a look at that case recommendation. Thanks again!

Based on your earlier post, I'm not sure if you mean to get this extra RAM right away, or still to delay. I would not delay. Get the extra RAM immediately, whether from Apple or a reputable third party supplier (I installed Kingston and have had no problems). OS X is wonderful, but it does need the extra RAM to make it sing. And because RAM is not that expensive these days, there is little reason to wait.

Actually, I still don't understand why Apple is not throwing in the extra RAM right up front. It would be a small gesture to make buyers happy, especially newbies who might not know better than to flail around a while with deficient RAM.

[Wraven]

I'll probably try my luck with a cheap 1GB SODIMM when I get my 12" iBook. I know OS X likes as much RAM as you can throw at it, and I'd rather not buy a 512MB stick now and then have to get a 1GB stick later when I feel I need the upgrade. I know KingMax is not a major brand, but I think I will take my chances with Newegg. I've bought MANY computer parts from them and I can always return it for another stick if it does not work. Thanks for everyone's suggestions.

[tricki]

hi...regarding ram....has anyone tried out Corsair Ram with the new G4 powerbooks? would like to know if it works

[stonyc]

Can't help with the corsair, but I just put in the 1GB Kingmax module available from Newegg for $183ish, works perfectly.