Anyone using an Imac? Can't decide PC or MAC

[sam_portera]

I'm sick of the spyware, virus, malware etc. I am buying a new

system to replace my 8 year old dinosaur Celeron 400MHz Compaq. I am

considering a mac but no one I know uses one.....Or a Dell 4700 w/

19" lcd 160gb hd and 1gig of ram. The dell is cheaper but the no

virus thing has me thinking mac. The mac is 1300 compared to about

950 for the dell.

 

Any opinions on either mac or pc?

[adam rosser]

I don't have an iMac, but the Mac system and software is excellent.

 

It is quite possible to build and maintain a Windows system with little trouble from viruses and spyware, but you need to know a bit about computers and it still takes some work. In my opinion, the Mac is the better option.

 

The iLife software on the Mac is great too, and almost all major digital photography software is available for both platforms. I did not have a large investment in PC software and I have had no trouble at all switching. (I am using a 1GHz iBook and that is enough for most tasks as long as you have enough RAM).

 

Just my two cents.

 

Adam

[peter_evans4]

<p>Alternatively you could (i) buy some computer with no OS and install Linux on it, or (ii) buy one with Windows, not open the Windows package, demand a refund for Windows (good luck!) and install Linux on it, or (iii) buy one with Windows and add Linux, using the latter whenever you're online, or (iv) buy a system with Linux already installed ("preinstalled"). I'm using Linux and MacOSX myself.</p><p>Then again you might decide that Windows is absolutely marvelous and that Microsoft deserves your money more than you do.</p><p>Incidentally I wouldn't buy a Dell as I read that the boss of that company was an unusually enthusiastic contributor to the coffers of a US presidential candidate whose coffers I wish had not been filled at all; of course, your opinion may differ.</p>

[coconutdaydream]

if you go to the Linux route, you lose Photoshop<br>

you'd have to learn GIMP<br>

im more than happy with my mac, and its never crashed<br>

ive had my Mail program lock up once, but a simple Force Quit solved it<br>

i'd go for the iMac<br>

i have a friend who's heavy into 3d animation and video editing<br>

for him, it gets the job done!

[erickpro]

I'd buy an iMac. It might not be as powerful as an AMD 64FX or Pentium 4 EE but you will se such a big difference from your celeron.

 

I currently run a Dual Athlon MP desktop and although I have had viruses, it has never caused any big problems but this could be because I know a little about computers and badware and how to fix them but I think as long as you have an up to date virus scanner and run Lavasoft software periodically you should not have to worry about anything and also get the updates from microsoft.

 

A lot of people will tell you that microsoft sucks and what not but as long as you have Windows XP SP2, a virus scanner and lavasoft, you should be cool.

 

Again, I recommend you to buy the iMac. Tiger is such a wonderful OS and you will find it fascinating, I find windows xp and tiger to be similar, both OS crash about the same. I just bought a powerbook and it crashed once in 5 days and froze 2 applications in 7 days so whatever to the people that say that Macintosh never has errors because it does.

 

If you buy the iMac, you will be so happy that you did. If you buy the Dell then its just another computer.

 

Whatever you chose, just buy it now because my eyes, hands, feet, fingers, mind and soul suffer just by thinking that you edit pictures on a celeron.

[gv]

I have been running OS X on iBooks and a G3 iMac since October 2003. None of my Macs

had anti-virus software installed and I haven't had to be concerned about viruses,

spyware, adware or anything else...they just don't exist in the OS X universe.

 

And with a little effort you can forget about all that nasty spam too...

 

I recommend David Pogue's excellent "Missing Manual" books for OS X. The Tiger book

should be out any time now, but the Panther version would cover about 95% of Tiger and it

should be available at a good discount either new or used.

 

I have used XP Pro and you will not believe the difference between the Mac OS and

Windows. yes, it is that much better, more productive and just easier to use on a day-to-

day basis. You will discover that computing does not have to be a frustrating experience

and while OS X isn't perfect, it is more perfect than Windows.

[daniel_taylor]

The malware threat is the #1 reason to go Mac OS, and it's a good one.

 

Developers and IT people I know don't have a problem with malware. *Everyone* else I know does, and they frequently pay or beg me to clean their systems for them. I hate doing it because the malware is getting so bad. It's unbelievable how many ways a program can hook itself into Windows, and how difficult the Windows architecture makes removing such things.

 

Viruses are actually the least of the problems. Norton AntiVirus pretty much has that covered. It's the spyware, adware, hijackers, trojans, and other junk. You can buy a half dozen products to try and deal with those, and still miss a lot of what's out there.

 

For the record, I mostly use my PC, both for work and for photography. And I like Windows XP. But lately I've been telling every consumer who asks to buy a Mac. Windows is fine if you know enough to stop the malware on your machine, or if you have an IT department protecting you. But I no longer consider Windows a viable "home OS". It's just not secure enough. Not even close.

 

Linux is also not a home OS. The complexities of setting up and maintaining a Linux system are so far beyond the average home user that the mere suggestion is absurd. I've had knowledgable IT friends erase their Linux partions out of frustration.

 

The iMacs are great machines. Today speed quite frankly depends more on the quality of the software than the underlying CPU. A 1.8 GHz G5 iMac with Mac OS X Tiger will bury the fastest PC's in terms of system boot time, for example. But that's not the fault of Intel or AMD. On the other hand, even <2 GHz Celeron PC's with on board video can feel more snappy in 2D UI graphics operations. Blame Apple's Quartz, which is powerful and flexible but sluggish compared to the Win32 GDI routines. Point is just buy the best machine you can for the money and don't worry too much about speed. Yesterday's processors were good enough for Photoshop. Make sure you have plenty of RAM though.

 

One more thing: you will love the iMac industrial design. It's compact, efficient, beautiful. Nothing in the PC world comes close.

[majid]

A couple of years ago, I had an iMac G4 (the original LCD lamp-like model) and an AMD Athlon XP1900 PC. The PC was significantly faster, but I found myself using the Mac more often - it was quieter, it would wake up from sleep instantly (the PC would keep its fans whirring loudly in sleep mode, which completely misses the point), and the UI was much smoother overall.

 

No matter what you decide, you have a steep learning curve ahead of you - either learn how to secure your Windows system, or learn the Mac OS. If you have teenagers in your home, option 1 is pretty much a lost cause. Even Intel CEO Paul Otellini admits he spends an hour each week sanitizing his daughter's PC.

 

If you have an Apple Store nearby, I would suggest you attend one of their switcher seminars, and try to get a feel for whether you would be comfortable making the switch or not. The "Apple Genius" concept is a big step forward in customer service, and something you may want to factor into your decision-making. It is better to have one reliable source of advice than a network of semi-competent friends who can get Windows limping along without knowing exactly what they are doing.

[bob_a]

Apple Macs are not immune to malware.

 

Go Windows. Get yourself Norton Security and enjoy.

[gv]

I haven't heard of any Mac-specific malware. If it is out there, let's have some specific

details about it. Or is this a "theoretical" vulnerability?

 

If a person has been running another computer OS I wouldn't expect the switch to Mac

to require a "steep" learning curve. The Missing Manual is an easy read and the basic

computing concepts aren't that different. The consistency in how different applications

work within the OS simplifies navigating the Mac GUI.

 

This discussion reminds me of something I heard on the radio the other day. Symantec

took a brand-new PC from a major manufacturer and used it for an hour on the Internet.

The operators visited only above-board commercial Web sites (no porn, etc.), many

operated by well-known companies.

 

When security technicians examined the PC they found over 400 pieces of adware,

spyware, and more. And to their suprise, much of the adware came from Web sites

designed for children. They think it is because advertisers know that children have a lot of

influence over what their parents purchase, so it makes sense to to them to focus on

influencing children.

[nigel_nagarajan]

<i> >> I'm sick of the spyware, virus, malware etc.</i>

 

<p>Switch! And get an ethernet modem/router/firewall combo. After a day or two of using Mac OS X you'll wonder why you didn't switch earlier.<p>

 

<i> >> Get yourself Norton Security and enjoy.</i>

 

<p>In the immortal words of Mrs Krabappel,<i><b> "Ha!"</i></b>.

[chiswick_john]

While I have nothing against tower Mac's in terms of performance vs PC's I have always found iMac's painfully slow for doing Photoshop. They have slower HD's, slower processors,lower RAM limits and virtualy no expandability compared to their desktop counterparts. If you are sick of spyware and malware - use a descent security package. They don't cost much and are not rocket sceince to set up and monitor. If you are likely to be handling big files in PS you will bang your head on the desk trying to get an imac to do anything. If you are looking for a fast PS workstation why not keep your old PC just for the internet and run a fast PC offline with just Photoshop.

[daniel_taylor]

With all due respect to Bob and Chiswick...

 

There are NO security packages for the PC which deal with even half of the non-virus malware out there. Norton Security doesn't come close. Neither does McAfee's full security suite. Doubt me? Pay the bills I send to my clients for cleaning malware off their PC's which use these and other products.

 

Mac OS X is not immune to malware. One would be a fool to claim that any product is ever 100% secure. Mac OS X is, however, much more secure than Windows XP. And Mac OS X doesn't attract much attention from those who create malware. Stealth is also security.

 

The iMac G5 is comparable in performance to a G5 tower of equal clock speed (http://www.macintouch.com/imacg5/benchmarks.html).

[nigel_nagarajan]

Another thing to bear in mind is that if you already own Photoshop for Windows, Adobe will let you migrate to Photoshop for Mac for the cost of posting you the Mac version. You will need to send them your receipt for the Windows version and sign a form agreeing to detroy it.

 

Also, there are studies that show that, in terms of total cost of ownership, Macs are not more expensive than PCs. Do some research and you may confirm this.

 

And an iMac will run Photoshop perfectly well, providing you give it enough RAM for larger files.

[ivan_verschoote1]

Get an Ibook 12" - invest in an additional 20" apple screen later.

The Ibook can be taken in a backpack very easily.

For internet: the wireless airport express works without problems.

Forget about viruses - still have to encounter the first one on Mac.

Norton antivirus on pc = crap. Switch to Apple, you won't regret. Forget the price difference, in the long term it won't be decisive.

[chiswick_john]

"And an iMac will run Photoshop perfectly well, providing you give it enough RAM for larger files." - depends what you are doing. 1gb of RAM may be OK for some light users but CS2 is RAM hungry and 2gb is minimum if you want to do any serious work. Imacs have a RAM limit way below that of Tower Macs and you will hit a dead end. When you compare tower Mac's with tower PC's the cost vs performance gap is very wide and favours PC's. Viruses and Malware are a fact of computer life - as I say if you want to be imune then keep your workstation offline.

[nigel_nagarajan]

<i> >> CS2 is RAM hungry and 2gb is minimum if you want to do any serious work</i>

 

<p>CS2 is capable of handling more than 2GB of RAM, and, yes, more is better. But to say

that you need "2GB minimum" is taking things a little bit far. There are plenty of people

doing

"serious work" in Photoshop on iMacs with less than that! This includes professional

photographers/graphic artists.

<p>As for malware, spyware, etc., no one is ever fully immune, but this is just not a

problem

for the mac community. If you know different, please cite specific examples. There are lots

of good reasons for considering switching. Frustration with malware, spyware, etc. is

certainly a valid one, and I can certainly sympathise with the original poster in this respect.

[pete_su]

>2GB ram for photoshop

 

That's ludicrous. I do most of my D70 RAW conversion and photo editing on a Powerbook

G4 laptop with 1GB and have never noted that Photoshop is memory bound. The photo

browser is slow as a dog, but that's because the photo browser is slow as a dog.

 

I suppose it might hurt if you are working with 200MB 16 bit scans or something, but

that's pretty much out at the edge. For most current 6 and 8mp digital capture, the

machine is just fine.

[chiswick_john]

I have never had a problem with spyware or malware - I have a good software firewall behind a router and run antivirus and anti spyware apps. If I do have some hidden malware that these apps can't detect I don't see them interfering with my work on an everyday basis - or at all. If you are that paranoid about malware and haven't got the ability to run a few commercialy available apps to keep most of it at bay then you should stay clear of the internet on any platform - at least with a PC you get used to keeping your guard up. With a Mac it's easy to be complacent until someone out there decides to target OSX - maybe not now but who knows when. In an ideal world I should not have to lock my doors when I leave the car but am I not going to not own a car because someone might steal it - I take as many precautions as I deem practical and get on with it.

[byronlawrence]

the best option. If you go PC (which is my preferance) is to ues your old computer for net surfing, downloading , etc. (since you don't need much to do that) and use the new computer for all your important stuff.. and don't hook it up to the net. this may seem a strange thing not to do with a perfectly fine computer, but if you value the performance and don't want to deal with the necessary avoidance issues of malware, then keep the computer off the net. and use the old one for it (that way you can do what you like and it won't matter...) plus a few upgrades to your old machine will make it look new (monitor if the old one does't cut it or new OS)

[seanb]

I've recently had to make a similar decision, having been using a Linux PC for my photo editing for a while now (using a combination of the Gimp and Photoshop under Crossover Office). I've reluctantly had to retire Linux from active photo editing duties, mainly because colour management is next to impossible; I just could not get the gimp print drivers to deliver a decent print on an Epson 1290.

 

The old Linux box makes a fine firewall/file server/mail server and I now have a new PC for photo editing. I was seriously tempted by the Mac route, but decided against it for a number of reasons.

 

- Cost - I got a PC with a pretty serious spec for around half the price of an iMac.

 

- Screen. I already have a decent CRT, and was put off the iMac because I would rather be able to replace the screen independently if required. Not a problem with the Power Mac, but cost ruled that out.

 

- Platform familiarity (I've used Windows for years, on and off, so no learning curve).

 

- I already owned PS7 for Windows, and Adobe don't offer a cross platform upgrade path.

 

- Hardware support for third party devices (e.g. scanners) is usually best on Windows, and my scanner works best on SCSI anyway.

 

- More choice of software; pretty much anything you can do on a Mac can be done on a PC, but the reverse is not true.

 

So do I think I made the right decision? I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the new P4 was almost silent compared with my old tower PC. As a long term Linux user, I still like the idea of OSX - Unix under the hood and all that. If the price had been slightly closer, I think the Mac would have won, but in the end my head (and wallet) won out over my heart.

[byronlawrence]

also .. hook up the two computers as a local network and then share out a folder with your pictures from your new Maserati machine. then you can still post all your work!

 

this option will save money also.. the cost will be a bit more than 950, after the necessary hardware to connect the computers and such, but not 350 dollars worth of hardware. Plus you can use that extra bit of money saved by going PC to upgrade your older machine a little (if you want)

[seanb]

Just read Byron's answer, and I agree with the idea of using the old PC for web surfing. That's pretty much what I do with my old Linux box, and I have them both connected via a KVM switch to the same screen, keyboard and mouse (get a decent one, otherwise you'll get ghosting at high display resolutions).

[byronlawrence]

good security software,, or what I use. is

Mozilla Firefox internet browser (also the adblock plugin, all free ware)

PCillin 2003 (will be upgraded to 2005 in a month or so about 50 bucks)

AdAware Se Personal edition (freeware for the limited package)

 

now these softwares, with Win XP Pro with SP2. I have never had a problem. I do do routine maintenance once every week/month or so (the adaware scan, and a registry mechanic scan and defragmenting, and disk cleanup (the virus software runs it self with a full scan each night at 3am and constant live scan if i/O info for computer)), but for me that is an easy trade off for the PC environment.

[steve_swinehart]

There is one other thing you can do that will help protect your computer whether you choose PC or Mac - find an internet service provider that has good firewalls and provides top level ad, spy ware, trojan horse, virus, worm, and thing from another planet blocking as part of the service.

 

I have never had a problem in 9 years, but have had notifications on incoming emails that the email contained a virus that has been eliminated.

 

I also run Symantec software, Adaware, etc.