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I Was Gonna Buy An iMac - But Didn't .....

Perfectionist

Perfectionist

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 27, 2006
139
0
London - UK
I love the iMac All-In-One design and was gonna buy a 24" cos :
- running an extra Windows installation seems practical and efficient now ??
- the price differential isn't as great as it used to be with Apples compared to PC's
- it seems to run very quietly if not almost silently :)
- it finally has a decent gaming video card :cool:
- it finally has decent speakers
- the frikkin thing is so damn sexy ! :D

But in the end ended up with another PC from Dell cos :
- they are still a little pricey compared to similar spec PC's
- it has no option for a built-in TV card
- it has no option for a Top End gaming video card (ideally an ATI All In Wonder 1800!)
- it has no option for a SoundBlaster card
- the iSight camera is not adjustable ! (the whole screen needs to be moved instead of just the camera!) .... ideally, the webcam would be detachable and wireless too .... :)
- the iSight camera doesn't have a manual cover (to prevent me being paranoid that it may be on when I don't want it to be!)
- there is still room for improvement with the Apple keyboard and Mighty Mouse
- there is no built-in Multi Card reader (particularly SD card!)
- there is no option for a 2nd Hard Drive - for RAID or to keep a backup of important files in case the primary drive fails .....
- etc etc ....

Is there any chance that any of these features may be present in new iMac's ...... 2 years from now ??
 
I was half-expecting that this would turn into a rant from a troll about how Apple sux0rs.

There's no chance that you're going to get all those integrated components in an iMac at all. The most likely one is the TV tuner, but with iTV coming out, it's not likely. Apple makes machines that everyone can use and will not ad extra crap that most people will not use.
 
Perfectionist said:
But in the end ended up with another PC from Dell cos :
- they are still a little pricey compared to similar spec PC's
- it has no option for a built-in TV card
- it has no option for a Top End gaming video card (ideally an ATI All In Wonder 1800!)
- it has no option for a SoundBlaster card
- the iSight camera is not adjustable ! (the whole screen needs to be moved instead of just the camera!) .... ideally, the webcam would be detachable and wireless too .... :)
- the iSight camera doesn't have a manual cover (to prevent me being paranoid that it may be on when I don't want it to be!)
- there is still room for improvement with the Apple keyboard and Mighty Mouse
- there is no built-in Multi Card reader (particularly SD card!)
- there is no option for a 2nd Hard Drive - for RAID or to keep a backup of important files in case the primary drive fails .....
- etc etc ....

Is there any chance that any of these features may be present in new iMac's ...... 2 years from now ??
Click to expand...

1) They will drop in price, but so will PCs, it is worth paying the extra I think, but thats for you to decide.

2) Can't see it, really. Its possible tho, just go external, though a bit pricy.

3) Maybe, the graphics cards in the iMacs are pretty decent, so it can only get better, right?

4) One of those things I'm afraid, can't see that one happening. Again, external options are available to you.

5/6) I can't see much changing about the iSight design and its intergration in future models, possibly better specs, but thats all.

7) I can not agree about the room for improvement in the Apple Keyboard, its perfect IMHO, however, I also dont like the Mighty Mouse. Just don't use it if you don't like it...

8) Built in card reader wouldn't be very Apple... Get a USB external one, they are as cheap as chips.

9) Second HDD would be good, but it just wouldn't fit anyhere... External... again I'm afraid is the only way to go for this.

At the end of the day, these are just my thoughts, so I guess your guess is as good as mine. But the general way of things on here is if a PeeCee does what you want and a Mac doesn't... Buy a PeeCee...
 
Perfectionist said:
I love the iMac All-In-One design and was gonna buy a 24" cos :
- running an extra Windows installation seems practical and efficient now ??
- the price differential isn't as great as it used to be with Apples compared to PC's
- it seems to run very quietly if not almost silently :)
- it finally has a decent gaming video card :cool:
- it finally has decent speakers
- the frikkin thing is so damn sexy ! :D

But in the end ended up with another PC from Dell cos :
- they are still a little pricey compared to similar spec PC's
- it has no option for a built-in TV card
- it has no option for a Top End gaming video card (ideally an ATI All In Wonder 1800!)
- it has no option for a SoundBlaster card
- the iSight camera is not adjustable ! (the whole screen needs to be moved instead of just the camera!) .... ideally, the webcam would be detachable and wireless too .... :)
- the iSight camera doesn't have a manual cover (to prevent me being paranoid that it may be on when I don't want it to be!)
- there is still room for improvement with the Apple keyboard and Mighty Mouse
- there is no built-in Multi Card reader (particularly SD card!)
- there is no option for a 2nd Hard Drive - for RAID or to keep a backup of important files in case the primary drive fails .....
- etc etc ....

Is there any chance that any of these features may be present in new iMac's ...... 2 years from now ??
Click to expand...

I fail to see the part where I should care.
 
Okay, this is a crap troll, but I'll take the bait anyway, because I like pain.
Perfectionist said:
- they are still a little pricey compared to similar spec PC's
Click to expand...
You're paying for the form-factor, OS X, and the Apple name—they're a smaller company so they need higher profits on their hardware to stay in business. Dell has enough volume that they shave prices down to razor thin margins... of course, in terms of the QUALITY of the machine, that shows.
- it has no option for a built-in TV card
- it has no option for a Top End gaming video card (ideally an ATI All In Wonder 1800!)
- it has no option for a SoundBlaster card
Click to expand...
Well, DUH it's not expandable. It's an all-in-one. How much do I have to bet that the PC you bought from Dell was a tower? If you need an expandable Mac, you need a Mac Pro. Secondly, there are third party external TV tuners for Macs that work just fine. Thirdly, Creative hasn't made SoundBlaster cards for Macs for years... and Creative's pretty **** anyway.
- the iSight camera is not adjustable ! (the whole screen needs to be moved instead of just the camera!) .... ideally, the webcam would be detachable and wireless too .... :)
- the iSight camera doesn't have a manual cover (to prevent me being paranoid that it may be on when I don't want it to be!)
Click to expand...
It's called, once again, a Mac Pro with external display and separate iSight. Wireless is a pipe dream, for now. Macs are about EASE OF USE and integration of design, not having a bunch of removable pieces.
- there is still room for improvement with the Apple keyboard and Mighty Mouse
Click to expand...
So use your own. Any standard USB or Bluetooth keyboards and mice will work with a Mac. Irrelevant criticism.
- there is no built-in Multi Card reader (particularly SD card!)
Click to expand...
Eh. If you need it, attach it. I doubt you need it ALL the time, and neither do most other people.
- there is no option for a 2nd Hard Drive - for RAID or to keep a backup of important files in case the primary drive fails .....
Click to expand...
Have you never heard of external drives?
- etc etc ....
Click to expand...
Go troll elsewhere.
 
I think he brings up some valid point but are aiming them mistakely at the iMac.

I think he should be saying them as a complaint that apple doesnt have something between the mini and the mac pro that is very configurable.

I dont need any of the things that he complains about. I love my iMac. That is not a coincidence.
 
Of course there's no frigging option of a Creative Audigy, the soundcard that comes in the iMac is miles ahead of an Audigy or other feature packed low quality soundcards...
 
What the funk !! I ain't Trolling you oversensitive MacDaddies !! :p

Just asking questions - and expressing why I didn't buy an iMac even though I wanted to badly !! :D

I guess I just wanted Apple to make the "perfect" iMac for me ...... and probably countless other people who are still sticking with their tower PC's ..... seems to me that it isn't against the laws of Physics that Apple could produce a iMac with all the extra features I need/want at some point in the near future ..... :)

Anyway, if this post is "pointless" ..... then don't funking reply to it !! :rolleyes:
 
Fine I'll give you a dignified response.

To your cons:

- they are still a little pricey compared to similar spec PC's

So are European cars to Fords, but you get what you pay for.

- it has no option for a built-in TV card

Not everyone wants a built-in TV card so there is a very nice model available that is quite unsightly: http://www.elgato.com/index.php?file=products_eyetvhybrid&PHPSESSID=377a9cc2c0c67850daef8d37c04c13b5

- it has no option for a Top End gaming video card (ideally an ATI All In Wonder 1800!)

Top end is the Mac Pro's, you mentioned there was a decent one in your pro's so not a big loss.

- it has no option for a SoundBlaster card

Surely optical output must be better, but I don't know much about this.

- the iSight camera is not adjustable ! (the whole screen needs to be moved instead of just the camera!) .... ideally, the webcam would be detachable and wireless too ....
- the iSight camera doesn't have a manual cover (to prevent me being paranoid that it may be on when I don't want it to be!)
- there is still room for improvement with the Apple keyboard and Mighty Mouse

I too thought the stationary iSight would be a problem as I used to have the regular style one, but it hasn't been a problem. What else do you want it to do other then make it look like your looking the other person in the eyes?

- there is no built-in Multi Card reader (particularly SD card!)

Once again there are so many options here that are ever changing I've never thought this to be practical. I buy the ones that flip to the usb end anyways.

- there is no option for a 2nd Hard Drive - for RAID or to keep a backup of important files in case the primary drive fails

If you want to back up isn't external safer anyways?

- etc etc ....

Wow there's more?

Bottom line I think is that if you want a machine that is configured to your specific needs you need to go Pro. Now I really tried in this post. I was just satisfying my boredom before with some light hearted humor. I hope you find this to your satisfaction now.
 
You forgot one important point...

You can't install OS X Leopard when it comes out...

That was the whole reason I moved to mac, it was the operating system...

I got tired of always having to fixing my computer, than using my computer...:cool:
 
Perfectionist said:
- they are still a little pricey compared to similar spec PC's
Click to expand...

They are not that much more, but the price difference is due to the fact that "similar spec PCs" use the standard minitower or shuttle form factors. Much of the iMac's appeal comes from its unique form factor. If you want a box, get a box. The iMac is not a box, so a spec comparison is only part of the story.

- it has no option for a built-in TV card
Click to expand...

it doesn't have expansion slots. How many PCs with no expansion slots (all-in-ones) have a TV card?

- it has no option for a Top End gaming video card (ideally an ATI All In Wonder 1800!)
Click to expand...

Thin all-in-one enclosure + high end GPU = too much heat. This has more to do with thermodynamics and form factor than platform choice. The optional GeForce 7600GT will outrun a Radeon X1800GTO.

- it has no option for a SoundBlaster card
Click to expand...

Apple's built-in digital audio has always been competitive, and there are plenty of USB surround sound cards if you want to upgrade the sound capabilities.

- the iSight camera is not adjustable ! (the whole screen needs to be moved instead of just the camera!) .... ideally, the webcam would be detachable and wireless too .... :)
Click to expand...

Ideally, it would. But how many wireless webcams do you see every day? Macs can use regular webcams too.

- the iSight camera doesn't have a manual cover (to prevent me being paranoid that it may be on when I don't want it to be!)
Click to expand...

I don't see the lack of a cover to be a problem unique to the iMac...

- there is still room for improvement with the Apple keyboard and Mighty Mouse
Click to expand...

Ditto Dell's keyboards/mice. I go with Logitech mice myself.

- there is no built-in Multi Card reader (particularly SD card!)
Click to expand...

There are tons of these things floating around for under $10, I personally prefer a removable USB 2.0 multicard reader so I can use it with all of my computers.

- there is no option for a 2nd Hard Drive - for RAID or to keep a backup of important files in case the primary drive fails .....
Click to expand...

Firewire is your friend. Get a RAID/multi drive enclosure and it will not only solve your problem but be portable.

Is there any chance that any of these features may be present in new iMac's ...... 2 years from now ??
Click to expand...

If you need a C2D CPU, TV card, RAID, multicard reader, coverable adjustable wireless camera, gaming GPU and fancier keyboard/mouse plus a 20" or 24" LCD you WILL spend more on an XPS desktop than you would on the iMac, and you will not get the iMac form factor.

It's OK if the iMac is not for you, but you come across as trashing the platform by demanding all these feature that some of us might not care about.The vast majority of PCs don't come with all that stuff, and many of us use Macs because of OS X anyway. Did you factor that in too?
 
Dudes, dudes dudes !!!

I ain't trashing the iMac !! I frikkin love the form factor !!

I'm a gamer and to be honest, if I could have had a kick ass Graphics card in there I woulda bought one ..... :cool:

The reason I love the iMac so much is cos it's so damn cool !! .... Adding external bits for everything seriously tarnishes the coolness factor .... In which case I might as well go for a Tower PC, which I had to in the end .....

As far as the iSight - a couple of minor and inexpensive adjustments to the design would have made it ideal - vertically adjustable and with a lens cover ..... is that really too much to ask ?? :rolleyes:

Anyway, I think I understand the aggression to my purely hypothetical and amiable question ..... I seem to have broken the cardinal rule here .....

"Thou Shalt Not Imply An Apple Can Be Improved Upon" !! :D

Whatever, I try to buy a new system every 2 years and am all geared up to get an iMac in 2008 :) ..... which hopefully has a few (if not all) of the added features I want !! :p
 
I think the original poster does expect a lot out of an all in one machine.

However, I also wish there were a more affordable tower machine that I could actually expand.
 
Right now the minitower is the most common form factor for PCs - people like the expandability.

Apple has traditionally avoided the tower form factor except in its pro desktops and this is unlikely to change...even though I for one would like to see Apple sell a basic tower at the $1499 price point that I could upgrade as finances allowed.

Maybe Apple will sell a cheaper Mac Pro with Conroe and the latest DDR but they'll probably stick with the pricey Xeons and their expensive RAM.
 
Apple has always tried their best to be minimalist in their current designs which is why you don't see things like that in current models. They do the same thing with the Macbook Pro line, which always values its minimalist form factor over practicality.

I doubt Apple will come out with a cheap tower design any time soon. It's too hard for them to make it without reverting back to their "beige box" which they revile so excellently. They should just offer the Mac Pro with a cheaper processor.

Regrdless, I still love my iMac. In fact, I went through many of the same issues as you did, although in the end Apple still won out. I have an external card reader and HDDs, and they don't add that much clutter to my desk. In the end it was still cheaper for me to get the Apple because Dell's computers don't use top-of-the-line hardware.
 
You were going to buy an iMac, but didn't.

I was going to buy McDonald's yesterday, but got Taco Bell instead.

No one gives a ****.
 
lol, PC users are so arrogant. I was on this other forum this PC guy tunes me about macs, PC users should have support groups for this whole windows thing that they have going for them!

And: that dell guy just flamed mac and OS X he should get banned
 
Perfectionist said:
Dudes, dudes dudes !!!

I ain't trashing the iMac !! I frikkin love the form factor !!

I'm a gamer and to be honest, if I could have had a kick ass Graphics card in there I woulda bought one ..... :cool:

The reason I love the iMac so much is cos it's so damn cool !! .... Adding external bits for everything seriously tarnishes the coolness factor .... In which case I might as well go for a Tower PC, which I had to in the end .....

As far as the iSight - a couple of minor and inexpensive adjustments to the design would have made it ideal - vertically adjustable and with a lens cover ..... is that really too much to ask ?? :rolleyes:

Anyway, I think I understand the aggression to my purely hypothetical and amiable question ..... I seem to have broken the cardinal rule here .....

"Thou Shalt Not Imply An Apple Can Be Improved Upon" !! :D

Whatever, I try to buy a new system every 2 years and am all geared up to get an iMac in 2008 :) ..... which hopefully has a few (if not all) of the added features I want !! :p
Click to expand...


Dude...if I were you, I wouldn't post any more replies to this subject. No matter how you spin it, you're not going to win this argument.
 
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