May be buying...sorry, same old questions...new member

[lesliern72]

This history part is long-you can skim down to the numbered section for some specific questions...



Hello Mac users! I will begin by apologizing by asking questions that I am sure that have been asked before. We have researched some over the past few days and have answered a few on our own. Another apology will be that I am of very little computer knowledge in general. So be patient please.

My husband and I are PC users. We go through a new one about every 18 mos or so. We use it basically for internet and most recent (since the birth of our 18 month old) amateur photography and video (we have a Nikon D50 SLR with Tamron-DH in charge of all that-use the old digital camera for short video).

The breaking point with our Gateway PC was this last week when my husband created a nice 10 minute slide show/video with music only to have it not run properly then have our computer crash and lose it. He then created a new one after resizing all the pictures only to not be able to burn it. We are fed up with PCs. We have had Toshibas, Compaqs, HPs, and now Gateway. I think I have seen the "blue screen of death", "send error report", and talked to tech support, and been on hold more than I've been on my laptops in the last 6 years.

We were thinking about buying a Dell laptop (we need a laptop) because we have heard they have good service and reliability. But then our friend, who is a computer programmer, has us talked into considering a Mac.

We have researched and narrowed it down and are pretty close to buying. This is what we are considering for our internet and photography needs so far:
We now think we want the G4 ibook 14" (because we need to be able to burn DVDs). My Husband wants to order it with an 80 GB hard drive. Then our friend, who is the computer programmer, will upgrade the RAM for us. Mind you I don't know what any of just what I said means. I am just repeating it verbatim.

Our friend let us borrow his Mac so we could find out whether or not we really liked it and wanted to take the plunge. We like the system and are very impressed. I am surprised the company isn't bigger with how easy it is to use.

QUESTIONS:

1. For our needs does this model and upgrades sound like a good choice?

2. Should we buy from the Apple website, store, or elsewhere? Are there discounts anywhere like there are on PCs?

3. We were told (and I read) about the new intel thing. Will that drive the prices down? Should we wait to order until the announcement is made to see if prices drop-or will they even see a drop that is worth waiting for?

4. I know that this is the million dollar question. But this is specific to our needs. If they do release the new one soon, would it be better for us to wait 1-2 months to get it? Or would the older one be just fine for our internet, photography, and video needs? We won't wait 3-6 months for sure.

We appreciate any and all input you can give us on the pros and cons. Anything will be helpful.I have been searching your (huge) forums and learned a lot already. Very impressive.

Thank-you,

Leslie (a possible soon-to-be Mac convert)

 

[MacAztec]

1. Buy an iBook, but not the current G4 iBook. New Intel iBooks are going to be released on Tuesday of next week. Buy one of those.

2. Buy it from Apple's Website, always seems to work the best.

3. Answered in question #1

4. It will be released in a week, so just wait a week and buy the new one.

 

[lesliern72]

Next million dollar question...

Thank-you...

You answered that question!

Now, it looks as though technology lovers wait for new products like this to come out.

Do you think it will be something that sells out the minute it's released? Do people stand and wait for computer products like they wait for XBox 360s?

Do they usually limit the release to increase the demand?

I'm just wondering if we'll even be able to get one or if they will sell out immediately and we will have to wait months before they produce more to meet demands.

Hopefully everyone is broke from Christmas and can't afford them.

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

Do nothing until Jobs lets loose the new Mac Models in 2 weeks, thats my advice plus with the new intel Macs coming you will find your old software just may run fine on the new macs. Good luck

 

[balamw]

Hopefully everyone is broke from Christmas and can't afford them.

A couple of points.

While the new iBooks may well be announced next Tuesday, they may not actually become available for a short while.

While these new iBooks will hopefully outperform the current models, there are often minor bugs and quirks in the first release of any new product. You may well be better off waiting 3-6 months or so after release to see how these bugs affect others and how they are resolved.

As far as immediate availability goes there is often a brief shortage (on the order of 1-4 weeks), unless they completely underestimate demand, or deliberately restrict supply, as was the case with the iPod mini which sold out big time.

All in all, you might be better served by a stable current model iBook G4, particulalry given your 18 month replace cycle. By the time mid 2007 rolls around, the Intel transition will be complete, and the products mature.

Still, wait until after the Keynote. You never know what Steve has up his sleeve, or in his coin pocket.

B

 

[kwajaln]

All in all, you might be better served by a stable current model iBook G4, particulalry given your 18 month replace cycle.
Still, wait until after the Keynote. You never know what Steve has up his sleeve, or in his coin pocket.

I don't think that a possible switcher needs to wait for Keynote . . . I say get the current 14-inch iBook now. Yes, there will probably be numerous advantages to the Intel iBook that's on the horizon, but I guarantee you - there will also be many setbacks, bugs, etc. There is simply NO reason to not buy now, especially for a fed-up Windows user who's never owned an Apple before. Buy now. Dreaming and waiting for possible improvements is a never ending viscious cycle. There is a great product availabe now, bottom line.

 

[iBlue]

I don't think that a possible switcher needs to wait for Keynote . . . I say get the current 14-inch iBook now. Yes, there will probably be numerous advantages to the Intel iBook that's on the horizon, but I guarantee you - there will also be many setbacks, bugs, etc. There is simply NO reason to not buy now, especially for a fed-up Windows user who's never owned an Apple before. Buy now. Dreaming and waiting for possible improvements is a never ending viscious cycle. There is a great product availabe now, bottom line.

i agree with this. the current iBooks are a given; the new ones on the horizon are still an unknown quantity at this point.

i don't think you'll be disappointed Leslie - macs are phenomenal.

 

[MacAztec]

I don't think that a possible switcher needs to wait for Keynote . . . I say get the current 14-inch iBook now. Yes, there will probably be numerous advantages to the Intel iBook that's on the horizon, but I guarantee you - there will also be many setbacks, bugs, etc. There is simply NO reason to not buy now, especially for a fed-up Windows user who's never owned an Apple before. Buy now. Dreaming and waiting for possible improvements is a never ending viscious cycle. There is a great product availabe now, bottom line.

Not really, bottom line.

32MB Graphics Card, a weak one at that. Low-rez screen. Weak processor. Outdated design.

I think the new iBooks will be faster, lighter, thinner, etc. Wait, its worth it.

 

[chicagdan]

2. Should we buy from the Apple website, store, or elsewhere? Are there discounts anywhere like there are on PCs?

No one answered this question ... Amazon.com currently has mail in rebates on all Apple computers including iBooks. It's unlikely that these rebates will apply to models announced next week. Generally speaking, the Apple Store pricing is about the same as everywhere else, but it's not always the case. Use the shop feature built into this website to check prices at a wide range of retailers, including sales tax charged and shipping costs.

Also, you'll probably want to buy Apple Care for your iBook but I wouldn't buy it directly from Apple. Amazon.com sells it at a significant discount even if you didn't buy the computer from them.

 

[chicagdan]

Wait, its worth it.

Yeah ... and wait and wait and wait. I predict that even though the new iBooks get a ton of press next week, none are delivered until mid-February, the same week Apple announces the new PowerBooks (which will ship mid-March.)

 

[iBlue]

Not really, bottom line.

I think the new iBooks will be faster, lighter, thinner, etc. Wait, its worth it.

perhaps but

32MB Graphics Card, a weak one at that. Low-rez screen. Weak processor. Outdated design.

that's a bit much

bottom line is: there's almost no way to go wrong, so long as it's a mac.

 

[plinkoman]

normally, in a case like this i'd say go ahead and buy the current one, since despite what people have said about it's power, it will easily meet your needs, but given that there's only one more week. there really is no reason not to wait, just to see what happens.

 

[balamw]

normally, in a case like this i'd say go ahead and buy the current one, since despite what people have said about it's power, it will easily meet your needs, but given that there's only one more week. there really is no reason not to wait, just to see what happens.

That was exactly my point. You never know, there might not be Intel iBooks announced at MWSF after all, but there may still be a refresh of the line, e.g. built in iSight? The current rev of iBook G4s will still be available in lots of places for a while regardless of what is released in 8 days.

B

 

[lesliern72]

Thanks

I buy everything from Amazon and I saw the rebate, no tax, and free shipping.

I am have been a member of a different travel forum for quite sometime and thought I would ask some general people about Macs to get a little feedback as well. I thought I would share...

Here's what one of the other members I am friends with responded to one of the questions I posted.
QOUTE-------------------------------------------------------------------
Greetings,

I have worked in the high tech industry for the last 7 years, both as a UI Designer, and a web designer, and I have never seen a compelling reason to switch. With the introduction of OSX, Macs have been great computers; however they cost about twice as much to buy, more to repair and offer very little return on investment.

I would argue that the only reason to spend the extra money for a Mac is because you are already comfortable with it.

Take care,
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anyhow, I thought you might find that interesting. I am sure you get that a lot. I went back and told him that the Ibook G4 with the upgraded 80 GB HD (rebate etc.) wasn't that far off from the Dell we were originally interested in. Maybe his information is archaic? I took pretty much all of what he said with a grain of salt. None of it made sense.

I have figured out one thing. Owning a PC or a MAC appears to be like owning a Chevy or a Ford. Everyone seems to argue over which is better than the other. Am I catching on to something here? But what it all seems to come down to in the end is personal preference and what fits your needs.

Anyhow, after using the MAC, it seems as though it will fit our needs the best. The software standard software is more user friendly as well.

Some questions about repairs though. Are they more expensive? Do MACs tend to break more (another technologist in a school said she was always working on the MACs)? I can't imagine any computer breaking more than the ones we've had over the last 6 years. I also know for a fact that Apple sure knows how to make their iPod pretty darn sturdy. We left it on the back of our boat and drove off. It flew off, slid across wet pavement, and sat in wet grass overnight before we realized it was gone. That was over a year ago and it has been working perfectly ever since. I knows it's comparing apples to oranges-but they make a fine product.

 

[ibglowin]

I have owned almost an even dozen Macs since 1996. G3's. G4's, G5's, Powermacs, Powerbooks, everything BUT an iMac or iBook. Never had anything go wrong with them and I have never purchased Apple care on a single one of them. The only thing that has ever happened was on an old Powerbook G3 (Pismo model) the AC adapter cracked off the board (from daily use of plugging it in and taking it out after 2 years of use) I was able to open it up, pull the board and resolder the connection myself (and I am not an electronics tech per say) I also dropped that same laptop once and the DVD drive exploded on me. I was able to put it back together and low and behold it still works today. This old laptop is now my new "CD player".

The iBook models are most surely not built as sturdy as the Powerbook line but they are not any worse off than any other cheap PC laptop. Applecare will save you if you should drop your new iBook. Its nice peace of mind and if you can get it at a discount from Amazon you should probably jump at it (especially with a little one around!)

I would wait till after the announcments next week to see what fans out. You may be tempted to buy a new Intel based laptop or they may discount the old G4's to get rid of them making them an even better deal. If your into digital photo and video you are absolutely going to love what you can do with a Mac. The integration between hardware and software is unbelievable. Make sure to get the biggest hard drive you can and upgrade the memory to a gig (at least) and you will be a happy camper for a long time!

 

[jimN]

I have worked in the high tech industry for the last 7 years, both as a UI Designer, and a web designer, and I have never seen a compelling reason to switch. With the introduction of OSX, Macs have been great computers; however they cost about twice as much to buy, more to repair and offer very little return on investment.

Hi,
I moved over to a mac 2 years ago (almost exactly) and while i've had occasional niggles (predominantly due to us living in a pc dominated world) the experience has been entirely positive and my machine (a 12 inch powerbook) still looks and in many ways performs better than my brother's new dell and uncle's new asustek. To address your friend's points.

COST: you pay more for macs. There's no denying this but the difference is not as great as he suggests. You cannot compare the cheap as chips PC notebooks you see in supermarket windows with iBooks just because both are teh cheapest in their class. The iBook has better components in all areas plus a dedicated graphics card, built in wireless (airport and BT) and mac OSX - worth the price of admission alone. Plus you'll get the iLife suite which should fulfil all of your needs regarding multimedia - this is due an update in a week and that could be a reason to hang in there.

REPAIR COST: probably as they are less common but are generally well built so you should make your money back on frequency of repairs. Apples tend to last and you can always go and see a 'genius' with your problems.

INVESTMENT RETURN: no one 'invests' in a computer unless they intend to make money from it. However, your mac (to be) will hold value better than a similarly priced PC. Certainly they have up until now although the transition could change this.

Your friend may know PCs but he's not met the RDF

 

[davizod]

Waiting after the new release you might be able to pick up an old ibook in the sales section of the online apple store. I got a powermac for several hundred dollars cheaper right after a speed boost, as long as you don't need to have the newest ibook you can get one 'usually' cheaper in the sales section. good luck.

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

Waiting after the new release you might be able to pick up an old ibook in the sales section of the online apple store. I got a powermac for several hundred dollars cheaper right after a speed boost, as long as you don't need to have the newest ibook you can get one 'usually' cheaper in the sales section. good luck.

I was just about to suggest the same thing. If you wait until the new iBooks are released, the G4s will certainly hit the sale section, where you can snap one up. However, you can't upgrade anything from this section. So the larger hard drive could be unavailable, unless they already have some made with the larger drive.

 

[lesliern72]

Thanks again!

Yep! Everything you guys say (and all the research we have done) makes the most sense. Although Scott (who is an acquaintance from another forum I have known for a couple of years and never met in person) is a genius and knowledgable in many areas...this one really didn't seem to hit the mark.

I don't expect any computer to hold value. The minute you drive it off the lot you lose money. They're creating something better. It's how technology works.

Luckily we have a great friend who is a "computer geek" and has advised us on upgrades. We are going to get a big hard drive and memory. He'll help install any hardware "extras"--edited to add for FREE.

You never know...maybe we will be one of the first owners of the new units and I'll tell y'all about it! If I have time while the Colts are busy winning the SB!

Maybe we'll stick with a cheaper one and get a wakeboard tower instead. We'll see...

Thanks,

Leslie

 

[California]

] I knows it's comparing apples to oranges-but they make a fine product.

Uh despite all the hyperbole in answer to your original question,
I am currrently typing on the mac you want to buy and

I LOVE IT

The 1.42ghz iBook 14" with 1.5 gigs of ram and the stock 60gig drive.

It is a fantastic machine and will be collectable as the last best iBook powerpc in my opinion. Of course, I have had zero problems with it. I would only wait to see if the price drops in the next two weeks, but still purchase this machine new. Who the hell wants a new intel mac when the bugs have not been worked out yet? I bought two new powerpc macs and may buy one more as the last of the line -- with Applecare -- and will hold out as long as I can on the perfectly grand powerpc platform.

Oh and don't pay anyone to put ram into the machine. All you need is a 0 size philips screwdriver and the memory chip. I did it myself and I'm no hands on techie. Piece o cake. Makes me mad at all the chump change I've dropped on my friendly mac techs who charged me to put in memory.