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Seeking honest answers about buying a desktop for my parents - UPDATED

NathanMuir said:
I had a one year old HP laptop die on me due to an engineering problem with the heat sinks. That's why I ended up get my iMac last June.

Though my parents last two desktops have been HPs and they've lasted.

Hit or miss I suppose.
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Comparing a laptop to a desktop is like comparing a RV to a home. A laptop is much more likely to have problems because it is constantly being moved, hit turned upside down, carried on it's side, bad ventilation and more.
I know people who had their mbp's die after 3 years and they treated them like babies, however the clam shell design caused problem (common).
I would highly suggest the HP as it would be more cost effective, however I agree with other posters in showing them an iPad or iPod and see if it gauges there interest at all and then that might help weigh the decision.
 
ctruzzi said:
Comparing a laptop to a desktop is like comparing a RV to a home. A laptop is much more likely to have problems because it is constantly being moved, hit turned upside down, carried on it's side, bad ventilation and more.
I know people who had their mbp's die after 3 years and they treated them like babies, however the clam shell design caused problem (common).
I would highly suggest the HP as it would be more cost effective, however I agree with other posters in showing them an iPad or iPod and see if it gauges there interest at all and then that might help weigh the decision.
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You all make good points. But I have to say that I'm leaning towards getting them the iMac base 21.5", running it as a windows 7 machine via bootcamp, and will let them slowly ease into the OSX process. I just feel like the last few windows based computers (Granted they were laptops) I've recommended to friends/family have gone bust after a short time. It would make me feel terrible if I got them an HP all in one and it dies after a short time.

Again, there's no guarantee an iMac built in China will outlast an HP built in China. But statistically, its a better chance.

The suggestions for fusion/VMware/parallels are all compelling (I use parallels 6 myself), but I've known my parents for 33 years and trust me, they will struggle with it, along with learning a new OS form the beginning, and blame me for it. I feel an iMac running windows will be a nice Trojan horse of Mac OSX to ease them into the process.

If it wasn't for quickbooks, I think they would only need an iPad, but they are using it for business too.

My Mom was telling me that she really needs it set up this weekend, which is fine, I'll be happy to do it. BUT....if the new iMacs are going to be coming in 1 to 2 more weeks, that may make things a bit screwy.

Is it true that if Apple does a mac refresh within 14 days of buying the prior model you can exchange it for no cost?
 
do they really need a new one with the newest processor? Why not just get a refurb i5? Sounds like they don't need the extra processor power and you'd save a nice chunk of cash.
 
They can learn how to handle the OS X.

I give an Mac to my Mom and other to my Sister.

They never had any contact with Mac before. To be honestly, my Mon now likes more the Mac than my sister, and loved it.

And it is petty easy to use, as she only do the basic things.

So, buy the Mac, if they dont like, you can install another OS, but I am sure they will like.

You can tell them that they will be more secure and without virus and they will like a lot this.
 
My experience with my mother-in-law

After calls every other day for Windows technical support, I bought a Mac Mini for my 65 year old mother-in-law. English is her 7th language after Thai and 5 Chinese dialects. My tech support calls have gone down from 3-4 times per week to 1 or 2 times per year. She's had the machine for 5 or 6 years without issue.

In addition to getting them a Mac, I'd recommend getting signed up for Free Remote Access Software and installing the software on their machine. If an issue crops up, it's a matter of logging in rather than schlepping over to her house I can login remotely and 9 times out of 10 I can solve the problem.

Why It's Better to Pretend You Don't Know Anything About Computers

For accounting software, I use MYOB for my own business. That might be something worth exploring for them instead of running Boot Camp for the sake of access to a Windows accounting package.
 
Your parents are old enough that they were probably brought up to be frugal and not to waste things or throw away things if they weren't broken. Because of that it could be considered an insult to get them an all in one. If the computer breaks why throw out a perfectly good screen? If the monitor breaks why throw out a perfectly good computer or have to clutter things up with a working monitor while having to keep the broken one attahced and getting in the way?

In the last 20 years everything has become a throw away society and everyone growing up in this time have gotten used to being wasteful. Apple ought to be greener than it is and offer a monitorless computer with the capability of the iMac for us folks that don't like being wasteful.
 
I got my mom an imac hoping the tech support calls would decrease. They haven't. But old people and technology are just plain funny.
 
G4er? said:
Your parents are old enough that they were probably brought up to be frugal and not to waste things or throw away things if they weren't broken. Because of that it could be considered an insult to get them an all in one. If the computer breaks why throw out a perfectly good screen? If the monitor breaks why throw out a perfectly good computer or have to clutter things up with a working monitor while having to keep the broken one attahced and getting in the way?

In the last 20 years everything has become a throw away society and everyone growing up in this time have gotten used to being wasteful. Apple ought to be greener than it is and offer a monitorless computer with the capability of the iMac for us folks that don't like being wasteful.
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That's what the warranty is for. And if it's out of warranty, you can still fix (or have Apple or someone else fix) any part of the computer, or replace the display, even though it's an all in one. It still can be disassembled and repaired like any other computer, it's just not as convenient to do as on a regular tower.
 
meb91 said:
It still can be disassembled and repaired like any other computer, it's just not as convenient to do as on a regular tower.
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I don't see suction cups in many toolboxes. Nor putty knives for that matter. Putty knives are kept with paint supplies.

Apple must shop the paint aisles at Home Depot and Lowe's and the auto body section of AutoZone to think up ways to design cases.

Apple makes the Mac Pro. It can make a user friendly case. Apple just needs to make a mid sized one.
 
Been there, done that.

My parents in the UK (in the same age range as the OP) have had to put up with my old Dell Inspiron laptop cast offs originally with Win 98 and the last one with Win XP, so when the last one died on them three years ago, I bought my parents a refurbished 15" MacBook Pro as I still had plenty of life in my PowerBook.

Going from Windows to Mac OS X has made a huge difference. Weekly tech support calls have disappeared. On the 1 or 2 times a year they need help, I use iChat with screen sharing to help them. The only time I update their laptop is when I visit them from Canada which happens twice a year.

There was the initial hesitation from them due to learning a new operating system, but I said that this was not Windows and what they were used to may be done differently on OS X. My dad worked out how to use iPhoto on his own with no help from me and my mum has got used to NeoOffice for her document needs.

I think OS X would be an ideal solution for your situation.
 
I did this (buying Macs) recently with my non computer savvy parents and sister. Mac was the way to go for sure. I wouldn't even bother having it boot Windows. My Dad who would rarely touch a Windows machine now uses the Mac daily. I find that OSX has no real learning curve, just a way of doing the same things differently and usually simpler. (However a lot of the stuff is still the same as in the Windows world).

Switching my family to Macs was the best thing I've done. I never have to provide tech support now.
 
G4er? said:
I don't see suction cups in many toolboxes. Nor putty knives for that matter. Putty knives are kept with paint supplies.

Apple must shop the paint aisles at Home Depot and Lowe's and the auto body section of AutoZone to think up ways to design cases.

Apple makes the Mac Pro. It can make a user friendly case. Apple just needs to make a mid sized one.
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Yes, as I said the iMac is not as easy to disassemble as something like a Mac Pro. My point was only that it is still doable, and that you do not have to throw away the whole computer if one part breaks.

As for tools, once you take the glass panel off which is only held on by magnets, the rest can be disassembled with screwdrivers. Suction cups are cheap and easy to find, so no big deal (and putty knives are too if you're servicing a pre-2010 mini, I don't believe any other Mac model requires one).
 
Update

So after the new iMacs came out, I decided to go ahead and get them the base 21.5" new iMac + AppleCare + the full size Apple keyboard (my mom prefers a numeric keypad).

My reasons for the iMac: Sleek all in one space saving design, mac reliability compared to windows OEMs, recent new hardware refresh (quad i5 + TB), and I get a faculty discount of $100 off the iMac and $50 off Apple care.

I did end up installing windows 7 enterprise 64bit for them to use natively (bootcamp partition 400 for OSX, 100 for W7) so they can run quickbooks. I do plan at some point to transition them to OSX completely, but may wait until after Lion comes out.

I was amazed at how the previous octopus of 10 cables and wires has shrank down to 3: iMac power cord, printer cable, and keyboard cable.

All in all, I think I made the right decision. The iMac really is the best All-in-one desktop, with a very aggressive price point. Just to be safe, I installed LogMeIn on both the Mac OSX and Windows 7 partition in case my folks need me for tech support. :)
 
SiMBa37 said:
So after the new iMacs came out, I decided to go ahead and get them the base 21.5" new iMac + AppleCare + the full size Apple keyboard (my mom prefers a numeric keypad).

My reasons for the iMac: Sleek all in one space saving design, mac reliability compared to windows OEMs, recent new hardware refresh (quad i5 + TB), and I get a faculty discount of $100 off the iMac and $50 off Apple care.

I did end up installing windows 7 enterprise 64bit for them to use natively (bootcamp partition 400 for OSX, 100 for W7) so they can run quickbooks. I do plan at some point to transition them to OSX completely, but may wait until after Lion comes out.

I was amazed at how the previous octopus of 10 cables and wires has shrank down to 3: iMac power cord, printer cable, and keyboard cable.

All in all, I think I made the right decision. The iMac really is the best All-in-one desktop, with a very aggressive price point. Just to be safe, I installed LogMeIn on both the Mac OSX and Windows 7 partition in case my folks need me for tech support. :)
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if you invest in an airprint printer or another wireless-printer you will go down to 2 cables!
 
iRobby said:
if you invest in an airprint printer or another wireless-printer you will go down to 2 cables!
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I ordered my 27" iMac last week and got a free printer after rebate. I have yet to unbox it but it looks like it's a wireless printer. I believe all iMacs come with up to $100 rebate on a printer if purchased together (even with edu discount, which I did). The printer was $99.99, so, it was free.

OP, you may want to go to Apple and see if you can order a printer after the fact with the rebate intact.
 
archer75 said:
I got my mom an imac hoping the tech support calls would decrease. They haven't. But old people and technology are just plain funny.
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She just wants you to visit with her. How often do you call or go over?

iRobby said:
if you invest in an airprint printer or another wireless-printer you will go down to 2 cables!
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ANY network printer. Wireless or not.
 
could have stuck with the wireless keyboard and added this :D

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Cropmark/8337/

8337_image.gif
 
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