Our shiny new iMac G5 with 2.0GHz SuperDrive and Tiger OS is in the pipeline.
We've grabbed the Tiger (Apple's Mac OS X operating system) by the tail. Tuck was skeptical at first, thinking us impulsive -- he knows his woman -- and on one level it was, but we've been thinkin'/dreamin' of making "the switch" from Dell/Microsoft XP to Apple/Tiger for some time -- we even blogged about it here, noting the Wall Street Journal's Walter S. Mossberg's opinion that
After the timely (it was time) demise of our venerable Dell Precision WorkStation 420, Gomer -- eulogy here (scroll down) -- we had to choose. The product itself is awesome, but it was probably something Scott said -- he's the polished Apple answerman at the other end of the line when we called the 800 number this morning for advice on what to buy -- that closed the deal: "You have a BLOG? Cool."
No more towers with iMac G5's "All-in-One" design. All its brains are contained within the 2.2-inch-thick monitor.
Speaking of cool, did you know -- we didn't -- about the iMac G5's "All-in-One" design:
From power supply to hard drive to processor to stereo speakers to slot-loading optical drive, all the components of the iMac G5 are enclosed within the widescreen flat-panel display. On the back panel, you can connect peripherals to two FireWire 400 and three USB 2.0 ports, plus find two more USB ports on the keyboard. Choose either a 17-inch or 20-inch model and prepare to be awed.
Now Tuck's talking about maybe getting one too.
Update: We discover an encouraging/warning note fromThe Prop of coffeegrounds in the comments section of our previous, pre-purchase post:
Friends don't let friends buy PCs. Get a Mac and you'll never have a problem downloading a photo again!
'Can't wait to exchange notes with applephile Susan of Mind of Mog.
No more having to download driver software every time you install something. The Mac is plug and play.
No more spyware. Apple will alert you when they have system updates and virus updates.
Widgets!
iPhoto!
In two years plus of using OSX my Mac has never crashed. Not once. No more blue screen of death.
One caveat: as nice a browser as Safari is, my version does not play well with TypePad. Download a free copy of Firefox for OSX. All the TypePad Rich Text icons work with Firefox.
Posted by: The Prop | July 08, 2005 at 02:18 PM
Who hoo! You got one. Congratulations.
Let me know if you get Firefox to work with Tiger. That's the one browser that won't work for me. Safari, OmniWeb, Camino, even the outdated IE works.
But Thunderbird works, go figure.
Posted by: mog | July 08, 2005 at 03:09 PM
Congrats on the new toy - hope you LOVE it! *grin* Mac doesn't work with my work stuff - and yes I tried all kinds of things... *sigh* so I stick with PC's - but I don't have the trouble others do...
BTW - I've got a 4 year old W2K (it's server instead of workstation because of various work related reasons). It never crashes or blue screens and I've never ever had a problem downloading pictures...
Maybe it's just me? Although I do have to replace the CD burner and I'm putting it off because I just hate opening the thing up and messing with all the wires.
Posted by: Teresa | July 08, 2005 at 05:59 PM
So, do you like it?
I love my Windows XP. Have not experienced any of the problems mentioned above since we got our new computer w/XP last Dec and then got Road Runner. All updates automatic, etc.
Mac does interest me, and Rush SWEARS by them!
Posted by: kitty myers | July 09, 2005 at 08:34 AM
Welcome to the light.
I feel the green-eyed monster leering over my shoulder.
Interesting note from Mog. My G4s don't even want to play with Panther, and Safari doesn't want to play with TypePad. Firefox has been my savior there.
Posted by: Mr.Kurtz | July 09, 2005 at 08:42 AM
I am using Firefox 1.0.4. That is the most recent for OSX.
Posted by: The Prop | July 09, 2005 at 11:37 AM
How do I love thee, dear readers? Let me count the ways. Thanks for your wonderful comments and concern. I'm all aglow. 'Will report back as revelations occur. :)
Posted by: Sissy Willis | July 10, 2005 at 03:21 PM
That looks so amazing! I'm running an ancient P-3 with Gentoo linux and a dying monitor. Maybe the timing will work out that I'll actually have some money when this bad boy dies.
Posted by: James Ashley | July 10, 2005 at 06:42 PM
Hooray, Sissy.
As it happens, I went to the Apple Store in Cambridge on Saturday for something totally unrelated, and ended up bringing home a Mac Mini for myself. :)
After updating the installed OSX to Tiger, Firefox was the first thing I downloaded and installed, with no problems.
Posted by: Brian | July 11, 2005 at 08:46 AM
No more having to download driver software every time you install something. The Mac is plug and play.
No more spyware. Apple will alert you when they have system updates and virus updates.
Now, I use Macs and Windows and Linux all, together, so I don't have a specific dog in the fight, so to speak, but this isn't quite true and isn't quite different from Windows.
Spyware isn't something Apple can stop; just as anyone can install spyware on Windows if you run software that installs spyware, so anyone could do it on MacOS. Expect people of the mores bastardly sort to do so rapidly.
Apple doesn't do virus updates, that I know of. Certainly not on my copies of OSX, have they ever done any updates related to antivirus software or the like. If they're fixing virus-related bugs, they're close-lipped about it.
Windows does do automatic software updates, and has since at least Win2K.
And lastly, you may well need to install drivers at some point, if you get something weird enough on a USB or FireWire port.
(Windows also supports many typical USB and FireWire devices without special drivers)... of course, with an iMac, you'll never have to worry about a PCI card driver or 3rd party video card, really.
No point, really, except that MacOS isn't that much different in these regards from Windows.
Posted by: Sigivald | July 11, 2005 at 06:38 PM