Hackingtosh vs iMac, costing

[Synaesthesia]

Do you actually do anything with your iMac besides look at it and go "ooh shiny"?

Congratulations for spending a load of money on a fashion statement.

I don't have an iMac. I have a hack. With a CRT screen. Mostly made from 2nd hand parts.

 

OK maybe you weren't speaking to me directly there.

 

But the point is, the iMac is the sleekest desktop available. Whether it's good value or not is besides the point.

[xCainex]

What, besides aesthetics, is the point of a sleek desktop? And why should I (as a prospective buyer) get a sleek Mac desktop over a Mac laptop which is sleek and mobile, or a proper Mac desktop which is powerful?

[Synaesthesia]

It saves space, it places your ports at a convenient place.

 

Anyway, it's fine if you think it's bad value or whatever. That's your opinion and you're entitled to it.

[xCainex]

A macBook would save more space, have ports in convenient locations, be cheaper and be totally portable. So I ask again, what is the point of it besides aesthetics?

[Synaesthesia]

A Macbook doesn't have a 1920x1080 screen. Yes, you can add one. Then it's more expensive.

 

What's the point of all your questions? I didn't design the iMac, go {censored} to Apple.

[xCainex]

That's your opinion and you're entitled to it.

 

Of course it's my opinion. Everyone knows this by virtue of the fact I said it. Stop trying to validate your taste in {censored} computers by reminding everyone I speak for myself.

 

 

What's the point of all your questions? I didn't design the iMac, go {censored} to Apple.

 

You're the one extolling its virtues left and right. I'm just wondering if you have a reason for this, or if you're just indulging in fanboyism.

[Synaesthesia]

Extolling it's virtues? I'm just stating the facts man.

 

Is it the sleekest desktop around? You can't deny it. Does it save space? Yep.

 

I do like it, I guess I'm sick of my 21" CRT which is 2 feet deep.

 

Of course it's my opinion. Everyone knows this by virtue of the fact I said it. Stop trying to validate your taste in {censored} computers by reminding everyone I speak for myself.

Point taken.

 

"Dude, that's, just, like, your opinion, man." - The Big Lebowski

 

You're the one extolling its virtues left and right. I'm just wondering if you have a reason for this, or if you're just indulging in fanboyism.

Unabashed Apple fanboy. Give me a Mac, any Mac I say! Whatever, I'm not gonna fight about this.

[TurdFergasun]

arguing to death on semantics.

 

the apple fanatics are no different than the MS fanatics, just the slogans.

 

 

back on topic tho, i find the new pricing and hardware with the imacs, and even mac pros very reasonable when compared to other pc's from retail companies such as dell, hp, etc. the only issue i take with the current imacs, is the built in screen which is placed in a pile of forced obsoletion once the other imac hardware is considered too slow, yet the monitor will still be very usefull and function just as well if it could be used with the newest hardware.

 

you can't compare pricing a custom built computer to a fully built and supported mac. they're not the same demographic any more than custom built pc's and dell/hp/acer pc's are. most professionals don't have time to monkey around with hardware, and most regular computer users don't have the ambition towards technology or self learning needed to mess around by building their own computers of any kind. imacs/mac minis suit them just as well as any pre built windows computer.

 

the only thing i truly take issue with apple is with their megalomania, and over hyped marketing junk, which could be said of any corporation that has a following like apple's so it's not a very valid direction to place anger either. i think it's more a broader distaste for those practices in society than it is for apple that drives most people to hate apple, or even microsoft, unfortunately apple is just a simple scapegoat for those who can't see the forest for the trees.</rant>

[Detosx]

I wouldn't want another rectangular brushed aluminum case. Mine cost a shade more than some people spend on a new budget computer. The nicer ones outstrip the budget of many system builders and yet, along with the cost of Leopard and iLife if purchased as separate items, how many people bother to take into account how much the iMac's case might cost? I think I am right in saying the 24" iMacs use S-IPS panels, which I believe are good for strict colour accuracy in photographic work and as used in the cinema displays; at any rater, better than the TN panels most of us budget for. Having a reliable tool is more important to me than aesthetics but that doesn't mean appearance doesn't matter to me. If I am a Mac fan boy, that would mean that I am a Mac Pro fan. Though internally a work of art, the Mac Pro is outwardly ugly looking to me - not just a rectangle but a rectangle shot full of holes. Also, I'm not thrilled about the idea of being fleeced for the cost of some of Apple's upgrades. I maintain, though, that the Mac Mini and iMac fill their niche market slots perfectly. In terms of function and stability, thanks to Leopard, they aren't fashion accessories but time-is-money savers.

 

Vista, even with a number of services switched off and trimmed to the lean, is regarded by many in the industry as a bit of a resources hog, which is one of the reasons, we are told, that Microsoft are bowing and genuflecting and bringing out a lean Windows 7... but not as a free update for long suffering Vista users, which includes me, who stuck with Vista rather than go back to XP. Vista is a better games platform than XP and further improved with SP2; though hard drive read and write speed is, or was, apparently slower than with SP1. Microsoft are never going to refund us for time wasted and lost but, equally, no one HAS to suffer occasional Microsoft messes or the often ugly boxes that their software is cased in. No, my snobbery is that I don't feel that the Macs reputation as a stable 'it just works' / 'productivity platform' is false advertising. Also, I know if I get a call from a friend who is having computer/software problems, they are almost never the Mac owning ones.

 

I don't write any of the above to denigrate the hackintosh scene. Provided people are paying for the software they use, I see osx86 as a great stepping stone toward one day buying the real thing.

[Descalzo]

The best way to get over the overpriced-ness of Macs is to do what I did:

 

Get work to buy it for you!

 

Of course the downside is that it doesn't belong to you, so if you want to engrave Luke and Vader dueling on the back, you're out of luck unless you have an amazingly laid-back accountability structure.

 

I get about 98% true-mac functionality out of my hack notebooks. But man is that 2% annoying.

[madhias]

I don`t think the Mac's are that expensive (Mac Mini, MacBook's) for what you get! The MacPro cases are very expensive, and the hardware inside also (i wouldn't need it). But it's fine hardware for that price. You're happy to turn it on and feel the design. I mean it's the same with iPods. I have an old Creative Zen xtra with 60GB and i'm really happy with it even if its old, but when i look to the (older) iPods, there are worlds between product design and handling.

 

To me, i like to screw, tweek and tinker around. It's nice to buy new hardware, and mostly i'm sure i can use it and it will fit to my computer and exactly what i need. I never spent more than 200€ to 400€ for upgrading. That's the different things between having a Mac or/and a PC.