iMac Mini and iPod Shuffle

Yeah, they really need to make a low end display to go along with these. A standard issue lcd would be nice, or maybe one that's slightly mac'd out. All in all, I think they should have a complete desktop setup available for no more than a grand. I think it's feasible.

Also, it's going to make it a slightly more rocky sell to casual users if the buyer has to go out and get a monitor on there own. To the somewhat tech savvy though I don't think it'll be a huge selling turnoff.

I think most people will have a monitor already, just like steve said. They are likely people that already have a windows pc but got an iPod, and are sick of windows so they go buy this little thing and plug it in to their existing setup. And buying a monitor really isn't that difficult. You just go to the store and find one the right price and the right size. Shouldn't be that hard.

And you can get a desktop setup for less than $1000, it's called an eMac.

Hooray, upgrading the RAM doesn't void the warranty: http://forevergeek.com/apple/mac_mini_details_ram_hard_drive_wireless.php

Alright guys, here we go. First my disclaimer, I'm not looking to turn this into a mac vs. pc thing but can someone explain to me the differences of functionality between the two. I've been wanting to dive into purchasing a Powerbook, but they are pretty pricey.

The other day, however, my friend led me to the iMac Mini and when I saw the price I thought it'd be a good investment. Simply because I'm new to this apple machinery and I'm not sure about running with it.

I've often heard my friends say "once you go mac you never go back". But I'd like to know how the mac is in functionality. I understand it's a more stable platform, and the programs run off of their folder, and there is, or isn't a registry? Again, I'm not well schooled on this so I'm not sure.

The PC has been good, but I'm getting tired of Microsoft, you guys know what I mean right? So I'd like to switch, but I don't know about the functionality, or the products such as a powerbook, ibook, or how the speed is measured.

If anyone has any information on this, I'd highly appreciate it. The nearest apple store in my area is quite a way's off so I haven't had time to visit, but if you guys can share more insight I'd highly appreciate it, because I would like to give it a shot. Thanks for your time, lookin' forward to reading some comments.

Cheers!

No there is no registry, applications are self-contained for the most part. Sometimes settings and preference files will be stored in a central location in the user's home directory, but that's a good thing because then each person on the computer can have their own preferences and things.

If you want to move an app to another computer, just drag and drop the application icon to another computer, or to a CD or something to burn it.

I'm not really sure what you mean by the functionality of it... It's pretty similar to Windows, I mean you aren't going to turn on a Mac and be totally lost. You just point and click around, and use keyboard shortcuts and things just like Windows.

You can of course get Photoshop and Dreamweaver and everything for the Mac, and they are for the most part identical to the PC versions.

OSX is based on Unix, but you'll never see a Unix command line if you don't want to. But Unix has been around for 30 years and is rock solid, which is where most of the Mac's reliability comes from. Your memory is all protected so if one app crashes it won't bring down the whole system, unless something is really really messed up. At which point you'll see a grey screen that tells you you need to reboot in 3 different languages. So you reboot and that usually fixes the problem. But I've only seen that screen about 3 times, and that was because I had bad RAM in my machine, I later found out.

The Mac mini, iMac, eMac and iBook are all "consumer level" products. They are a little cheaper and a little less powerful with less options. They are all "all-in-one" setups, and are not very upgradable outside of RAM and maybe the hard drive.

The PowerMac G5 and Powerbooks are the "Pro-Level" machines. The Powerbooks are more powerful than the iBooks, with larger screens available, larger hard drives, backlit keyboards, larger hard drives, etc. They are made out of aluminum. The G5 is the tower. It's enormous and powerful. Most have 2 processors inside. They are extremely easy to update. Just pull one latch and it lays out the whole side of the machine for you to easily get in and work on it.

I have a Powerbook and G5, and my wife has an iBook. I've also owned an eMac as my first machine, so I've had almost all of the different models. They are all great, depending on your needs. I personally don't like the iBooks very much at all. I think they feel cheap and flimsy in comparison to the Powerbooks. The trackpad is too big and the keyboard has too much "give" in it, since you have to pull it up to install RAM and an Airport card. But they are stilly better than pretty much every PC laptop I've seen.

The G5 is quite fast, just as fast ass the fastest pentium. I play World of Warcraft and Call of Duty and Halo and other 3D games on it all the time. While I have my email program, Safari (web browser), and other apps open. Plus I'm usually recording a TV show while I play, with EyeTV.

The megahertz on a G4 or G5 aren't really the same as on a Pentium... like a 1.47ghz G4 may be equal to something over a 2ghz pentium. It doesn't really matter. Anything you get from the current models is going to be plenty fast to run Photoshop or anything else you need. The G5's are obviously faster than the G4's... But as far as the megahertz within those go, there won't be a whole hell of a lot of difference.

The whole line about Macs not being compatible and not having any software is a bunch of bull****. There are more apps on the Mac that can't get on Windows than the other way around.

If you are looking at a portable, I'd go with a Powerbook if possible, over and iBook. That's just my opinion because I don't like the iBooks. But several people on the forum have them, so they are still fine for most people.

If you are looking at a desktop the Mac mini is an amazing deal. You won't be able to upgrade it too much, other than the RAM, but at that price you can easily just buy the newest model next year and update that way, for the price of a high-end video card. All of your expansion would be done externally, with firewire hard drives, firewire surround sound soundcards, audio-in jacks, whatever you want.

The eMac is an all-in-one CRT. It's nice, and I enjoyed it while I had it.

The iMac is an all-in-one LCD, with a G5 processor. It's also nice.

Whatever you get, you'll need a lot of RAM. At least 512mb. A gig is better.

Anyway, not sure if that answers your questions or not. if you have any specific questions let me know.

deker, you have more than answered my quetions man. That's alot of info, and I'm glad to see you're not a novice at using macs, so you know what you're talking about. I think I'm sold on getting a Powerbook with a Gig of RAM so I'll have plenty of room to play around with.

Basically I would only need to plug in photoshop and illustrator into it, and maybe InDesign. That's the only other side I look at. Having to shell out the cash to get those programs for the mac, as I already have them on my PC.

When I asked about functionality, I was basically asking about how everything is stored. I should've been more clear on that but you nailed it when you said: "No there is no registry, applications are self-contained for the most part. Sometimes settings and preference files will be stored in a central location in the user's home directory, but that's a good thing because then each person on the computer can have their own preferences and things."

You really gave me a bird's eye view when you broke up the product line into categories, because that's something else I really didn't understand. As you stated the "consumer line" and the "pro level".

Thanks again for your input. While I like that mini mac, I think my best investment would be towards the Powerbook sometime in the next few months.

Do you know if there'll be a G5 PowerBook coming out that's liquid cooled anytime soon? Would it be something to wait for, because if I recall, the G5 is liquid cooled right? That would be really nice working with the quietness of a liquid cooled machine.

Thanks for your time Deker, it's highly appreciated, you cleared alot up for me.

Cheers!

Only the fastest Dual G5 is liquid cooled. I don't think there will be a G5 powerbook any time soon, especially a liquid cooled one. One of the executives at Apple said just today or yesterday that there wouldn't be a G5 Powerbook any time soon. If anything it will be a dual core G4.

The file system on the mac as far as users go is like windows, where you can have multiple users, and each one has a home directory. On windows you'd have your own desktop settings and My Documents folder, but in OSX you have your own home folder, which can have your own documents, photos, music, movies, etc. It can also store your own fonts, programs, etc and keep it all separate from other users. Or you can install things globally so they are accessible by everyone on that machine.

I do expect a speed bump on the powerbooks soon, because they haven't been updated in forever, but it won't be to a G5.

You also may consider waiting until Tiger, the next version of OSX comes out to buy your machine, that way you get it free without having to upgrade right after you buy a machine. You can preview new features in Tiger here: http://www.apple.com/macosx/

An updated, non-G5 powerbook would probably be one of the best apples to get right now because it's so far along in the product cycle. When a new Apple comes out, like the Mac mini, it's referred to as a "Revision A". These models may have defects or problems sometimes, since they are a first run. The next model they come out with, which is the same computer but with a speed boost, is the revision B, etc. The Powerbook has been through 4 or 5 revisions by now, so all of the bugs and kinks should be worked out and you'll have the most dependable system possible. Whereas if you wait for the g5 powerbook, you'll be taking a chance on a revision A product, and especially with all the heat that that G5 produces, it's going to be tough for them to pull it off.

Not to discourage you from buying a Rev A. Apple will always fix any problems that arise, but it's still a hassle to have to repair it if something does go wrong. And again, it rarely does. But it's more likely to happen in a Rev A than a Rev D, you know what I mean?

Deker, thanks again for the information. One of the things a friend did mention to me today was that trying out the mini mac might not be as wise until waiting for some upgrades to it, which is similar to what you're saying.

Since the Powerbook has gone through several revisions, then I think I'll stick with that because I really need something mobile. I also see your point in dealing with a G5 because of kinks and bugs and all that good stuff that would need to be ironed out with time.

So my guess is I'll be getting the Powerbook G4 and waiting for the new version of the OS to come out so I won't have to upgrade or feel left behind. Thanks again for the insight, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.

Cheers!

Deker,

Remember I was on here a while back asking about the Powerbook and wondering if there would be a G5 Powerbook coming out anytime soon. You didn't think there would be, nor did I, and I'm still not sure if there will be.

However, I did find this site today, check it out:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/27/apple_site_powerbook_g5/

*gazes up to the sky wondering* hmm....

I personally wouldn't suspect another Powerbook update until Q4 2005, or Q1 2006, because of the update they just did, they may go to a dual core G4, but I am begining to think that they will just go to G5 as opposed to beating around the bush with G4 anymore. I think Apple is about ready to phase out of the G4 (which is part of the reason I am waiting to geta Mac Mini).

Just my two cents.