Hi all
I am in the midst of 'turning' a pc'er to see reason and finally buy a mac (and say goodbye to spyware, virus', incompatable software, etc). So, I asked her what she needed it for, and below is her criteria:
- cannot afford more than $1500
- i need it for school (internet, sending docs, receiving files, chatting on discussion boards etc)
- will need powerpoint, word, office stuff and will probably have software coming in (they often use stuff and then tell you to download it because they have sent it or used it already)- adobe , photoshop, paint, publisher stuff, etc
- internet
- burning LOTS of music
- I WANT IT FOREVER- my last one that just literally blew up was operational since 1994 (university)
- I HATE VIRUSES
- Portability, is a great thing considering I move around a whole lot.
- I want quality

So, I was thinking of either recommending the mini or an eMac (it seems that the iMac is a little out of her price range after tax and all). Am I steering her the right way (I have only been on a mac for a year)?

Thanks a bunch.
:D

Given her needs. I would say the mini personally. The mini is in a great price range for students. On top of the fact.. that I know students are always on the go. The mini would be great if she had to pick up and leave and take her computer with her. (the mini can be hooked to most any monitor and any USB keyboard and mouse.) With the price difference, she could probably pick up a few pieces of software with the left over cash. Apple has proven over and over that their products last a good long time. My friends CRT iMac is 7 years old, and still runs. Max out the ram, and get a superdrive and she will be good to go quite a while.

I'd actually argue the eMac is now the better value. IMHO. It has a keyboard, mouse, and monitor all built in.

As a new Mac convert and a mini user, I have to lend my support for the mini. I do however at times wish that it had a little more pep. I went with the 1.42 Ghz unit with the associated gadgets (superdrive, bluetooth). My decision to get the mini was driven by the fact that I had a great 19" LCD. Even at $1600+tax, I would recommend that you take a very close look at the new iMac. Lots more storage for them MP3s.

Just how important is the portability requirement?

The eMac is simple to move if you are changing the place you live or work, but it isn't portable.

The Mini isn't really portable either, but has got to be the easiest desktop to pack up and go - although that only refers to the mac - the monitor, printer, cables etc are still the same size.

if portability is important consider an iBook. The 14" model is great value.

The 14" model bares no advantage to the more portable 12" model. I reccomend a refurbished/low end iMac 17, it supports core image, fits into small places and eliminates cable clutter ;)

the advantage of the 14" iBook is that while being used at a desk (which happens a lot with University) you get a lot more screen real estate, at a pittance more weight than the 12"

You don't have any more screen real estate, its the same resolution.

You don't have any more screen real estate, its the same resolution.


I agree - I don't think it's worth the extra cash for the 2 inches... and that money can be put towards some software... I vote for an ibook 12"... especially if they get updated soon - it's a great opportunity to pick up the current ibook as stores will want to get rid of older models in stock...

Just how important is the portability requirement?

The eMac is simple to move if you are changing the place you live or work, but it isn't portable.

The Mini isn't really portable either, but has got to be the easiest desktop to pack up and go - although that only refers to the mac - the monitor, printer, cables etc are still the same size.

if portability is important consider an iBook. The 14" model is great value.

I know when I was in school I would have loved a mini. I used to lug my G3 b/w tower home and back all the time. It would have been handy to have a mini computer like that.

What about an iBook?

if portability is an issue, iBook seems like a no-brainer. The first brand-new mac i ever bought was a 12" G3 iceBook and it was fantastic and portable and cordless with the airport.

or look around for deals on the previous generation iMac G5's. I heard best buy was blowing some out at 1299$. I love my iMac G5!

Given her needs. I would say the mini personally. The mini is in a great price range for students. On top of the fact.. that I know students are always on the go. The mini would be great if she had to pick up and leave and take her computer with her. (the mini can be hooked to most any monitor and any USB keyboard and mouse.) With the price difference, she could probably pick up a few pieces of software with the left over cash. Apple has proven over and over that their products last a good long time. My friends CRT iMac is 7 years old, and still runs. Max out the ram, and get a superdrive and she will be good to go quite a while.
I have to agree with the recommendation for a mini. Its so tiny and has everything that the eMac has (sans monitor, of course) and if she moves around a lot she will appreciate its tiny foot print. With the extra money she will save she can get a nice flat panel that will be equally as easy to move around. Just as Vex said, max the ram and put a superdrive in there , maybe even add some wireless. She'll be good to go.

Trev

I still say an iMac

Emac all the way unless you have a really good monitor. The $999 model will outperform the mini because of the hard drive. Wait for the bench marks. The hard drive in those minis is a 2.5" and much slower. The new $999 model emac has 160G hd, 512Ram, dual layer burner, new graphics card. By the time you order the high end mini with more Ram, Superdrive and then monitor you will be close to the emac in price with less machine. Besides the emac will have more USB ports and firewire ports.

Before the emac upgrade I would have said the mini. These new upgrades make the emac a great buy right now. The only thing the mini is good for now is its size. It is the bottom end computer for mac right now.

Here is the first set of bemchmarks that i could find about the mini vs. the emac. I am surprised by some of the results of the 1.25 mini vs the 1.25 emac

http://www.macworld.com/weblogs/editors/2005/05/speedmarkblog/index.php

If she's hard-core on a desktop, go eMac. Great screen (now that the bugs are out), and a great all-in-one package. It's a great Mac experience, even though it is heavy as heck.

But if her budget goes as far as $1500.... really, there's no question. iBook. Portability=Heaven.

M

Thanks for all the feedback everyone.
After all the debate, she finally went for a....iMac 1.8!!:eek:
Yeah, yeah, after all that work...
But, I showed her the apple site and she took one look at the iMac and was sold (she likes the 160Gb and the G%).
Anyway, I have another buddy who is thinking of buying a mini, so your input will be well used. ;) :D

So most of the discussion has been mini vs. emac vs ibook? Just wondering, if space and portability are not big issues do you think one should purchase an emac or an imac? Seems like you get alot with an emac and the base emac is about $600 cheaper than an imac? Also, how do the display screens compare given that one is CRT and the other LCD?

Comments appreciated

:confused:

The eMac is definately the better value vs. the mini... go to the Apple website, and price a similarly spec'd mini (i.e. take a 1.4ghz, upgrade the hard drive, Superdrive, etc., etc.,) and you will quickly be into eMac pricing territory.

Don't forget -- the eMac has the superior video card - an important consideration in today's increasingly video hungry world.

The eMac's monitor is a bummer though, you may wanna get external speakers too because they cause ripples on the screen.

It overall feels like a poor quality system. beefy too, 70lb behemoth.

the emac might technically be a better value on paper, but in reality it sucks. the screen is awful.

get the mini or an ibook. an ibook would make more sense.

If you don't already have a keyboard, mouse, and monitor, the eMac is the way to go.

All-in-one design means less clutter on your desktop.

SuperDrive - Do you plan on burning DVDs? If so, the high end eMac supports Dual-Layer DVD burning. The mini only offers SuperDrive as a customer order option, and then, it's only single layer.

Hard Drive - Full size in a eMac. Faster. Larger capacity.

Monitor - The 17" in an eMac is no worse than a $150 external CRT plugged into the mini.

RAM - Both support up to 1GB. mini only has 1 slot vs eMac 2 slots. Easier to upgrade the eMac.

AirPort - eMac easily upgradable. mini requires an antenna kit and a complicated install.

I know your friend has already decided, but I'd definatly recommend the iBook. I've got a AlPB and its great. I don't think I'd trade it for anything. I love the portability and just being able to move around and having virtually no desktop clutter. Not to mention if you do want to be able to have that larger desktop you can always buy a LCD down the road and use it when your at home.

that eMac CRT will fuse your retinas
go with the mini and buy a LCD monitor

I realize the eMac has a 17" CRT screen and the iMac starts with a 17" LCD, but can someone tell me what the exact measurements are of the screens (height and width of screen, not the computer)?

Also, the criticism about the eMac's screen, is it due to it being a CRT or is there something else that people don't like about it? I have a Powerbook and an older iMac 350 and find the iMac screen quite good. Is there something I am missing?

With regard to the iMac screen how does it compare to the Apple Display monitors?

So when it is all said and done would you prefer the 1.42 Mini or the 1.42 eMac. Seems like most of the bugs would be out of the eMac, as it has been around awhile. The Mini is still if Rev A and may be prone to problems. My only real concern about the eMac is does anyone know is the new eMac noisy at all?