hardware
My current (desktop) computer is mostly working fine, though it's a
bit sluggish for some tasks (like editing WAV files or scanning/processing
large images). It's a few years old, and so long as it doesn't have
any hardware failures it should continue to serve for a while. (Its
two predecessors failed suddenly, though one was aided by lightning.)
I run XP on this machine, which was looking like a problem last year
when they announced its end of life, but now Microsoft is going to
support it until 2014. Whew. But soon you won't be able to buy it
any more, and I think even now you have to pay extra (buy Vista, then
buy XP and install that instead). So when this machine does go (or
I decide it's time), it'll mean a forced change of OS.
If I have to change anyway, Mac OS isn't looking too shabby. Its UI definitely takes some getting used to (particularly the menu-bar placement), but the Unix foundation is comfortable and, hey, I could re-learn X-Windows after all these years. Getting a used iBook a couple years ago has helped me explore the OS a bit, though I haven't made full use of it by far.
Dani has a more pressing need for a new machine and he's already decided he's getting a Mac, so I will get the benefit of his explorations. (He's been waiting for the new machines to come out, which they did a few weeks ago.) It turns out we're looking for different things, though; while he's been trying to decide between a high-end iMac and a Mac Pro, I've been thinking about the Mini and considering the iMac. Dani's been staring at specs; I suggested that he go to an Apple store and actually try the kinds of operations he's most interested in, which he agreed was a good idea. He made an appointment today (armed with a thumb drive with large music and image files) and I followed along.
What I learned: the iMac is absolutely not going to be an option for me until they do something about that built-in monitor. In many ways it's lovely -- crisp and clear, probably beautiful for watching movies and stuff like that. Color, brightness, and contrast settings appeared adequate. But that glossy finish seems to actively attract every bit of potential glare in the room. That's an automatic failure for me. Apple makes monitors with a matte finish, which seemed fine, but if you want an iMac you're getting a glossy monitor. (The salesperson helpfully pointed out that I could hook up my own -- but the built-in one would still be there in the way, and I'd still be paying for it. Um, no.)
The Mac Pro is way more machine than I need or am interested in paying for (about four times what I paid for my current Windows box). With the iMac out of the running, that leaves the Mini. People have made fun of me for considering that machine, but it actually seems fine to me. A high-end Mini was about the same speed as a mid-range iMac for the operations I tried. It's faster than my current machine (though there's some comparison of apples and oranges due to the different software involved). If I turn out to be wrong, I won't be mourning exhorbitant sunk costs, feeling like I have to keep it for a decade to be "worth it". So I don't know when yet, but that'll probably be my next machine.
(Mind, compared to a PC it's still expensive; while it "starts" at $599, by the time you give it decent memory and disk and buy support (and let me say how frustrating it is to have only 90 days of support if you don't), it's nearly double that. Oh, note to self: I'll have to buy a (third-party) keyboard, because my current one isn't USB. Third-party because I disliked the keyboards in the store today.)
The Shadyside store was underwhelming, by the way. They did not have a current Mac Pro in any configuration (only last year's model), the iMac we looked at had a bunch of other stuff running on it (so not a good test), and the "genius" wasn't very knowledgable. After we came home Dani called the store in the South Hills, which did have current machines, so he paid them a visit and got much better information.
If I have to change anyway, Mac OS isn't looking too shabby. Its UI definitely takes some getting used to (particularly the menu-bar placement), but the Unix foundation is comfortable and, hey, I could re-learn X-Windows after all these years. Getting a used iBook a couple years ago has helped me explore the OS a bit, though I haven't made full use of it by far.
Dani has a more pressing need for a new machine and he's already decided he's getting a Mac, so I will get the benefit of his explorations. (He's been waiting for the new machines to come out, which they did a few weeks ago.) It turns out we're looking for different things, though; while he's been trying to decide between a high-end iMac and a Mac Pro, I've been thinking about the Mini and considering the iMac. Dani's been staring at specs; I suggested that he go to an Apple store and actually try the kinds of operations he's most interested in, which he agreed was a good idea. He made an appointment today (armed with a thumb drive with large music and image files) and I followed along.
What I learned: the iMac is absolutely not going to be an option for me until they do something about that built-in monitor. In many ways it's lovely -- crisp and clear, probably beautiful for watching movies and stuff like that. Color, brightness, and contrast settings appeared adequate. But that glossy finish seems to actively attract every bit of potential glare in the room. That's an automatic failure for me. Apple makes monitors with a matte finish, which seemed fine, but if you want an iMac you're getting a glossy monitor. (The salesperson helpfully pointed out that I could hook up my own -- but the built-in one would still be there in the way, and I'd still be paying for it. Um, no.)
The Mac Pro is way more machine than I need or am interested in paying for (about four times what I paid for my current Windows box). With the iMac out of the running, that leaves the Mini. People have made fun of me for considering that machine, but it actually seems fine to me. A high-end Mini was about the same speed as a mid-range iMac for the operations I tried. It's faster than my current machine (though there's some comparison of apples and oranges due to the different software involved). If I turn out to be wrong, I won't be mourning exhorbitant sunk costs, feeling like I have to keep it for a decade to be "worth it". So I don't know when yet, but that'll probably be my next machine.
(Mind, compared to a PC it's still expensive; while it "starts" at $599, by the time you give it decent memory and disk and buy support (and let me say how frustrating it is to have only 90 days of support if you don't), it's nearly double that. Oh, note to self: I'll have to buy a (third-party) keyboard, because my current one isn't USB. Third-party because I disliked the keyboards in the store today.)
The Shadyside store was underwhelming, by the way. They did not have a current Mac Pro in any configuration (only last year's model), the iMac we looked at had a bunch of other stuff running on it (so not a good test), and the "genius" wasn't very knowledgable. After we came home Dani called the store in the South Hills, which did have current machines, so he paid them a visit and got much better information.