MW: The New Rules for Buying a Mac
MW: The New Rules for Buying a Mac
by , 4:05 PM EDT, May 9th, 2008
The old purchase rules, based on the previous limitations of the Macintosh platform, no longer apply, according to Macworld on Thursday. Some buying myths that have persisted need to be rethought by the prospective buyer.
In the past, power users needed to go for the high end desktop, nowadays, the Mac Pro. However, the market position of the Mac Pro and iMac have shifted. The Mac Pro may be expensive overkill, and the 3.06 GHz Core 2 Duo in the iMac may be enough.
Second, expandability was king in days of old, and it was accomplished with add on-cards. Now, high-speed peripherals can do much of that work. A Mac Pro with slots may be more than necessary for many users.
Third, in the past, Macs needed to be as fast as possible to run WIndows in emulation mode with Virtual PC. Today, Intel Macs can run Windows at full speed even in virtualization mode.
Finally, the mix of computers may need to be rethought. Powerful MacBook Pros can suffice as the only required computer -- no desktop needed. On the other hand, those who don't need an expensive notebook and transition from Windows will find that a 20-inch iMac with a slightly slower clock won't kill their budget at US$1,199.
The in-depth article by Jonathan Seff and Jason Snell does a great job at looking how the profile of the Macintosh product line has changed based on technology and the needs of customers. Some veteran Mac users may have heartburn with some of the assertions, but anyone who is switching from PCs to Macs or hasn't bought a Mac in awhile should take a look at the feature article.
Observer Comments
What are you smoking crack? Or simply haven't had to render out out video by the hour lately?
These rules would have been said for most part ten years ago when the G3 iMac came out. Sure it was fate enough for desktop publishing... but power users need photoshop. Then it was fast enough for Photoshop but power users need it for video and rendering, and expansion.
Guess what? WE STILL DO. fact is "power users" simply do jobs that pay a whole heck of lot more than writing for macobserver.
Dork.
What are you smoking crack? Or simply haven't had to render out out video by the hour lately?
These rules would have been said for most part ten years ago when the G3 iMac came out. Sure it was fate enough for desktop publishing... but power users need photoshop. Then it was fast enough for Photoshop but power users need it for video and rendering, and expansion.
Guess what? WE STILL DO. fact is "power users" simply do jobs that pay a whole heck of lot more than writing for macobserver.
Dork.
Fri May 09, 2008 5:45 pm Subject:
Fri May 09, 2008 6:19 pm Subject: The print article has more
QuoteGuest wrote:
What are you smoking crack? Or simply haven't had to render out out video by the hour lately?
These rules would have been said for most part ten years ago when the G3 iMac came out. Sure it was fate enough for desktop publishing... but power users need photoshop. Then it was fast enough for Photoshop but power users need it for video and rendering, and expansion.
Guess what? WE STILL DO. fact is "power users" simply do jobs that pay a whole heck of lot more than writing for macobserver.
Dork.
In this month's MacWorld Magazine, the printed edition of the article in question, says that the Mac Pro is for someone doing high end audio and video work. That sidebar was missing, or I didn't see it, in their online article.
I do page layout, Illustrator, PhotoShop, and website work. I also do a little video and audio work, but nothing like a movie production shop. A few years ago when when I went to replace my Dual Processor G4 MDD tower which was the Mac Pro of its day. After talking to the kid who works at the local Apple Store about my computer needs he recommended that I get an iMac. I took his advice and I do not regret it, the iMac more than meets my needs.
Would I want a fully loaded MacPro with two big monitors? Yes of course. Do I need one? No.
I agree that name-calling isn't needed. But try to do a complicated render on a 24 inch iMac with Apple-limited 4 GBmemory vs a 3.0 8-core MacPro with 16 GB memory, multiple fast boot and scratch drives and a much faster video card. The difference in speed is enormous, and when you earn your living this way, getting more done in less time means, simply put, more income.
Sat May 10, 2008 12:01 am Subject:
Sat May 10, 2008 2:00 pm Subject: The Right Machine for the right job...
I am a 7 computer household... two PCs in my lab to run a CNC machine and an electron microscope (yup at home - long story) and a MacPro dual Qud 3.2 with 16 Gb of RAM and 3 TBs in box and another 4 TBs in Drobo for design work, molecular studies, nanotech research. A 17" MBP (fully loaded) with 1 TB add on for Time Machine for communication, SKYPE, travel, etc.
My wife has an iMac that she does research and writing for a book she is working on and she has my "old" G4 Dual with 8 GBs of RAM w/ 4 TBs in a DROBO, also - to do movie editing and DVD composition. She also has a MacBook that she takes with her when she does research and travels.
I guess what I am trying to say - not bragging - is that you need the right tool (machine) to do your work.
The best thing a "computer advisor" can do is ask questions about needs and fill the needs not his/her sales quota. They will have very loyal customers who will buy more and send in their friends.
my 5 cents worth (we don't have pennies in Australia any more).
Mon May 12, 2008 2:40 pm Subject: The article has it right
So far all of the comments agree with the recommendations of the article. (If you bothered to read it.) If you asked Jonathan Seff and Jason Snell to recommend a Macintosh to you based on their article and you said you regularly "do a complicated render" or "molecular studies, nanotech research" They'd recommend a Mac Pro.
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