my laptop should be getting delivered today, its not an Apple its the laptop i mentioned earlier in the thread so i'll report back tonight after it arrives

Ok, i have been doing a bit more research into Apple computers.

I am thinking of not getting the macbook

I may just get the 20" iMAC and with the cash i save get a console or more mods for my Octy:)

I really like the sound of the large screen for viewing/editing photos and videos. Also the bigger hard drive would be useful.

I would have liked a Latop but in all honesty it is probably not a necessity (sp)

The way i see it is this. When i want to transfer pics form my camera to PC i still have to sit at a desk to do it, even with a laptop, i could balance everything on my lap but i don't fancy dropping my camera so i would always return to a desk/table to do something like that.

Also the iMac does't look like it would be too hard to move should i never need to take it somewhere.

One thing i wanted to know is this, are there any good websites/rescourses for donwloading any type of Mac software like i would for a PC? Done a bit of searching on Torrentspy.com but not a lot came up.

Finally, i like to download movies and convert them to run in my DVD player under the telly. I use WinAVI, it is dead easy to use. Is there anything for the Mac that does the same thing.

Bengie what Laptop did you get BTW?

Cheers again:thumbup:

I'm vaguely thinking of getting a new Mac & so have been looking around. Whichever way you slice the 20" iMac stands out as best value/bang for your buck.

What software is it you're after? The iMac will come with all the software you'll need for general use. VersionTracker.com is good for freeware/shareware. (click on the 'Mac' tab if you're accessing from a PC). The main 'big-name' app that most people add is Photoshop & you can get Elements, which is perfectly good enough, for not much cash.

If you are genuinely thinking of buying I'd wait for Leopard & possibly the rumoured new shape iMac in the summer.

I'm vaguely thinking of getting a new Mac & so have been looking around. Whichever way you slice the 20" iMac stands out as best value/bang for your buck.

What software is it you're after? The iMac will come with all the software you'll need for general use. VersionTracker.com is good for freeware/shareware. (click on the 'Mac' tab if you're accessing from a PC). The main 'big-name' app that most people add is Photoshop & you can get Elements, which is perfectly good enough, for not much cash.

If you are genuinely thinking of buying I'd wait for Leopard & possibly the rumoured new shape iMac in the summer.

I would want some software to convert divX and Xvid movies that i may have downloaded, into a DVD structure that i can burn to a blank DVD and will play in any stand alone player. I currently use WinAVI.

Any more info on the new iMac and Leopard?

edit Just found out that Leopard is not out til October

I will be getting one before then:(

if you need a new machine get one now.

Tiger is only

As an aside,

Don't just buy an apple because you think they are better for reliability as they are still a mass produced product and still made by a big corporation:

Danes 'prove' sudden iBook death syndrome | The Register

As an aside,

Don't just buy an apple because you think they are better for reliability as they are still a mass produced product and still made by a big corporation:

Danes 'prove' sudden iBook death syndrome | The Register

I know what you are saying, however there have been reliabitity issues with windows based laptops and pc too such as sony and Dell.

I am just ready to try something else instead of windows, and hopefully something that is more stable and far more intuitive to use.

I know what you are saying, however there have been reliabitity issues with windows based laptops and pc too such as sony and Dell.

I am just ready to try something else instead of windows, and hopefully something that is more stable and far more intuitive to use.

Totally agree with you that dell and sony and others have these issue, just raising the point that apple have them too, even if some mac fans will state otherwise.

Definitely still nice, if expensive, machines though

Only been and got one haven't i?

20" iMac, it looks awesome:thumbup:

Got it from pc world.

if its a USB modem then it wont work :(

Also deffo check that the onsite thing is cancelled as ive known customers pay for it and PC World saying that macs arent supported!!

if its a USB modem then it wont work :(

Also deffo check that the onsite thing is cancelled as ive known customers pay for it and PC World saying that macs arent supported!!

it is a usb modem but it does say it is for mac's on the box. However the website says it does not support Intel based mac's

I will deffo be checking the other thing:thumbup:

Any specific thing i need to look for when getting a router??

Good luck with the iMac. You will have a few 'teething troubles', especially if you've been used to using Windows for a while but I reckon 6 months from now you'll be really pleased you took the chance.

The modem Mac software was probably written for PowerPC macs not Intel. My experience is that USB modems are not that great anyway; ethernet is the way to go. As for routers, I have a Linksys BEFSR41 & I have been very pleased with it. Obviously this wouldn't be any use to you unless you bought a seperate modem as it doesn't have one built in but I would recommend Linksys. My brother has a Netgear combined router/modem/wireless hub & is very pleased with that.

Routers can have all sorts of features for home networking/serving webpages etc but if you avoid the cheapies & just buy a good name brand it will have all you need. Don't forget you'll need an extra ethernet cable if you still intend to use the Shuttle alongside the iMac.

My brother has a Netgear combined router/modem/wireless hub & is very pleased with that..

I'm at by Bro's now & have had a quick look at his router/modem. It is a NETGEAR DG834GT. It does everything you'll need, has high speed wireless & is about

I have got myself a modem router, it is made by someone called eTEC????

Welcome to the darkside Rob

Using my "old" Shuttle PC running Win XP just seems like such a nightmare already and its only been 24 hours.

This 20" screen is awesome, i watched an episode of Band of Brothers on it, fantastic:eek:

One thing i had to ask though. Should i get some anti virus software and if so which one would you reccomend?

i could also use some anti spam software.

pointless replying directly to you now but for the benefit of everyone else.

Antivirus isnt worth having at the moment, Symantec (the people who make Norton) said that there are 0 know virii for a mac (as of about 6 months ago)

I dont use any and neither do the people who i work with, same goes for Anti Spam/Spyware etc etc

Thats not to say that it wont ever change but at the moment mac users have the luxary of not having to run any such software

considering the recent rise in/return to popularity of macs, the whole thing about macs not needing Anti Virus/Spam/Spyware software is going to cause more than a few people problems in the not too distant future

how many issues did the previous security update address?

I have even managed to download a few good games too:thumbup:

Halo, Call of Duty 2. and Prey.

They seem to play ok to me and don't seem any worse than on my old PC TBH.

not a suprise really, a 20 inch imac is a more than decent spec computer

i've got a black macbook 2ghz core duo, missed out on the core 2 by a few months. I would defo get as much ram as u can afford, I've got 1gig in this one but 512meg in my macmini, you can defo tell the difference.

Main reason I bought it is I work in IT (IBM iSeries Analyst) so was used to computers just worker, unlike my work HP laptop so didn't wanna come home and **** around with windows everytime I wanted to do something.... macs just work!

i'm just waiting for the iphone!

didn't wanna come home and **** around with windows everytime I wanted to do something.... macs just work!

I had heard this sort of phrase prior to purchasing my iMac and it was how i was feeling about windows based PC's. I wondered how true it would be. But i have to say so far it is 100% true and i understand why, once people have made the switch they don't regret it.

I did find the way that things install a bit odd after using windows. However once you get used to "mounting" images and dragging things to the hard drive it all seems very easy too.

I am also impressed with how much stuff there is available for download via bittorrent.

I did find the way that things install a bit odd after using windows. However once you get used to "mounting" images and dragging things to the hard drive it all seems very easy too.

I am also impressed with how much stuff there is available for download via bittorrent.

i found that odd too, one package that contains all the files, good idea really...

have you downloaded an app called 'ted', great for downloading tv shows via bittorrent.

Main reason I bought it is I work in IT (IBM iSeries Analyst) so was used to computers just worker, unlike my work HP laptop so didn't wanna come home and **** around with windows everytime I wanted to do something.... macs just work!

Aahh.. an i5/os Analyst... explains why you like macs then... :P

I do agree though on the usability front OSX has both Linux and windows beat hands down...

Glad to hear your enjoying your iMac Rob

considering the recent rise in/return to popularity of macs, the whole thing about macs not needing Anti Virus/Spam/Spyware software is going to cause more than a few people problems in the not too distant future

how many issues did the previous security update address?

The trick here is going to be knowing when to 'jump'.

I run a Mac & don't have any anti-virus. There's no point at the moment. I'm hoping there never will be any point.

There are no known viruses for OS X & vunerabilities/exploits are getting fixed as they are discovered. (in fact the point of hacking contests like the one highlighted here is to try to find vunerabilities before the toerags do & patch them/fix them. Apple is not as fast as the Open-Source community at doing this, but they're not too bad.)

Anti-virus software needs regular updates of definitions to work. At the moment for Mac users the software update provides the same functionality, patching the holes before viruses are written for them. If Apple can keep up & don't come across a hole that's unfixable, then this is the way to proceed as anti-virus software can cause nearly as many problems as it fixes.

Also, agreed; Macs are increasing in popularity but firstly there is far more to the Mac/Unix security advantage over Windows than just it's relative obscurity & secondly even if Apples market share tripled (v. unlikely) it would still only account for <15% of the installed user base.

My opinion: Don't bother with anti-virus now but use your Software Update & keep your ear to the ground.