A great computer but you must do your homework

This is my first Mac. Personally, I find that the move from PC is NOT like swinging from vine to vine. That said, I have to admit that this Mac is, well, SUPER COOL. I’m impressed with it on three levels: 1) the looks of the physical package which is minimalist design very well executed. The keyboard is sturdy and attractive. The computer itself is housed in the monitor as are the speakers and cd/dvd drive slot. Everything is pared down to an efficient package that is practically a work of art and which improves ease of use as far as I’m concerned. 2) The desktop interface, which is called Acqua, is so gorgeous it’s got to be the standard of the industry. The "dock" is useful, the icons are slick & well designed, even scroll bars are downright neat. For my desktop wallpaper, I like “nature” and “plants” and the Mac lets me rotate these beautiful scenes daily. It’s a pleasure to start up the machine. 3) Functionality of the package, as it was delivered to my door, is superb. This computer boots faster than my old desktop pc “awakens” if I put it to sleep. I found setting up the network (my achilles’ heel) to be exceptionally easy. Installed software including iLife is quite nice except that I miss Microsoft Office. More on that later. Suffice it to say, everything works well and there are plenty of aspects to Tiger, the operating system, which would improve windows. Specifically, if a program locks up, it does not require shutting down and re-booting. How nice. The only thing I miss as a former Windows user is right clicking.

I like this computer but there are disadvantages. The thing that any purchaser should know before taking the plunge is that is very little software out there for an INTEL Mac. That is, as of now. It will get better with time because Apple and software developers at other companies are working on it. I’m embarrassed to admit that I really didn’t grasp the extent of this situation when I purchased this machine. I’m used to PCs that have a world of software available. I will try to explain the situation. To run software other than what came installed on this machine you not only need software written for Mac OS X (Tiger) version 10.4, you need software that is designated UNIVERSAL. Except, as is the case with the Mac version of Microsoft Office, software may run just fine by using Rosetta, an emulator that comes with Tiger. In other words, software like Microsoft Office for Mac is not written for an Intel Mac, it must be translated for the new computer architecture. Supposedly, MS Office for Mac runs fine, but I can’t see springing for expensive software that will ultimately be replaced because it doesn’t run “natively” on my machine.

I find this all confusing even though I have a basic understanding of what’s happening. Some software companies don’t even mention Intel Macs or ”Universal” on their websites. So you have to do your own research to determine compatibility.

This does not negate the fact that Mac OS X Tiger version 10.4 is supposed to be a wonderful operating system. It definitely has advantages, one of which is the near lack of viruses that plague Windows. And the advantages will increase over time as more and more software becomes available. I just think you should face the purchase of an INTEL iMac with clear eyes. Don’t spend time like I did at first, trying to install software that won’t install. Case in point, Open Office. Perusing the forums on the Open Office website, I read a comment that there is “already” a version of Open Office that will install on an Intel iMac. Perhaps there is something I don’t understand, but I haven't been able to get it to install. You can't believe everything you read, especially on the internet.

Bottom line is, if you are the kind of person who can be happy with a computer as is, or if you can afford Microsoft Office and don’t mind that it runs non-natively, then this is a WONDERFUL machine. And again, I might STILL be very happy with Microsoft Office if I was not too cheap to buy it.

Update, 2/3/07: I should have updated this at least a couple months ago to reflect the fact that I run Windows XP on this machine courtesy of the Apple supplied program "Boot Camp". The ability of this computer to run 2 operating systems increases my enjoyment of it to a whole new level. Because it is FAST at whatever it does: Apple or Windows. Hey, now. Hey, wow.