geredeth wrote:That is the most ridiculous claim. I am so sick and tired of people acting like Windows just grows it's own spyware/viruses. First off, I have been going on .. almost a decade now.. of zero problems with my Windows machines. Every failure was hardware failure, and when I did get a virus 10 years ago (or maybe even 14 or so), it was my own stupid fault and I learned from it, which seems to be something that Mac users are incapable of doing.

Want to say it is pretty and shiny? Go for it. Want to say "It doesn't get viruses?" then stop, there is a reason there are anti-virus programs from the Mac, as it is even more vulnerable to infection that Windows systems, because the users are to stupid to act intelligently. And no, sorry Mrfox, this isn't direct at "you" so much as everyone who makes these foolish claims. Working in the tech industry, I get to hear this more than any rational person should. I am thinking of making a bumper sticker I can smack on peoples foreheads to warn of their fanboi given ignorance.

I agree. I am a technician, and I havent gotten a virus in a long, long, long time...you have to go to the right sites, and if you go to the wrong ones, go to the right wrong ones (lol)

On another note, here is a nice little analogy for the iPad

iPad= iPaid too much

will it arrive by christmas?

austinwolf47 wrote:yeah, thats actually 8.7% discount off the retail. Next time you do the math do it right. That same thing is 1149.99 retail, not 1199.99 like your math shows.

It is actually $1,199

gcosta wrote:Will this work with my... oh, never mind that.

Now taking bets on the over/under on how many more people will post this line for this woot (because I bet most of us thought of it), whether they fill in the blank with "mac" or "pc". Operators are now standing by. I'm guessing 10.

By the way, woot, throwing an iMac out there on Christmas Eve? Sneaky, sneaky, sneaky! I was wondering if you'd maybe throw out an iPad or something like that, but you went up another level.

I'm saving up for one of these: http://www.theonion.com/video/apple-introduces-revolutionary-new-laptop-with-no,14299/

This computer came out 235 days ago...and the average release cycle for imacs is 273. Eh, do the math.

Jethro70 wrote:Not to mention that as soon as Apple decides to upgrade to the next "big cat" version of OS X, you may end up forking over $250+ just to have an OS that is compatible with that next generation iPhone that you simply must have when it comes out. Mac and their planned obsolescence can kiss my apple.

I have no interest in getting involved in this debate, but I just wanted to point out that the Lion and the Snow Leopard updates were $29.99 and $29, respectively, so I'm not sure where you're getting $250 from.

rprebel wrote:The last 2 major OS updates were $30 each. I don't recall how much they were before then, but I've never spent more than $100 for a new OS.

Whoops, I was way too slow. What that guy said.

When does it get delivered? I am new on woot so could not figure out the shipping info.

As someone who spent a weekend cleaning the latest version of WIndows 2012 AntiVirus of my girlfriend's PC I must say I was happy to own a mac. he was on a well known tv news site, not anyplace naughty. That kinda stuff was my single biggest headache on a PC and I don't have to deal with it anymore. They aren't perfect but I dropped my powerbook a bunch of times and it worked right up until the last drop. Now they've made them tougher and fixed the power cord issue. If you need one of these get it, good purchase.

rprebel wrote:The last 2 major OS updates were $30 each. I don't recall how much they were before then, but I've never spent more than $100 for a new OS.

Before that it was $129

pearmask wrote:Whoops, I was way too slow. What that guy said.

That's okay. Two others said it just before me c:

crisss1205 wrote:Before that it was $129

Before those two was Tiger. In 2005.

felloweskimo wrote:Before those two was Tiger. In 2005.

Yes, to upgrade from Tiger to Leopard it was $129, still far off from $250.

Then Leopard to Snow Leopard was $29
And Snow Leopard to Lion was also $29

I was firmly in the Windows camp until about 3 years ago, I installed Hackintosh OSX on an extra partition and used it for about a month. Pretty soon after I took the plunge on an iMac of my own. I still have it, have upgraded from Leopard to Snow Leopard to Lion, and have not had to do one bit of OS maintenance or troubleshooting for 3 years. I will keep using this computer until it doesn't work anymore, which will hopefully be a half dozen years from now. I know people that have iMacs of the last design that still function perfectly 5-6 years later. This is absolutely worth the 20% premium or whatever you pay for a Mac.

I've never really had a moment where I've been like "Oh, I can't do this because I have a Mac," but I suppose that's because I play video games on an Xbox 360 (I like zero-maintenance, zero-configuration processes).

I still use Windows 7 at work (mid-sized software company, I do software engineering). I like Windows 7 but I really can't imagine myself ever buying a personal computer that runs Windows ever again.

If you like doing menial maintenance and configuration tasks out of some kind of misguided masochism, and are fine with having to buying new computers every 3-4 years, I would recommend getting that HP(lol) machine. If you want a computer for getting work done, or as a zero-maintenance, zero-configuration personal computer that will keep chugging along at full speed for years after comparative Win machines are being melted down in China, I recommend taking the plunge.

Jethro70 wrote:Not to mention that as soon as Apple decides to upgrade to the next "big cat" version of OS X, you may end up forking over $250+ just to have an OS that is compatible with that next generation iPhone that you simply must have when it comes out. Mac and their planned obsolescence can kiss my apple.

One word: huh? Sorry, but this whole rant makes no sense whatsoever. In fact, Apple is particularly good about supporting rather old computers with their operating systems; in fact, it wasn't until Snow Leopard that they finally got rid of PPC support, and not until Lion that they dropped support for the Core Solo and Core Duo.

And as for the stuff about having to upgrade your OS to support your iPhone, that too is nonsense. The latest version of iTunes works on 10.5 or later, which means it will run on even old PowerPC G4 and G5 computers... computers that haven't been made for 7+ years.

crisss1205 wrote:Before that it was $129

Long story short, I have not spent more than $100 on an OS update. They may have charged $130 for 10.5, .4 or .3, but I skipped those.

Ok, I inflated the numbers... memory is getting foggy. Cost to upgrade from Panther to Tiger at the time seemed like $250 I guess, considering I had just paid $675 for the Mini.

But still, $129 to upgrade so I could sync with the 2nd Gen iPod Nano I had just bought my wife for Christmas was highway robbery. I didn't pay it -- I just took the Nano to work and synced it with a PC of the same generation as my Mini, without any problems.

I'm using the exact same system at work right now! I love it, with one caveat: ditch the wireless mouse and keyboard for the wired versions. They're still small and the keyboard will still have the metallic bezel; what you gain is a numeric keypad and never running out of charge. My university's departmental rate is $100 above what Woot is charging... and Woot is actually selling new stock! Buy now! I would, if my family wasn't getting a layoff as a belated Christmas present in January.

Or you could get a windows PC for half the price that runs twice as well and won't cost another grand to upgrade in 6 months

LoadStar wrote:One word: huh? Sorry, but this whole rant makes no sense whatsoever. In fact, Apple is particularly good about supporting rather old computers with their operating systems; in fact, it wasn't until Snow Leopard that they finally got rid of PPC support, and not until Lion that they dropped support for the Core Solo and Core Duo.

And as for the stuff about having to upgrade your OS to support your iPhone, that too is nonsense. The latest version of iTunes works on 10.5 or later, which means it will run on even old PowerPC G4 and G5 computers... computers that haven't been made for 7+ years.

You are wrong, my friend. It has happened before, and it will happen again. Macs are just computers, just like PC's... only they cost a lot more.

lifevirusx wrote:Or you could get a windows PC for half the price that runs twice as well and won't cost another grand to upgrade in 6 months

I have no idea where you guys are getting "cost another grand to upgrade in 6 months", unless you mean to buy a whole new computer? Ive been using my macbook for 5 years now...runs pretty darn good.

Jethro70 wrote:Ok, I inflated the numbers... memory is getting foggy. Cost to upgrade from Panther to Tiger at the time seemed like $250 I guess, considering I had just paid $675 for the Mini.

But still, $129 to upgrade so I could sync with the 2nd Gen iPod Nano I had just bought my wife for Christmas was highway robbery. I didn't pay it -- I just took the Nano to work and synced it with a PC of the same generation as my Mini, without any problems.

You shouldn't have needed Tiger at the time.

Mac OSX v10.3.9 or Later

AKA Panther

Would I buy a new Mac. No.

I would wait for someone to sell it. Let them break it in and the warranty stays with the computer and not with the original purchaser.

For the PC users, if you want to change the language from English do you need to buy Windows 7 in that language?

Less viruses on a Mac. There are less Macs for a virus to propagate on/through.

lifevirusx wrote:Or you could get a windows PC for half the price that runs twice as well and won't cost another grand to upgrade in 6 months

I'm not sure where people are getting this idea that you need to update these every six months. While I've bought a new one more recently because I didn't anticipate my needs well enough in terms of hard drive space and processing power due to the kind of research I do (and I had the opportunity to ask for one as a gift, so why not), the Mac I bought in late 2007 still runs fine and hasn't needed any sort of upgrade. I put Snow Leopard on it (it shipped with Leopard), but I didn't need to - just wanted to.

I like Lion, but it's worth noting that OS 10.7 ditches Rosetta. This means that you can no longer run any applications that do not have native code for Intel processors (bye-bye PPC compatibility). If you are already a Mac user, that may mean having to upgrade more of your software instead of simply reinstalling it on new hardware (when permitted).

ive been waiting for a deal on one of these.. but 27" :/
get me a 27, and im in

crisss1205 wrote:AKA Panther

It maybe a 3rd gen. Nano [squarish 4 GB model] But the point is that it didn't work with the Mac, but it did work with the PC. Completely blew all the pro-Mac BS I'd been listening to out of the water. "Macs just work". Right.

crisss1205 wrote:Yes, to upgrade from Tiger to Leopard it was $129, still far off from $250.

Or if you waited until Snow Leopard came out, you could go directly from Tiger to Snow Leopard for $29. (Not that Apple liked to point that out.)

Side note about why Macs are worth it for some people: there are certain advantages in terms of language support on Macs. This only matters to people like me who need to prepare documents and type in several different languages per day (all while using an English keyboard not set up for that), but it's really hard to do what I do with the language support (or lack thereof) on a PC. And believe me, I've tried to find solutions since I still have to use PCs in some situations and because I have lots of students with PCs, and I'm really not technologically clueless, but multilingual tasks, especially those involving multi-language input, are really much easier on a Mac.

I run my own computer repair business, and yes, Macs are less likely to get infected, but it's mostly because they aren't creating malware for Macs. It doesn't pay to put out something that 10% of the population has. However, this year, there have been several malware programs pushed out for Macs.

I use free anti-virus software on my PC's, and I haven't had an infection in more than 10 years. It's more about being smart and installing updates for things like Adobe Flash and Java when they ask you to. Don't download all those "free" screensavers and games and you'll be fine.

Macs are great machines, but so are most PC's, once you get away from the bottom end. I just can't justify paying 40-100% more for nearly identical hardware. Most Macs now use the same hardware as PC's, so the reliability isn't much different. You'd better buy the extra Apple Care because most computer repair shops charge more to work on Macs as well. The software difference just isn't worth it. Save your money, buy a PC and Windows for Dummies book.

ubmic wrote:Has it, loves it and definitely just tried to stick his magic mouse to it... fail

haha yeah me too! I guess they probably used a double-sided tape for that! :p

editorkid wrote:All Macs can run Windows, so it's like you're getting two computers for the price of one here. Set up Boot Camp for a dual-booting computer or use any of the virtual OS programs like Parallels to have the two side-by-side.

You tell'em editor kid!

Jethro70 wrote:It maybe a 3rd gen. Nano [squarish 4 GB model] But the point is that it didn't work with the Mac, but it did work with the PC. Completely blew all the pro-Mac BS I'd been listening to out of the water. "Macs just work". Right.

Because the PC had the necessary requirements, you had a >4 year old Mac and a <4 year old PC at work.

Do you guys also complain when people buy nice furniture and appliances?

"You could have gotten a much bigger couch at Ikea for a fraction of the price!"

"Why would you ever buy a stainless steel fridge? They don't work with fridge magnets!"

sdc100 wrote:I make the purchases for my research team, and have a final say on computer equipment for my department -- and I rarely approve Apple computers for many reasons, i.e. it's MUCH easier and cheaper to fix and upgrade Windows computers, which is important in a corporate environment. Heck, we have a closet full of monitors, etc that can be reused ... but not in Macs. And that's the warning I give to people who buy these all-in-one Macs and Windows PCs. If you monitor breaks, or you want a larger monitor, you're screwed. Sure you can add an external monitor, but you'd had this thing taking uo space. Likewise of much of the innards. While my warning applies to both Apple and Windows all-in-ones, Apple is much more likely to use proprietary components. Consequently, it's often not as easy as putting in or swapping a card that you can easily (and cheaply) buy. Nor can you probably just upgrade the drive to any old BluRay writer by swapping.

This was not one of those quality posts.

"If you monitor breaks, or you want a larger monitor, you're screwed." Unless you buy AppleCare. Then your minor investment gets you an otherwise cost- and hassle-free repair. Dunno what the PC equivalent of that is. (Granted it doesn't help on getting a larger monitor. That's why Apple makes an iMac with a larger monitor.)

"Apple is much more likely to use proprietary components." If this were true, Boot Camp and virtualization software wouldn't work. They do and you're wrong.

ThunderThighs wrote:Just bought it for my nephew and it was $64.

Correction: I bought the Lion upgrade.

I'm interested in how that's possible, since it retails for $30. However, if you're saying you upgraded from Leopard to Snow Leopard and from that to Lion, then I'm still not sure where the $64 came from (maybe tax), but you'd then have paid $64 for a total of 2 OS upgrades.

That's basically the tax on 2 Windows upgrades.

The BEST part about the iMac is that when the hardware is hopelessly outdated in 4-5 years the user is going to have to trash a perfectly useful IPS display!

/also, while it is IPS, it isn't a very good one

wapratesi wrote:Or, you can build yourself a Hackintosh for less money. You miss out on AppleCare, though, which is probably the best thing about Macs...

The Hackintosh is priced at $1123 without monitor. Better cpu and more HDD, but no warranty on the system. Seems like a wash to me.