zastore and iMac query

[Zyzzyva]

It comes with a hdmi to dvi adapter. You can also use a Mini DisplayPort adapter for either DVI or VGA.

Thats code for: You can use any screen with it, even a crappy one which would hurt the premium experience you are trying to build. e.g. a 17 inch TN songdongwong Panel bought at pep.

You can of course keep the decent screen you currently use, and much later upgrade to a quality 27inch (2560 x 1440 IPS) monitor - it doesn't have to be an apple monitor.

 

[bwana]

Thats code for: You can use any screen with it, even a crappy one which would hurt the premium experience you are trying to build. e.g. a 17 inch TN songdongwong Panel bought at pep.

True that - I've had mine connected to my cheapo sansui plasma since the day I got it (five years ago?).

 

[Dolby]

Yea it'd only be temporarily until I can get something else ...

So the iMac and my Samsung screen for a while - and the Mac screen.

But wow - that's almost R20,000.00 together :/

 

[Zyzzyva]

Yea it'd only be temporarily until I can get something else ...

So the iMac and my Samsung screen for a while - and the Mac screen.

But wow - that's almost R20,000.00 together :/

Well, the mac screen will be a 5 year investment which you can keep over a few computer upgrades. Its such a premium product you wouldn't need to upgrade it for a long time. Non professional screens are so far from its quality and resolution you wouldn't ever feel like you are behind the times. A great screen should be seen as a long term investment.

If you want to save some money you can always get a similar quality dell 27inch IPS display at the same resolution for around R7000-8000. The top end dells use the same panel as the apple thunderbolt monitor. You won't see a reduction in quality whatsoever, and in fact will get the added benefit of a few more ports on the dell. Core are the crazy people who are pushing the apple price up to R12500 which i agree is ridiculous. But even if they were the same price, many US apple users buy the dells because they like the ports.

The only thing you will miss out on is the thunderbolt ports, apples great aluminum design, and the laptop power cable which is built into the thunderbolt display.

 

[Ice2Cool]

Yip, the upgrade isn't worth it. Sadly we south africans have to put up with what core gives us. No i7 models, and the price jump is kind of crazy. I've got the base model 27inch and i'm happy with it.

I'm not sure if id be happy with a 21 inch screen, if you want a higher end model i would seriously consider skipping the higher specced 21inch and getting the cheapest 27inch.

This is incorrect. Core will happily spec the laptop as you wish. They ask that you go to the apple website, spec the product as per their configuator, then copy and paste it and send it to them. They will then specially order it from apple for you.

 

[Zyzzyva]

This is incorrect. Core will happily spec the laptop as you wish. They ask that you go to the apple website, spec the product as per their configuator, then copy and paste it and send it to them. They will then specially order it from apple for you.

Yes that was mentioned afterwards by someone.

But the facts remains that if those models are so easily available then why don't they just list them on their website like the rest of the world. Special orders are an extra bother for the customer, and i suspect come at a further premium.

 

[[)roi(]]

It comes with a hdmi to dvi adapter. You can also use a Mini DisplayPort adapter for either DVI or VGA.

You can share the optical drive of another machine (pc or mac) or use an external usb (or thunderbolt) cd/dvd drive.

BTW - the OS doesn't come on a disk anymore. I do keep a backup copy on a SD card for just-in-case situations though.

Aside from the HDMI port, you also have the thunderbolt combo display port, so all Apple's display adapters will also work e.g. display port to VGA.

 

[[)roi(]]

That's a fantastic way of doing things - and makes sense actually.

It's just way too expensive right now :/ At R12,000.00 I'm pushing myself right now .... because it seems I have a curse on me and money is just leaking from every single orifice over the past two months.

I haven't searched much on the Mac Mini yet - but does it have Airport Extreme built in?
Also - how is the heat in that system ... seeing as there is no fan and it's in a tight enclosure?

EDIT : I see it does have a fan - but notice that HDD is slower and graphics is 288MB shared? Is that enough to run the 27" monitor?

I'd suggest you look at the the Apple store http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MC816LL/A?select=select&product=MC816LL/A website to see what is possible.

Yes to thunderbolt 27" display re graphics card, and something I didn't know is that you can also order a 2,7Ghz i7 processor and SSD drives.

To keep your costs down I'd suggest if you're considering the Mac mini route to buy as follows:
1. Buy the Mac mini kitted out with the best processor you can afford + buy a trackpad but use your existing USB keyboard initially + use an existing PC screen, or older LCD TV.
2. Buy an Apple keyboard.
3.. When you can afford it buy the 27" Apple Thunderbolt Display
4. Again when you can afford it replace the HDD with an SSD drive (you'll love the performance boost)
5. Finally could always add a SSD/HDD drive array to maximize your storage.

The Mac mini approach is a investment for the future (as jak3 said) and like the typically computer allows you to upgrade your set-up at a lower cost vs iMacs and MacBook Pros.

Btw you can also get a bracket which will allow the Mac mini to hide away behind the 27", so it looks a little more like an iMac.

 

[[)roi(]]

Thats code for: You can use any screen with it, even a crappy one which would hurt the premium experience you are trying to build. e.g. a 17 inch TN songdongwong Panel bought at pep.

You can of course keep the decent screen you currently use, and much later upgrade to a quality 27inch (2560 x 1440 IPS) monitor - it doesn't have to be an apple monitor.

You could even use a 32" or more LCD/LED 1080i TV as your display (resolution of 1920x1080)...

 

[[)roi(]]

Well, the mac screen will be a 5 year investment which you can keep over a few computer upgrades. Its such a premium product you wouldn't need to upgrade it for a long time. Non professional screens are so far from its quality and resolution you wouldn't ever feel like you are behind the times. A great screen should be seen as a long term investment.

If you want to save some money you can always get a similar quality dell 27inch IPS display at the same resolution for around R7000-8000. The top end dells use the same panel as the apple thunderbolt monitor. You won't see a reduction in quality whatsoever, and in fact will get the added benefit of a few more ports on the dell. Core are the crazy people who are pushing the apple price up to R12500 which i agree is ridiculous. But even if they were the same price, many US apple users buy the dells because they like the ports.

The only thing you will miss out on is the thunderbolt ports, apples great aluminum design, and the laptop power cable which is built into the thunderbolt display.

+1 on Dell's Ultrasharp IPS range being a good alternative.

The following comparision should reflect how much Core is ripping us off on certain products:
Dell's Dell UltraSharp U2711 27-inch trades in the US a $948, and in SA it trades at R7719
Apple 27" Thunderbolt trades in the US at $999, and in SA (with Core) it trades at R11499

Note: Apple's TB product does include FaceTime HD Camera, Speakers, USB, Ethernet and FireWire ports -- the Dell doesn't have speakers by default, nor Ethernet or FireWire, only USB.

Now if that doesn't convince you about Core's thievery then please consider that the MacBook Air 11" base model starts in the US at $999, and Core in SA sells it at R9299... surprising isn't it.

Oh and btw Core's argument will most probably be along the lines of it's larger so more shipment costs (which btw so is the Dell), and that they hedge the dollar price (which btw so do Dell) ;(

 

[Dolby]

Is an iMac screen adjustable?

Popped to Incredible, but no one was available ... It *looked* to be fixed, but I'm they have a ball join or something where it connects in the screen :/

 

[Synaesthesia]

Fixed except you can tilt it up and down, no height adjustment. It's very easy to swivel left and right on it's base.

I'd love to get a Mac Mini, but it's just not worth it. Hackintosh is just so much cheaper, although it's a bit more hassle, it works perfectly

iMac I would consider, the one with 27" display. But then only the new ones with quad core & thunderbolt.

Core are a rip off with poor service. But they're our only recourse, grrr.

 

[Zyzzyva]

Fixed except you can tilt it up and down, no height adjustment. It's very easy to swivel left and right on it's base.

I'd love to get a Mac Mini, but it's just not worth it. Hackintosh is just so much cheaper, although it's a bit more hassle, it works perfectly

iMac I would consider, the one with 27" display. But then only the new ones with quad core & thunderbolt.

Core are a rip off with poor service. But they're our only recourse, grrr.

I haven't tried doing the hackintosh thing in years. How has the community developed? How is updating, and how long do you generally have to wait to get the new operating system when its released?

For me the whole point of the mac experience is that it just works and is premium from top to bottom. So any hassles(noisy fans, unattractive hardware, issues with updates) added by going the hackintosh route kinda messes with the premium experience, but then again, with core gouging us like they are perhaps its worth the added hassle.

The nice thing with the iMac is that its like a giant laptop with only one chord coming out the back. Very easy to move around and just so much simpler on a beautiful desk. It allows you to get rid essentially every wire which is quite the positive if you want your computing experience to be cruft free. It great to place on a nice desk with pretty much everything else removed.

But you do unfortunately have to pay the Core Tax to gain the experience.

 

[vinodh]

If you visit the TonyMac site, you can find truckloads of hackintosh info. They have a new tool that creates a bootable OSX Lion 10.7.2 installer without having to install Snow Leopard first. That combined with their MultiBeast tool works a treat. They only deal in original Apple software and not distros like iAtkos, iDeneb etc. I tried it and it works perfectly. Got iCloud, the Mac App Store and everything else to work perfectly.