interested in buying a new iMac, Advice needed

[Paul Bain]

Hi to all members. I have owned a PC Desktop for many years. Owning one is very frustrating. My son suggested I buy a iMac. So my question is what should I be looking out for, what should I go for. I do not need it for games, mainly shopping online and downloading music, plus the odd Microsoft office letter. A 20 inch screen would probably be ample for what I use it for. Any advice would be gratefully received, I am keen to hear what members have to say, because you all have one and have lots of experience.

 

[honestone]

First, do you want to buy a new iMac? If you do, the screen sizes are 21.5 inch and 27 inch. Both models have a Retina display. The 21.5 inch model comes with a slow, 1 TB 5400 rpm hard drive. The 27" model comes with either a faster 1 TB, 7200 rpm hard drive, or a 1 TB "Fusion Drive". This link has a good explanation of the features, differences, etc. for these various new iMacs:

http://www.everymac.com/systems/app...s-between-imac-aluminum-late-2015-models.html

What version of Office for the Mac do you want? Office 2011 works fine, but "eventually" Microsoft will no longer support it. Office 2016 is fine also. I have both, having recently "moved" from Office 2011 to Office 2016. I am not a "power" user, so I don't see many differences. I also use Outlook for my EMail needs, which is included in either Office suite. The Mac OS comes with Apple's EMail program Mail, and a number of folks on here use it. But myself, I prefer Outlook.

The other thing you need to invest in is an external drive, as backups are critical. As for backup software, the Apple OS comes with Time Machine, but Time Machine backups are not bootable. Myself I use SuperDuper!, which creates a bootable backup, and I find it much more convenient/easier to recover from a SuperDuper! backup. (Carbon Copy Cloner is a similar, excellent product).

Finally, it is prudent to perform disk cleanup/maintenance/repairs on a "periodic" basis. There is Disk Utility that Apple provides as part of the OS, and it does a "good" job. But, I prefer a third party program called TechTool Pro, which has a lot more features. I also have the "ultimate" disk cleanup/maintenance/repair program Disk Warrior. There are also a couple of excellent freeware programs that are useful too.

In any event, welcome to the Mac world, and enjoy! And, don't be shy about posting questions here. There are a number of folks here who are more than willing to help.

 

[Paul Bain]

First, do you want to buy a new iMac? If you do, the screen sizes are 21.5 inch and 27 inch. Both models have a Retina display. The 21.5 inch model comes with a slow, 1 TB 5400 rpm hard drive. The 27" model comes with either a faster 1 TB, 7200 rpm hard drive, or a 1 TB "Fusion Drive". This link has a good explanation of the features, differences, etc. for these various new iMacs:

http://www.everymac.com/systems/app...s-between-imac-aluminum-late-2015-models.html

What version of Office for the Mac do you want? Office 2011 works fine, but "eventually" Microsoft will no longer support it. Office 2016 is fine also. I have both, having recently "moved" from Office 2011 to Office 2016. I am not a "power" user, so I don't see many differences. I also use Outlook for my EMail needs, which is included in either Office suite. The Mac OS comes with Apple's EMail program Mail, and a number of folks on here use it. But myself, I prefer Outlook.

The other thing you need to invest in is an external drive, as backups are critical. As for backup software, the Apple OS comes with Time Machine, but Time Machine backups are not bootable. Myself I use SuperDuper!, which creates a bootable backup, and I find it much more convenient/easier to recover from a SuperDuper! backup. (Carbon Copy Cloner is a similar, excellent product).

Finally, it is prudent to perform disk cleanup/maintenance/repairs on a "periodic" basis. There is Disk Utility that Apple provides as part of the OS, and it does a "good" job. But, I prefer a third party program called TechTool Pro, which has a lot more features. I also have the "ultimate" disk cleanup/maintenance/repair program Disk Warrior. There are also a couple of excellent freeware programs that are useful too.

In any event, welcome to the Mac world, and enjoy! And, don't be shy about posting questions here. There are a number of folks here who are more than willing to help.

Hi honestone thank you very much for your very interesting comments, I will look through the links you have mention and try and gain more info before committing.

I have considered buying a refurbished iMac, don't know what your thoughts are about that subject. I like you prefer Outlook for my E-Mails, so why did you buy an iMac over a PC or Laptop. What are the major benefits owning an iMac and what if any are the negative parts of owning one.

Kind regards

paul

 

[honestone]

Hi Paul,

I actually have never purchased a refurbished Mac, but there are plenty of folks who have good luck with them. (I also do not like to purchase used cars). Maybe someone on this site who has purchased a refurbished iMac can give you better insights. Possibly there are refurbished ones that are the 2015 models I provided information for you.

I haver never owned a PC, having started with the vintage Apple IIE, and eventually (in 1996) moving to Macs. I currently own a late 2012 Mac Mini, and a mid 2013 13" MacBook Air. I have, at times, considered purchasing an iMac and trying to sell all the "stuff" I use with my Mac MIni, along with the machine itself. But, my vintage 19" Sony monitor still looks good, and my other peripherals (Apple keyboard, Logitech mouse, etc.) still work like a charm. And, a Mac mini (at least the model I have) is easy to upgrade the hard drive and the Ram. In fact, shortly after I purchased it, I swapped out the slow, 1 TB 5400 hard drive for a MUCH faster 256 gig Samsung 840 Pro SSD. And, that 1 TB drive went inside a nice, slim external case, and it comes in handy when we travel.

No matter which machine you purchase, it would be good to try and get the latest model possible, so that it can be used with OS 10.12 (now 10.12.1, which came out yesterday) and further versions of the Mac OS. If you buy an older model, it might become obsolete regarding further Apple updates to the OS. Along those lines, it would be best if you get Office 2016, as Microsoft should be supporting that for "some time".

 

[Paul Bain]

Hi Paul,

I actually have never purchased a refurbished Mac, but there are plenty of folks who have good luck with them. (I also do not like to purchase used cars). Maybe someone on this site who has purchased a refurbished iMac can give you better insights. Possibly there are refurbished ones that are the 2015 models I provided information for you.

I haver never owned a PC, having started with the vintage Apple IIE, and eventually (in 1996) moving to Macs. I currently own a late 2012 Mac Mini, and a mid 2013 13" MacBook Air. I have, at times, considered purchasing an iMac and trying to sell all the "stuff" I use with my Mac MIni, along with the machine itself. But, my vintage 19" Sony monitor still looks good, and my other peripherals (Apple keyboard, Logitech mouse, etc.) still work like a charm. And, a Mac mini (at least the model I have) is easy to upgrade the hard drive and the Ram. In fact, shortly after I purchased it, I swapped out the slow, 1 TB 5400 hard drive for a MUCH faster 256 gig Samsung 840 Pro SSD. And, that 1 TB drive went inside a nice, slim external case, and it comes in handy when we travel.

No matter which machine you purchase, it would be good to try and get the latest model possible, so that it can be used with OS 10.12 (now 10.12.1, which came out yesterday) and further versions of the Mac OS. If you buy an older model, it might become obsolete regarding further Apple updates to the OS. Along those lines, it would be best if you get Office 2016, as Microsoft should be supporting that for "some time".

Hi honestone,

Once again thank you for your priceless info. I've read through the links, which answers a lot of my questions and concerns. My wife and I are off to an Apple shop in Newcastle this week to try one out for real.

Kind regards

Paul

 

[honestone]

Glad I was able to provide some assistance. By the way, what "Newcastle" are you going to? I live south of Seattle, WA, and there is an "area" north of us, and east of Seattle (not to far from where Bill Gates lives) called Newcastle. I suspect the one you are going to ism not the same.

 

[Spawn_Dooley]

The following is well worth a read:

What You Should Know Before You Buy an iMac